ARKANSAS
EDUCATOR PROUDLY PUBLISHED BY THE ARKANSAS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
VOLUME 42 N O 1 | SPRING 2021
Library media specialist advocates for students
FINDING YOUR
INSIDE: TESTING RESUMES DURING PANDEMIC • ‘21 SESSION UPDATE: MIXED BAG FOR ED
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EDUCATOR VOLUME 42 NO 1 SPRING 2021
CONTENTS 12 Testing Resumes Despite Ongoing Pandemic
PRESIDENT CAROL FLEMING VICE PRESIDENT MARY KNIGHT SECRETARY-TREASURER AUDREY NICHOLS AEA-NEA DIRECTOR BRENDA ROBINSON AEA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TRACEY-ANN NELSON
2 NEWSFLASH: • AEA Election Results • Read Across America • Winter Weather prompts water delivery
16 Testing Tips for Student Success
3 A letter from the President
EDITOR KYLE LEYENBERGER
VISIT US ONLINE AT: aeaonline.org/AREducator Follow us on Twitter @ArkEducation Become an AEA Facebook friend.
4 IN PHOTOS: AEA gives the Gift of Reading 6 ‘21 Session Update
ARKANSAS EDUCATOR is published as a service to all members of the Arkansas Education Association 1500 West 4th Street Little Rock, AR 72201 t: 501-375-4611 f: 501-375-4620 tf: 800-632-0624 ADVERTISERS Advertising contents should be addressed to the Editor. Advertising rates are available upon request. Advertising is printed as a service to readers and publication does not imply Association endorsement. The Association reserves the right to refuse any advertising.
18 ESP Profile: Technology SHIFT – ESP Establishes Connection with Virtual Learners 21 ‘21 Legislative Conference Goes Virtual 22 From the Desk of the Executive Director 23 Rewind: Testing Laws Insults Arkansas Educators
8 MEMBER PROFILE: Finding your Voice Library media specialist advocates for students
ARKANSAS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT CAROL FLEMING ELECTED TO SECOND TERM Arkansas Education Association President Carol B. Fleming will serve another two-year term after winning reelection in the AEA Primary election. “I want to thank the members of the AEA who are working day in and day out to support our students while navigating through this public health crisis,” she said.
“I look forward to continuing to lift our educators’ voices as we advocate for health and safety while providing quality education for Arkansas’s children.” You can find the results of the AEA elections in the Members Only section of aeaonline.org.
READ ACROSS AMERICA CELEBRATION GOES VIRTUAL Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and First Lady Susan celebrated Read Across America with AEA and their granddaughter Isabella, who read from one of her favorite books.
“If our children are going to succeed in life, they must develop strong reading skills, regardless of the profession they choose,” the Governor said. “But reading is more than a skill. It’s an adventure that is a lot of fun and a great memory maker. The times Susan and I have spent reading to our children and grandchildren are some of our most cherished opportunities.” You can watch the full video at www.aeaonline.org/news.
AEA DELIVERS WATER AFTER WINTER BLAST SHUTS DOWN STATE Extreme cold and heavy snowfall forced business closures across Arkansas in February, though many districts shifted to virtual learning rather than granting snow days. The record low temperatures also wreaked havoc on water pipes, and the city of Pine Bluff lost water for days as utilities worked to repair leaks and identify issues. After hearing of the problems, AEA President Carol Fleming and AEA staff delivered water to Pine Bluff EA President Harriet Warren and AEA Board member Patricia Thomas at their school to distribute as needed.
