tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post3369692337848407037..comments2024-03-18T16:51:10.406-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Growth Boundaries Work Session Part TwoMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14771482159384507712013-11-18T08:16:06.208-08:002013-11-18T08:16:06.208-08:00Actually, the Accelerated Progress Program is not ...Actually, the Accelerated Progress Program is not a large program. The entire districtwide Seattle APP enrollment from grades 1-12 is currently 2,296 students – about 4% of the 51,000 SPS student body – made up of 922 elementary school students (2013-14 actual), 867 middle schoolers (same), and 507 high schoolers (2012-13 actual).<br /><br />So in fact there is simply no capacity related reason for splitting APP any further than its 6 current (i.e., n/s2ES+n/s2MS+n/s2HS) sites without waiting for the pending advanced learning task force recommendations. It is highly disingenuous for Superintendent Banda and the school board to propose breaking APP apart now under this false guise of capacity management.<br /><br />Making matters much worse this political proposal to split APP is really capacity MISmanagement. Probably the stupidest aspects of this daft boundaries plan are: a) splitting APP against vocal family sentiment, b) shoving the resulting big fragments of the APP program into neighborhood schools against vocal family sentiment, c) shrinking all future attendance area boundary lines just to split APP against vocal family sentiment. <br /><br />As one attendance area parent points out above, “All kids in our district deserve a stable school community. APP has been bounced around to no end.” And the entire north Seattle APP middle school population of 542 (2012-14 actual) would all easily fit into 952-seat John Marshall Middle School, with plenty of room left over to coshare with another SPS option program long-term, or with any schools needing interim space short-term. <br /><br />Instead, this wacky draft plan favors uprooting Jane Addams K-8 from its existing home at Jane Addams Middle School so as to give JA K-8 exclusive interim use of the John Marshall building for the next two years until its own new JA K-8 building opens in 2016, and thereby . . . a) splitting APP middle school next fall without any AL task force recommendations; b) shoving the resulting APP program chunks into Eckstein (or JAMS) and Whitman (or Wilson-Pacific); and c) shrinking all future attendance area boundary lines (Eckstein, JAMS, Whitman, W-P) in order to accomplish this political APP split against vocal family sentiment from both program and neighborhood families!<br /><br />Why attack the APP program when you are only cutting off your nose to spite your face? Why not support keeping the APP program intact, and all stand together against such destructive SPS capacity mismanagement? Why not advocate a win-win for both APP and attendance area families all at once?<br /><br /><br />P.S. And what a peculiar argument: That we should dismantle our advanced learning school program that is working well here – as evidenced by vocal community feedback – because another different program thousands of miles away in New York City has some problems! Hey, I heard of a language immersion program in Outer Mongolia that has issues, so why not . . . ?apparentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-84614819339816673302013-11-17T19:48:50.228-08:002013-11-17T19:48:50.228-08:00That's been pointed out to me. Thanks. It se...That's been pointed out to me. Thanks. It seems AL proponents think that advanced learners are the only ones who are ever bored as the Gen Ed curriculum is somehow magically individually tailored to each kid and not just as spotty as what you get in APP. This particular class was quite honestly a class of second class citizens at that school all year. They were a split who had been promised extra attention as the year before they'd also been treated poorly. They got stuck with a bad teacher and in fact I did take it up with the principal. (I had to stand outside her office until I got a spot on her calendar because there were "too many other fires" to put out). It wasn't actually news to the principal that the teacher was late, she knew. The other teachers and staff really showed very little concern for this class in any way, ever. It was clear to me they didn't feel they were even worth worrying about from that interaction. (The teacher is routinely late and as a staff person/teacher you don't take pity on the kids and try to help them, but instead you yell at them?). I can't imagine what would have been a bigger priority than making sure the teacher stopped being late and started actually teaching but I was told I could sit in the class or my daughter could be homeschooled. No one had time to monitor the situation (hence the kids standing in the hall and being yelled at on a regular basis). They did eventually get rid of the teacher much too late to make a difference. It was a two tiered system with some kids just not being worth taking care of from what I saw. That's what CAN happen and it is what did happen to that class last year. <br /><br />Gen Ed MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-50794119081760305942013-11-17T19:26:17.226-08:002013-11-17T19:26:17.226-08:00I will never forget the feeling I had standing in ...<i>I will never forget the feeling I had standing in the hallway last year [...] They yelled at them. Maybe none of you have seen it, but this is what happens in a two tiered system.