KDE group studies Owensboro Public Schools arts program

As KSN&C readers know, I have expresed serious reservations about the potential effectiveness of program reviews as a barometer of student achievement. But program reviews are a part of Senate Bill 1 and KDE is taking steps toward developing a process.

This from the Messenger-Inquirer (subscription):

A Program Review Committee from the Kentucky Department of Education visited
Owensboro Public Schools' fine arts programs Thursday as part of its work to get a feel for what a "program review" would look like.

Senate Bill 1 mandates on-site visits or program reviews for public school districts' arts and humanities, practical living/career studies and writing portfolios programs as part of Kentucky's new assessment system now being developed.OPS was recommended as having an "outstanding comprehensive arts program," said Robert Duncan, an arts and humanities consultant with KDE and a committee member.

The group sat in on classes and learned about programs...

While the arts are part of the process, they are not part of the pen-and-paper assessment.The committee is looking at programs as a whole."It's too early to tell what exactly the process will look like," [Greg Finkbonner, the Humanities branch manager at KDE] said. "Part of the process is program review development, and we're going out and visiting schools to get first-hand experience of what a program review might look like."The state envisions comprehensive arts, not an art class, said Duncan, who spent 28 years as an art teacher.The Owensboro visit is a fact-finding trip, he said. The group also plans to visit three schools in Fayette County...

Roll Out on Program Reviews

Last month at the Prichard Blog, Susan got a hold of KDE's schedule for development of the program review process.

I have expressed great skepticism over the value of program reviews as a replacement for assessment in arts and humanities, practical living/vocational studies, and portfolio writing.

I'm sure that program reviews will reveal any school district that fails to go through the motions of teaching and testing in these areas. I'm not at all sure it will distinguish quality much beyond that. Perhaps the reviews will identify some exemplary districts. In the long run, I think we will find that program reviews allow the legislators and the department to say that they have assured proper adherence to these constitutionally mandated areas of the curriculum, but not much else.

But that's the way it's going to be and the roll out looks like this:

• Develop guiding framework for all program reviews: spring 2009.
• Disseminate guiding frameworks for all program reviews: summer 2009.
• Develop program review drafts: summer and fall 2009.
• Pilot program reviews in a small number of districts to gather evidence and further inform the design: winter 2010.
• Implement program reviews at all schools in draft form, with no accountability: winter and spring 2010-2011.
• Finalize program review design and provide professional development to schools and districts: spring 2011.
• Implement program reviews for accountability purposes in all schools and districts: school year 2011-12.