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A L E T T E R F ROM THE PRESIDENT This issue of the Arkansas Educator is going to print as students are taking statewide standardized tests amidst a public health emergency. As the people who work most closely with students, we know the needs in our classrooms and how ineffective it is to spend time conducting standardized tests when we could be focused on identifying student learning gaps and responding to those gaps in far more effective ways. Standardized tests grew out of misguided policies, and we now know they are flawed tools that ought to be replaced. As districts navigate the most challenging year in recent memory, it is concerning to see precious time with teachers and education support professionals being consumed on testing that cannot accurately measure a student’s learning progress, skills, and ability. While acknowledging the problems with our current system, it doesn’t seem these tests will be going anywhere anytime soon. With that, we have asked PACT President and AEA Board Member Melissa Moore to share tips and tricks to ensure students are ready to do their best. We are nearing the end of an extremely challenging legislative session in Arkansas. I, along with our team at the Capitol, have been advocating both behind the scenes and in public testimony for the best interests of students and educators. While we did help to secure the largest student funding increase in more than a decade; stop the privatizers’ main voucher bill; and open up the teaching profession to DREAMers; we also suffered a direct attack on the rights of public school educators when the majority of the Arkansas legislature voted to strip local school boards of the ability to collectively bargain with educators on learning and working conditions. A full account of the 2021 Legislative Session will be in our next issue. In these pages, hear from a Little Rock Library Media Specialist who is not afraid to speak up and act if (and when) she sees an issue, as well as a Benton Technology Aide whose role was radically redefined by the expansion of virtual learning in response to the pandemic. Finally, this is the first issue since my re-election to a second term as President of the Arkansas Education Association. The trust and responsibility you have placed in me is not taken lightly. I look forward to continuing to lift the voices of our educators as we advocate for health and safety while providing quality education for the children of Arkansas.
Carol Fleming, President, AEA
ABOUT PRESIDENT FLEMING: Carol B. Fleming MS, CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist currently serving as President of the Arkansas Education Association. Before taking the helm of the state’s largest association for education professionals, Fleming spent two decades working with students at Pulaski Heights Middle School within the Little Rock School District. Fleming has worked to ensure good public education policies at the local, state and national level. As a parent of an adult with special needs, she is reminded daily of the importance of advocating on behalf of the professions and those served which has fueled her passion for education, leadership, and professional issues. Her goal is to get others to become involved to support successful public schools.
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AEA GIVES THE GIFT OF READING Over the past year, AEA President, Carol Fleming has been traveling the state (both virtually and physically) to donate books to students, classes, and elementary school libraries. As a speech-language pathologist, Carol enjoys reading stories to children and talking about the importance of using their imagination to explore the world and become creative thinkers. These “Gift of Reading” events are a statewide initiative to increase the presence of the Association and to promote literacy. Schools, and/or districts, in all UniServ regions have been
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recognized and received four books for their library. The books are: School’s First Day of School (Grade 1-2), Funny Bones: Posada and his Day of the Dead Calaveras (Grade 1-5), Freedom in Congo Square (Grade 1-3), and Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph (Grade 3-7). President Fleming has worked with local leaders in making these presentations, and AEA plans to continue and expand this program. If interested in expanding this program in your local association, please contact the AEA office for more information.
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“Students, and student-centered issues, are at the heart of our advocacy efforts. At the end of the day, our calling is to support students and utilize our professional expertise to help students learn and grow.” Tracey-Ann Nelson, AEA Executive Director
MIXED BAG FOR EDUCATORS AT THE CAPITOL While contentious issues dominated headlines TEACHER SALARY during the early part of the HB1614 by Rep. Bruce Cozart-R, 2021 legislative session, Hot Springs and SB504 by Sen. Missy Irvin-R, Mountain Home set a public education received statewide target average teacher salary $51,822 and created a teacher salary more support than ofequalization funding calculation for in previous years. districts where the average annual salary is lower. AEA President Carol Fleming joined Governor Hutchinson and legislative leaders for a press conference where he signed SB504 and HB1614 into law. The Governor and lawmakers are also sending an additional $25 million in state funds
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to local school districts to meet this new target salary. AEA has worked closely with the Governor’s Office and the Department of Education to shape and advocate for this legislation. It is important to note this increase will mainly benefit more rural districts where salaries are often much lower than other parts of the state.