</i> <br /><br />Umm... this is an interesting anecdote, unfortunate, and could happen to any class of kids anywhere; I don't get how it becomes an indictment of gifted education -except that in this instance it happened to a GenEd class, and presumably all the other teachers and staff were somehow connected to AL. AL teachers have been known to be late and AL has it's share of bad apples, too. Seems that you should taken the issue up with the principal and staff.<br /><br />Interesting that as someone with an axe to grind on the subject of AL, you should be concerned that: <i>"no one apologized to them or acknowledged how boring and hard it is to stand around all day NOT learning"</i>, when this describes how many gifted kids feel daily when stuck in a GenEd class that doesn't meet their needs.ArchStantonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10746480698492983438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48628029881075411622013-11-17T16:52:40.107-08:002013-11-17T16:52:40.107-08:00Lynn, not in this thread, but in other threads you...Lynn, not in this thread, but in other threads you and others have mentioned how it is better for Gen Ed kids if advanced learners are removed from the classroom. I can't go back and find all the comments. One expressed concern for 8th graders with advanced 6th graders in their Math class. How would they feel? (bad about themselves according to the poster). Concern was expressed about walk to programs because the kids who didn't walk would "feel bad" (so ridiculous as kids go in and out and change classes all day in many elementary schools). Charlie and Melissa both referenced research saying it was better for all kids to remove advanced learners from Gen Ed. Sleeper, you are getting to my point. I understand there is a difference between Spectrum ( top 8 percent nationally) and APP (top 2 percent nationally). I just think the size should be, well, closer to 2 and 8 percent. And I will ask again, how big is too big for a self contained program? Because at a certain size it becomes a two tiered system rather than a special program for those with needs outside the norm. I will never forget the feeling I had standing in the hallway last year observing my poor daughter and her unlucky classmates. While they waited, completely unsupervised, outside their locked classroom, numerous teachers and staff people, who it seemed expected them to be silent, YELLED at them "Room X, quiet, people are trying to learn here!" No one tried to find out where the teacher was (apparently it wasn't uncommon for her to be late), no one apologized to them or acknowledged how boring and hard it is to stand around all day NOT learning. Nope. They yelled at them. Maybe none of you have seen it, but this is what happens in a two tiered system. Some kids are entitled to learn and others are not taught and then blamed. These kids were of high socioeconomic status and had involved parents too. They just didn't test in to the right program at the right time. There are whole school systems like this. How big is too big?<br /><br />Gen Ed MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-38743086602936094282013-11-17T16:38:43.004-08:002013-11-17T16:38:43.004-08:00It is important to remind everyone about the histo...It is important to remind everyone about the history. Version one of the boundaries plan was followed by community input. Version two of the boundaries plan was followed by community input. Version three (with major changes) was released on a Friday at 7 PM with no option for input before the board meeting the following week. Now some claim that schools like Wedgwood are “selfish” for crying foul. To those who make such a claim, please take a long hard look in the mirror. If you had your feeder pattern changed in such a dramatic way would you really take it lying down? Would you really accept a “do it for the greater good” argument in the absence of any data or discussion. The absurdity of the lack of due process with respect to version three fundamentally undermines the specious argument that Wedgwood is asking for special privileges. Rather, the community is asking for fairness (perhaps in part because it is quite clear that fairness would put Wedgwood at Eckstein). Please folks, spare us the sanctimonious moral high ground. Every parent in the SPS boundary process has a special interest—their child (children). Fairness must then be applied by elected officials to balance needs, and when fairness does not happen then communities must speak up. <br />--Fairness FirstAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21251764596496450642013-11-17T13:49:12.046-08:002013-11-17T13:49:12.046-08:00Gen Ed mom, I think you are conflating Spectrum( a...Gen Ed mom, I think you are conflating Spectrum( advanced learning program for top 8% nationally, very easily more in some area especially if kids from multiple schools go to one school like yours), administered however the school wants, much conflicting research on best practices, not required, different urban districts handle these learners in many different ways, with APP, top 2% nationally cognitively, single location, very little debate in the literature about best practices (self contained), required in some way, almost all urban district serve these students this way. Many people mix them up, but they are not the same. APP had nothing to do with your daughter's experience.