School bus drivers must pass new physical fitness test

School bus drivers across the state will soon have to pass a physical fitness test to keep their certifications.

Starting Jan. 12, all school bus drivers will have to show they have the physical ability to do things like keep control of the bus in bad weather and swiftly evacuate children from the bus.

The final standards have yet to be published, but a draft copy gives a glimpse of what they're going to look for. Here are a few examples of what the drivers will be required to do.

• Walk completely around the bus and ascend and descend the steps three times in 75 seconds. You can't skip steps while going up or down, and you can't go down the steps backward.
• Move your foot from the brake to the accelerator 10 times in 10 seconds. Only the right foot may be used.
• Hold the brake pedal fully to the floor for one minute.
• Start in your seat with the seat belt on, walk to the back of the bus and open the emergency door in 20 seconds.

The new standards will apply to drivers of both yellow school buses and activity buses. Drivers can have as many retakes as you want. If drivers fail, their certification is suspended.

Drivers will have to pass the test for new certifications, to renew certification, and "if physical dexterity is called into question," says Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Exams and Shavuot: Let the confusion begin

If it's May it must be testing time,  and in North Carolina that has become a time of confusion and stress.  The tests,  the grading and the way the results are used seem to change like the weather.

Parent Amy Wlodyka sent me the testing schedule she got from Providence High,  accompanied by a note from the principal:   "It is different than in previous years due to NC testing requirements and how much time has to be given for each individual exam.  You will notice that A/B day exams are being given the week of Memorial Day.  You will also notice there are 2 days in the middle of exam week which are regular school days.  June 4 and 5 are Religious Holidays recognized by CMS and exams are not permitted to be given.  Since those are regular school days, all classes will meet and attendance will be taken in each class."

She and I had the same reaction:  What religious holiday?  Thank goodness for the internet:  It's apparently the Jewish celebration of Shavuot,  which marks the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and is also linked to harvest season.

The real question,  of course,  is how teachers and students are going to handle an exam schedule broken up by two days of regular classes.

"Teachers will NOT be allowed to review since testing has begun,"  emailed recently retired teacher George Walker.  "What will teachers do for two days? What impact will it have on scores since two extra days have passed since review?  To teachers this is two days wasted at a time of the year where a lot is at stake.  ...  It seems silly and hypocritical to have class during a supposed religious observation but not allow the schools to operate once the kids arrive."

What else are you hearing about this year's exams?

We know,  of course,  that this is the year North Carolina plans to break with its longstanding four-point scale for state exams,  with Levels 1 and 2 failing and Levels 3 and 4 passing.  On the new five-point scale,  a Level 3  (passing)  covers what used to be a high level 2,  increasing the number who will be labeled on grade level and reducing the number of  third-graders will be forced to take summer school or face retention under the Read to Achieve act.

I've heard some questions about whether the state will bring back mandatory retesting.  As you may recall,  for a couple of years the state required that students who earned Level 2s on their first try take a new version of the exam a few days later.  That ended last year because scoring was delayed on new exams.  This year,  I'm told that there will be no retesting except for third-graders who fail reading.

Brace yourself for new test scores

There's a wild week ahead for supporters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, with a bond vote, school board election and release of state test scores coming.

We'll get election results Tuesday night. My guess is that backers of the education bonds for CMS and Central Piedmont Community College will be celebrating.  I went to the North Regional Library in Huntersville Tuesday to talk to early voters,  then got pulled off for another story before I could flesh out a full report.  But that small sample was consistent:  The people I talked to knew little or nothing about the bonds going in,  but voted yes because they support education.

"I always support anything to do with the schools,"  said Tara McAlinn of Huntersville,  the mother of a 4-year-old.  It's a sentiment I heard repeatedly,  from young parents to retirees.

However the election goes,  Thursday morning will dash a bucket of cold water in people's faces when the N.C. Department of Public Instruction releases long-awaited results from 2013 end-of-grade exams.  State officials have made it clear that there's going to be a big drop in proficiency rates  --  not because kids got dumber or teachers got less effective,  but because there are more rigorous new tests, new  "cut scores"  for passing and no second try for students who fell below grade level.  Many schools will see hard-earned gains disappear.  If past changes in testing are any predictor,  gaps between the highest- and lowest-performing groups of students will widen.  (One interesting feature:  For the first time,  the state will break out performance for academically gifted kids.)

CMS Superintendent Heath Morrison said this week that he supports tougher tests that are designed to more accurately reflect students' readiness for college and careers.  "Every time we set the bar higher,  our kids respond, our teachers respond."  But he worries that critics who tout the failure of public education will use the new results to say  "See,  I told you it was broken."

There are actually three phases of the test-score release.  Teachers have already started getting  "value-added"  ratings based on the new exams,  which is bound to be a source of some stress.  "You get this information and it's really confusing,"  said one caller,  who had just gotten her report and declined to give her name.  "It's hard to read and it's hard to understand."

Proficiency and growth for schools and districts come out Thursday.  And within 30 days of that,  families are supposed to get reports on how their own children did last year.

If you want to get prepared for the testing data,  DPI has a background brief posted.

If you want to prepare for Tuesday's election,  you can find details about the bonds and the candidates on the Observer's voter guide.

And if you've still got energy left at the end of that crazy week, you can turn your gaze to the future at a Nov. 9 forum on "What's next for public education in Charlotte metro?"  From 10 a.m. to noon at UNC Charlotte Center City,  panelists from CMS,  charter schools,  the state legislature and higher education will talk about choices,  challenges,  changes and coordination.  The session is sponsored by Staying Ahead Carolina and UNCC.  There's no charge,  but registration is required.