tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post6311067771314031896..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Trying to Understand KateMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-7227457205635255972011-10-15T10:06:31.900-07:002011-10-15T10:06:31.900-07:00Susan Enfield is a soldier for the failed ed refor...Susan Enfield is a soldier for the failed ed reform agenda that robs high achievers down to lowest alike with the bubble test prep script. <br /><br />For goodness sakes, many classrooms don't even have books and teachers and parent volunteers have to break copyright to xerox pages by chapter which cost about 4x what actual books would cost. Meanwhile we're spending millions on bubble test prep and testing. <br /><br />We are adding 1000 students a year. We can't staff with 3 year formulas. <br /><br />She has surrounded herself with mediocre to inadequate talent in the way of regional executive directors, refuses to do a fact check of resumes of those folks she has hired and only holds principals "accountable" to bubble test bumping. <br /><br />She fails to correct the curriculum inadequacies in any perceivable way and will never close the achievement gap, but will actually make it worse, because she buys the drill 'em for bubble test agenda. <br /><br />We don't need bubble test bumpers. <br /><br />We have money for real teaching, real learning and real conversations with families about how to supplement and navigate public education. <br /><br />APP and Spectrum are not even the beginning of challenging students. <br /><br />We must stop punishing families who prepare their students for school and who cultivate them each and every day of each and every year.<br /><br />Remedial is one type of classroom. We don't need to dumb down every classroom with remedial. We can't shove all of our "average students" into that milieu. <br /><br />Susan Enfield does not have a vision for the best schools in the nation - which is what Seattle should be shooting for - but instead she has another tired story about the achievement gap. Yuk. <br /><br />I'm tired of students being held back by such programs that only deal with one segment of the student population. All students need attention and challenges. All student deserve inspiration. Many are bored out of their minds in these classrooms. <br /><br />I would like a superintendent who is willing to recognize the individual needs of students and who understand the difference between standards and standardization."<br /><br />DManonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03716725891562757052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29694037549378032892011-10-06T19:50:07.664-07:002011-10-06T19:50:07.664-07:00Jan said ...and damn near wrecked science (I think...Jan said <i>...and damn near wrecked science (I think we only survived it because it was decimating BOTH GHS AND Ballard -- and also did not work well for any other school -- so they FINALLY had to listen)</i><br /><br />Vigorous opposition by multiple constituents didn't necessarily stop other ill-advised measures (although there's probably some truth to what you're saying). Beyond this, if I understood correctly (from a well-placed staff member) there was no budget to follow through with what they were trying to accomplish.<br /><br />Sigh. Money drives so much of our district polices. In this case it was probably a good thing, but overall it's just sad.none1111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48095554093900578762011-10-06T16:03:21.099-07:002011-10-06T16:03:21.099-07:00Been there said: Why would you want to throw some...Been there said: Why would you want to throw something away, if it worked for lots of people?<br /><br />Aarggh. This has, for this District, been so often the case -- and it seemed (to me at least) to increase exponentially when MGJ came. We had SO many problems when Manhas left and the board turned over. So much dysfunction; so much wasted time and money. There was SO MUCH to do (and that was BEFORE the Great Recession and its effect on school funding). And what did we get -- regression. Instead of coming in and assessing the Districts problems, building on what worked, changing what didn't -- we hired someone who had no interest in listening or learning about this District's strengths and weaknesses. She had "Ed Reform In A Can" in her backpack -- and by gum, that is what we were going to get. So, despite rising enrollments, we got school closures and consolidations. Despite a joint District/teacher effort to reform teacher retention and incentive policies, we got the standard Ed Reform teacher reform (find a high stakes test or two, and tie retention and benefits to it -- end of discussion). Instead of building on innovative programs in high schools (English electives at Roosevelt, Marine Science at GHS, the Biotech academies at Ballard), we got course standardization which destroyed Roosevelt's english courses, screwed up the high school history path by replacing AP Euro with vastly inferior AP Geography, and damn near wrecked science (I think we only survived it because it was decimating BOTH GHS AND Ballard -- and also did not work well for any other school -- so they FINALLY had to listen). <br /><br />And SPED too -- there was so much to do, and rather than do ANY of it, the SPED community is having to spend its time trying to fight the demolition of what little there was that worked. In the future, we will have to rebuild and replace everything that was lost and THEN, we will maybe be able to make some progress. It is beyond disheartening.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09923777229601243321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3504073507450746732011-10-05T23:48:08.838-07:002011-10-05T23:48:08.838-07:00PS. Nick.
