New Hampshire &Florida

Public School Systems

Structure of the Public SchoolsNew Hampshire

Pre-School: - voluntary and often connected with day care - no age requirementsK-12 Schools Charter SchoolsNon-Public SchoolsHome Education12 Technical Colleges - Tuition: $164 per creditColleges and Universities

FloridaVoluntary Pre-School for children, 4 & above (state funded, starts 2005-06)K-12 schools

• Free state tutoring for those who qualify (Low SES)

• Kindergarten starts at age 6 or will be 6 by Feb. 1st.

Private schoolsCharter SchoolsHome Education28 Community Colleges

• In-state Tuition: $9,397• Out-of-State: $13,742

11 Colleges & Universities

Teacher Preparation & LicensureNew Hampshire

5 alternatives for certification• Finish approved program and receive recommendation from

that institution.• For out of state: graduate from approved program and

employed as certified teacher 3 out of the last 7 years.• Demonstrating competency, skills, and knowledge through

written exam and oral review.• Shortage areas: accomplish state entry level requirements;

have Individual Professional Development Plan created leading to full certification

• On the job training: – Bachelor’s degree (2.5 GPA & 30 credits in content area)– School district willing to assume responsibility for

training and supervising.

UNH requires all students in education program to obtain masters degree (including 1 yr. Internship) before obtaining licensure.

Teacher Preparation & LicensureFlorida

Upon graduation (either Masters or Bachelors) must take the FTCE (Florida Teacher Certification Exam)

• Multiple Choice (120 questions)– Pedagogy, professional practices

• SAE (subject area exam) must be taken in all areas that you seek certification

• General Knowledge Test required to show competency in general skills, math, reading, English (essay)

• If they don’t pass any part of the exam, may get conditional license and re-take exam

• Only have three years to retake and pass the exam.• Any teacher who earned their degree from another state must still

take FTCE to receive a professional license in Florida.

Curriculum & Assessment (NH)NH State law: 193-C (New Hampshire Educational Improvement and Assessment Program) established in 1993.

Curriculum Frameworks• Curriculum frameworks are present at all levels in

English/LA, math, science, and social studies.• Created by educators at all levels, business people,

policy makers, and community leaders– Purpose at state level: Serve as a basis for the

development of mandatory statewide assessment– Purpose at local level: Serve as a guide for decisions

about curriculum development and delivery.– Does not have statewide curriculum

– Does establish standards defining what students

should know and be able to do.

Curriculum & Assessment (NH)Assessment Program: required

• Tested at end of grade 3: English and math• Tested at end of grade 6 & 10: English, math, science, and social

studies• NHEIAP Test: combination of multiple choice and open ended ?’s• Test developed by educational contractor in conjunction with NH

Content Communities.• Results are standards-referenced• Each student’s level of achievement is defined as Novice, Basic,

Proficient, or Advanced• Results from NHEIAP test produce individual-student proficiency

reports and diagnostic reports.• Grades 3, 6, & 10 have been tested in this way since 1996.

• District improvement plans are tied in with results.

Curriculum and Assessment (FL)Sunshine State Standards were adopted in 1996, currently under review;

concerns related to rigor, specificity, vertical alignment, developmental appropriateness and number of benchmarks

The standards have been written in seven subject areas, each divided into grade clusters.Have been expanded to have grade level expectations.Purpose:

Sate level: set, align, and apply expectations for all FL studentsLocal level: serve as a guide for decisions about curriculum development and delivery.Grade level expectations will eventually become the basis for state assessments in grades 3-10.

