September 10, 2013 – RI Future

September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

Cicilline still on fence re: Syria, advises caution

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WASHINGTON, DC — I am in Washington, representing both RIPDA and myself, arguing against a military response to the recent horrific use of chemical weapons in Syria.

I had the good fortune to talk to Rep. Cicilline staff members in his DC office today about his position on such a strike. The staffers indicated that the Representative is listening to his constituents carefully and intently. This was borne out by their careful consideration of our anti-war thoughts on the Syrian situation. The Representative has yet to make a final decision on a possible US response.

However, Rep. Cicilline’s current thinking is that all possibilities should be explored before any military action is taken, and that such a decision be made with great care and deliberation. Note that in his capacity as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee he has current knowledge on the deliberations in the House, as well as influence on the outcome.

I say “current thinking” with a grain of salt. The situation is quite fluid. Things were developing as we talked. Due to no fault of their own, and understandably so, I seemed to have more current info than the staffers did, the latest New York Times posting having occurred 4 minutes before our 11:30 AM meeting.

More and more nations and diplomats are lining up behind Russia’s Sec’y Kerry-derived proposal for international monitoring and destruction of Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons. This includes a high-ranking Syrian official; according to an earlier New York Times post:

Another Syrian Official Backs Chemical-Weapons Proposal

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Syrian prime minister, Wael al-Halki, said Tuesday that his country supported a Russian proposal for the Syrian government to give up chemical weapons to avoid a possible military strike by the United States.

Syrian state television quoted Mr. Halki as saying that the government backed the initiative “to spare Syrian blood.”

(Emphasis is mine.)

Right now, 1:30 PM, diplomatic developments are still happening fast and furiously, at the UN, the Congress, and the White House.

I’ll post again later today, as I am able to.

Gus Uht

September 10, 2013

Tina Egan is suing the state over NECAP test

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While the Board of Education’s agenda for last night’s meeting says it is being sued by the Providence Student Union, the lawsuit is actually being brought by East Greenwich parent Tina Egan, who says the using the NECAP test as a high stakes graduation requirement discriminates against her daughter with Down syndrome.

I think perhaps the Board may want it to seem as if it is being sued by activists rather than by a parent whose daughter is disabled. In any case, here is the testimony Egan gave last night:

I urge you to accept the Petition and rescind high stakes testing as a graduation requirement for the class of 2014 and beyond.

1. My daughter is a member of the class of 2014 and a person who was born with Down syndrome. Throughout her academic career in RI public schools, she has been in an inclusive educational model learning side by side with peers without intellectual disabilities.   Her aim has been in sync with her peers – earn a diploma and head out towards adulthood as a member of her community.

2. Like all her peers in school, she took NECAP tests. However, unlike the peers without intellectual disabilities, even with her best efforts on these standard tests, she did not attain a score of partial proficiency in math or reading. Now she retakes the tests twice more but the high stakes test will be an insurmountable barrier to a diploma and the next stage of life in an inclusive world and community.

3. Our state is in the national spot light today because of the Department of Justice settlement forcing the shut down of discriminatory practices relating to the treatment of persons with disabilities.   Employment First policy is being implemented and young adults with intellectual disabilities are finally getting the opportunity to be a part of our state’s work force.   We hear endless stories of adults with Down syndrome working successfully in jobs that require a high school diploma. These jobs fuel the economy as well as bring pride, social engagement and economic freedom to these individuals.

4. The RIDE high stakes testing policy flies in the face of Employment First and preclude individuals like my daughter from performing any of the wide range of entry level jobs that require, or simply prefer, candidates with a high school diploma.   Unless RIDE rescinds the high stakes test policy, young adults in Rhode Island will be shut out of an array of employment opportunities for which they are qualified based on their skills and abilities – is that a result we want?

Thank you for your considerations.

Tina Egan

September 10, 2013

NAACP joins NECAP protest

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Using the NECAP test as a high stakes graduation requirement has been challenged by students, teachers, parents, education activists and civil libertarians. Now you can add the NAACP to the list as well.

Providence NAACP President Jim Vincent told the Board of Education last night that he, too, is opposed to using this test as a graduation requirement.

In a statement today, he said:

The NAACP Providence Branch supports the NECAP test as a tool to evaluate student performance and progress but it should NOT be used as a graduation requirement. Last year, 40% of Rhode Island and over 60% of Providence 11^th graders “failed the test”. These high numbers suggest that there is something deeply wrong with a system which has failed to adequately prepare a significant number of its students after 11 years of schooling. There are numerous examples of other states with similar demographics whose students perform much better. No remedial or quick fix solutions will address the fundamental problem of a system that needs reform before children can adequately learn. The NAACP understands the value of a high school diploma and that a student receiving one should at least have minimal English and math skills. For that reason, we are not in favor of social promotions, however, we are also not in favor of penalizing students who have not received a solid educational foundation. In summary, use the NECAP as a tool but not as a requirement. Spend more time correcting the root cause of our students poor performance and less time creating what would be worse for our students… no high school diploma!

September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

Mayor Taveras reiterates NECAP opposition

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Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, a potential gubernatorial candidate next year, has sent a letter to Eva Mancuso and the Board of Education asking them to reconsider Rhode Island’s new policy of using the NECAP test as a high stakes graduation requirement. The letter was also sent to Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist and Governor Lincoln Chafee.