I would never say that there is nothin...PS. Nick.<br /><br />I would never say that there is nothing to improve upon the old inclusion programs. There's plenty to improve. But now, we're in a total regression, with no end in sight. Why would you want to throw something away, if it worked for lots of people? Why wouldn't you want to improve on the best thing you've got, to make it work for more people, rather than start from 0? Because really, that's what they've got now. Nothing. And, and expensive nothing. It takes a long time to improve something, so regression to 0 is really painful.<br /><br />--been thereAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-57586736063444660472011-10-05T23:43:06.173-07:002011-10-05T23:43:06.173-07:00Nick at Night,
The situation with "qualifica...Nick at Night,<br /><br />The situation with "qualification" is actually much worse with ICS. Fewer kids than ever really "qualify". Of course they are happy to let you sit. If you are happy with ICS, then no problem. The district will let you have it. And, I'm sure it does work for a few people.<br /><br />But, here are the actual facts. Look at the contract. Inclusion programs are considered "self-contained" under the contract. They are so-called special education 4B programs. They happen to be "self-contained" programs that do inclusion. Yes, they are staffed with a rigid ratios. So does ICS. So does general ed. Rigid is what contracts are. Contracts set the rules. Within the rules there is variability, just like all special ed and all general ed. Gen-ed teachers get 28. Some hard, some easy. Same with special ed teachers.<br /><br />It is absolutely true that inclusion programs were denied to many. But, that is really the central office admission criteria that denied that access. They simply refused to assign students to them, and spouted off some admissions criteria. They made up rules. (That happens to be an illegal thing to do.) Parents always got around that with the IEP process and escalation. Yes it was painful. Yes it was unfair. But at least there were the programs.<br /><br />But the ICS model is the same-old, same-old... except that there's WAY less staff. Like, about 1/3 as much. It also has admissions criteria. Like, you can't have more than 600 minutes on your IEP and be in ICS. And that admissions criteria is more limiting. Basically, they are saying "this is all we will do, regardless of your needs". It also has staffing set in stone.<br /><br />-been there, done thatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-66370772087004101932011-10-05T10:58:10.700-07:002011-10-05T10:58:10.700-07:00Concerned about Don Quixotes
I agree, you are ri...Concerned about Don Quixotes <br /><br />I agree, you are right on. Kate's comment during that meeting regarding LRE (Least restrictive environment) "be careful what you wish for" was very careless, offensive, and scary. <br /><br />Also concernedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3751105006475955872011-10-05T10:13:17.740-07:002011-10-05T10:13:17.740-07:00Concerned about Don Quixotes - you are right onConcerned about Don Quixotes - you are right onmom of 4 in spsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43427294353012597902011-10-05T09:16:32.456-07:002011-10-05T09:16:32.456-07:00A note from the SPED candidates forum I went to: ...A note from the SPED candidates forum I went to: I was surprised that KAte had not done her homework more. In her opening comments she said she didn't have a breadth of knowledge about SPED but I was willing to give her props for courage and being willing to learn. HOWEVER, one of the questions asked was this (more or less): Given that you said in opening comments that you don't know much about special education in our district, how will you educate yourself? <br /><br />I listened very carefully to her answer. This is how she responded: She used most of her 3 minutes to talk about an aquaintance with traumatic brain injury, which she described. She did NOT respond to the question. It really scared me. Here's a person with really strong opinions who generally thinks she's right on most things, who is not demonstrating to me that she will go to stakeholders and learn from them AND PERHAPS CHANGE HER MIND BASED ON AQUIRING NEW INFO. Sherry may be an incumbent, but folks she helped found SPED PTA and has been receptive when the community comes calling. With Kate, I worry we'll get what SHE thinks is right, research be damned, and not what an informed investigation with stakeholders may provide. <br /><br />I spoke with her one-on-one at a different event and asked her, how will you make sure what you want is ok with the community? SHe told me that her vision of leadership is that sometimes you make the hard call and go against what people want. I get that, but I thinks she sees herself not only as lone cowboy, but as generally more superior and more right than others. I'm looking for someone open to learning more and being willing to change their mind if they are getting the message that say, XYZ is going to impact the families at ABC school in a way Board members did not expect. If Kate winds, I hope she'll take a hard look at always having to be right. <br /><br />Concerned about Don QuixotesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48423873519233121692011-10-05T07:21:18.722-07:002011-10-05T07:21:18.722-07:00seattle citizen! you found it!
