Friday Open Thread
No new bids on the Federal Reserve building.
TWO bills from one Washington State legislator that would radically change Seattle Schools forever? In one week? And this is probably the most ed reform guy in the Legislature? You don't have to wonder what the puppetmasters are up to.
Great article on a letter that the Georgia State Superintendent sent to Arne Duncan.
Georgia recently entered into a $108 million contract to deliver federally mandated standardized tests to our students. That figure does not include the millions of dollars spent to develop and validate test questions and inform the public about the new tests.
As a nation, we have surrendered time, talent, and resources to an emphasis on autopsy-styled assessments, rather than physical-styled assessments.
Instead of a “measure, pressure, and punish” model that sets our students, teachers, and schools up for failure, we need a diagnostic, remediate/accelerate model that personalizes instruction, empowers students, involves parents, and provides real feedback to our teachers.
Testing must be a tool in our toolbox, but we need more rulers and fewer hammers.
What's on your mind?
TWO bills from one Washington State legislator that would radically change Seattle Schools forever? In one week? And this is probably the most ed reform guy in the Legislature? You don't have to wonder what the puppetmasters are up to.
Great article on a letter that the Georgia State Superintendent sent to Arne Duncan.
Georgia recently entered into a $108 million contract to deliver federally mandated standardized tests to our students. That figure does not include the millions of dollars spent to develop and validate test questions and inform the public about the new tests.
As a nation, we have surrendered time, talent, and resources to an emphasis on autopsy-styled assessments, rather than physical-styled assessments.
Instead of a “measure, pressure, and punish” model that sets our students, teachers, and schools up for failure, we need a diagnostic, remediate/accelerate model that personalizes instruction, empowers students, involves parents, and provides real feedback to our teachers.
Testing must be a tool in our toolbox, but we need more rulers and fewer hammers.
What's on your mind?
Comments
Dear Jane Addams Middle School families,
I’m writing to inform you of an incident that took place last night after our school dance. After the dance concluded I was assaulted by a group of teens. I am fine, just a little shaken. I called the police and filed a report.
It’s important that you know JAMS students were not involved in this incident. Several JAMS students were helpful and are assisting in the investigation of this incident.
The safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority. In response, the district is working with JAMS to increase security presence at future and after school events.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Paula Montgomery
Principal
Jane Addams Middle School
LCP
However, my kid has said several times that she feels very unsafe there. I am still trying to monitor the situation and differentiate middle school angst and irritation from the facts but I put it out there.
JAMS parent
Planner
Seattle legislators are supporting Santos- Tomikos and Pettigrew's bill. With the exception of the governor, house and senate voting on this issue... I see no reason why other branches of government and governor would not support this proposal...especially since the Washington State Delegation is behind this effort. I am afraid this is a done deal.
Ed Murray is involved. As we predicted I' feel Ed Murray is using this opportunity to use prek to take control of Seattle Pubic Schools.
The picture is unfolding and without transparency.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2015/01/30/a-bold-proposal-break-up-seattle-school-district/
I am the parent of a kindergartener. I think it is likely she will qualify for Spectrum, or perhaps APP. I am dismayed to find out that I have to file a school choice form before we receive results of her tests, "as if" she has qualified.
A few questions:
-are there any self-contained spectrum classrooms?
-is there any place (other than going individually to each schools' website) to find out what there spectrum program looks like?
-if we move to a new quadrant of Seattle (which will likely happen in April) -- how hard will it be to get into the appropriate APP program/spectrum program?
Thanks so much for the help. This seems like such a terribly disorganized process.
Is it the mayor appointment bill or something else.
I've heard a lot of calls on this blog for splitting the district, but who gets the downtown tax money? QA?
Somethings up in Olympia and Murray's in deep, he knows all those guys.
Are the poor getting the short end in SPS? Maybe if rich PTSA's would simply share like down in Portland we would look better,no, be better, and get the state off our back.
Just Fishin'
Check out the discussapp blog. All your questions are answered or will be quickly by very helpful and knowledgeable parents.
Also, email the AL office and see what they say. The problem is Al services are a moving target due to capacity issues and changes in delivery models.
Don't expect today to be tomorrow and as far as moving for consistent AL service, move to Shoreline. Life is so much less complicated there.
Hope that helps.
CQ
Did your daughter say that she felt unsafe while in school during school hours, or more after hours around campus? Is there any more context you feel comfortable in providing?
