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 Roeber
to Head MEAP Effort
Gongwer News Service, October 30, 2003
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Edward Roeber
has been named director of the Michigan Educational Assessment
Program office in the Department of Education, State
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins said Thursday.
Mr. Watkins made the announcement of the appointment to the
newly-created position in the department before the Senate
Education Committee as he said the state's goal in administering
the MEAP is to not only avoid the timing disaster of the past
year, but eventually to process scores fast enough that teachers
and parents can see them the same academic year a student takes
the test.
While it may take some time to accomplish that goal, Mr. Watkins
said, it only makes sense that a "fourth grade teacher gets the
data about a child when the child is still in the fourth grade."
Earlier this month, Governor Jennifer Granholm issued an
executive order, 2003-20, transferring responsibility for MEAP
from the Department of Treasury, where former Governor John
Engler placed it, back to the Department of Education.
The test was mired in controversy this year because results were
months late, with final results coming earlier in October, some
four months after they were expected.
Mr. Watkins told the committee that both departments are working
hard to make the transfer-which will be effective in December
unless both houses of the Legislature block it-as seamless as
possible.
Following the problems the state faced this year, it will not be
easy to get the test results back on track immediately, Mr.
Watkins said, but "our goal is to make sure we have the
information on time, not six months later."
Because of the emphasis the federal government is placing on
test results as part of measuring an individual school's average
yearly progress-"the high stakes of 'No Child Left Behind,'" Mr.
Watkins called it-the state is taking the responsibility very
seriously.
Mr. Watkins praised Mr. Roeber as a "tremendous leader" in the
testing area that has worked with virtually every state.
Mr. Roeber is now vice president for external relations for a
non-profit company called Measured Progress, headquartered in
New Hampshire. However, he has long experience in Michigan,
having worked on the Michigan Accreditation Advisory Committee
to help the state implement the Education YES! accreditation
plan. From 1972 to 1976, he was a consultant for the Department
of Education and then from 1976 to 1991 he supervised the MEAP.
From 1991 to 1998, Mr. Roeber was director of student assessment
programs for the Council of Chief State School Officers.
In his new position, Mr. Roeber will be the state's chief
assessment officer, Mr. Watkins said, and his position will be
financed with federal money. The post will be a new position
within the department. Marilyn Roberts will continue to be an
executive overseeing MEAP.
M.E.A.P. BILL: The committee sent to the full Senate
legislation, SB 787, prohibiting the department from assigning
any accreditation score to a school if the school's MEAP test
sheets were lost either by the school or a state contractor.
A number of schools in the state did not get their MEAP scores
on several subjects because all or some of the tests were lost.
Currently, those schools would still have to be graded by the
state, but the bill would outlaw that until MEAP results in that
subject for that school are compiled.
If the lack of the grade would mean the school would fail to
meet the federally required adequate yearly progress then the
department would have to request a waiver for that school from
the AYP requirements.
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Michigan House OKs Limits on Teen Drivers' Passengers
Gongwer News Service, October 30, 2003
First-year motorists would face potential limitations on the
number of unrelated passengers they can have in their vehicle,
but the restriction would have a number of loopholes under a
bill narrowly passed Thursday by the House.
Supporters of the bill (HB 4600) say first-year drivers are most
susceptible to accidents, especially when their vehicles are
packed with friends possibly distracting them. There have been a
few high-profile fatal accidents in recent years involving full
vehicles of unrelated teenagers, notably the accident this year
in Fowlerville that killed four teenagers in a minivan driven by
a 16-year-old.
But the bill, which allows one unrelated passenger for
first-year drivers, would not be a strict limit. First, the
driver could have multiple passengers if they are family
members. Second, the House adopted an amendment allowing the
young driver to have more than one unrelated passenger if he or
she possessed a note from a parent.
Beyond that wide exemption, there is the huge question of how
police would enforce the bill if it becomes law-and opponents
focused on that issue, raising the specter of police spending
time pulling over packed vehicles of teenagers instead of
pursuing criminals.