<br /><br />Most families(nearly all) already had a bad year, academically. With the district's track record for implrmentation, it's quite laughable to think they'd actually help serve these learners in neighborhood schools if they shrunk APP. It's nice your principal and teachers and community were amenable to changes which benefit advanced learners, but most aren't, and asking APP families to stay and fight is just asking them to never succeed in having their children appropriately educated. I agree it's technically possible for many APP student to be educated in some neighborhood school, but that does not mean they will be or were in the particular neighborhood school where they were. I also think this is true at fewer and fewer schools as class sizes balloon and standards become ceilings, which is part of why APP has grown. It would shrink if there were more options at neighborhood schools, but app families can't fix standards based education or large class sizes or principals who don't like advanced learning. The district could help, but that would take money, and, uh HA of you think the district will spend one more dollar on advanced learning. Can you imagine the outcry? Never happening. APP is here to stay.<br /><br />-sleeperAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-90127070544123160702013-11-17T10:52:53.288-08:002013-11-17T10:52:53.288-08:00Best practices always include frequent monitoring ...<i>Best practices always include frequent monitoring and assessing for a least restrictive placement.</i><br /><br />I'm trying to figure out how this would work in an advanced learning program. So the goal would be to slow down these students's academic progress so that they can be served in the general education program? Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17824709231149900392013-11-17T10:49:03.691-08:002013-11-17T10:49:03.691-08:00Gen Ed Mom,
I can't find the place in this th...Gen Ed Mom,<br /><br />I can't find the place in this thread where I (or anyone else) referenced your child or the effect self-contained Spectrum classes have on students in general education classes. You have pointed out <b>many</b> times that you were offended by my original comment. I have apologized for assuming to know what would be best for your child. Do you not believe that I was sincere? We can't have productive discussions here if participants aren't able to resolve misunderstanding and hurt feelings and move on.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-33906916072532717892013-11-17T10:34:41.089-08:002013-11-17T10:34:41.089-08:00It is a fact that APP is heavily bloated and the d...It is a fact that APP is heavily bloated and the district will be changing the program.<br /><br />Self contained for gifted children is modeled on Special Education. <br />There may be debate about what constitutes that population, but it is certainly never the bloated percentage that currently is eligible for self contained in Seattle/<br /><br />Best practices always include frequent monitoring and assessing for a least restrictive placement.<br />This is currently not done at all in Seattle.<br /><br />The APP program is thankfully on borrowed time. RIP.<br /><br />--enough already<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15209392898054552532013-11-17T09:19:23.674-08:002013-11-17T09:19:23.674-08:00Tired, not sure who you are responding to but my c...Tired, not sure who you are responding to but my child's Gen Ed experience at a school WITH Spectrum (30 percent of the school) sounds exactly like what many APP families complain their kids experienced before moving. In a classroom without peers, kids that were different in age and maturity level, kids that had nothing in common with her and were nice but wouldn't have wanted to be friends with her. No teaching, no learning, depression. Became a totally different and very unhappy kid. I am not against APP. But I have asked many times "how big is too big?" And I have been told there is no too big. 30 percent is TOO BIG for self contained. It becomes a two tiered system and the kids who are not in the self contained AL program are left without peers and treated as second class citizens. How big is too big? Fairfax Virginia has been mentioned on this blog as a place with a system that mirrors as a district what my kid experienced in our neighborhood school that we left. I don't want that to happen in Seattle.<br /><br />Gen Ed MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47691077253205393092013-11-17T09:07:45.658-08:002013-11-17T09:07:45.658-08:00To suggest that any APP parent is recommending a &...To suggest that any APP parent is recommending a 'self contained program that removes the top 10-30%' is completely disingenuous. At best, that describes Spectrum - a program that I frankly wouldn't advocate ANYBODY leave their neighborhood school for. I would wholeheartedly agree that a good ALO can provide just as much. But again, if that's the population you are talking about, you are missing the very real population that APP was intended for - so choose your argument. Are you opposed to APP in general, or just how big it has become?!? Great that your kids were served in General Ed - one of my kids did great in ALO: my younger one did not. After your answer above, have to wonder what choice you would have made for your kids if they had responded differently. (And find it richly ironic that you based your decision in part on their desire to stay with their friends - apparently it's ok for everybody in APP to 'get over' multiple splits...) <br /><br />Have to say I also think it's VERY unfair in general to equate your experience at a school *with* Spectrum to the experience that many APP families had at schools without it...