Mercer Makes List of "High-Progress 'Reward Schools'"
From SPS Communications:
Asa Mercer Middle School has been classified as a “high progress” Reward School – making the prestigious list of the top-performing, most-improved Title 1 schools in the state.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on Aug. 27 named Mercer as one of 58 schools around the state with the Reward School designation.
“Congratulations to the students, staff and parents of Mercer Middle School and the community members who supported the school,” said José Banda, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. “We are proud that Mercer Middle School is part of this distinguished group of Reward Schools and has been acknowledged for all its efforts and hard work.”
As a high-progress Reward School, Mercer scored in the top 10 percent of Title I schools in reading and math (combined) on state assessments for its “all students” group. This designation acknowledges a school’s performance and improvement in reading and math during a three-year school period (2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11). (bold mine)
Asa Mercer Middle School has been classified as a “high progress” Reward School – making the prestigious list of the top-performing, most-improved Title 1 schools in the state.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on Aug. 27 named Mercer as one of 58 schools around the state with the Reward School designation.
“Congratulations to the students, staff and parents of Mercer Middle School and the community members who supported the school,” said José Banda, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. “We are proud that Mercer Middle School is part of this distinguished group of Reward Schools and has been acknowledged for all its efforts and hard work.”
As a high-progress Reward School, Mercer scored in the top 10 percent of Title I schools in reading and math (combined) on state assessments for its “all students” group. This designation acknowledges a school’s performance and improvement in reading and math during a three-year school period (2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11). (bold mine)
Mercer
has also been named a School of Excellence school in 2009, 2010 and
2011 –
for
placing in the top 5 percent of schools in the state for improvement in
scores.
As I keep saying as I go around talking to groups about I-1240,
Washington State and SPS are not static. Major change is happening,
progress is being made and public education in Washington State IS
getting better for ALL students. This is evidence of that and it
happened...without charter law.
Comments
FHP
Whoops! Discovery Math Wasn't Key to Mercer Middle Schools Success
a reader
My oldest daughter's 8th grade teacher used Saxon (but kept it very quiet) and told the parents during curriculum night that his students currently had math skills equivalent to chopping down a tree with an axe and by the end of the year their skills would be equivalent to chopping down a tree with a chainsaw. He was correct! [Olympia]
This is a very strong proof of the problems with discovery math--in this case the connected math series--and how switching to good books/materials with a more traditional approach (and which cover the essential materials!) can result in rapid gains in math skills. The results at Mercer were kept under wraps (a school board member told us, but asked that we keep quiet about it so the District didn't come in and force them to quit!). The teachers at Mercer have been using materials from the excellent Saxon math series. I should note that the current superintendent and her staff have fought for the Discovery approach that is failing us---and recently turned down the requests of three schools to switch to a more traditional approach. At a recent meeting Susan Enfield was asked about the current district math policy (Discovery at all three levels) and she replied that is was working fine and the district was improving. Her policies are actively working to keep bad Discovery math at all schools, and I note she was a major proponent of the Discovering Math series in high schools. There are other experiments in the school district where traditional approaches have resulted in huge gains (e.g., Schmitz elementary) and the district is trying to ignore it. Folks...time for a new superintendent. [CliffMass3]
Mercer Middle School did many things right to achieve these results. But do not discount the impact of better math textbooks and instruction.
UW professor Cliff Mass and Dan Dempsey have been urging change for years on math. It is time they were listened to, along with many parents who have written to their school board members. The time is right to make a change.
S parent
However, pro-charter people can capitalize on their ability to offer your student a traditional, proven math that is not inquiry based because they are not bound by the mandates of the public school system.
You miss the point. It can be done AND is being done without charter legislation. More and more districts are realizing this.
Charter advocates can come along and say, hey there parents we can offer you solid math, no need to wait for YEARS while the hurt egos of a failed math adoption are placated. Even our new super, isn't in any rush to fix the problem, district-wide.
Heck, they could even use Mercer as an example of what a charter school would like - from day one.
To allow solid curricula only in charter schools (or only in schools that apply for "Creative Approach" status) would create an even more inequitable system.
Why should only some kids be allowed solid math instruction and others stuck with crappy math?
The best and only way to ensure that every school can offer all kids solid math is to simply mandate better math textbooks district-wide.
Aren't EDM and CMP up for renewal or reassessment? If so, Supt. Banda has the perfect opportunity here to make a huge improvement in academic opportunity for all SPS kids across the board by changing to better math texts.
So I agree with those who say the district should dump EDM, CMP and Discovering and bring in Saxon, Singapore, Glencoe or Holt -- for everyone.
Good question?
I truly pressed the point with Banda and I think he heard it but really, he should be hearing this loud and often.
tired parent
If the public schools do not improve they are at risk of getting run over by unproven fads like charter schools. No more excuses about how expensive it is to change the curriculum. It is expensive for parents to keep tutoring and provide remedial math for their kids. Businesses need people with math skills and it is stupid to keep delaying a sound curriculum.