and sped parent -...seattle citizen! you found it!<br /><br />and sped parent - no one could write the recommendation without studying, regardless of whether you think she listened to what you wanted.<br /><br />Re your assertion that she recommended cutting services at 18 and that she didn't know about federal law being 21" - the CACIEE report only says that the law requires services to 21, but no evaluation is being made to see if services are still needed - unless you're saying she didn't know that until you told her.<br /><br />Special ed comment says nothing whatsoever about transportation.<br /><br />She also debunked the canard that "special ed drains dollars from general ed students"<br /><br />chances are pretty good you won't read this, and I'm doubting you read the report either, based on your comments.mom of 4 in spsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-20119658585672828532011-10-05T00:06:55.388-07:002011-10-05T00:06:55.388-07:00been there I could be wrong about the exact numbe...<b>been there</b> I could be wrong about the exact numbers, but our ratio may be out of whack because of the nature of the Level 4 programs (3 different programs in the building.)Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36439048016668606402011-10-04T22:34:44.154-07:002011-10-04T22:34:44.154-07:00"Been there" is definietely exaggerating..."Been there" is definietely exaggerating. <br /><br />The "old" inclusion programs were controlled by the union and the District. Nobody could "qualify" if they did not meet pre-determined support ratios. This is not legal -- the IEP is supposed to determine placement. But the District manages that big time: by the time you go to your child's IEP meeting, the school staff have already been coached by Central Office about "the offer." It is all about where there is "room." <br /><br />The ICS notion that services come to the student in the school he would have gone to if not disabled should not be abandoned. It is the point of departure. "Been there" would like this blog's readers to believe that there is NOTHING to improve on in the old inclusion models. Don't be misled: hundreds of families have children who have been denied access to these programs because of the rigid staffing models and because of the rigid definition of who could be in or out. <br /><br />Nick at NightAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-12595749933189276472011-10-04T20:26:44.697-07:002011-10-04T20:26:44.697-07:00The standards aren't mine. They are in the te...The standards aren't mine. They are in the teacher's contract. They happen to have worked pretty well. You can look it up.<br /><br />The size of the school doesn't matter, it's the number of special ed kids assigned to the building and the amount of staff that matters. If your school has 30 level 4's, then that's 4 teachers for them. 25 level 2's, that's 1 teacher. So, that's 5 teachers you would expect from the numbers you mention. If you've got 6, then you are overstaffed and they will notice sooner or later.<br /><br />Under ICS though, the kids who really are level 4 (or would have been in a level 4 program) are designated level 2. That's the rub. If you've got 5 level 2 kids, that are really level 4, then you should have another teacher. If not, then you're fine.<br /><br />A ratio of 8 students to 1 teacher, is deluxe for level 4 students. If your staff is having trouble with that, then they need training. Especially if you've got all those programs. They need better organization and collaboration. No other school is going to be more than something like you describe. It's pretty out of whack on the staffing. Lots of schools are way worse. And I'd expect that staffing number to be going down in your school too if you're that far off the norm. <br /><br />-been there done thatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-51402115621615741632011-10-04T20:26:17.615-07:002011-10-04T20:26:17.615-07:00"Our school has something like: 6.0 certified..."Our school has something like: 6.0 certified teachers (including 2.5 resource room) and 5.0 aides for about 30 Level 4 and 25 Level 2 kids."<br />At the high school level (and perhaps middle school) the numbers cited by Maureen above might be broken out thusly:<br />2.5 resource room (or some degree of non-inclusive service, perhaps 10 special ed students (it used to be that there was a limit of how many special ed students could be served per special ed cert, but I'm not sure if this still pertains) with two 1.0 certs at any given period in pull out rooms or somewhere else, and the other 3.5 Special ed FTE certs might be dual certs, special ed and "regular," and these teachers would have the inclusion classrooms, which would be a mix of special ed and "regular" students, probably at a higher ratio than non-inclusion classrooms (which still might have Special Ed students in them, but the teachers aren't Special Ed certified.)