<br /><br />I couldn't care less what choice you make for your family; nobody is on here arguing that eligible families opt in for the good of the whole. I have multiple kids and make my choices based on what is best for the kid at hand. Those aren't even always the same choices. I just want to be able to do what is best for my kid - the exact same thing you say you want.<br /><br />- tiredAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5581642340309491242013-11-17T08:44:50.840-08:002013-11-17T08:44:50.840-08:00I tell you gened mom, the app parent Lynn is so bo...I tell you gened mom, the app parent Lynn is so bombastic since she is trying to save her nonsensical program for her kids knowing it is wrong. The more the facts come in the louder she gets. Agree that she tells you over and over what your girl needs and how taking her kids to a special school is good for you. Research shows it both ways, the app kids ca n be educated in a regular school if done right, but Lynn will ne'er believe it. She's like the tea party for app, aggressive and fighting all the time to push the conversation to the self contained side. Frankly you both sound like broken records, always stuck on the same groove. But the louder she gets the sooner the district will pare down this bloated carcass of a program to eliminate the turmoil.Rajnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47771233902004829762013-11-17T03:51:48.364-08:002013-11-17T03:51:48.364-08:00OK, Lynn, but on the other hand, you and a number ...OK, Lynn, but on the other hand, you and a number of others here have presumed to tell me what is best for my kid. According to some of you, a self contained program that removes the top 10 to 30 percent and puts them in their own classroom is BETTER for my hardworking gen Ed student and will "tailor the curriculum" to her needs (as if anyone tailors anything to anyone in a class of almost 30 kids, ha!) Differentiation can't be done for your kids but apparently it's very easy to do it for mine or (according to you) mine doesn't need it. We left our neighborhood school because of the terrible experience with self contained and how it completely ruined my child's educational experience. And some of you continue to tell me studies show that was better for HER. If you don't want people telling you what's best for your kids I suggest that all of you stop bringing up the benefits of self contained AL programs for Gen Ed kids.<br /><br />Gen Ed MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29547414584349149502013-11-17T01:05:12.336-08:002013-11-17T01:05:12.336-08:00Flabbergasted,
Many districts differentiate betwe...Flabbergasted,<br /><br /><i>Many districts differentiate between gifted who can be served in a gened school and/or classroom and those students who need a self-contained environment.</i> You realize that's what APP and Spectrum are - correct? Programs for children with different degrees of giftedness. <br /><br /><i>So while I understand the parents going the cohort route, I think it is better for most to stay and fight. </i> Thanks for the unsolicited advice. As you are not parenting children who require the services provided by APP, please do not presume to tell those of us who are how to do it. I am flabbergasted that you do not realize just how offensive this is. Do you approach strangers in public and give them parenting tips too?<br /><br />Nobody here is advocating against providing more rigorous options at every school. That sounds like a fine goal. Aren't there plenty of other families at your school advocating for this already?Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-19588273873656195292013-11-16T21:21:38.957-08:002013-11-16T21:21:38.957-08:00Really? Who doesn't want to know how smart the...Really? Who doesn't want to know how smart their kids are? I'm not a MAP boycotter either, I like info and since tests are life in school, I want mine to know how to take them. Plus, we took a look at APP, took the kids on the tour and we let our kids decide. They wanted to stay with their friends and we had already been fighting for rigor with some real success. Granted, we were at a Spectrum school for elementary and it was already doing walk to math, but staff and parents pushed for walk to reading as well and it's there now. Middle school is plenty hard, we actually like a little more energy going towards social interactions, but the rigor is there and the neighborhood aspect makes a huge difference for us. So while I understand the parents going the cohort route, I think it is better for most to stay and fight.<br />Now Melissa, I hear many times about federal and state law and what it requires. It requires service to identified highly gifted, it absolutely does NOT specify self-contained or separate schools. Many districts differentiate between gifted who can be served in a gened school and/or classroom and those students who need a self-contained environment. Just like SpEd.<br />Back to the question, I love tests and I want my kids to learn how to take them. It's a skill set that it valuable. It also teaches them the drawbacks on relying on tests, something it hear echoed here frequently. I'm not against gifted programs, I just find ours becoming increasingly counterproductive to the goal of teaching all children to their maximum potential.<br />Now why all the ire when Charlie Mas himself advocates repeatedly for serving up more rigor in every single school? My guess is parents would say, OK, I'll stay put if the rigor is there but not until. Well that sounds reasonable, but who will put the pressure on if all the APP kids leave? Maybe, just maybe, we need to think altruistically and take a bad year to make it better in the long run for everybody. <br /><br />FlabbergastedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30296201626506331862013-11-16T20:40:33.820-08:002013-11-16T20:40:33.820-08:00Flabbergasted Daily,