In my opinion, Seattle schools can gain students from private schools or other districts if they change the math curriculum. It is time for them to do this but it may take more requests from more parents. My kids are out of college now so it falls to the younger parents.
S parent
Exactly!
-sped Parent
At math workshops I took this summer, I was told "budget, budget, budget" is the holdback for new curriculum. EDM isn't that old. It will cost millions to replace. I kept my TERC stuff which is more aligned to common core which stresses "depth" and focuses on fewer topics.
Some people don't like TERC. I'm talking elementary here. I think what works at primary is different than what can work at intermediate, middle and high school.
I don't know how we ended up with EDM but most of us knew it wasn't the program we should have had for our young ones.
Whatever we choose, there's no magic wand. Kids learn differently and teachers will have to use various strategies to make it work. More time on math might be a start - at least at elementary where we are trying to do too much, IMO.
n...
All of that makes me think we're being blind if we cheer on Mercer but continue to allow SPS to run its course.
We need to demand that the district invest in excellent building leadership, then we need to support that the leadership can do what is necessary.
That said, I wouldn't want my kid to go to Mercer. They left creativity and critical thinking by the road when they went full speed ahead towards hitting "at standard." Maybe Carter's experience with an "above standard" population will help that school take it to the next level.
Look At What You Can Do With Tons Of Money!
Given the freedom to be creative and make better curricular and instructional choices, I believe most SPS schools (teachers, principals, parents) would.
The problem with Seattle Public Schools is with the decision-makers at the district HQ and the various unaccountable outside influences. That's where the rot is.
I believe what needs reform is how our district is run at the top and management level. And we need to put an end to the influence of a small but connected clique of 'superintendent-whisperers' and so-called philanthropist sugardaddies who often have zero education expertise but endless, often political, agendas, which are wreaking havoc on our kids' schools. (Their names can be found throughout SPSLeaks docs and on a certain fortress at the bottom of Queen Anne Hill.)
The district's crappy math and excessive and costly MAP test (to cite just two examples) are the result of croynism and "committees" that did not make objective decisions based on unbiased facts, but came to the table with an agenda that has not served our kids well.
We need a district with decision-makers whose only agenda is to choose the very best materials, curricula and practices to serve the students of SPS -- and not kowtow to political or self-serving interests.
Charters would not fix that problem. They would likely add to it.
"They left creativity and creative thinking by the road" in order to reach standard?
Wow! I don't know what to think. How do we do it all?
n...
I would love it if someone, some entity, could actually drill down into the entire Mercer phenomenon, and comprehensively report on what is going on. What is really working? What was the "cost" (in terms of curriculum choices, SPED displacement, etc. Of the school community, who is happy; who is not? I don't think that big comprehensive schools can be all things to all people -- so not every criticism (even if true) means there is a problem that should be fixed. Some tradeoffs are legit. But -- some (for example -- discrimination against SPED kids, abuse/denigration of teachers, unfair hiring practices, cults of personality, etc.) ARE big problems.
Wish I knew more!
Here is what I know.
(1) Auburn School District has de-centralized its elementary schools. These schools have great autonomy.
(2) Seattle has not.
Now check this list of A reward schools
and B reward schools for Auburn and Seattle
LIST is HERE
Auburn has 2 reward A elementary schools
Seattle 0
Auburn has 6 reward B elementary schools
Seattle 0
=====
Seattle has exactly one school on the list
Mercer a reward B school
Note Mercer was off script (as in not following the dictates of Central Administration) which Susan Enfield carefully tried to hide as long as possible.
=====
What KSB said about Mercer on Feb 10, 2011
is HERE
What Susan Enfield said about Mercer on Dec 7, 2011 is HERE
There were dozens of stories told from dozens of perspectives. While some say that they went off-script there are others who might say that they actually followed the script, that they actually did all of the things that the District is constantly claiming to do.
That's a pretty funny idea, that anyone who actually does what the District promises to do stands in stark contrast to everyone else.
Michigan's new Educational Achievement Authority
a reader
First, Washington state Department of Public Instruction hired actual math professors and experts to review and recommend math textbooks. The panel recommended Holt textbooks and rejected the Discovering series for our high schools. Here is a link to their 2009 report:
http://www.k12.wa.us/curriculuminstruct/pubdocs/PublishersNotices/OSPIMathematicsHS-IMR-Report06-19-09.pdf
Next, Seattle Public Schools wasted a huge amount of time and money to have their own "adoption" process! They formed a committee of all-non-math experts which rejected OSPI recommendations and adopted Discovery math. (I remember one of the criteria the SPS committee used to evaluate math textbooks was to count the number of "minority-looking" kids' photographs and "ethnic-sounding" names in the story problems! I am not kidding... I was there!)
http://wheresthemath.com/curriculum-reviews/wa-state-recommended-math-texts/
Lesson learned? Let's adopt OSPI's recommendations in Seattle Public Schools! Don't allow SPS to waste precious time and money on any more "math textbook adoption committees" to reinvent the wheel!