Curriculum and Assessment (FL)Assessment Program (required)

Florida Comprehensive Assessment test (FCAT) and FCAT SSS• Found in law Section 1008.22, F.S., and pupil progression plan in Section 1008.25

F.S.• Costs $16.57 per student (1/3 of the state’s budget.)• Developed by DOE’s test-development contractors and reviewed by teachers,

curriculum supervisors,and parents.• Cleared for community sensitivity• High achieving schools get more financial resources

Grades 3-10 take test• Take writing in February• Reading, math, science are taken in March• Test has multiple choice, bubble in on grids (math), short answer, and essay

There are 5 levels to show progressLevel 3 (300 or above) is considered proficient

• If you are not level 2 or higher in 3rd grade, you will not be promoted• You must pass Grade 10 test before you can graduate• Can re-take if you earn a failing score

Contains two basic components:• 1) Criterion referenced tests for areas where standards have been developed • 2) Norm-referenced tests in reading & math

Adequate Yearly Progress (NH)

AYP currently determined by NHEIAP test.

2nd indicator- HS: graduation rate; JH and elementary: attendance rate

Will transition in next two years to using New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) to report AYP

Claim is NECAP better allows following scores of individual students.

Adequate Yearly Progress (FL)

AYP is defined by results from the FCAT

There must be at least 15% representation within the school for a subgroup to count

Schools with a D or F can’t be considered as making progress

Those students who are performing below proficiency will develop annual target goals to put them on the needed trajectory

Recent Assessment ResultsNH 4 & 8 grade scored higher than national average in math and reading on 2005 NAEPNAEP score comparisons since 1992 show steady improvement in math, while reading scores remain consistent2005 NHEIAP: shows steady increases in percent scoring at a “Basic” level or above in reading and math

Recent Assessment ResultsFL students are continually scoring grades 3-10 above the national average2005 NAEP scores have shown that FL has surpassed national math average in grades 4 & 8NAEP scores have declined only slightly in reading in grade 8, as did the national average. Still an increase over long term planning

$ spent on EducationNew Hampshire

Average teacher Salary• $43,941

Average teacher minimum salary (w/BA)• $28,598

Sate Aid• Not determined by pupil• Several factors are used for allocation• Based on need and money being raised by local taxes.

Estimated cost per pupil• Elementary- $8741.59• Junior high- $7907.20• High school- $8502.52

$ spent on EducationFlorida

Average teacher salary

• $40,598

Average teacher minimum salary (w/BA)

• $37,637

• w/ MA $44,536

State Aid is determined through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP)

• FEFP formula recognizes

– Varying local property tax bases

– Varying education program costs

– Varying costs of living

– Varying cost for equivalent educational programs

Estimated Cost per pupil

• Regular: $4,769

• Exceptional: $8,910

• At Risk: $6.144

• Vocational: $5,454

• Average operating cost: $5,687

Strengths & Weaknesses of the Systems

NH Strengths

State curriculum frameworks detail priorities state-wide and connect assessment data with classroom practice

State aid determined by need, not simply by number of students.

Well-educated teaching force

Number of charter schools allows choice to parents

Students well above national average on NAEP

NH Weaknesses

Seemingly weak licensure requirements threaten quality of teachers

Strengths & Weaknesses of the Systems

FL StrengthsTeacher certification is requiredHas state standards to ensure all learners are being assessed on the same conceptsHas a variety of options open to families for choice of schoolingContinually scoring high or above average on NAEPData Driven:

• Uses their data to influence their decision making• Uses data to target specific areas for improvement• Uses disaggregated data to examine wide-range goals• Use of data to examine relationship between cost and program

effectivenessFL Weaknesses

Teacher certification is requiredData burn-out

Interesting Facts

Average Student TeacherRatio is 13.2

45% of NH teachers haveTheir Masters Degree

73% of NH graduates attendCollege (52% in 4 yr.)

Annual dropout percentage:3.8%

Student ratio to teachers: 16.6

35% of FL teachers have their Masters Degree

78% of seniors take the SAT or ACT

71% graduation rate

60% go on to continuing education

Free tutoring for low qualifying SES

Resources

New Hampshire Department of Educationhttp://www.ed.state.nh.us/education/index.htm

Florida Colleges and Universities Sitehttp://www.fldcu.org/