Here’s the letter:

Dear Chairwoman Mancuso and members ofthe Rhode Island Board of Education,

I am writing today to reiterate my concerns regarding the use ofthe NECAP test as a determining factor for our state’s high school graduation requirement. I Wish to urge the Board of Education to initiate formal rule-making proceedings for amending the Board’s “Secondary School Regulations: K-lZ Literacy, Restructuring of the Learning environment at the middle and
high school levels, and proficiency based graduation requirements (PBGR) at High Schools.”

I have previously Written to express my deep commitment to improving student achievement in Providence and to Working with professional educators, parents and young people in our city to ensure that all of our students are prepared to succeed after they graduate from our public school system.

l believe that appropriate testing is a helpful measurement tool across ages and disciplines. Standardized testing is a tool that is used to evaluate students and professionals at all levels from early childhood screenings, to the bar exam, to training for police officers and firefighters. We are Working diligently in Providence to prepare our students for success in the future and to do Well on the standardized tests that they are required to take. Our district-Wide graduation campaign is evidence of that.

That said, I worry that the former Board of Regents has imposed a graduation requirement on our students that is tied to a questionable measurement of individual proficiency and graduation readiness. Particularly knowing that by 2014 – 2015 a new test the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) – will be in use in Rhode lsland to assess individual performance in important subjects.

It seems our collective attention should be focused on implementing the curricula and assessments that the new Common Core standards will require so that our educators, parents and students have the adequate time to prepare and adjust their teaching and learning strategies.

Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.

Sincerely,

Angel Taveras
Mayor

September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

Mancuso was for a debate before she was against it

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Eva Mancuso was for debating the NECAP issue before she was against it.

The oft-embattled chairwoman of the state Board of Education voted against a debate on the highly-politicized issue last night despite saying in May that it was an “important” issue that would “be coming before the Board.”

“I certainly want to look at that issue,” she told me in this video. “I think that’s an important issue to have on our plate.”

You can watch her say it in this video:

Mancuso also said in the video, “I don’t think it’s the best test.”

In a tweet this morning related to this video, Jean Ann Guliano wrote, “Chair Mancuso promised a debate. I hope she keeps her word. Since this interview, the Board has met at least twice in private to discuss the matter. Mancuso has yet to explain why she changed her mind.

Rhode Island’s Race to the Top federal funding is tied to its plans to use he NECAP for student and teacher evaluation.

September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

Board of Ed doesn’t want a NECAP debate

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High stakes testing is perhaps the most highly-charged political issue in Rhode Island this year – it continues to make national news and an extremely diverse coalition of parents, civil libertarians and disability activists have sued the state over the brand new policy that could leave 40 percent of high school seniors without a diploma. But the Board of Education doesn’t want to discuss it.

In a 6 to 5 vote last night, Governor Linc Chafee’s Board of Education voted against revisiting using the NECAP test as a high stakes graduation requirement.

“It’s certainly disappointing but I’m not discouraged,” said Jean Ann Guliano, an East Greenwich parent and politician. Guliano, who was chairwoman of the East Greenwich School Committee and ran for Lt. Gov as a member of the Moderate Party, has a son with autism whose hopes of graduating high school could be dashed by the NECAP requirement. “A 6-5 vote means that some people are starting to listen.”

But Steven Brown, executive director of the RI ACLU, which says the NECAP requirement unfairly targets poor and disabled students, was less conciliatory. In a statement sent out this morning, he said:

It is unconscionable that thousands of high school seniors may soon face their loss of a diploma based on an arbitrary test score, and will do so pursuant to a policy that the Board of Education itself has never directly considered.

Even worse, just weeks after being chided by a court for seeking to hold a discussion of high stakes testing in secret at a ‘private’ retreat, the Board tonight once again showed its disdain for the open meetings law by discussing this petition in complete secrecy. The public has no idea whatsoever why the Board took the action it did last night, and that is the antithesis of what the open meetings law is all about. We will be considering next steps, as this fight is far from over.

The Providence Journal reports “Those voting to deny the students’ petition were: (chairwoman Eva) Mancuso, Michael Bernstein, Karin Forbes, Jo Eva Gaines, William Maaia and Patrick Guida. Those voting in favor of reconsidering the NECAP were: Antonio Barajas, Colleen Callahan, Larry Purtill, Michael Grande and Mathies Santos.”

Rhode Island’s Race to the Top federal funding is tied to its plans to use he NECAP for student and teacher evaluation.

September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

The Peace Flag Project and the Month of Peace

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Lost among the headlines surrounding potential U.S. involvement in the ongoing and tragic Syrian Civil War is that the month of September 2013 is the month of peace, and a series of activities and events have been planned around September 21st, the United Nations International Day of Peace.

Ginny Fox is the Director of the Peace Flag Project, and is instrumental is raising awareness about the promise and possibility of peace. The Peace Flag Project is inspired by Tibetan Prayer Flags, (a short history can be seen here) when it was “suggested by contemporary Tibetans that we create our own prayer flags by imprinting them with poems, prayers and symbols from the great faiths of the world in hopes of uniting them in a spirit of peace and harmony.”

For the past several years the Peace Flag Project has celebrated the UN International Day of Peace with a Peace Walk at India Point Park and this year is no exception. In addition, there are at least ten other events planned including Peace Flag workshops, an art exhibit, festivals, films and concerts. (See the schedule below)

If advertisers can talk about the number of impressions an advertising campaign can generate towards building brand identification and awareness then perhaps Peace Flags, vigils and other events can make a similar impression in our minds regarding Peace. The first thing we have to do, of course, is believe such a thing as an end to War is possible.