-math mom
-insane
Essentially Greta B tells the Board anything might bring good results.
====
WOW .. all the time and resources that went into this OSPI / State Board of Education process..... Looks like the process is just a big waste of time and resources ... because anything might work.
The educators and administrators at top levels were enchanted by Discovery math and sold it to parents by saying it would help children solve real world problems. What they did not tell you is that students would not get enough practice to become proficient at any level of math. Many of these people are gone but their bad decisions on textbook adoption stay with us.
In my opinion, it is the most urgent issue that Banda and the School Board need to address.
S parent
Then there's the "traditional" vs "integrated" designation. Discovering is shown as a traditional sequence, which it is, in terms of having Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II as distinct courses. Given the debate over traditional vs discovery pedagogy, however, it does lead to some confusion. The books are not traditional in the way math topics are covered, only the yearly sequencing/grouping of topics.
wow
ELB
Just as there is no perfect set of standards, there is no perfect set of instructional materials. And less is known than should be about the effectiveness of particular
programs.
That said, textbooks do matter. A recent study reveals that students enrolled in either Math Expressions or the Saxon Math Program score 9 to 12 percentile points higher on one of the federal government exams than their counterparts in classrooms using Investigations in Number, Data, and Space or Scott ForesmanAddisonWesley
Mathematics.1 Washington should feel good about its recent
recommendation of Math Expressions.
The OSPI review and this ST review of high school mathematics texts give the SBE and the OSPI valuable information, but no clear path to recommending more than
one program.
On the same page is a table summarizing the OSPI final score for each text (ranked in order from highest to lowest), along with the Mathematical Soundness Rating. Greta's presentation has only the OSPI score (which places Discovering 2nd) and omits the column showing Discovering as "unacceptable" when evaluated for mathematical soundness.
Text - OSPI Final Composite Score (ST Mathematical Soundness Rating)
Holt - 0.838 (Meets minimum standard)
Discovering - 0.835 (Unacceptable)
Glencoe - 0.826 (Approaches minimum
standard)
Prentice Hall - 0.820 (Unknown)
McDougal Littell - 0.783 (Unknown)
CorePlus - 0.780 (Approaches minimum standard)
*Composite score is comprised of 1) content/standards alignment, 2) program organization, 3) student learning, 4) assessment, 5) instructional/professional support, and 5) equity/access and is calculated for the series as a whole.
From "everydaymathsucks.com":
Everyday Math Removed - A Success Story, 5/15/2012 [bold added]
Here’s the success story of Jill Gladstone, a parent in Bridgewater, NJ whose children were being instructed using Everyday Math — the constructivist ’step-sister’ to Investigations….
After 12 years of the Everyday Math program being implemented in my school district, I am happy to say that we abandoned it and adopted HSP Math 2009 (Harcourt School Publishing) last year. It wasn’t easy getting Everyday Math removed. In 2006, I started a Yahoo Group for parents in my town who were very concerned about the program and wanted to discuss the issue with others. I rallied parents to attend Board of Education (BOE) meetings with me and speak at the podium. I connected myself with national math content experts- mathematicians – who educated me on the flaws of the program. I then decided to run for a seat on the BOE myself. One of my main campaign platforms was to remove Everyday Math from the district because I saw how this “one size fits all” reform math program was not meeting the needs of so many students for a variety of reasons. After I won a seat on the school board, we had a few changes in the top administration. The new folks eventually were willing to set up committees to evaluate our K-6 math program. (It had never been formally reviewed or evaluated in all that time!) The new administration did a fabulous job.
This whole process took a lot of pressure and patience.
Finally last year, the K-6 Math Evaluation Committee (consisting of 35 K-12 teachers and 4 administrators) and the 9-member school board were unanimous in their desire to replace Everyday Math with a balanced, more traditional math textbook, HSP Math 2009 (Harcourt). HSP Math started in September 2009 and has been very well-received. I still get e-mails from parents thanking me for my efforts and telling me how thrilled they are with the new program. It is a wonderful program. It teaches to mastery without “spiraling” and has plenty of practice opportunities to make kids feel confident.
I hear that Houghton Mifflin Math is good balanced program. Stay away from Connected Math 2 at the Middle School as it is worse than TERC and Everyday Math in the lower grades. Good Middle School textbooks are Holt-McDougal Mathematics or Glencoe Math Course 1, 2, and 3. Their Pre-Algebra and Algebra books, as well as Prentice-Hall books, are fine. I’d suggest the same publishers for High School. Do not have your district ever use the “Discovering” series (like Discovering Algebra or Discovering Geometry).
Good luck and don’t give up!
Jill Gladstone
Bridgewater, NJ