Advanced Learning Survey
Shauna Heath, the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, has posted a survey about the character traits we look for in our next Manager of the Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs.
Please do let her know.
The survey is one page with these five rather open-ended questions:
Please do let her know.
The survey is one page with these five rather open-ended questions:
- What qualities do you think are the most important to have in a Program Manager of Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs?
- What do you think has been working well in the Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs this year under the current Program Manager?
- What would have improved the Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Programs this year?
- Is there anything the school district can do to better support the Highly Capable Services and Advanced Learning Department and staff?
- Please let us know if you have additional comments:
Comments
I wrote that the testing went smoothly, but that the tests were the wrong ones.
I told her that the programs needed enforcement and measures of efficacy.
Anything the district did to support advanced learning would be better than the zero support the programs now get. I suggested the long-promised curriculum for APP, a curriculum for Spectrum and ALOs, enforcement of the delivery model for Spectrum, enforcement of the actual existence of ALOs, and measures of efficacy for all of the programs.
In my additional comments I wrote that the district needs to set a Vision, then write a policy to realize that Vision, then enforce the policy. Today we have no Vision, no policy, and no enforcement.
the more time she spends puttering around making solvable problems look like some kind of Star Trek let's-invent-a-warp-drive problem, the longer she gets paychecks?
If the LEVs and SFCs and Rodney Toms and sordid deformers REALLY wanted to change education, they'd make sure people like her are fired. Unsurprisingly, the deformers want to replace people like her with their cronies - and the kids will get
PowerPointForBreakfast!
I would like to maintain the belief that Ms Heath is sincerely interested in getting input from the community on the decision.
I would like to believe that, but it wouldn't be consistent with the intensely political culture of Seattle Public Schools. I use a working definition of "political" which refers to people saying and doing things primarily for the impression it will make on others rather than for any intrinsic or natural reason. If you believe this is a political move rather than a sincere move, then Ms Heath is conducting the survey to create the illusion of engagement or to provide cover for some future act.
I think it unusually bad timing that the District is changing the leadership for Advanced Learning at the same time that they are looking to set a Vision for Advanced Learning, write an Advanced Learning policy, revise the delivery models for APP and Spectrum, and re-arrange the program placement.
They did the same with Special Education, but in that case they held off on the program reform until AFTER they hired the new leadership.
I don't think they are going to delay the reform of Advanced Learning until after the new program manager is settled in place.
I think it's very likely, however, that they will hire the candidate who is willing to subscribe to the reforms that they already have planned.
CCA
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2RGCRCR
HIMS mom
The future AL manager would have to be a tenacious, persuasive believer that highly capable students deserve to learn at school, just like every other student. And having those qualities STILL might not be enough to keep JSCEE staff from sallying forth to use scarce resources to attempt to further divide an adequately functioning, cost-neutral program instead of using those resources to help struggling programs and students.
But really, who thinks there's a good chance that JSCEE staff wants someone who will do a bang-up job of advocating for the nerds? Please, write me if you do. I have a bridge project to sell you.
-newt
newt
An APP student who is eligible for transportation is less expensive for SPS than a gen ed student who is eligible for transportation. Is the student less expensive, total? No. But for SPS, APP students draw less out from the general fund.
Why? SPS gets earmarked transportation money from the state for transporting highly capable students to a suitable program (there's not additional transportation money for Spectrum or ALO students).
Highly capable transportation money has been allocated on a per-nerd bussed basis, so APP's growth doesn't make educating APP students more expensive for SPS.
And if one assumes that any student currently in APP would be somewhere in SPS, anyway, the earmarked transportation money means that a student's participation in APP would make them cost the same or less than a gen ed student (a gen ed student who qualifies for transportation would be more expensive for SPS than any APP student).
Side note: SPS has traditionally gotten a net positive from APP transportation by piggybacking transportation for other programs onto APP transportation.
You would be mistaken if you're under the impression that APP or any other advanced learning program, is causing SPS's capacity woes.
Capacity issues are being caused by total growth, not APP growth, particularly in the north end.
Since 2000, Eckstein's assignment area kindergarten enrollment has gone up by about 250 students. In the same time frame, Whitman's assignment area K enrollment has grown by 300 students. Those are both assignment areas without APP.
Curious
According to the PI, there are a lot of places in Washington where the private school rate is in the 10-15% range, so Seattle clearly tops the list by a significant amount. I rarely hear about this huge disparity affects funding, AL programs, and other issues that frequently pop up here. Such a huge private school rate must affect all these things.
Curious
SPS isn't alone in this. Bellevue is facing similar problems with overall growth and the district is creating more AL sites as they have a tier and self contained system similar to SPS.
newt
www.kentreporter.com/news/199410011.html
The bill 1642 passed with some modifications with Gov.'s signature. Money comes in one time competitive grant to districts that seek funding.
newt
Last year
But seattle is in the top cities for private school attendance and the opting out of so many families doesn't help the support for public school funding at the state levels or with local policies.