<br /><br />My feeling is that IAs, Instructional Assistants, have been taking a hit; there are fewer of both special ed and ELL IAs.seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-45646368413355253152011-10-04T20:22:15.277-07:002011-10-04T20:22:15.277-07:00From skimming this diary, it seems to me that once...From skimming this diary, it seems to me that once again the fundamental problem is that no one knows what ideas cost to implement, so the ideas aren't paid for. <br /><br />While I find it easy to believe that bad things happen when everyone is battling each other over crumbs, and I'm positive that there are plenty of people out there who would deliberately set things up in such a manner, it seems to me that in this enormous enterprise attempting to educate over 50 million kids in the U.S. is just out of control. <br /><br />We need to figure out what our ideas cost in time to implement, so that we can prioritize the ideas and pay for ideas.<br /><br />As a high school teacher for 6 years, I wish that policy for high school kids was set by high school people - 15, 16 and 17 year olds are immature, but they are a lot different than immature 5, 6 and 7 year olds.<br /><br />R.MathTeacher42https://www.blogger.com/profile/07157900103432833615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15315606765505131382011-10-04T20:10:44.577-07:002011-10-04T20:10:44.577-07:00been there says: A building has adequate staff to ...<b>been there</b> says: <i>A building has adequate staff to handle a certain number of kids....Typically there was an inclusion manager (sped teacher) and 2 aides.....There is also a resource room, staffed at 22 kids.</i><br /><br />For what size school? And what grade range? How many kids served at what levels (2-4 and other programs)? To me this sounds like two certified teachers (one manager and one resource room) and two aides. At 13% of the school, they would cover anywhere from 25-200 kids in three to nine different grades depending on levels of service required. <br /><br />Our school has something like: 6.0 certified teachers (including 2.5 resource room) and 5.0 aides for about 30 Level 4 and 25 Level 2 kids. That sounds like a lot by your standards, but it's no where near enough to have an extra trained staff member for every kid who needs services for 6 hours a day in 18+ different classrooms. (And then there is ELL with about 1.0 certified and 1.5 aides for about 30 identified and some more who tested out but still need help.) (I may be overcounting some staff who are actually 0.8 and look like 1.0 to me.)Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-92133707132665799262011-10-04T19:25:37.452-07:002011-10-04T19:25:37.452-07:00Here is the Community Advisory Committee for Inves...Here is the <a href="http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/pdf/2008/10/final.pdf" rel="nofollow">Community Advisory Committee for Investing in Educational Excellence: Final Report, February 10, 2006</a><br /><br />WV is having apograp for dinner, and I'm going to have some to, methinks. Cheerio, my dearios!seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-27454085653327968142011-10-04T19:15:02.110-07:002011-10-04T19:15:02.110-07:00Not incidentally, one of the first actions of Supe...Not incidentally, one of the first actions of Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson was to close John Marshall Alternative, partly based on CACIEE recommendations. Marshall Alternative, by 2007, housed quite a few Special Ed students, including Level 4 Behavior Mod. Also teen mothers, expelled kids, etc etc...and "regular" alternative students.<br /><br />The idea then was that students, including Marshall's population, would be given some sort of "RtI," Response to Intervention - case management, students kept in traditional schools where possible...<br /><br />Granted, Marshall had fallen on hard times (and wasn't getting a lot of support) but the idea of "inclusion" talked about here goes back at least to 2007, and the whole case-management piece has yet to be manifested. With more cuts to FTE, I wouldn't hold your breath on either that OR teachers being MORE inclusive as their class sizes go up and buildings lose support staff of all kinds.<br /><br />Where did CAICEE's report go, have aspects of it been implemented, and were those actions successful?<br /><br />Or was it just another one of those magic bullets that bubble to the top every couple of years, only to be replaced with something else? And people wonder why educators get a bit blase': Why change when in three years you'll have to swing the other way, and with even fewer resources?<br /><br />Were is the CAICEE report?!?seattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-52007020751798743812011-10-04T19:07:03.621-07:002011-10-04T19:07:03.621-07:00Melissa, et al:
