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November 30:
Deadline for Best of Washington Nominations
December 3:
WFIS Board meets at King's Schools
February 11:
Winter Dinner and Best of Washington Awards
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The WFIS eMemo is a publication of
Washington Federation of Independent Schools
P. O. Box 449
DuPont, WA 98327
253.912.WFIS(9347)
Judy Jennings
Executive Director
Jan L. Morrison
Assistant to the Director
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The Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS) is the umbrella organization for private education in Washington State. With seventy percent of the independent student population enrolled in member schools, WFIS is the only statewide vehicle for regular communication and strategic development between the many different constituencies. WFIS schools are affiliates of the Catholic dioceses in the state; the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI); the Christian Schools International (CSI); Lutheran Schools; Montessori schools; the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS); the Seventh-day Adventist Schools (SDA); and numerous other religious and independent institutions, including the Waldorf Schools, Hutterian Brethren, and those institutions with sponsorship within the Jewish and Islamic communities. The WFIS Board of Directors consists of eighteen school heads representing the major constituencies chosen regionally by their respective bodies. WFIS is networked with similar organizations in other states through the Council for American Private Education (CAPE).
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SUCCESS!
WFIS and Puget Sound ESD held their first joint Fall Private Schools Day on October 27, at the PSESD offices in Renton. Principals, superintendents, teachers and computer techs from private schools across the state participated in a variety of breakout sessions. These workshops ranged from the latest trends in education to learning about the various resources and personnel available to private schools through the ESD to a complete strand on educational technology. Attendees were very positive about continuing this type of format for future private schools conferences. All agreed that the location and facilities were outstanding.
Highlights of the conference were the Keynote Panel and the Legislative Advocacy workshop.
The Keynote Panel (left to right) included Ron Taylor, Superintendent of Bellevue Christian Schools, speaking on differentiated learning and assessment; Cindy Davis, Dean of Students at Bellarmine Prep, providing information on developing a positive school culture; and Rob Camner, Headmaster of Charles Wright Academy, sharing ways to maintain enrollment in a difficult economy.
Judy Jennings, WFIS Executive Director, shared information on upcoming legislation in Washington, as well as national initiatives that may impact private education. Ms. Jennings encouraged private schools to develop strong parent advocacy groups to assist the private school community in becoming even more effective in contacting and influencing legislators when it comes to issues that affect private education, both in our state and nationally.
WFIS thanks Terry Hippenhammer, Judy Jennings, Janet Hinrichs, and Jan Morrison for their collaborative efforts in planning this exceptional event.
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NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN!
For the month of November ONLY the Board of Directors of the Washington Federation of Independent Schools will be accepting nominations for the
WFIS BEST OF WASHINGTON AWARDS!
Nomination forms may be downloaded at
Someone in your school community deserves nothing but the BEST!
Nominate that person now!
Winners will be honored at the WFIS Winter Dinner on February 11, 2010
Deadline for nominations is November 30, 2009.
(See Nomination Form for Instructions.)
Washington Federation of Independent Schools
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PSAC Meets in Olympia
Chair, Don Johnson, Superintendent of Cascade Christian Schools, called to order the first Private School Advisory Committee meeting of 2009-10 on Tuesday, November 3. Representatives from each of the major private school constituencies from around the state met to discuss current issues of importance to private schools in order to provide feedback to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
OSPI UPDATES
The committee was briefed by Martin Mueller, Assistant Superintendent in the Private Schools office, about the chief concerns facing OSPI. Preparedness for the H1N1 Flu Epidemic and potential flooding for the Kent Valley were reviewed. OSPI is encouraging schools to remain open and schedule on-site clinics for flu vaccinations if possible. If a school must close due to the flu, the missed days are to be treated as snow days for meeting the 180 day attendance requirement per OSPI.
Private schools located in the flood plain of the Green River are encouraged to contact their local school district and work with them in planning for the potential failure of the Howard Hanson Dam. Besides the obvious flooding there are other concerns such as waste water, underground electrical, building damage and school relocation.
OSPI is moving Fingerprint Background Check access for private school administrators to the forefront with legislation this session.
FEDERAL PROGRAMS
The emerging educational relationship between public and private schools is proving to be a challenge to current rules. Private schools want to cooperate with public schools in their district. Public schools are providing on-line and independent learning opportunities for private school students, and vice versa. Public schools serving as supplemental educational providers are open to private school students in math and reading. This is encouraged by the USDE in the TITLE I process. The question for public schools has arisen at the state level due to the auditing process and how the delivery of service to private school students is captured. The PSAC will work with OSPI and the Federal Programs office to help define how we can collaboratively do business together.
Pam MacPartland, Legal Counsel for Special Education at OSPI, presented the IDEA rule changes. Due to the positive testimony from private school stakeholders, WFIS and the Institute for Justice, the rule change was adopted as proposed. The new rule removes the restriction on private religious school students receiving on-site services. (WAC 392-172A-04000 through 392-172A-04075.) The parentally placed students are eligible in the district in which their private school is located. All applications are evaluated and ultimately approved by OSPI in conjunction with a representative from the private school and the student's parents. If the consultation process is not working with a local school district, there is a complaint process available for the private school and the parents.
January 14, 2010: On the K-20 Network at ESDs around the state, there will be a public/private schools presentation on accessing eligible federal programs for private schools and the consultation process. Ms. MacPartland will present information on special education access. The INTENT TO PARTICIPATE in federal programs for private schools will be open from January 14th to mid-March.