STUDENT FUNDING HB1677, also by Rep. Cozart-R, Hot Springs and Sen. Irvin-R, Mountain Home, increases the state’s per pupil expenditure from $6,899 to $7,182 for
HB1733 would have established a $4 million program to divert public dollars to private schools. The bill included a provision that would automatically expand the funding cap so that cost could balloon to unsustainable levels in a matter of years. AEA testified against the bill in committee, and appreciates all the lawmakers who stood strong with the public school students and educators of Arkansas.
the 2021-2022 school year and from $7,182 to $7,349 for the 2022-2023 school year. This is the largest increase to student funding in more than a decade. These two bills are the result of two years of work by the Educational Adequacy Committee and represent a significant new investment of state dollars into public schools.
HOUSE KILLS VOUCHERS After more than an hour of debate, including a passionate explanation of the dangers posed by school privatization by Rep. David Tollette-R, Lexa – who is also a public school superintendent – the Arkansas House of Representatives shot down a massive voucher scheme.
Unfortunately, a second voucher bill, SB680, was filed late in the session. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jonathan Dismang, actually refiled the voucher scheme after his initial attempt was assigned to the Senate Education Committee. This move allowed him to avoid Senators who are more familiar with the many reasons vouchers are harmful to public schools. SB680 narrowly passed after a lengthy debate.
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ATTACK ON COLLECTIVE BARGAINING While much of the discussion around public education was supportive, a majority of lawmakers voted to end collective bargaining for educators with SB341. This bill, by Sen. Bob Ballinger-R, Ozark, and Rep. Jim Dotson-R, Bentonville, targets and silences educators by ending collective bargaining for those working in higher ed, PreK and K-12, while keeping it in place for many other public employees. The bill also requires that an employee taking part in certain labor actions be terminated. Sen. Ballinger told lawmakers the bill was inspired by the Little Rock Education Association strike in 2019. AEA testified against this bill at every step of the process.
DACA TEACHING LICENSES, MINORITY RECRUITMENT
“It’s disappointing a majority of the legislature felt educators alone do not deserve the right to negotiate better teaching and learning conditions.” Tracey-Ann Nelson, AEA Executive Director
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DREAMers are now eligible to receive teaching licenses following passage of HB1594 by Rep. DeAnn Vaught-R, Horatio. The bill opens the teaching profession to those with a work permit under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). AEA spoke in favor of this bill in House Committee. The legislature also adopted SB524 by Sen. James Sturch-R, Batesville. This bill updates minority teacher and administrator recruitment policy to apply to all districts and focus on set goals, including at minimum reflecting the racial and ethnic diversity of a district’s students through a three-year recruitment and retention plan. AEA President Carol Fleming testified in support of this measure.
Following the final vote, AEA Executive Director Tracey-Ann Nelson said, in part: “Students, and student-centered issues, are at the heart of our advocacy efforts. At the end of the day, our calling is to support students and utilize our professional expertise to help students learn and grow. It’s disappointing a majority of the legislature felt educators alone do not deserve the right to negotiate better teaching and learning conditions.” The session is still ongoing, please check back in the next issue of the Educator for a full summary of the bills affecting public education considered by lawmakers this year.
Library media specialist advocates for students
FINDING YOUR
Under LaToya Morgan’s bright pink blazer, her shirt reads SuperHeroine and judging from the reaction of the fourth-grade class she’s working with, the label fits. “Being the media specialist here at Carver, I can come in and be whoever I want to be,” she said. “I like to dress up, to get into character, and the kids, they just love it. I’m able to be this little superhero.” Between constantly reminding her pupils to pull up their masks, Morgan reinforces important facts about the women’s suffrage movement. After the students heard a book on the fight for voting rights, a quiz contest has the kids jumping in excitement.
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“The personalities… woo!” she said, laughing. “I feed off them and they feed off me, and I love it. The kids, the excitement they get from reading is just amazing.” Morgan says working at Carver Magnet Elementary in the Little Rock School District is like being part of a small family. She knows every student’s name and enjoys the support of her principal and colleagues in the building.
