BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE MARCH 2, 2004

ACTIONS AND RESULTS FOR YEAR 1 AND YEAR 2 BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS

MAJOR NEEDS IDENTIFIED BY COMMISSION Transform how universities and school districts work together. Transform how we recruit individuals to enter the teaching profession. Transform what and how we teach teachers. Transform what we do to retain effective teachers once they enter the teaching profession. DURING

FOUR MAJOR AREAS IN BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION REPORTS Creation of Coordinated Partnerships Recruitment of Teacher Candidates and Certified Teachers Preparation of Quality Teachers Creation of Essential Conditions and Environments DURING

INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF TEACHERS WITH STANDARD TEACHING CERTIFICATES SINCE

FIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS School District BRC Report Red River Parish55.29% 19.01% East Feliciana Parish39.27% 27.23% St. Helena Parish33.04% 22.34% Madison Parish31.86% 29.79% Assumption Parish27.38% 13.95% SINCE

TYPES OF NON-STANDARD AUTHORIZATIONS TO TEACH 84 = Temporary Employment Permit 1,959 = Out of Field Authorization to Teach 3,913 = Temporary Authority to Teach 673 = No Certificate DURING New alternate certification programs require passage of the PRAXIS specialty examination to enter alternate certification programs. Some teachers are having difficulty passing the specialty examination to enter a program.

A DECREASE HAS OCCURRED IN THE NUMBER OF GRADUATES OF UNDERGRADUATE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS. 2,174 2,358 1,776 1, The decrease has been a direct result of colleges/universities raising graduation standards. SINCE (Baseline)...

INCREASES IN TEACHER SHORTAGE AREAS BY UNIVERSITY PROGRAM COMPLETERS SINCE

THE ALTERNATE CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS PRODUCED SIMILAR NUMBERS OF TEACHERS IN SHORTAGE AREAS DESPITE THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS BEING FOUR TIMES LARGER THAN THE ALTERNATE PROGRAMS DURING

AN INCREASE HAS OCCURRED IN THE NUMBER OF ALTERNATE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM COMPLETERS Program Completers Program Completers 398 University (Met all Requirements) 123 University (BESE waived student teaching) 113 New Teacher Project (Private Provider) 9 St. John’s Parish (Private Provider) SINCE

INCREASE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF UNIVERSITY PROGRAM COMPLETERS WHO PASS THE PRAXIS EXAMINATION 89% 90% 96% SINCE

PASSAGE RATE OF THREE UNIVERSITIES THAT EXITED CORRECTIVE ACTION IN ONE YEAR 100%98%97% SINCE

NUMBER OF REGULAR PROGRAM COMPLETERS EXITING SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE PASSING THE PRAXIS EXAMINATION Note: Southern University and A&M College has decreased the size of its regular Teacher Preparation Program from 124 in to 63 in ; however, the Praxis passage rates of the graduates have increased from 33% in to a projected 100% in , and the number of program completers are increasing each year. SINCE

APRIL 2003 ACCOUNTABILITY LABELS Exemplary: 2 Universities High Performing: 12 Universities Satisfactory: 2 Universities At-Risk: 0 Universities Low-Performing: 0 Universities Transitional: 3 Universities (These universities were labeled as Low-Performing during April 2002 and exited Corrective Action in one year.) DURING

RATINGS OF UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS BY FIRST YEAR TEACHERS Score of = Grade of “B” Score of 117=127 = Grade of “A” “Agree” on all items. DURING

INCREASE IN THE RETENTION OF GRADUATES OF LOUISIANA COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES AFTER ONE AND TWO YEARS OF TEACHING SINCE Years Teachers Began Teaching Total Number of New Teachers Percentage Retained Through One Year Percentage Retained Through Two Years Percentage Retained Through Three Years , % (n=1,536) 78.46% (n=1,377) 74.87% (n=1,314) , % (n=1,240) 82.70% (n=1,171) , % (n=1,410)

INCREASE IN THE RETENTION OF GRADUATES OF OUT-OF- STATE COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES AFTER ONE YEAR OF TEACHING DURING SINCE Years Teachers Began Teaching Total Number of New Teachers Percentage Retained Through One Year Percentage Retained Through Two Years Percentage Retained Through Three Years % (n=153) 62.50% (n=125) 57.00% (n=114) % (n=104) 58.99% (n=82) % (n=158) CONCERNS:- A greater percentage of out-of-state graduates left after two years of teaching during when compared to A greater percentage of out-of-state graduates left after two years of teaching (58.99%) during when compared to in-state graduates of colleges/universities (82.70%).

INCREASE IN THE RETENTION OF TEACHERS WHO ARE NOT CERTIFIED WHEN THEY BEGIN TEACHING SINCE Years Teachers Began Teaching Total Number of New Teachers Percentage Retained Through One Year Percentage Retained Through Two Years Percentage Retained Through Three Years , % (n=1,095) 43.97% (n=765) 39.37% (n=685) , % (n=914) 50.81% (n=756) , % (n=958)

INCREASE IN THE RETENTION OF ALL NEW TEACHERS (CERTIFIED AND NOT CERTIFIED) SINCE Years Teachers Began Teaching Total Number of New Teachers Percentage Retained Through One Year Percentage Retained Through Two Years Percentage Retained Through Three Years , % (n=2,786) 61.34% (n=2,269) 57.18% (n=2,115) , % (n=2,261) 66.05% (n=2,012) , % (n=2,533)

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS (2003) 9%Exemplary Growth 15%Recognized Academic Growth 50%Minimal Growth 17%No Growth 9%Schools in Decline DURING

TEACHER SALARY Blue Ribbon Commission’s Goal in = $35,522 (SREB Average Teacher Salary) $36,878 (Louisiana Average Teacher Salary – SREB Report) $40,771 (SREB Average Teacher Salary - New) SINCE

ACTIONS NOT ADDRESSED Scholarships for community college students. Teaching bonuses for Teacher Cadets. Placement of new teachers in their areas of certification. State income tax incentive for teachers. New teacher rating of their mentors. District reporting of teacher retention rates. Inclusion of teacher retention in accountability K-12 School and District Accountability System. DURING

ACTIONS NOT ADDRESSED Recruitment and retention strategies for principals. Ongoing professional development for all educators. Pay increases for advanced graduate degrees. Legislative funding for professional development. Full time mentoring and pay increase for mentoring. Advisory committee to align funding recommendations. DURING

BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION YEAR FOUR REPORT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE NOT YET BEEN ADDRESSED.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION Based upon the data presented today, what new issues should the Blue Ribbon Commission examine that will result in schools having effective teachers and effective educational leaders who help students achieve at higher levels?