Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/515703
and people from other backgrounds better, how it prepared them to ad- vocate for justice and fair treatment across racial and ethnic lines, and how they wished they had had some expo- sure to these ideas before college. A key resource I rely on that was not mentioned in "Talking about race" is TeachingTolerance.org, a project of Southern Poverty Law Center, dedi- cated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations, and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation's children. This invaluable resource provides free educational materials to teachers. Matthew Ari Jendian, California Faculty Association, CSU Fresno Get 4Paws Certified Thank you for highlighting the lasting effects a reading dog can have on a classroom, especially for struggling students, in the April Educator. 4Paws Learning and Wellness Center is a San Francisco and North Bay social therapy organization that has a strong reading program called Readers of the Pack. We provide reading teams to pub- lic libraries and schools, and many of our members are classroom teachers. Last year our teams reached over 7,400 K-12 students and learners at Sonoma State University at special "Stress-Less" events. It is a privilege to become part of a child's learning experience and to watch them grow in confidence and skills. If any of your readers in Sonoma, Marin and San Fran- cisco counties would like to become a certified team member, please visit our website, 4Pawscenter.org. Joanne Yates President, 4Paws Kitties help read, too Please note that cats, kitty cats, can also be loving and attentive compan- ions for readers. Their empathy and intelligence radiate and encourage shy readers, including autistic children. And they are super soft for petting and reassurance. Cats deserve to be featured, too! I am part of a real no-kill cat shelter in Redwood City, Nine Lives Founda- tion. I would love to share wonderful information about cats and their thera- peutic and educational qualities. Carol Scola, retired San Bruno Social Security I have been a special education teacher in San Mateo County for 33 years. My husband died 12 years ago. He collect- ed Social Security. I learned shortly af- ter his death that California is one of 13 states that do not allow teachers who are widows to collect their deceased spouse's benefits. I contacted Sen. Dianne Feinstein and canvassed my neighborhood with petitions to change the law here in the Golden State. Noth- ing happened. Clearly I am not the only teacher in this situation. It needs to be addressed by our union, because 37 other states allow it to happen. Please address this issue on behalf of others like me. Catherine Stoddard San Mateo County Office of Education Teachers Association Editor's Note: Please accept our sincere condolences. Unfortunately, we are very well aware of the Windfall Elimina- tion Provision and Government Pension Offset and the hardship these provi- sions impose on our members. CTA is currently supporting SJR 1, which requests that the president and U.S. Congress pass legislation repealing WEP/GPO from the Social Security Act. Congress members have been engaged Assessment: Ranking test items In the March Educator, we discussed how achievement levels (cut scores) are set for the Smarter Balanced as- sessments. The process involves hav- ing panels of educators and stakehold- ers review test items and rank them from easiest to hardest. Members of CTA's Assessment and Testing Com- mittee did the same thing in order to evaluate the cut scores, as part of their effort to make recommendations to the State Board of Education. We presented 10 items from the Smarter Balanced sixth-grade math practice test, and invited you to share the experience of ranking them and discussing the ranking with your col- leagues. We also promised to reveal how the committee ranked these test items in the next issue. Unfortunately, we neglected to publish that informa- tion in the April Educator. Here is how the committee members ranked the test items from easiest to hardest: 10, 1, 7, 2, 5, 3, 6, 4, 9, 8. in this critical conversation, and this resolution urges them to ensure Califor- nia's educators are not forgotten. We will not give up. For more information, visit www.cta.org/wepgpo. 5 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 9