Brown Hangs it Up

Surprising news out of Warren County today as former Superintendent of the Year and Commissioner candidate Dale Brown announces his retirement. Hummm.

This from the Bowling Green Daily News:

Warren County Schools Superintendent Dale Brown made the surprise announcement at Monday night’s school board meeting that he plans to retire effective Sept. 1.

After nine years supervising a district that has exploded with growth, Brown said “it’s time for a change.”

“I’ve always been told that when it’s time for a change, you know it,” he said. “And I feel I need to move on and pursue other opportunities in education and that’s what I intend to do. I’m going to take some time, but I always want to work in education. It’s been my life.”

The superintendent would not specify his future plans, but did tell the board there was “no plan B” when jokingly asked if he would reconsider.

Brown has spent the past 29 years of his life in public education, beginning as a speech pathologist in the Hart County school district in 1980 and touring the county as a head teacher, principal and director of gifted and special education.

In 1990, Brown became the assistant superintendent in Carroll County public schools before moving to Warren County as the director of finance and personnel and assistant superintendent in 2000.Almost nine years to the day since he was appointed superintendent on Aug. 14, 2000, Brown said he will miss the students, staff and administrators of Warren County the most when he leaves.“

Anything that has taken place in Warren County schools has been the result of teamwork and everyone working together for the community and the good of the child,” he said. “And that’s what I’m most proud of.” ...

Dale Brown on CATS Task Force

This from the Daily News by way of KSBA:

Brown will help review CATS test

A task force of educators from around the state, including Warren County Schools Superintendent Dale Brown, will get the opportunity to shape Kentucky’s education accountability model.

Brown will join other educators and members of the General Assembly to review the current design of the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System. Brown will be representing the Partnership for Successful Schools - a Lexington-based nonpartisan education advocacy organization - on the task force. “With any assessment, we should always be open to review,” Brown said.

The task force will seek input from teachers, administrators, parents, business people, elected officials, education advocacy groups and others. The group will be looking at each component of the accountability model - to determine the effectiveness in meeting the needs of students - and make recommendations toward the future assessment design, Brown said.The group will have its first meeting in July.

The task force is a result of years of legislators looking at ways to overhaul how tudent growth is measured, said Lisa Gross, director of communications for the Kentucky Department of Education. The testing system is key part of the Kentucky
Education Reform Act.“There are a lot of people that just don’t like CATS,” she said. “There has been criticism of the system, and there are legislators that are just not fond of it.”

After Senate Bill 1, which would have replaced CATS with other standardized tests, failed to pass the legislature this year, the Kentucky Department of Education said a statewide task force would be put together by Education Commissioner Jon E. Draud to review the student-testing system after the General Assembly ended.

CATS includes the Kentucky Core Content Test, in which students are tested in seven subject areas; nonacademic data; writing portfolios; alternate assessments for students with severe disabilities; and the ACT college entrance exam and its precursors, PLAN and EXPLORE.

While many legislators question the effectiveness of the state’s accountability model, Brown said it has worked for Warren County Schools.“We are making progress toward proficiency and some schools have already met proficiency,” he said. “But we must always be open to study and make recommendations to improve the current system.”