Not trying to flame you, but...Flabbergasted Daily,<br /><br />Not trying to flame you, but your comment echoes something I see on here often. If you genuinely believe increased rigor in general ed is the way to go, why did you have your kids tested? You had to make the effort to have them labeled APP-eligible, and if you are committed to straight general ed. what was the point? (If you are doing ALO, clearly you agree some kids need more than general ed... so who draws that line?) <br /><br />Just wonderingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-2155708542844070302013-11-16T20:21:34.515-08:002013-11-16T20:21:34.515-08:00Good overview, Charlie. I think the district is t...Good overview, Charlie. I think the district is taking a tremendous gamble with APP but then, maybe that's not a gamble but a strategy. <br /><br />I personally think between APP and Spectrum, it's going to be either slash and burn or a war of attrition. <br /><br />Arch, how I've missed you.<br /><br />Paul, be careful in your typing because I believe you confused a couple of readers. AP is not APP and so that could be confusing if you drop a "P".<br /><br />"Many educational experts believe large self-contained programs like ours are harmful to all students, in and out of the program. A small program for those who have a dire need for self-containment along with strategies within classrooms and schools to meet the needs of students requiring added rigor is not uncommon."<br /><br />Yup, and a LOT of research supports self-contained programs and, as well, finds that high-performing kids get the least out of being in a Gen Ed class. And that "dire need" comment? Out of line. You may not like it but the feds and the State recognize highly capable children. <br /><br />All children have a right to have their educational needs met.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-35729912302983875282013-11-16T20:09:37.438-08:002013-11-16T20:09:37.438-08:00Amazed,
Not sure what you are talking about - for...Amazed,<br /><br />Not sure what you are talking about - for the record, I have indeed read that article, when it was first published. But Horatio was not the one who initially referenced it, and my comments to *him* were in direct response to *him* commenting about how he was offended by *my* earlier reference to special ed. There was absolutely nothing in my response about the article....<br /><br />I'm just going to assume that maybe you missed that part since my original post was missing my signature. But a more thoughtful and less reactionary reading might have made that easier to follow...<br /><br />-tiredAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42362374234366722652013-11-16T18:57:29.052-08:002013-11-16T18:57:29.052-08:00You know what they say,
The best defense is a good...You know what they say,<br />The best defense is a good offense.<br />I agree, APP parents complain more than any group, I would love to see the numbers, and one has to ask why? <br />'Cause they got a good deal. I have never, ever on this blog seen a parent of APP say that they are getting a good education for their kids. <br />This program is nothing but trouble and needs reform.<br />BTW mine are APP in gened and we are convinced that staying in a neighborhood school and agitating for rigor is the best for our kids and all the others.<br /><br />Flabbergasted DailyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-71200334528239233222013-11-16T18:29:26.350-08:002013-11-16T18:29:26.350-08:00@Tired,
I didn't see Horatio's comments as...@Tired,<br />I didn't see Horatio's comments as derogatory and his points about the NYC G&T situation are entirely valid. If you bothered to have read the aforementioned article you would see the parrelells to our district. Parents in NY view gened as a C grade education and will move or go private if they don't achieve G&T status for their children. They consider the gifted program merely adequate, a comment frequently stated on this blog. so if parents here are like the ones in NY, and there is no reason to think they aren't, then there is a level of disdain for gened and all the bluster and indignation is just bunch of hot air. Your response is so unrelated to Horatio's post that one can only reach that conclusion.<br /><br />AmazedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43871076852445749592013-11-16T17:21:33.835-08:002013-11-16T17:21:33.835-08:00Horatio,