State Level Title II A activity funds input from private schools was reported by Deborah Parriott and Mary Jo Johnson. Four areas of focus for the conference were discussed: differentiated student learning, assessments, technology and professional learning communities.
A committee was appointed to work with OSPI on finalizing the conference. Members are Judy Jennings, WFIS Executive Director; Dr. Duane Schafer, Superintendent of the Diocese of Spokane Schools; Debbie Schindler, Superintendent of South Sound Christian Schools; and Tim Visser, Principal of Shoreline Christian School. They will report back to Ms. Parriott as plans progress.
CORE 24 - IMPLEMENTATION TASK FORCE Report
(high school graduation requirements)
The Task Force recommended that the program be implemented on a six-year timeline, assuming that there is state funding this next legislative session. (Three Billion Dollars for Basic Ed Reform)
o Year 1- Planning
o Year 2- Grade 8
o Year 3- Grade 9
o Year 4- Grade 10
o Year 5- Grade 11
The three-year math requirement will move forward because it is separate from Core 24; it is a mandate from the state legislature. The sequence is Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2 or a three-year equivalent integrated course. OR, it is a three-year program which meets the career and educational needs of a student. Only a school official will be able to sign off on that variance.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Paula Smith, WFIS representative to the Early Learning Advisory Council reported on the draft plan which is now available for review on the DEL website. Concerns for private pre-schools and daycares are:
o Status of SEIU attempt to unionize private early childhood ed providers
o Streamlining the approval process for those already in business
o School-based programs should be addressed differently than stand alone pre-school/day cares
o Recognizing the differences in mission and school governance
o Currently, licensure is a barrier to world class programs being started
o We are not just drawing boundaries, we are doing business as voluntary learning communities
Ms. Smith will report to the private schools after the ELAC meets to discuss the new draft plan.
The next meeting of the Private School Advisory Committee will take place in the early Spring of 2010.
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STATE CONSTITUENCY LEADERS MEET
The Washington Federation of Independent Schools hosted Constituency Leaders from around the state on Friday, October 30. Present were Meade Thayer, PNAIS; Elaine Brouwer, CSI Schools; Sandy Smith, Donna Christensen and Sister Sharon Park from the Seattle Archdiocese; John Gatchet and Keith Waters representing the SDA Schools; Judy Jennings, WFIS Director, and Jan Morrison, Assistant to the Director.
The group gathered to discuss the upcoming legislative session as well as discuss some national educational initiatives that may have a major impact on private schools in Washington state.
The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers are in the midst of proposing Common Core State Standards for all of the United States. While this may be, on the surface, only for public schools students, many states intertwine their standards for both public and private schools. This could very well become problematic for our schools. WFIS and the Constituency Leadership Group will continue to monitor this movement. Their timeline is on the fast track with K-12 Common Core standards in English language arts and mathematics completed and released this winter. Early in 2010, states are to submit timelines and process for adoption of these standards.
One other issue seemed to galvanize the group. It is the emergence of a national accrediting body known as Advanc-ED. Its stated goal is to become the only recognized accreditation agency in the United States. It has already purchased all of the regional accrediting agencies with the exception of the Northeast, the Northwest (NAAS) and California. These three have thus far chosen not to be purchased by Advanc-ED.
Since many of our private schools use NAAS as their accrediting agency, a buy-out could signal some major changes for our schools. Some troubling areas include:
1. All teachers must be state certificated. Our schools have fought long and hard to have our state allow different types of certification dependent on the school's mission.
2. All administrators must be state certified. This would disallow anyone without a state credential to be in charge of a private school. This would affect clergy, business men and others thought to best fit the needs of the school.
3. All schools must have a school board. On the surface, this may seem to be appropriate, but parish schools, other religious schools, proprietary schools, etc., would not qualify.
4. Only one school in a system must be accredited for all of the schools in the system to receive approval.
While there are many more concerns, these are the highlights. The state constituency leadership was unanimous in their opposition to NAAS becoming part of Advanc-ED. For more information visit the website at http://advanc-ed.org.
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CAPE News
Let Me Rise!
October 22, 2009 -- Voices of School Choice, a Web site promoting the right of parents to choose their child's school, now features a powerful, must-see video titled "Let Me Rise."
Narrated by Juan Williams, the 30-minute film about the profound impact of school choice on particular families and children "offers a compelling look at the future of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program as told through the voices of the children whose educational futures continue to hang in the balance."
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The November 2009 issue of CAPE Outlook, a monthly newsletter from the Council for American Private Education, is available for download as a free PDF document by clicking here or by entering the following URL in your browser: http://www.capenet.org/pdf/Outlook349.pdf
In Outlook this month:
- NAEP Math Results: Are Reforms Working?
- Equity in Federal Grants
- Addressing School Violence
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What is Ag in the Classroom?
Washington Ag in the Classroom (WAIC) is a school-based education program aimed at enhancing agricultural literacy in K-12 students and educators. It is not a vocational agriculture program and does not promote products or political points of view. WAIC's goal is helping teachers, especially those with little knowledge of agriculture, integrate the study of this vast industry into existing curriculum.
Why learn about agriculture?
Today's youth are tomorrow's leaders. Agriscience, agribusiness, and production agriculture form the largest industry in America. Environmental issues such as land use, water quality, air quality, and wildlife protection are inextricably linked to agriculture. As future leaders, students must have an understanding of agriculture and how it affects their world.
Washington Agriculture in the Classroom
PO Box 3638
Lacey, WA 98509-3638
Voice mail: 360-528-2904
Email: info@waic.net
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