Thanks,
KDS
Seriously, we ARE the voters and we have a say. If this gets pushed thru, then we all get to say the fix was in.
I spoke with Tomiko Santos about this issue this morning. It was a concerning conversation because of several things she said:
1) she had been thinking about idea for years as she has felt that her district (and its schools) have not been respected by the school district.
I find this a very odd reason to upend an entire district. One legislative region does not a district make (at least as I see it).
2) She believes this will bring "equity" to her area. I wasn't able to ask her what faith she has dividing the district up is the way for that to happen. I also would ask the question about equity.
Years ago, I very much thought things were not as equitable throughout the district but I think things are much better. I see the inequity not so much in what the district proves as what PTAs do. (That said, RBHS has been at the bottom of the "to do" list for waaay too long.)
3) the "emergency" clause was put in by "technical" people. Well, I don't care who did it - there is no burning reason to do this kind of massive overhaul.
4) She made it sound like there would be a process to the change almost as if parents/communities would be involved but the bill proves zero guarantee of that. So the sausage making will happen probably behind the scenes.
5) She said that most exceptions in the law for schools are for Seattle and other legislators had questioned that. I'm not sure I get it.
6) she said it isn't class size that matters but school size. I can only say that Seattle had many small schools just a decade or less ago and they were not all beacons of success.
7) She feels it's important for communities to support the central administration. I would agree.
I also told her this sounds a lot like a charter district coming. She said no, she was against charters (and she has been consistent on this point).
I told her - it is a massive gamble and I'm not hearing real reasoning backed up with real data.
Sure hope that kid didn't come in contact with a pregnant teacher or a medically-fragile kid who cannot be vaccinated.
CT
How much time has the board and the (constantly complaining about being overworked) staff spent on preschool issues over the last several months? If LEV wants to pay for a preschool and choose the participants, let them find their own facilities.
And here's the news on Montessori at Leschi.
Montessori at Leschi will no longer be an enrollment option. All the classrooms with be half-time Montessori and half-time Contemporary.
Why? Because Students enrolled in the Contemporary program are predominantly African American, low income and come into school with far fewer school-readiness skills, as shown by the WaKids teacher/ classroom-based beginning-of-the-year assessment. Students enrolled in the Montessori program are mostly white, middle or upper middle class, and score significantly higher on district and state tests. As the Montessori program has become more popular, and thus harder to get into, the discrepancies between the two programs have increased.
It has become clear to Leschi leadership that in order to achieve academic success for every child, the classrooms must be racially and economically integrated. Right now, they are not.
No explanation is provided for the school's inability to achieve academic success for every child without adding white, middle and upper middle class students to the classrooms. Oh wait - here it is Mixed or heterogeneous ability or achievement groups offer several advantages according to research done by Gene V. Glass who is currently a Research Professor in the School of Education at the University of Colorado;
1) Less able pupils are at reduced risk of being stigmatized and exposed to a less rigorous curriculum;
2) Teachers’ expectations for all pupils are maintained at higher levels;
3) Opportunities for more able students to assist less able peers in learning can be realized.
Leschi's staff is admitting that they can't expose the children in Contemporary classrooms to a rigorous curriculum without getting middle class children into the classrooms. They're incapable of maintaining high expectations for the children they're currently teaching. And of course, there's some benefit to their new classmates of having an opportunity to help teach their less able peers.
When you place a program that's popular with white, middle class families in a neighborhood school where the students are low income African American children, you don't get to complain that the demographics of the classrooms are different.
I predict that those white middle class families who want a Montessori education for their children will find and pay for one. How will that benefit anyone other than Leschi's staff?
Leschi is responsible for meeting the needs of their attendance area students and providing an option program for students (primarily) in the central region. Equitable access to programs requires that families in the central region have access to option programs.
The board shouldn't authorize this without creating a replacement program in the region.
Thanks for the links, Lynn.
I don't have the time to delve into details and I would appreciate a summary. Is there an issue with those that can afford prek crowding-out low income children? If so, this is one of the problems that I had with the 1B campaign. Research does indicate that free prek was provided for middle income families at the expense of low income families.
Treating preschools as a charitable endeavor affluent families provide to the poor puts their funding at risk in times of recession, concentrates high need children and isolates them from the rest of the community.
The back of JAMS does seem more wild while the area directly around NHHS is more cultivated and public. Does JAMS landscaping support lurkers?
HP
K.C.
JAMSmom
KDS
She is happy and thriving. Teachers and staff are doing a good job.
Happy
#taken
www.ufgop.org