MEMBER PROFILE LATOYA MORGAN
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That hasn’t always been the case. During her career, Morgan says she’s worked in every district in Pulaski county, and even a charter school. She said her first year in a Pulaski County middle school opened her eyes to the challenges facing our public school students. “That was the first time that I saw disparity in a school and that where kids needed the most, they had the least because of politics,” she said. “Those kids had so much to offer, but it took you sometimes having to kind of pull.” Heaters that didn’t work meant freezing hallways on cold days; and raccoons, rats and mice would sometimes fall from the ceilings. The library was filled with outdated books, and the school didn’t have the resources or technology available in other schools. She said the aging and unkept building created a culture among many students that school wasn’t important. “I think a lot of times some students are looked at like they’re not good enough, or they’re too challenging to even try things with,” she said. “A lot of times you think kids don’t hear you, and sometimes their actions don’t match what you’re telling them, but you don’t realize you may be the only positive influence that they see all day long.” Even though the conditions were challenging, Morgan says this is where she truly understood she was a teacher. “At that time I had a mohawk, a blonde mohawk so when students would see that mohawk coming they would go the other direction,” she said. “They knew I wasn’t playing. I had expectations for them.” A group of like-minded educators worked together with the support of their principal to take a proactive approach to working with students and providing them with extra support and attention.
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“We got together and we formed a little support group, and we would discuss different ideas and plans,” she said. “I did a book fair that year. They hadn’t had a book fair in years. A book fair!” A Valentine’s Day dance in the cafeteria provided a chance for the kids to dress up and enjoy food and music.
The personalities…woo! I feed off them and they feed off me, and I love it. The kids, the excitement they get from reading is just amazing. – LaToya Morgan
“They had a great time,” she said. “We just gave them opportunities. We created the things we wanted to exist because we didn’t have those things, so we created it. “When you talk to kids and are honest with them and you listen to them, and you share your wisdom, it just makes a world of difference. I just have a good rapport with children. I can talk to them. I don’t know if it’s because of my stature – because I’m kind of on the same level as them – so I think sometimes they feel like they can relate to me.” Following that “challenging, but good” year, Morgan was assigned to a new school in the same district, but a different town. “They had a new building, technology… anything they wanted they had it,” Morgan said. “Things they didn’t need they had it. Resources that weren’t available in the other spot… that shouldn’t be determined by your zip code.” Morgan’s face scrunches up behind her mask with the memory. “Going from one building to the next in the same district... it was just… I don’t know. There are no words. I was disgusted,” she said. “Imagine if those kids in Jacksonville would have had the resources the kids at Sylvan Hills had, how different they would be.” While her experience at Jacksonville Middle made her a teacher, moving to the new school made her an advocate.
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“There were so many kids that got caught up in what I’m going to call the ‘grown folks’ business,’” she said. “Because of the things grown folks did, children suffered and their education suffered. Their academics suffered. Their mental state suffered.” Now in the Little Rock School District, Morgan serves as a representative on the PPC. She says when she sees a problem, she assists, and she’s not afraid to speak up. “If you have a voice and you keep your mouth closed, what’s going to change?” she said. “Nothing.” She’s also adept at getting parents involved and says the information she shares gets spread through word of mouth. “I’ve seen parents that want to help their kids but don’t know how,” she said. “A typical person doesn’t know they can attend a school board meeting. They don’t know they can send their concerns to their school board member, and that’s if they know who their board member is. A lot of people don’t even know what zone they live in.” Morgan discovered that unfortunate fact firsthand when she ran for a seat on the North Little Rock School Board. “I found that out while I was knocking on doors,” she said. “Constituents were like, ‘Oh, what? Who? What is all this?’ People don’t realize even if you don’t have kids in the district, what your tax dollars pay for. You still should have a voice. I’m all about giving people a voice. I’m all about giving children a voice and I’m all about teaching and showing people how to use their voice.” She says the Arkansas Education Association is invaluable in that effort, working to ensure students are at the forefront of policy discussions on public schools. “While we’re hard at work, laws and decisions are being made about us as educators and, more importantly, the children that we teach,” she said. “There are not enough hours in the day for us to do both. They fight for you and for children while we’re working, and if we didn’t have that we wouldn’t have a lot of the benefits we have now.”