CAICEE is the Community Advisory C...Melissa, et al:<br />CAICEE is the Community Advisory Committee for Investing in Educational Excellence.<br /><br />I went looking for their report (circa 2005-2006), but couldn't find it anywhere. With lots of SPS stuff seems like browser is "unable to find webpage..."<br />But I did find this interesting <a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/seattle-public-schools-060515.aspx" rel="nofollow">press release from, you guessed it, the Gates Foundation</a>, where they include a link to the report....that browser can't find...:<br />"SEATTLE -- Seattle Public Schools received an $850,000 commitment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support strategic planning, performance management and the implementation of recommendations from the Superintendent’s Community Advisory Committee for Investing in Educational Excellence (CACIEE). This grant will support the district as it focuses on addressing planning needs, financial issues and academic improvement....<br /><br />I wonder how that million dollar investment to act on a report that doesn't exist, a mere five years later, is working out for the Gates Foundation?<br /><br />WV thinks its some kinda pitswarseattle citizenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16724175257161649500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-82133895476054921272011-10-04T17:53:14.729-07:002011-10-04T17:53:14.729-07:00Maureen, the thing that worked were inclusion pro...Maureen, the thing that worked were inclusion programs. And there still are some. A building has adequate staff to handle a certain number of kids. Those kids are placed as general education students. The service is pull out, or push in, as determined on their IEPs. Like everyone else, some have lots of needs, some have fewer needs. Typically there was an inclusion manager (sped teacher) and 2 aides. That works great, but the students are usually placed there and not just kids from the neighborhood. Every region has a few of these programs, so students really don't have to go far. There is also a resource room, staffed at 22 kids. Same deal there. Sometimes pullout in small groups, sometimes push in, sometimes 1-1.<br /><br />I don't know of any school where they have a full-time co-teaching model. But yes, that would be great. And prohibitively costly. Inclusion program teachers sometimes do that, but it isn't a "this is how we do it" type of thing.<br /><br />been there done thatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-57164647266665587252011-10-04T17:24:10.466-07:002011-10-04T17:24:10.466-07:00So what would a solution look like? From what I h...So what would a solution look like? <b>From what I hear here</b>, there is a sort of gold standard of inclusive education which begins with including kids with special needs in gen ed classrooms all day with adequate support. Sometimes that sort of inclusion does not serve the needs of the child and a small self contained classroom with other kids who have similar needs and sufficient staff who are specifically trained for those needs is optimal.<br /><br />To me, making that work requires some sort of critical mass of kids in each category at any school to make optimal use of a given budget Obviously more money is better and one dedicated well trained staff member per student all day would be great--but not likely to happen (where would THAT money come from?) <br /><br />What I see at our school (about 520 K-8) is a small special ed staff which divides its time over 18 classrooms (9 if all of the kids who need them are in the same home rooms.) We rearranged the entire building schedule this year to allow more predictable access for the kids and specialists but, even so, some classes will go five hours a day with only the classroom teacher for the 25-30 kids. <br /><br />It seems to me that a better system would be to group the kids with needs to the extent that a classroom with a certain number of special needs kids could have a full time sped teacher in addition to the basic classroom teacher (and possibly a reduced class size?). But what ratio makes sense, and to what extent would this limit some kids ability to attend school close to home? Can someone throw out some fact-based numbers?Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-91777609640263927522011-10-04T16:09:19.445-07:002011-10-04T16:09:19.445-07:00Kill it,
Yes, and when we asked for what a teache...Kill it,<br /><br />Yes, and when we asked for what a teacher does to ask for help here, we got a big fat ZERO. In my book, the folks downtown aren't earning their dough if they aren't providing that help.SeattleSpedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705544363458155912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60039337076532994012011-10-04T16:04:49.910-07:002011-10-04T16:04:49.910-07:00Melissa, the issue with autism and Aspergers is t...Melissa, the issue with autism and Aspergers is this. Aspergers is listed in the DSM-IV as an "Autism Spectrum Disorder". It already IS autism. So are a few other disorders - autism, and PDD-NOS. In the new version of the DSM - there will ONLY be autism. Eg. 1 disorder called "autism". So, people who would have been diagnosed with Aspergers will either have nothing, or they will have autism. The idea is that there isn't a sufficient border between autism and aspergers to have 2 different disorders, especially as people age. Currently, people with Aspergers already have an autism spectrum diagnosis.<br /><br />"Inclusion without the resources is not going to work." By what measure? What does it mean to work? It IS going to happen, and it is happening now. I get the feeling that somehow the sped kids are supposed to just go away because of the large classes. And people think maybe one day, when the money is good, we can bring it back... or something like that. That ain't gonna happen. If you don't like large classes without sped support, you'd better advocate for the sped support. Because the sped kids ARE going to be there.