Executive Board Amendments
Thanks to Central Mom for alerting us to the amendments made by the Executive Committee of the Board to the Superintendent for the SAP to be presented at the Board meeting on Wednesday. They include McDonald, Whittier, Alki/Lafayette and Loyal Heights. Here's a link.
Note that other individual amendments may surface. I think it unlikely but it is possible.
Also to note, Dr. Enfield, our CAO, is doing a presentation on MAP. Here is one bullet point:
Middle and high school? A little less clear what will happen:
Lastly, I love Dr. Enfield's sense of humor. She has what is termed a triangulation to show how you would use the data to make decisions (and frankly I don't get it) but she chose to put the triangle over a ...glacier. Is that a message that she thinks MAP will melt away under global warming? Just an easy pick off Google? It's kind of funny (see page 10).
Note that other individual amendments may surface. I think it unlikely but it is possible.
Also to note, Dr. Enfield, our CAO, is doing a presentation on MAP. Here is one bullet point:
- 100% of elementary & K-8 schools will share results with families during parent-teacher conferences
Middle and high school? A little less clear what will happen:
- Middle & high schools will share results in conferences (if applicable), send results home with report cards or designate one staff to share results with families.
Lastly, I love Dr. Enfield's sense of humor. She has what is termed a triangulation to show how you would use the data to make decisions (and frankly I don't get it) but she chose to put the triangle over a ...glacier. Is that a message that she thinks MAP will melt away under global warming? Just an easy pick off Google? It's kind of funny (see page 10).
Comments
Also, that the SPS Superintendent serves on their board of directors of NWEA, a company SPS hired to do the testing. Does the SPS school board know this?
Where you can be of most help is voiceing opinions and constructive ideas for the transition plan. Until they have forecasted and actual numbers for next year (early enrollment) they can do nothing.
I was suprised they changed even 4 of the lines and only a little for each amendmant - so there are only 4 changes. I was sure they woudl change Ballard lines...
So okay, you heard it from her, all of you elementary/K-8 parents, if you attend a parent-teacher conference, will get results.
All RIGHT!
It's about TIME we got some results.
Um. Did they say what these would be the results of? I mean, I would hope that anyone attending a parent teacher conference would obtain some sort of result(s).
As for this:
Dr. Enfield has hired 4 "data coaches" to train a MAP trainer for each school.
So we've hired trainers to train our trainers? So they can train things? I don't want to seem unjustly critical, but in these times of shrinking budgets, doesn't this seem, well, completely frickin' insane?
(I intended to use the standard comic-book profanity, (%@#&!@!, but my editor complained about mismatched symbols. O, brave new world.)
WHAT??! $4 million for computers for MAP? Let me guess, might they be PCs that use Microsoft products? No wonder Mr. Gates is such a big proponent of computerized testing.
This levy is sounding more and more like it is full of pork for pet projects harboring shadowy agendas.
Meanwhile, the MAP tests are sounding like a colossal time and energy-sap and waste of money. I keep hearing that no one really knows how to read or use the results.
"Data-coaches"??! How does the district justify such hires when it laid off teachers and increased class sizes supposedly because of a "budget crisis"?
And yes, Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson is indeed on the board of directors of Northwest Evaluation Association which makes and sells their trademarked MAP tests. (http://www.nwea.org/about-nwea/our-leadership)
She joined this board in Sept. 2008. (http://www.seattleschools.org/area/news/sbnews/nwea_board.doc) How long after that did the school district under her leadership purchase MAP tests from NWEA? Or was she given this honor AFTER she committed to purchasing their product?
Clearly this is a conflict of interest.
Anyone know what the Alki/Lafayette amendment is about?
Her playbook is outsourced, and now her ties are clear. Buy her out, derail this nonsense, and put Tracy Libros in charge as interim sup, all predicated on the board finally admitting that SPS is on the wrong track and needs to be derailed from it; that the board has in fact endorsed this nonsense and will now proceed to turn it around.
Defying the levy is easy when you base a "No" vote on years of mismanagement, coupled with the sup's conflict of interest and SPS's insistence on withholding test scores and real performance numbers, budgetary and otherwise.
SPS might fight back with fear (the way WSDOT used the Viaduct video as a vote against McGinn.) A no vote = condemned schools? For McGinn's foes, this didn't work, but I wouldn't put it past SPS to protect itself in this way, faced with evidence that major house cleaning must be done.
Also, my child at Broadview told me they were using new laptops for the testing. Where did the $$ for these come from?
I'm glad we will be getting scores at fall conferences, but I also want a promise from the District that parents will receive scores from the upcoming winter and spring MAP testing. These tests will provide the value-added data that shows student growth (or lack of) over the year.
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/09-10agendas/111809agenda/sapamendment1.pdf
The change to Lafayette and Alki is very small and sensible. There was a block of 47th AVE SW assigned to Alki, when the blocks North and South were assigned to Lafayette. The amendment puts all 3 in the Lafayette area.
Part of MAPs is this DeCarte system where I can print out a list of books NWEA put together based on a student's lexile score- supposedly at their instructional level- to help them grow as readers. I printed out lists for a class to distribute and possibly require students to select at least one book per quarter from its suggested list. However, after reading the lists and seeing that for a student at a lexile range between grades 4.5-6.0, the program suggest she read "As I Lay Dying," I can see that this type of assignment will be problematic without some serious guidance from either myself, the librarian, or parents.
I don't suggest using these scores as part of a grade. I don't see using them for much more than an additional data point to help pin down student needs.
Mary Bass has proposed amendments making Madrona an option school, and retaining the current eastern boundary for Stevens elementary.
Hariam M-M has proposed an amendment to change the View Ridge and Bryant boundaries slightly.
In the amendments - a bonus for MGJ: "I move that pursuant to the Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson’s employment agreement that Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson receive performance based-incentive compensation of $5,280.00 for the 2008-09 academic year."
You have got to be kidding!!!
So Steve Sundquist believes that Supt. Goodloe-Johnson is doing such a bang-up job that she deserves more than her already sizable salary of $264,000, $20,000 per year retirement benefit and $700 per month car allowance?
This raise would bring her salary up to $269,280!
She already earns more than the mayor ($150,000), governor ($163,618) or state superintendent of public instruction.
(“School chief gets big 10% raise – Her $264,000 salary is more than even the governor’s” Seattle P.I. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/ local/370241_schools10.html http://seattletimes.nwsource. com/html/localnews/2008043020_ webpayraise09m.html)
Notice how Sundquist appears to be trying to sneak this one in.
"Transparency"? "Accountability"? Ha.
I honestly believe that if the board votes this one in there will be hell to pay.