[LETTERHEAD]

Testimony on Senate Bill 55 before the House Education Committee

Gene T. Harris, Chief Program Officer

Ohio Department of Education

July 15, 1997

[Emphasis added].

Chairman Gardner, Senate Bill 55 is a pivotal and timely piece of legislation that represents one of the necessary components of education reform in Ohio. We have recently spent (and will continue to spend) long and arduous hours deliberating over school funding issues. And, while necessary, funding reform alone will not sufficiently accomplish our ultimate goals--that is, providing greater educational opportunities, establishing higher expectations, and realizing better academic results.

I am convinced that at this critical juncture in Ohio's educational reform discussions, we must connect educational spending with accountability for results, assuring better conditions, and setting new graduation requirements.

Senate Bill 55 directly addresses this latter component--graduation requirements. I support this legislation because it raises expectations for Ohio's graduates. As you know, the State Board of Education approved in principle school standards that include recommendations for graduation. In part, these recommendations increase expectations in the core areas of mathematics, science, social studies, and English/language arts, as does Senate Bill 55.

Although this bill requires additional Carnegie units, Carnegie units can go hand in hand with our recommendations to define competencies in those same areas. The decision by the Board not to require Carnegie units was based on the belief that there is little value in continuing to regulate the time spent on various subjects since these input controls only guarantee exposure to--and not achievement of the content.

The Carnegie unit, as a measure of instructional time, in combination with "intermediate level" competency requirements is an effective way to achieve higher results, especially in the core areas. When we say "intermediate", we mean a high school level. We consider a "basic level" of competency to reflect skills learned in kindergarten through grade 8.

The state has a responsibility to define and assess competency and achievement in the core areas. Thus, we promote the development and administration of proficiency tests that assess high-school-level skills. That is, in lieu of the 9th and 12th grade proficiency tests I recommend that they be replaced with an exit exam administered at the beginning of 11th grade. I want to emphasize again that the present 9tn grade tests do not measure high-school level skills. Instead, they measure content that should be acquired prior to the 9th grade. A new exit exam, along with more stringent coursework requirements, will truly serve to "raise the bar"--from basic to intermediate.

The State Board of Education heard much testimony relative to graduation requirements. With regard to required subject areas, the Board has come to believe that to be well-rounded, students will need to achieve basic level competencies in areas other than the core. Let me briefly review the Board's recommendations for Ohio's students to achieve basic level competencies by the end of the 8th grade in these additional areas.

Technology--Our information-based society demands that every student achieve a basic level of technology proficiency both to survive and succeed now and in the future. Given that we have targeted over $500 million at technology, defining performance expectations for students will better ensure a return on the state's investment.

• Arts--Educational literature is replete with research findings which suggest that the arts have a proven positive impact on student learning in other disciplines and contribute to better performance on standardized tests. Twenty-four states now require the study [Note: this is not the same as requiring all students to demonstrate mastery] of the arts for high school graduation and six additional states are in the process of adding the arts. The Board carefully considered these convincing factors [Note: This is not my recollection.] and other evidence that we have previously provided to this committee to support this recommendation.

• Foreign Language--The Board considered the importance of foreign language given today's global economy and Ohio's reliance on foreign trade. Second language competency is expected of students in other countries and, in fact, twenty-one states have or are considering [Note: Again, this is not the same as requiring competency] foreign language as a graduation requirement. Achieving a basic level of skill for graduation prior to the 9th grade would better equip students with the ability to choose further study of foreign language at the high school level. Finally, recent brain research clearly supports that language learning develops early in children. Introduction to foreign languages in adolescence is the equivalent of a salmon swimming upstream.

• Business and Family & Consumer Science--In regard to these areas, Chairman Gardner, the Board listened to constituencies from each of these subject areas advocate passionately for the inclusion of these competencies as part of the graduation requirement. [Business teachers wanted all kids to have instruction in keyboarding by teachers certified to teach keyboarding.] The Board agreed that basic competencies in these areas will help to ensure that students are able to live independently in today's complex society.

• Health and Physical Education--A half unit of credit is currently required for both health and physical education. Thus, this is not a new requirement. However, in the Board's proposal, the state would define the competencies to be assessed locally. The Board believes that basic competency expectations are needed to ensure that all students have the skills they need for life long fitness and preventative care. Recognizing that there has been considerable opposition to the state's role in competency areas, I would minimally recommend that we retain unit credit in these areas which is consistent with Senate Bill 55.

We understand the concerns that have been raised by the Governor and other constituencies regarding the Board's graduation recommendations. Although we may agree that students can benefit from opportunities to develop skills in all of these areas, the legislature must consider which areas should be required for graduation.

Let me also address the concern that these additional competencies will erode the strength of the critical core of academics--English, mathematics science, and social studies. I strongly believe that we have proposed a higher level of competencies in the core disciplines by requiring all students to achieve at least an intermediate level of proficiency. Basic competencies in the additional areas can and should be acquired before students enter high school.

In conclusion, Senate Bill 55 raises academic expectations. However, more coursework requirements are needed but are not enough. Our emphasis needs to be not only on what is taught, but what is learned. Taken in combination, Senate Bill 55 and the State Board of Education's recommended graduation requirements, can accomplish our very purpose for being here-providing greater educational opportunities, establishing higher expectations, and realizing better academic results.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would be pleased to respond to any questions.