Evers Sets Ambitious Agenda for Education (WI)

September 17, 2010

In his second annual State of Education address Thursday in the Capitol Rotunda, State Superintendent T ony Evers expressed pride in Wisconsin’s public schools and libraries as he laid out an ambitious agenda focused on graduating more students from high school prepared for the workforce or further education.

“As your state superintendent, I am humbled by the work that goes on across Wisconsin to help children become active citizens, productive and skilled workers, and leaders in our communities,” Evers said. “We have a tradition of excellence, and there is much to celebrate. At the same time, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.”

Evers called the accomplishments during his first 14 months in office groundwork that will have lasting impact, but said there is much more to do. He noted that graduation and achievement gaps are too large — one in 10 students drops out — and the state’s school finance system is broken.

“We need to make more strides to increase the numbers of students graduating from high school and decrease dropouts by: transforming our system of assessments, supporting teacher and school leader professional development and effectiveness, and making major changes to the way Wisconsin funds schools,” he said.

Evers proposes strengthening what it means to earn a high school diploma by increasing Wisconsin’s graduation requirements from 13 credits, the lowest in the nation, to 21.5, making the state’s 8.5 optional credits a requirement. He called on partners in higher education to increase the opportunities for high school students to graduate with some postsecondary credits or credentials through more dual enrollment opportunities and new early and middle college programs. He also asked for a “test out” option for 11th- and 12th-grade students who demonstrate readiness for success in postsecondary studies. “The result will be young people succeeding in college-level courses during high school, incr easing the pipeline of students who go on to college, and reducing their total time and cost to earn a degree,” he said.

As Evers sought ways to help more young people succeed in college-level courses during high school, he also said his 2011-13 education budget would invest early in students who demonstrate warning signs of dropping out. Evers proposes consolidating a number of aid programs to provide new categorical aid aimed at increasing graduation rates and reducing dropouts. “The proposal will focus efforts and resources on the school districts with the most significant graduation gaps and hold them accountable for improving results,” he said.

“Replacing the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) and transforming our assessment systems is a major part of preparing students to become college and career ready,” Evers explained. His proposed education budget will include financial support for district use of the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment for grades three through eight and use of the EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT as a set of college and career readiness assessments for students in grades eight, 10, and 11. Use of these interim assessments will help districts prepare for the comprehensive system of assessment tools that will be developed for use in 2014-15 by the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium.

Evers stressed the importance of effective educators and the need for a model educator performance system. “Research shows that the single most critical element in student learning is teacher quality and effectiveness,” he said. Evers called on school boards, administrators, and teachers unions to create an educator performance system that improves student learning and informs professional development. “Educator effectiveness is too important not to be guided by a state vision,” he said. Evers warned that if the education community d oesn’t collaborate, the resulting evaluation system will likely be “shallow, superficial, and politically motivated.”

Evers presented an overview of his “Fair Funding for Our Future” proposal, acknowledging that most school finance proposals are derailed by the political reality of winners and losers. “My reforms are based on principles, not printouts,” he said. However, he promised the school finance reform portion of his budget would be fully developed later this fall so it models the impacts of funding reform on the state’s 424 school districts. “Any viable proposal must show communities what the changes would mean to them,” he said, adding that he looks “forward to working with all of you to pass school finance reform during the next legislative session.”

“We have made real strides this year to ensure Wisconsin’s schools stay strong and every child is a graduate,” Evers said. He noted that real, serious change is about hard, steady work that takes time and should not fall victim to fads and political turmoil. “We have set ambitious goals for education, and we will need your support to achieve them. Let’s work for our kids and their parents, our educators, and for Wisconsin’s future,” he concluded.