The bill, passed on a 57-43 vote, now goes to the Senate. Party
lines dissolved as 18 Democrats joined 39 Republicans in favor
of the bill. Seventeen Republicans and 26 Democrats opposed it.
First-year motorists ticketed under the bill would face a
misdemeanor civil infraction comparable to the lowest-level
speeding ticket or for failing to use a turn signal. There would
be a $90 fine, but no points.
The most tangible consequence would be the delay in that
first-year motorist obtaining his or her full driver's license
privileges. Drivers ticketed for the violation would have to
wait a year from the date of the violation to get their full
license.
Still, bill sponsor Rep. Ed Gaffney (R-Grosse Pointe) suggested
the bill is more about public awareness of the danger of teenage
motorists driving with a packed vehicle. Police, AAA and others
are planning a public relations campaign if the bill becomes law
to make parents and teenage drivers aware of the risks.
"The thrust of this bill is educational," he said. "The thrust
of it is not to put a lot of people in jail or to have a lot of
fines."
Yet Mr. Gaffney said the bill "is a little bit more than a
suggestion," saying parents would now be able to point to the
law as added reason to prevent their children from driving with
a packed car.
But opponents attacked the bill on two fronts. One, it would
lead to an unnecessary police emphasis on pulling over teenage
drivers who otherwise were doing nothing wrong. The other
criticism came against the exemption for those first-year
drivers possessing a signed note from a parent allowing multiple
unrelated passengers with opponents saying it effectively guts
the bill.
The Department of State dropped its opposition to the bill with
the inclusion of the parental note exemption. The Michigan State
Police supports the bill.
Rep. Sandy Caul (R-Mount Pleasant) said the bill would waste
police time, but also seeks to substitute law for good
parenting.
"This is a parental responsibility," she said. "This is a driver
responsibility. This is not a legislative responsibility."
And Rep. Jim Koetje (R-Walker) said the bill is an overreaction
to isolated tragedies. "Legislation should not be crafted
because of one particular incident," he said. "There is no
reason for these type of stops."
But supporters maintained the overwhelming evidence indicates
the bill would protect young drivers and their passengers. "The
long and short of this bill is that it's going to save lives,"
said Rep. Stephen Adamini (D-Marquette).
ROLL CALL VOTE: Here is the roll call vote on HB 4600:
DEMOCRATS VOTING 'YES' (18): Adamini, Bieda, Brown, Byrum,
Elkins, Gieleghem, Gillard, Gleason, Hunter, Kolb, Meisner,
Murphy, Paletko, Plakas, Spade, Tobocman, Whitmer, Wojno
DEMOCRATS VOTING 'NO' (26): Accavitti, Anderson, Cheeks, Clack,
Condino, Daniels, Dennis, Farrah, Hardman, Hopgood, Jamnick,
Law, Lipsey, McConico, Minore, O'Neil, Phillips, Reeves, Rivet,
Sak, Stallworth, Vagnozzi, Waters, Williams, Woodward, Zelenko
REPUBLICANS VOTING 'YES' (39): Acciavatti, Amos, Bradstreet,
Brandenburg, Caswell, DeRossett, Ehardt, Gaffney, Hager, Hart,
Howell, Huizenga, Hummel, Hune, Rick Johnson, LaJoy, LaSata,
Middaugh, Nofs, Palsrok, Pappageorge, Pastor, Pumford,
Richardville, Robertson, Rocca, Shackleton, Shaffer, Stahl,
Stakoe, Steil, Stewart, Taub, Van Regenmorter, Voorhees, Walker,
Ward, Wenke, Woronchak
REPUBLICANS VOTING 'NO': (17): Bisbee, Casperson, Caul, DeRoche,
Drolet, Emmons, Garfield, Ruth Johnson, Julian, Koetje, Kooiman,
Milosch, Mortimer, Newell, Nitz, Palmer, Vander Veen
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