Denny Issue over Opting Out
Sometimes you cannot believe what you read. Indeed that was my reaction to both Principal Clark's explanation of his not allowing any student who opted out of the SBAC to go to the school carnival last Friday. Below is the explanation I received from SPS Communications, along with an e-mail that Director McLaren sent to him and my reply.
Read my reply carefully because you will see why this - is - wrong. (bold mine)
Dear Director McLaren,
I'll just be frank - I'm appalled.
I think it is fine to give students the tools to self-regulate and reflect on work they have done in class.
So even if
a student filled out this section of the student planner throughout the
year AND made decent grades, opting out of SBAC testing would therefore
(and solely) opt that student out of the carnival. (I realized I got this part wrong - the rubric was only during testing - but that really doesn't change much because clearly - to Clark - it's not "my best performance.")
If a student gets disciplined for something that is NOT against the law or NOT against school rules, then it is punitive.
But they can "appeal" to go which means having the courage to go and get the form and turn it in. And apparently basically say "I was a bad person for opting out" or "opting out was wrong." (I note Mr. Clark - or whoever wrote that explanation - doesn't say WHAT students had to say to get in his good graces.)
This is not - in any way, shape or form - "mutual respect." Coercive? Yes, I think so and so far, so do my readers. If you want kids to dislike adults, this is surely the way to do it.
Unless, of course, your only goal is to get both parents and students in line to take a test.
Sincerely,
Melissa Westbrook
Seattle Schools Community Forum Blog
Read my reply carefully because you will see why this - is - wrong. (bold mine)
The 2015 My Best Performance Carnival at Denny International Middle School
In addition to many special activities
throughout the year, for the past ten years, Denny has hosted a carnival
at the end of the state testing period for those scholars who have
given their best performance. The scholars’ effort is tracked
on a form called the “My Best Performance Rubric,” a copy of which is
located in their student planners. The rubric includes categories such
as:
·
positive attitude
·
time management
·
reading instructions carefully
·
making an attempt on every task and persevering
·
resourcefulness
·
using resources and tools
·
written presentation
After each testing session, scholars fill out their assessment of how they performed in all these areas.
The rubric is then turned into their teacher for
review. At the end of the testing period those rubrics are submitted to
administration that accumulates the results to establish the
eligibility list for the carnival.
For this activity, due to the way in which
eligibility is earned through self-reflection and teacher review every
day of testing, scholars who did not give their best performance and
those who opted not to participate for non-medical reasons
were not eligible.
With every incentive that we have at Denny,
based on our systems, scholars have the opportunity to practice agency
and appeal in order to participate. This year all of the scholars who
opted out for non-medical reasons and appealed were
granted entry into the carnival.
We had a record high number of scholars
participating this year at the carnival. Our school community worked
very hard throughout the entire testing period. The My Best Performance
Carnival was a great success and enjoyed thoroughly by
all.
From: marty.mclaren@seattleschools.org
To: sahoward@seattleschools.org
CC: jclark@seattleschools.org; westello@hotmail.com; larry.nyland@seattleschools.org
Subject: RE: Opted out students and Denny
Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2015 19:34:01 +0000
To: sahoward@seattleschools.org
CC: jclark@seattleschools.org; westello@hotmail.com; larry.nyland@seattleschools.org
Subject: RE: Opted out students and Denny
Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2015 19:34:01 +0000
Thanks so much for this clarification, Stacy.
I
attended the multi-cultural potluck/welcome event for new families at
Denny last Thursday, and can bear witness to the fact that Mr. Clark and
his staff have
created a vibrant sense of belonging, community, and mutual respect at
Denny. This is the foundation on which the academic success of Denny
students is built.
Marty
I'll just be frank - I'm appalled.
I think it is fine to give students the tools to self-regulate and reflect on work they have done in class.
If a student gets disciplined for something that is NOT against the law or NOT against school rules, then it is punitive.
But they can "appeal" to go which means having the courage to go and get the form and turn it in. And apparently basically say "I was a bad person for opting out" or "opting out was wrong." (I note Mr. Clark - or whoever wrote that explanation - doesn't say WHAT students had to say to get in his good graces.)
This is not - in any way, shape or form - "mutual respect." Coercive? Yes, I think so and so far, so do my readers. If you want kids to dislike adults, this is surely the way to do it.
Unless, of course, your only goal is to get both parents and students in line to take a test.
Sincerely,
Melissa Westbrook
Seattle Schools Community Forum Blog
Comments
- HS Teacher
North End Parent
Middle schoolers need a taste of authority. I doubt it poisoned them.
college prof
These poor kids, first handcuffed to their desks for hours taking a long awful test. Then forced to complete a form explaining how well they behaved while handcuffed to their desk, taking the long awful test. Then evaluated on how they evaluated themselves to "establish the eligibility list for the carnival."
And Directors McClarens response: great potluck dinner, yum yum.
Just makes me ill.
-Fedmomof2
-NNNCr
This is one principal being petty and punitive with no legal reason to do so.
I hope Martha McLaren enjoyed the fried chicken. She has become nothing more than a district apologist.
Middle schoolers need a taste of authority. I doubt it poisoned them."
Gag. Barf. Hopefully, it poisoned them against growing up to a lifetime of being managed and overseen by preening twits.
