Deciphering Minnesota's Literacy Incentive Aid or Adam Breaks Out His Algebra

"Sec. 43. [124D.98] Literacy Incentive Aid. [Emphasis added]

"Subdivision 1. Literacy incentive aid. In fiscal year 2013 and later, a district's literacy incentive aid equals the sum of the proficiency aid under subdivision 2, and the growth aid under subdivision 3. [Emphasis added]

"Subd. 2. Proficiency aid. In fiscal year 2013 and later, the proficiency aid for each school is equal to the product of the school's proficiency allowance times the number of pupils at the school on October 1 of the previous fiscal year. A school's proficiency allowance is equal to the percentage of students in each building that meet or exceed proficiency on the third grade reading Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, averaged across the previous three test administrations, times $85." [Emphasis added]

Proficiency aid

X: # of students in district

Y: % of 3rd graders meeting or exceeding proficiency on the third grade reading MCA

(X * Y * $85)

"Subd. 3. Growth aid. In fiscal year 2013 and later, the growth aid for each school is equal to the product of the school's growth allowance times the number of pupils enrolled at the school on October 1 of the previous fiscal year. A school's growth allowance is equal to the percentage of students at that school making medium or high growth, under section 120B.299, on the fourth grade reading Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, averaged across the previous three test administrations, times $85." [Emphasis added]

Growth aid

Z: % of 4th graders making medium or high growth on reading MCA

(X * Z * $85)

Literacy incentive aid

(X * Y * $85) + (X * Z * $85) = Literacy incentive aid

Literacy incentive aid for District 833 based off data from 2008-2010.

Below, I plug in actual test results from district 833 where I work. Results obtained from the Minnesota Department of Education.

X: 17,000

Y: .8404

Z: .59

(17,000 * .8404 * $85) + (17,000 * .59 * $85) = $2,066,928

$1,214,378 (Proficiency Aid) + $852,550 (Growth Aid) = $2,066,928 (Literacy Incentive Aid)

"Sec. 45. Literacy Incentive Aid Limit. [Emphasis added]

"Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.98, subdivision 1, for fiscal year 2013 only, the commissioner must adjust the entitlement for literacy incentive aid under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.98, subdivision 1, to ensure that the total entitlement does not exceed $48,585,000. If the literacy incentive aid exceeds the limit established in this section, the aid must be reduced proportionately to match the limit." [Emphasis added]

Even considering the limit on aid, that is a fair chunk of change for a district that already beats state averages by nearly 10% on MCA reading scores.

This benefits schools that improve or are already doing well, rather than struggling schools. Seems mighty backwards to me.

Sources:

(Full text of the education spending bill) http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/ss2011/11-3673.htm

(Definition of growth) http://statutes.laws.com/minnesota/120-129B/120B/120B_299

(Minnesota state standardized test results) http://education.state.mn.us/tranalysis-sa/test-results-analysis.jsf

(Growth results) http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/index.do

And I'm Back

Ha! So much for blogs...

Since I am so negligent of my social networking outlets, I am christening this blog anew: my internet notebook with a focus on education.

I want to write quickly about a couple lessons that worked especially well so that I might revisit these some day and integrate principles that worked into future lessons.

In my AP world literature classes at Edina, the task was to compare multiple translations of the opening and closing lines of Oedipus Rex and Antigone. The activity took two days, and at the end of day one, it became clear I had not sold the students on the importance of what we were doing. In response, that night I laid out the sketch of a lecture I planned to give them. It went like this:

I have heard it supposed that, if every religion were a slide, and one laid them end on end, the light that shone through would be the true faith. I don't know what I think about that, and frankly, today is not the day for that discussion. However, I think it's a useful metaphor for our purposes. I want you to imagine that each of these translations is a slide, and that by laying them end to end, we are gaining a more essential concept of these ancient, often translated plays.

I have developed a good sense for how much of what I say makes sense to my students. Based on their immediate reactions and their change in attitude as they took on day two of comparing translations, I'd wager it was an effective way to explain the significance of their task.

Later on in the quarter with the same AP world literature classes, we had a productive and useful lesson in a jigsaw of nine critical essays about Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. With thirty students, groups worked out to around three per group. After reading their essay the previous night, students returned the next day to complete the following task in class:

In your groups, create a list of three things that confused you, two things that surprised you, and one essential statement of what about Metamorphosis your critic seeks to explain. Try to resolve any confusion in your groups, but know that I will be around to check on your progress and to help answer questions.

After they had been given around ten minutes to collaborate, I called their attention to the front of the room, and asked that a representative of each group write their essential statement on the board. After allowing them time to read over the statements, I then posed the following questions to the class:

Are these theses of sorts in agreement? Do they disagree? Or are they describing different aspects of Metamorphosis? Which do we agree with? Which do we feel are really far out?

After discussing these questions as a whole, I then directed all students to record the statements in their notebooks and reminded them of their essay on Metamorphosis, due in five days.