The association is also a place to meet and learn from like-minded educators, not to mention a powerful ally when you need to take a stand. “Working in education you wouldn’t think that you would need someone to have your back because you’re taking care of the most precious cargo, and that’s children,” she said. “I know many novice teachers are sometimes afraid to speak up when you see something wrong or when you’re being mistreated because you don’t want to be labeled. No one wants to come in and work in a hostile work environment or a toxic work environment, but the AEA has your back. And you just need someone to have your back.” That support has also been important this year, as the team at Carver and schools across the state work to provide learning opportunities amidst a public health crisis. “There is not a manual for how to do it,” she said. “You’re just going through trial and error and that’s what I’ve been doing as a library media specialist. I can’t have classes in the library because it’s not safe.” The virus has forced new procedures for checking out books, with quarantines and a “you touch it, it’s yours” policy. Like any other challenge, Morgan has found a way to use it to benefit her kids.
The association is also a place to meet and learn from likeminded educators, not to mention a powerful ally when you need to take a stand. – LaToya Morgan on the AEA
“Now the kids know how to research our collection on their own, so there are some skills that have developed,” she said. “They know when you come in you have to have an idea about what author, or book you’re checking out. Now they know the difference between fiction and nonfiction, and they even know how to go to the shelf and get it. Before it was, ‘Ms. Morgan, where’s that book?’” She’s also starting a virtual book club, where her students are reading books about people who resemble them, which sometimes isn’t reflected in everyday curriculum. “I want kids to see who they can be,” she said. “We need scientists. We’re going to need a lot of therapists after this. We’re going to need teachers after this. We can’t give up on these kids. They’re all we have.”
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“Instead of empowering educators to provide the best environment possible for students to grow, standardized tests lead to stressed out students and educators– standing in the way of true learning.” - Carol Fleming, AEA President
TESTING Arkansas students and educators resumed state mandated standardized testing in April after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the ACT Aspire test last year. Even before the federal department of education announced it would not be granting waivers for a second year, state officials said the testing would move forward despite concerns from parents of virtual students who would be forced to take the tests in-person. AEA also voiced concern, saying testing should not come at the expense of precious learning time that students could be spending with their educators.
DESPITE ONGOING PANDEMIC “Instead of empowering educators to provide the best environment possible for students to grow, standardized tests lead to stressed out students and educators –standing in the way of true learning,” said AEA President Carol Fleming. “Students are still navigating the most difficult year of learning in modern history. Between losing loved ones to COVID-19, being forced out of classrooms, adapting to distance learning, and missing out on a year of regular social interactions -they have had their worlds turned upside down.”
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“We need to rely on the expertise of educators who understand students’ physical, social, mental, and emotional needs at this time, not two-dimensional data from a multiple-choice test.” - Tracey-Ann Nelson, AEA Executive Director
There will be nothing standard about how testing will be administered this year. Any data collected that forces comparisons between and among schools, districts, educators, and students across states will be invalid and could lead to the gutting of funding and resources for those that need it most. “These tests are not capable of collecting the kind of information needed to target supports and resources,” said AEA Executive Director Tracey-Ann Nelson. “We need to rely on the expertise of educators who understand students’ physical, social, mental, and emotional needs at this time, not two-dimensional data from a multiple-choice test.” Even in a normal year, these tests seem to be a better predictor of a student’s privilege than their performance. Standardized tests have never been valid or reliable measures of what students know and are able to do, and they are especially unreliable now that when these tests cannot be administered safely or with consistency. “The results from this year can’t be fairly compared to a regular year or even across districts,” Nelson said. “How will this data be used? Any results are compromised by the conditions on the ground when students are taking the tests.” In addition to the health crisis, the results of standardized tests suffer from bias that leads to disparate results for students of color. Decades of research shows that Black, brown, and Indigenous students experience bias from standardized tests administered from early childhood through college. “Accuracy and equity should be the standard for designing any assessment,” Nelson said. “High stakes standardized tests administered during the global health crisis will produce even less reliable information about students’ needs and they should not determine a student’s future, evaluate educators, nor punish schools.”