Now, mind you, I am not calling either college prof or Mr. Clark a "p.t." -- because that would be name calling, which is justifiably against blog rules. BUT -- if a kid grew up and went to work for some nameless adult, who was compelled by law to administer a punitive, irrelevant, "designed to fail most of the employees so some big private company can justify taking over remedial employee education" test (and was selling all their private test response information on the side, for extra gain) -- and the boss was told he would be fired if he refused to give the test -- or even publicly complained. You know, one could be sympathetic towards such a boss -- but then, if some of the employees refused to take the tests -- as a form of protest against the stupidity, cost, and bad intent behind it all -- if the boss then voluntarily decided that he would pass out bonuses, based on who didn't take the test, and someone stood around on the side, cheering him on and declaring that "a taste of authority was good for them, and it didn't poison them" -- well, although I am not one for name calling, I guess I DO think there WOULD probably be SOME pejorative names out there that might aptly apply to such folks.
Jan
Really?! Middle school is a time for social and emotional growth, and peers play an important part. Nothing like excluding a kid for a parental decision.
1) The students didn't opt out of the test; their parents or guardians opted them out of the test. He wrote: "those who opted not to participate", but there were no students who opted not to participate.
2) Students had to make an "appeal" to be allowed to participate - as if they had been found guilty. Since, according to Principal Clark, every student who appealed was allowed to participate, it's clear that opting out was never a reason for exclusion and therefore never should have been a factor in the exclusion.
3) Principal Clark wrote "The My Best Performance Carnival was a great success and enjoyed thoroughly by all." Well, not by all because it was not enjoyed by those who were not allowed to attend.
I don't mind a difference of opinion, but a difference of facts needs to be corrected.
Or did all the students who turned in a rubric pass?
Are the rubrics compared to observed performance, or are they merely lessons in how to write pretty words that the boss will like? What happens to an honest student who reflects that they didn't manage their time we'll or have a good attitude? Did they not get to go to the event? Or did all students write, I did great! to make the principal happy?
-saddened
Sure, actions have consequences, and, yes, a kid who truly does something wrong has a lesson to learn. But that was never the situation here. What lesson did they learn? Cow-towing will get you far in life? "Bow down before the man it won't poison you?" This principal went too far. And frankly, having received a few similar emails from Director McLaren, its clear (and sad) that she lost her spine a very very long time ago.
so glad my kid didn't have this principal. wowza
reader47
WSDWG
- HS Teacher
I'm reading these comments and I don't see anyone who actually knows Mr. Clark or the Denny community or details about the appeals process, and the level of 'jumping to conclusions' concerns me as much as the school's action. My children both went through Denny (they are now high-schoolers at Chief Sealth), and I can attest that Mr. Clark has built a vibrant culture that engages his students and challenges them - with all kinds of support from his staff - to do better than they think they can. In my opinion he is one of the best principals in the system, and my sense is that he generally has the support of his school community.
I don't know anything about this incident other than what I have read here, so I will refrain from commenting on the specifics. If the appeals process is simply getting a form form the office, filling it out and submitting it to the school office, I'm not sure it is a big deal; it may indeed do well to suggest that actions have consequences. If on the other hand it requires multiple levels including a personal meeting with a school counselor, then it does seem punitive. The fact that every student who filed an appeal was allowed to attend the carnival suggests, at an initial glance, that the intent and effect was not particularly onerous.
So I suggest that someone talk to Denny parents or students and find out a little more about this program before flying off the handle about out of control testing.
Reposted for above anonymous commenter. Anonymous comments not allowed.
Comment on anonymous's point: Your kid was on an IEP exception. That is the difference in why he wasn't asked to fill out the Dutiful Test Taking Student form. So your point is pointless.
The Stranger mentioned this debacle in its news roundup today.
Glad KIRO may cover the issue. Know who else would probably like to mention it nationwide? Diane Ravitch and that one blogger at the Washington Post. Maybe Melissa will pass this item or a KIRO story on to them? If it creates a circus (pun intended) so much the better.
DistrictWatcher
Denny/Sealth Parent
I have no problem with the basic idea of self-reflection on work and behavior but this case is something different.
I have not ridden Mr. Clark "out on a rail" nor have I "demonized him." Indeed, I have said many good things about Denny and him in this blog in the past. But I disagree with this issue particularly when it was a parental decision and one that is legal.
And a carnival to celebrate testing...really... shouldn't the carnival be celebrating learning?
Longtime lurker
If a teacher or student excluded my child for some arbitrary, destructive reason - then expect that I WILL be irate.
Should they be sacrified? No. Likewise quite sacrificing the teachers and students who refuse the hoop jumping.
Blind obedience seems to be what gets you ahead in the Tolley universe.
I keep trying to like this, but my spidey senses are tingling. This sounds like something that could work well with really great teachers -- and be a nightmare with a poor teacher, or one who bullies or belittles kids (and yes, my kids have described high school kids crying in the hall after being yelled at by a teacher; one of mine was ordered out of an after school study session for asking too many questions about math that he was struggling to understand (that teacher has thankfully now finally retired).
This business of rewarding kids based on whether their self assessments were "good enough" is WAY more subjective than I would like. In the hands of the wrong people, it comes down to "just how bootlicky CAN you be" -- so you can get the "treat."
The fact that the principal in question had the bad judgment to exclude kids for having the temerity to be the offspring of parents who opted them out of taking a test that they (the parents) were legally justifiable in opting them out of -- unless they basically appealed on the grounds that their parents were bad and foolish and shouldn't have done it -- doesn't do anything to make me feel better about this guy, though I hope for the kids' sake that what Denny/Sealth parent says is true.
Jan
As well, I'd like to see the form used for the appeal.
I did mention this at tonight Board meeting.
The ONLY reason I'm not joining in the chorus and demanding the resignation of this awful man Jeff Clark, is because I want to hear from him directly as to what this "appeal" process was all about.
Is he asking these children to "appeal" their individual consciences, or that of their parents? What exactly constituted the "appeal"? Will we get Mr. Clark to come clean on this, or will we hear more bullshit and rationalization?