The activity worked well in several ways. The critical essays were difficult reads, so the chance to share frustrations and epiphanies with classmates was invaluable. Jigsawing the articles allowed students to see a variety of viewpoints. Finally, as they stare down the task of composing their essays, spending a day thinking, talking, and writing about professional essays on Kafka will hopefully serve as inspiration.

That's all. I feel a little bit like I am tooting my own horn as a teacher by writing about this, but I remind myself that I have delivered just two awesome lessons worthy of my remembering. Besides, if I am really worried about my humility, I start teaching problematic sophomore classes tomorrow. Tally ho!

Robbinsdale Cooper - Post 1

I got in this morning a full forty minutes before classes started at 7:20. This turned out to be a good idea, as it left ample time to find the gym I'd be using, get the equipment my students would need, and leaf through the thorough lesson plans I was left. I also got the chance to introduce myself to other folks in the phy. ed. office.

The plan was the same for all five hours: attendance, three-minute jog, three minutes of stretching, and two ten-minute games of soccer out on the fields. Hours 1, 5, and 6 had enough students for three concurrent games. Hour 2 (International Baccalaureate) and hour 7, both small classes, played on two larger teams. In order to make up for disparities in number and ability, I alternated playing for different teams. Although I slipped and fell on the wet grass three times first hour, and I am not a good soccer player besides, I did a serviceable job. Most importantly, I had a blast, and so did they by all appearances.

I had to eject one kid for foul language, and take down the names of a couple others, but they were by and large five groups of good kids.

I was also fortunate to get to chat with another English teacher, who sat next to me at lunch. It was awesome to get to talk about my content area again.

I'll leave it at that for now, and possibly edit this later. I am incredibly tired all of a sudden. Awesome day nonetheless, and I'll do it again tomorrow.

My Life as an Education Mercenary - Post 0

I'll once again change the purpose of this blog to chronicle my time as an education mercenary, which at this point includes my duties as a tutor, substitute teacher, and workshop facilitator.

Tomorrow, I work my first job as a substitute teacher at Robbinsdale-Cooper, where I'll be subbing two consecutive days for a physical education teacher. Both days will be held outside, and I have been told by the teacher herself that there will be lesson plans, so I am excited to see how this goes. I met a woman who teaches English at Robbinsdale-Cooper through summer classes, and it sounds like a fine school, though Erin's friend, Lizzy, suggested bringing a bullet proof vest. I am confident my gym shorts will be protection enough.

School starts at 7:20 at the school tomorrow, so I need to be to bed for my 5:30 wake-up.

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Thoughts on Teaching Agents

I feel so far removed from the possibility of using teaching agents in my classroom that both articles appealed to me mainly as presenting curiosities and future potential. As both articles implied that the prevailing view toward the use of teaching agents is one of skepticism, so too am I unsure of how this would improve student learning. More importantly, many schools are still contending with student populations with little access and less fluency with technology than popularly suggested. This in mind, teaching agents undoubtedly are a part of the future, but I am most interested in what will help this moment. Even if teaching agents were available and my students not plagued with access issues, I still place a premium on face-to-face(s) interaction over mediating communication with an avatar. None of this is to suggest that there are not limited situations in which this would be a good idea, but for the majority of classrooms - even ideal ones - I am not convinced this would represent little more than a repackaging of the old in a novel medium. As I have been taught in technology-related courses in my master's of education, we must check our enthusiasm for new tools with the understanding that new is not always better, and the bottom line must always be how it will improve student learning.

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan One

Identifying the fifteen basic appeals

Students will need to have spent at least a class period familiarizing themselves with Jib Fowles' fifteen basic appeals, a copy of which may be found here: http://www.cyberpat.com/shirlsite/education/essay2/jfowles.html

The teacher should gather around forty print advertisements from a variety of sources. After identifying the basic appeal(s) used in each ad, the ads should be divided evenly between eight stations. Students should then be split into groups of three or four. Their task is to circulate around the room and reach a consensus within their group as to the basic appeal(s) used in each print ad at each of the stations. Upon conclusion of the task, the class will come back together as a group to discuss discrepancies between what basic appeals each group associated with each ad. In all likelihood, some trends will emerge - e.g. lots of appeals to sex, etcetera - this can serve as a segue into what all this material is communicating to and about the culture in which it is found.

Lesson Plan Two

Journalistic ethics

Students will need to have spend at least a class period familiarizing themselves with the basics of journalistic ethics, e.g. libel, provisions in the constitution, etcetera.

The teacher should procure four or five codes of ethics from major newspapers and magazines. Students will be given time in expert groups to review these codes. The teacher should then hand out four or five ethical dilemma scenarios. Working from their expert groups, students will need to use their assigned code of ethics to determine the ethical line of action. After arriving at consensus, students will reassemble into groups with other students with dissimilar codes of ethics. As a followup discussion, students may consider what sorts of specific guidance for journalists is not legislated and how codes of ethics do or do not fill the void.