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Research by FairTest shows students of color are more likely to be denied college admission and scholarships and that English Language Learners (ELL) and students with disabilities are often misplaced and unfairly held back. Greater resources should be invested in schools with greater needs. Too often, unfair rankings are used as an excuse to rob local public schools, especially in communities of color, with resources redirected toward schools that are doing just fine without them. “We must ensure that our students who have been hardest hit during the pandemic—our Black, brown, rural, Indigenous students, as well as those with special needs—receive the support they need,” Nelson said. “The educators and communities who know them best must have the flexibility to tailor assessments that can determine where students are and help design an educational experience that fully supports their academic, social and emotional needs.” The current system is so flawed it is easy to criticize but we must also find a way to measure student learning and needs. Educators across the country are working to partner with organizations to develop authentic assessments that can displace high-stakes standardized tests and reflect true learning and skills–including creativity, leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration. These performance tasks and skills-based assessments are already being used in some districts. “A better future for education is possible,” Fleming said. “The first step is to start thinking beyond the bubble and stop high stakes testing.” Educators, schools, and districts can invest energy into what is needed most at this time: ensuring a safe learning environment in school buildings and equitably targeting resources, personnel, and supports so that students experience welcoming school communities that support their social-emotional needs, revive their love of learning, and help them grow and thrive.
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TIPS FOR EDUCATORS FROM AEA BOARD MEMBER MELISSA MOORE
Bubble sheets and Scantron machines may be a thing of the past, but educators still use tips and tricks that will propel their students to the levels of proficiency and beyond. While some of the guidance on standardized test preparation has changed, the best tips never have.
HIT THE HAY The old advice of getting a good night’s sleep and eating a good breakfast before the test, of course, still stands. Any educator knows that a student will perform their best when they are both refreshed and fueled. It is not enough to only consider a student’s physical body. Teachers must also take their mental states into account.
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PROJECT POSITIVITY It is vital to cultivate a positive mental attitude about the standardized test on the horizon. Educators must treat the test as an exciting, fun opportunity, not a scary experience. Students will mirror your feelings on this issue, so be encouraging. It costs nothing for an educator to tell their students, “I heard this year’s test is going to be the easiest one yet.” Whether this is legitimately true or not, that is beside the point. Students need to feel they have a chance and there is hope for their achievement.
... BUT TEST TAKING SKILLS HELP These skills, along with the use of released test items, will increase our student’s chance of success. Teachers who utilize released test items in class have reported increased confidence and less test anxiety among their students when they are familiar with the test format in advance. While “teaching to the test” is often seen as the worst type of education, test-takers will benefit from this mindset in the long run. Informing students about the creation of multiple-choice questions will only strengthen their testtaking skills. Being aware of distractor answers and the process of elimination increases a student’s chance of success on standardized tests.
CREATIVITY IS KEY... During the academic year, educators can benefit their students by utilizing critical thinking skills. Depth of Knowledge Questions (DOK) and Higher Order Thinking questions (HOTs) allow students the skills to analyze their answer choices and, in turn, use their process of elimination.