<br /><br />-have kid with autismAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-6721618612496841992011-10-04T15:52:14.620-07:002011-10-04T15:52:14.620-07:00We need to disabuse any and all school board membe...We need to disabuse any and all school board members of the idea that ICS is a good thing. It is a flop. It is shameful that they ever supported it. And they need to hear it everywhere they go. A few sped-ptsa bought the kool-aid, until they realized it was never going to be funded. Most people knew that would never happen, and it hasn't. Notably, it is the product of drive-by sped directors who would never have a stake in the outcomes. And they all had a hand in it. Some people liked it in Kindergarten, because it may have been better than self-contained. But, after ring-around-the-rosie, you've actually got to start doing work. ICS students aren't getting any academics. Sure they get to attend their neighborhood school. But who cares if the kid is just sitting? And social skills? Well, "being with neighborhood kids" isn't really a high bar. That is all ICS provides. You get to "be there".<br /><br />It isn't all about bad behavior. Just sitting and doing nothing is also "a behavior". Teachers don't really care so much about kids who do that. The lucky ones are the ones that are behavior "problems" - because the teachers will at least ask for help. No, teachers will demand help, if a student is bothering them. Maybe we should all teach our kids to be true behavior problems so that the district will actually serve them.<br /><br />-kill itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-88811573068965207842011-10-04T15:04:04.724-07:002011-10-04T15:04:04.724-07:00I'm sorry that I did not take notes, so that I...I'm sorry that I did not take notes, so that I can not give specific examples. Hopefully someone else can do that.<br /><br />Michelle was impressive<br /> because she knew what the problems were. She talked knowledgeably about many issues affecting sped from the assignment plan to the structure of the sped department. She had obviously been investigating. <br /><br /> This is what I hope for in a board member. That when parents come to them with problems, especially when numerous parents tell them about a problem, they investigate & find out what is going on, instead of just asking staff for their opinion.<br /><br />Michelle also had specific remedies for some of the problems. Whether she can sway the rest of the board I don't know. But she did articulate these complex issues very well. <br /><br />-parent in Sped & ALAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-28172876066766183142011-10-04T15:01:09.205-07:002011-10-04T15:01:09.205-07:00First, I'm out of town and wasn't able to ...First, I'm out of town and wasn't able to contact Floor Pie (I may have missed her contact info at her blog but I looked.) As a blogger, I assume most people know that once it's "send", it's out there in ether. <br /><br />I printed this thread for two reasons. We have an election going on and it's important to know what candidates think. That Kate apppears to have a more pronounced view than other candidates is yours to assess for your own vote. <br /><br />I am glad for Kate's outspokenness. I think she probably needs to phrase things more carefully and study the issues more but I'd rather have someone who is straightforward than someone who mouths words and platitudes in a vague manner. <br /><br />The second reason is because Special Ed gets shunted off to the side a lot. I'm glad to heard their forum was so good.<br /><br />"Instead of looking for a super-teacher, you need to look for a classroom that is universally accessible"<br /><br />I believe this quote is from Another Parent and I say that's it in a nutshell. Inclusion without resources is not going to work. It's especially not going to work in bigger classrooms. <br /><br />The autism issue - such a big one. The Asperger's as autism is a big one (and I know some Aspie's who do NOT want it taken off the autism spectrum). It's hard to have a kid with Asperger's because there's a spectrum of behavior there as well. But this country is going to have to get a grip on what is happening because this is not going away and districts who actually serve these students well are getting an influx of new students from districts who don't. That's not going to work for long. (I read an article some time back in the NY Times about a district in New Jersey, flooded with students with autism - some of whose parents moved just for the school district from out of state - because of their fine services.)<br /><br />The CAICEE was a committee (and the acronymn completely escapes me now) set up by then-Super Raj Manhas to review each part of the district. It was a good committee with most smart people (like Sherry Carr) and yes, it got shelved. Their report, like Moss-Adams, had clear ideas about what the district should do and yet, most of it, to my knowledge, did not get done. <br /><br />I appreciate this good discussion.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.com