It's Snow Quiet

Ever notice in Seattle how quiet it gets when it snows especially within a neighborhood? Few cars and just the sound of your feet stomping through the snow? I really like that.

But see, there's also another kind of quiet. The calm before the storm. I recognize this void, this lack of sound.

I recognize this because, deja vu, I've been through it before. Does anyone remember Joseph Olchefske? He was full of hot air (although admittedly he could be charming). He had a Board that was wrapped around his little finger with the notable exception of Mary Bass. They were an upright Board, professionals and solid citizens. They didn't listen to Mary and even ostracized Mary on the Board. It was painful to watch but the powers that be just tisk-tisked about how Mary didn't "work" with the rest of the Board. And indeed, she voted no on Olchefske's last budget even though she couldn't quite explain what the problem was. (It was buried.)

But it came to light and the district had lost $32M and the rest is history.

I had been thinking of this and then I received a copy of the explanation that Dr. Goodloe-Johnson is trying to sell on the 17% issue. (Printed at the end of this thread.) I think in a way that she and her powers around her think that if they blah, blah, blah enough and actually provide an explanation that everyone will go "Oh, I get it. Thanks" and just go on their way. That providing an explanation lets them off the hook.

The explanation?

In a nutshell, that college readiness can be defined in multiple ways. (They do say both the minimum to graduate from high school and the minimum to apply to college. But kids, those are probably two different things and just because you graduated from high school doesn't mean you are ready for college and yet there you are.) And, they just didn't explain their thinking correctly (at least that's what I think they are saying).

At the time we calculated that 17% of our students graduated from SPS college and career ready, we used a very aggressive standard to determine the percent of SPS students that were college ready based on our understanding of what is needed to be admitted and succeed in college, not simply the minimum requirements to apply.

What "aggressive standard"? It's clearly one that Brad made up because he left C students out entirely. So whose standard was it?

The closest they get to being wrong is this:

In retrospect, this review should have been accelerated and we should have been more proactive, both internally with staff and externally with key stakeholders, when the original statistic was held back in 2009 and was under further review. In addition, we should have been clearer that this represented a standard more rigorous than the minimum HECB requirements.

There's no apology to either parents, teachers or the community groups using their misunderstood figure. There's no telling us that this is an isolated event. They are saying they just did not explain it well or clearly.

No they didn't. They lied and they knew they were lying. Enough said. I honestly don't know how much more people need. Apparently Michael DeBell is trying to save face as well. I like Michael so I will follow the adage "If you can't say anything nice...."

Keep count, keep track because it only seems to be getting worse. The house of cards is starting to teeter. It's just a matter of what wind blows it over.

Dear Seattle Public Schools Community,

In 2008, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) published a conservative data point aimed at determining the percent of students that graduate from SPS ready for a 4-year college. This specific data point is complex and one that districts across the state and the country grapple with as they try to quantify college and career ready. College readiness measures can be defined in multiple ways: the minimum requirements necessary to graduate high school, minimum requirements necessary to apply to a 4-year college, minimum requirements to successfully enroll in a college or university or meeting the necessary requirements to succeed in and graduate from college.

At the time we calculated that 17% of our students graduated from SPS college and career ready, we used a very aggressive standard to determine the percent of SPS students that were college ready based on our understanding of what is needed to be admitted and succeed in college, not simply the minimum requirements to apply. (i.e. graduating high school in four years, successful completion of four years of mathematics, successful completion of three years of science and earning a letter grade of "B" or higher in each of their core classes.

This specific data point sparked significant public dialogue. In 2009, we chose not to include this statistic in the initial release of the district scorecard because we wanted to review it further; we publicly announced it was under review. In 2010, after additional research and discussion, we revised the statistic on the district scorecard using reduced math and science requirements as well as a reduction in the minimum core GPA from a letter grade of "B" to a "C" that are more in line with the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) minimum requirements to apply to college. Further, at the 11/17/2010 board workshop, the district stated that the statistic changed and provided an explanation.

In retrospect, this review should have been accelerated and we should have been more proactive, both internally with staff and externally with key stakeholders, when the original statistic was held back in 2009 and was under further review. In addition, we should have been clearer that this represented a standard more rigorous than the minimum HECB requirements.

Our five-year strategic plan, Excellence for All, explicitly calls out ambitious and aggressive goals for our students because as a district we believe that all of our students can meet these standards. The primary purpose of the plan is to shine a light on an array of student achievement data so that the community could have a conversation about the progress of our students and so that we could collectively act on it. We thought then, and continue to believe now, that it is critical to communicate measures related to high school readiness for college and careers. This measure was of one of ten measures focusing on high school test results and college and career readiness. We have rigorously evaluated this measure and determined, for accountability purposes, that it is more appropriate to align our measure with the more common definition of the minimum entrance requirements as defined by the Washington HECB.

The efforts in which we are engaged are critical to the success of our students. We envision a school system in which all of our students graduate from high school, meet the requirements for, and are successful in, college and are career ready. We remain confident that we will achieve these goals. We also look forward to further communication and discussion on the district scorecard and school reports at our upcoming regional meetings <http://www.seattleschools.org/area/news/1011/20101105_Regional_Meetings_School_Reports.pdf> , co-sponsored by the Seattle Council PTSA. The first meeting is scheduled for November 29. I also encourage you to email me directly at superintendent@seattleschools.org <mailto:superintendent@seattleschools.org> if you have any additional questions or concerns.