In the end, all teachers want their students to score well on standardized tests. Teachers live with the stress of what will happen if their students do not perform well. Using these strategies can reduce a teacher’s anxiety during testing time, as well. Some districts use Performance-Based pay to entice faculty to seek out the best resources that will result in the highest scores, but this is not the norm. While the crucial aspect of testing
is currently under the spotlight through legislation like the Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA, these tests are still a vital part of academic planning. ESSA seeks to break the ties between standardized testing and decisions made at the local school level; however, with the long history of standardized testing in the US, we can bet testing will be with public schools for the foreseeable future.
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NOL OGY
ESP ESTABLISHES CONNECTION WITH VIRTUAL LEARNERS
The coronavirus pandemic has upended school life for students, educators and parents in many different ways. For technology aide Janet Pranger, it changed her job entirely.
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ESP PROFILE JANET PRANGER
“It’s a different situation this year,” she said. “This year I’m reaching every virtual student that needs a little assistance.” Pranger took a job in Benton 15 years ago to help teachers provide remediation through the school’s enrichment lab. “It was targeted for students that do not do well on the ACT Aspire test,” she said. “They would place them in that class for a period for help in math and various other subjects that they needed help with as well.”
The district shifted away from the lab, to homeroom advisory periods, and last Spring, the technology aide’s position was radically redefined when schools closed down to keep students safe during the pandemic. “Now I call the homes of virtual students to convey messages to them whether it is to show up at a certain time for a test or if they are missing work,” she said. “If they’re making zeroes, or they’re earning F’s in a class, I call and I let their parents in on it.”
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Pranger says the early shutdown in Spring caught everyone unprepared, and she, along with other Education Support Professionals were tasked with transferring students’ paperwork into virtual assignments.
“It’s a different situation this year, I’m reaching every virtual student that needs a little assistance.” - Janet Pranger “The fourth nine weeks last year we weren’t that well equipped because it happened so suddenly,” she said. “Some things came in on paper because students simply couldn’t handle the virtual. We’re better equipped this year for virtual learning.” ESPs also worked over the summer to distribute devices so students would be more prepared for a virtual shift due to the spread of the coronavirus. “We really didn’t quit working this year, to be honest,” she said. “We didn’t have much of a summer break because of the work required throughout the year.” When students returned in the Fall, Pranger says a good number went the virtual route, but as time went on, more and more kids came back to the classroom. She says the first semester was rocky as parents and students settled into a work from home routine and she adjusted to the new role.
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“I would call and the parents really didn’t know who I was,” she said. “I was in the classroom before with a very small number of students.” Additionally, some parents aren’t happy to hear their child has missing assignments or failing grades. However, kids do have the opportunity to work onsite during the district’s virtual Fridays. On those days, Pranger is well suited to help, with a degree in secondary math education and a minor in social studies. Though she trained to be a teacher she left the profession before she really got started. “When I first graduated college, I was placed in a tough, tough school,” she said. “I didn’t really like it. I backed away from teaching, married and had children.” As memories of that first job in Lubbock, Texas faded, and her kids grew, she began substituting. “I was older and I realized I had learned a lot over the years about how to handle teenagers and I had some of my own,” she said. “I felt better equipped then and I started loving teaching as I thought I would at the beginning.” In addition to her phone call duty, Pranger is also back to subbing, helping out in any way the district needs. “I love going to work,” she said. “I look forward to it even though it’s different.”
LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE GOES VIRTUAL
Educators heard directly from lawmakers and a representative from the governor’s office at the 2021 Virtual Legislative Conference, while also learning about upcoming legislation and how to effectively advocate for students and public schools. “You and your voice are powerful,” AEA President Carol Fleming told participants. “It is the same power you bring to AEA and our communities. Communication is key. Contact your legislators or even legislators with whom you have a connection.” Several lawmakers joined an informative and interesting legislative panel. The lawmakers told attendees they all have a stake in Education – from salaries to retirement and more. Rep. Les Warren chairs the Retirement Committee and is working on the ATRS plan. He reaches out frequently to educators in Garland County and Hot Springs. His wife is a newly retired education support professional so he understands the need for looking at the salary of classified members. Sen. Irvin is an adjunct dance instructor at Hendrix and told attendees she is passionate about the Arts in
our Schools. Rep. Godfrey gave a special shout-out to the Springdale members who helped with her re-election campaign. She is a former educator (English as a Second Language). Sen. Chesterfield, a life-long educator, is a true champion for public Education. At every chance, she raises the voice of ALL educators – certified and classified. The panelists outlined positions on several bills, and encouraged participants to let their lawmakers know how they felt. They also urged everyone to keep the communication polite, personal (I am a constituent/my … lives in your district), and specific. Dr. Allison Roberts (a former NEA member) from Governor Asa Hutchinson’s office highlighted the Governor’s plan for the legislative session and answered questions regarding salaries, vaccines, and COVID leave.
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FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TRACEY-ANN NELSON
MISSED OPPORTUNITY It’s been a tough school year and we all know why. As we approach the end of this year, the old standards are still being demanded of educators despite the new challenges we face. In September 2020, AEA requested that the Arkansas Department of Education pause standardized testing for a second year as our state continued to battle the deadly COVID-19 virus. Forcing districts to go through with time-consuming standardized testing is a missed opportunity to measure what matters. We should focus on identifying the supports and services students and educators need to succeed in this challenging time. Unfortunately, that request was denied, and later guidance from the Federal government made it clear the tests would not be waived.
for change, but testing has become big business. These tests have been used to harm students, educators and public education in general.
We knew from the beginning of the school year there would be nothing standard about how standardized tests would be administered. With so many variables from district to district, the test results will do nothing to inform the public about students’ learning experiences this year. It will only fuel apples-tooranges comparisons of privileged schools and districts to under-resourced schools and districts and perpetuate inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
It’s time to evolve past the thinking of punishment and pain. Educators are developing authentic assessments that can replace standardized tests and reflect true learning and skills -- including creativity, leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration. Performance tasks and skills-based assessments are already being used in some districts. A better future for education in Arkansas is possible, and the first step is to start thinking beyond the bubble and stop high stakes testing.
As standardized testing has evolved, it has moved well beyond the tool it was invented for – teachers assessing where students are in their subject matter. Standardized assessments have never been a vehicle
Inequities in education must be measured and tackled head-on, instead these tests offer the illusion of tracking performance while really measuring privilege. The data has been memorialized and weaponized. We seem caught up in the big data vortex of housing testing results and then developing new ways to use them to harm. We have not ASSESSED the efficacy, the opportunity or the vision of what can be for students.
Tracey-Ann Nelson AEA Executive Director
EDUCATOR This is YOUR magazine – Let us know what you would like to see. Send story ideas to kleyenberger@aeanea.org 24
ARKANSAS EDUCATOR
aeaonline.org
TESTING LAW INSULTS ARKANSAS EDUCATORS President Bill Clinton ran afoul of Arkansas educators in 1983 with an insulting initiative to force teachers to prove their literacy. A 1983 issue of the Educator says then Governor Clinton held state education funding hostage until the measure was approved over protests during a special session of the Arkansas legislature. The legislation brought an immediate howl of protest from teachers who “felt humiliated that after completing at least four years of college and being certified by the state to teach, that anyone would question their literacy... Morale took a nosedive as teachers struggled with the realization that they were the only teachers in the nation being singled out for “literacy testing.” Despite a better alternative proposal by AEA and repeated warnings by makers of the tests that were being inappropriately used in this instance, the legislature passed the Governor’s testing bill. Clinton’s actions led to a silent protest when he spoke at that years’ AEA representative assembly, as well as an NEA investigation into the tests and eventually a federal lawsuit. While pursuing legal strategies, AEA also developed a workshop program to help teachers prepare for the tests. In 1985, despite many issues with implementation and reporting, the testing was expanded to all certified staff. The program ended two years later with new requirements for continuing education allowing the state to stop requiring repeat tests.
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SPRING 2021
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