First off, you have NO idea if one (or m...Horatio,<br /><br />First off, you have NO idea if one (or more) of my kids is 2E - given the high number of APP kids who *are*, it's equally offensive to assume they aren't. That said, my point was that while my kids may not be entitled to MORE than anybody else's, they sure as hell don't deserve LESS. And to tell my kids to just 'suck it up' in a class that doesn't meet their needs is just as unfair as it would be for me to tell someone's kid with special ed needs to 'suck it up' in a regular classroom. Both are inadequate for that student - the LAW already recognizes this, why can't you?<br /><br />Like Lynn mentioned above, decide if your gripe is that too many kids get into APP, or just that APP exists at all... I would love nothing more than for my kids to get the education that meets their need in their neighborhood school, we opted for ALO as long we could. But if you don't understand the difference between when that works and when it doesn't, you have no right to pass judgment on my family.<br /><br />- TiredofbeingdefensiveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60580285914600246902013-11-16T15:31:46.161-08:002013-11-16T15:31:46.161-08:00Hate, hate, hate. I don't hate APP, the progra...Hate, hate, hate. I don't hate APP, the program. And certainly not the kids and not the parents either. It's about the way the program is run and who gets to be in it. Many educational experts believe large self-contained programs like ours are harmful to all students, in and out of the program. A small program for those who have a dire need for self-containment along with strategies within classrooms and schools to meet the needs of students requiring added rigor is not uncommon. There are both approaches in existence and many advocate for each. It seems that the poster Paul does not want our district to continue on it's path towards a NYC style two tier system. I read the article he mentioned and it is not the way I want our district to go either. It doesn't make me a hater, it's just my opinion. There are ways to accommodate most APP students in their neighborhood school, it's done all the time and can be done here, but it's a red herring to keep saying fix your own school, leave us alone, we don't affect the rest of the district, etc. Casually alluding to SpEd kids is also really annoying, those kids are truly underserved and comparing a non 2E APP kid's situation in the district to a SpEd kid is offensive to me and many SpEd parents.Horationoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4766105006419790312013-11-16T15:15:40.930-08:002013-11-16T15:15:40.930-08:00Reposting for anonymous:
Amy Bonney-Hoffman,
APP...Reposting for anonymous:<br /><br />Amy Bonney-Hoffman,<br /><br />APP is NOT a 'voluntary' program, or an OPTIONS school. It is the appropriate level of education my child NEEDS, and is entitled to under the law. There is a huge difference between Spectrum, which doesn't promise you a space, and APP which HAS to - a huge difference both in the services being delivered, and in the factual legal obligations of SPS. <br /><br />I'm sorry if you see this as elitist, or if you think my kid should just be happy back at his neighborhood school. But I literally PAID good money to SPS for an entire kindergarten year when my kid who tested the equivalent of the top 1% of second graders did nothing but learn how to count to 100 and trace letters - all while I watched him shrink into a seriously depressed kid. Nobody denies that kids in Spec Ed deserve support for their needs (SPS may ignore the hell out of them, I'm not denying that!) - why so much hate for APP?!<br /><br />Ironically, for the record - moving APP into Whitman means my kids CAN actually walk to their assigned school finally - as it would for MANY other APP families in the NW. That was a huge part of the logic behind 3.0. And why should your kids get to walk just so that APP kids can take hour long bus rides YET AGAIN?<br /><br />This is OUR neighborhood too. <br />Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-31414305778257488182013-11-16T15:13:20.498-08:002013-11-16T15:13:20.498-08:00Paul,
Are you still out there? Do you have source...Paul,<br /><br />Are you still out there? Do you have sources for the changes you announced - or is this your wish list for all middle schools? I did some checking last night. It looks to me like the only 8th graders taking biology are APP students. Adding that class to every middle school would be a big change.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7811714390505746862013-11-16T13:05:58.502-08:002013-11-16T13:05:58.502-08:00Amy Bonney-Hoffman,
APP is NOT a 'voluntary&#...Amy Bonney-Hoffman,<br /><br />APP is NOT a 'voluntary' program, or an OPTIONS school. It is the appropriate level of education my child NEEDS, and is entitled to under the law. There is a huge difference between Spectrum, which doesn't promise you a space, and APP which HAS to - a huge difference both in the services being delivered, and in the factual legal obligations of SPS. <br /><br />I'm sorry if you see this as elitist, or if you think my kid should just be happy back at his neighborhood school. But I literally PAID good money to SPS for an entire kindergarten year when my kid who tested the equivalent of the top 1% of second graders did nothing but learn how to count to 100 and trace letters - all while I watched him shrink into a seriously depressed kid. Nobody denies that kids in Spec Ed deserve support for their needs (SPS may ignore the hell out of them, I'm not denying that!) - why so much hate for APP?!<br /><br />Ironically, for the record - moving APP into Whitman means my kids CAN actually walk to their assigned school finally - as it would for MANY other APP families in the NW. That was a huge part of the logic behind 3.0. And why should your kids get to walk just so that APP kids can take hour long bus rides YET AGAIN?<br /><br />This is OUR neighborhood too. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com