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“We have lots of evidence that putting investments in early childhood education, even evidence from very hard-nosed economists, is one of the very best investments that the society can possibly make.”

-Alison Gopnic, Child Development Psychologist

This year, our annual conference reached enrollment capacity before it was even advertised. Why? Because the topic is early childhood education. Let’s look at why early childhood education has become such an important topic today.

Well-designed preschool programs are beneficial for all children, but there is a tremendous need for high-quality early learning experiences for young children from impoverished circumstances. According to the National Center on Poverty, poverty is the single greatest threat to a child’s well being-adversely affecting learning and contributing to a multitude of social, emotional, physical and behavioral problems. However, success stories show us that these gaps can be overcome with the right early interventions.

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Students, parents, lawmakers and education experts spent over 12 hours discussing the state Senate’s proposed moratorium on state charter schools last Thursday during the state’s Education Committee meeting.

A rally took place the day before at Booker T. Washington Academy, opposing the proposed Connecticut Senate Bill 1096. The bill proposes a two-year moratorium on public charter school approvals beginning July 1, 2015, during which the commissioner of education will review existing charter schools and make a plan for future charter schools, which will be due on Feb. 1, 2017. A similar moratorium occurred five years ago for all state magnet schools other than those in the Hartford area, but the review still has not been released.

“It’s not really clear what they hope to gain by this two-year moratorium,” said Lizanne Cox, the director of Common Ground, a local environmentally oriented charter school. She added that while her school will not be impacted as much as charter schools that have not yet been created, Bill 1096 does have the potential to impact existing charter-review processes. If the bill were to pass, charter schools currently in operation will need to submit annual audit reports, fiscal reports and background checks.

According to Jeffrey Villar, executive director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform, the bill was proposed in response to the mismanagement of funds and allegedly falsified certifications at one Hartford charter school that is currently under investigation. He added that this investigation has sparked a larger debate over the expansion of charter schools in Connecticut.

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By The Editorial Board

Beginning last week, and continuing through the next six to seven weeks, Connecticut elementary, middle school and high school students are taking Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium tests, computer-based “standardized” tests associated with Connecticut’s Common Core standards, replacing Connecticut Mastery Tests.

Test results are not expected until summer, and it is anticipated that test scores will be 30- to 40-percent lower than last year’s Mastery test scores, likely reigniting the controversy over Common Core.

The Connecticut Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, however, is not waiting for the results to launch a pre-emptive strike. The union is heavily lobbying lawmakers to enact legislation eliminating the SBAC tests and establish instead a state Mastery Examination Board to identify a progressive monitoring test — or PMT — to replace SBAC.

Subjective measuring

In a meeting with the editorial board recently, union Executive Director Mark Waxenberg argued that SBAC is a single snapshot of a student’s performance at a given time, whereas PMT is a progressive measurement over the course of a school year, thus offering a better assessment of student progress.

The problem, however, is that PMTs are no less subjective — and probably more so — than the SBAC testing, and fall short, in our opinion, of providing the level of accountability that is needed if we are to bring about effective and productive education reform.

SBAC opponents argue that the standardized tests are developed and assessed by third parties, whereas PMT models rely heavily on classroom teachers assessing a student’s skill levels and progress. If student progress, based on test scores, are to be part of teacher evaluations, it strikes us that it is fairer for both teachers and students to have that third party review.

Besides, the Mastery tests were scored by third parties, so this is nothing new.

Pilot program success

In addition to union representatives the editorial board also met with members of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and Jeffrey Villar, a former school superintendent and now director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform, all of whom agreed that the pilot programs run in selected school districts over the last year or so have clearly demonstrated that SBAC and Common Core can work.

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Officials with a New Haven-based nonprofit agency that is focused on improving Connecticut schools say the lack of a decision on who the next state education commissioner will be is hurting efforts to improve public policy in that area.

“I think there are a lot of people treading water, waiting to see what the next commissioner’s direction will be,” said Jeffrey Villar, executive director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform. Villar made his comment during a wide-ranging discussion of education issues with member of the New Haven Register’s editorial board.

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By Jeffrey Villar, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform

I have my annual physical this week. It’s not something I look forward to, and I particularly dislike the associated blood test. Nonetheless, the test provides my doctor and me with important information about my health, and we use that data to make decisions that help me live a healthier life. It makes me think: there are some interesting parallels to the standardized assessment that my own children, and all Connecticut children in grades 3-8 and 11, take annually. This year’s Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test was developed by a consortium of representatives from 22 states, including Connecticut. In a way, this test is similar to my annual blood test in that it was scientifically constructed to measure information with reliability and comparability.

Not only am I a parent to six children, but I’m also an educator who spent two decades working in Connecticut’s public schools, including having served as the superintendent of two districts.

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A proposal for a two-year moratorium on public charter schools has ignited impassioned debate and tapped into long-standing disagreement over how well the schools perform and whether they drain needed resources from ordinary neighborhood schools.

“I ask that you consider our social, moral and American obligation to educate our youth and not further disable our true public school students…” said Dennis Bradley in legislative testimony in support of the moratorium. “It’s only logical … that we consider all positive and negative factors in the light of the best interest for our children.”

Rep. Edwin Vargas, D-Hartford, who proposed the moratorium, said he supported the development of the state’s first charters back in the ’90s but has been disappointed with the performance of the schools.

Although the state says that 86 percent of charter elementary schools and 83 percent of charter high schools outperformed their host districts in 2013 on the state’s standardized tests, Vargas said that he wants more detail on how students are doing, on the funding for the schools and other operating policies.

“Over the years, we have to take their word, they are doing a great job, but there’s very little independent verification of any of it,” Vargas said.

Senate Bill 1096, raised by the education committee, calls for a halt on the approval of new charter schools after July 1, until the state education commissioner develops a comprehensive statewide charter school plan and conducts a review of existing charter schools. The plan would have to be submitted by Feb. 1, 2017, and would be reviewed by a legislative joint standing committee.

In addition, the bill would strengthen accountability for charters, and it calls for charter management organizations to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.