Friday Open Thread
It appears the Board agreed to bid on the Federal Reserve building. Interesting thing, though, is that the feds have lower the opening bid from $3M to $1M.
On the one hand, the district could get themselves quite the bargain if no one else bids. Or, it may go Ebay style and have multiple last minute bidders. The district is paying for its own appraisal and can go 10% over that amount (with these "capital reserves" that are apparently sitting around). I'll try to find out what that amount is. (If the district is successful, look for this project to be number one with a bullet on BEX V.)
The district is looking for members for a taskforce on the new 24-credit graduation requirement.
In January 2015, the Washington State Board of Education approved the district’s request for a two-year waiver of the new requirement, which will increase the number of course credits needed for graduation from 20 to 24. Seattle Public Schools students currently are required to earn 21 credits.
The new rule was due to take effect with the graduating class of 2019, but with the waiver will now take effect for the graduating class of 2021 (current sixth-graders).
To note (bold mine):
While many of our students do earn 24 credits, the new requirement leaves no room to recover credits for students who may fail a course or want to access additional courses.
The waiver affords the district an opportunity to rethink its systems for high school students, which may include revisions to schedules. Community members, staff or students interested in serving on the task force should send an email expressing interest by Feb. 20, 2015, to Erin Stoen, Director of College & Career Readiness, at emstoen@seattleschools.org.
The district has also annnounced that the whole district is now totally wireless.
Tomorrow there is just one community meeting with Director Peters at the Magnolia Library from
11 am to 1 pm.
What's on your mind?
On the one hand, the district could get themselves quite the bargain if no one else bids. Or, it may go Ebay style and have multiple last minute bidders. The district is paying for its own appraisal and can go 10% over that amount (with these "capital reserves" that are apparently sitting around). I'll try to find out what that amount is. (If the district is successful, look for this project to be number one with a bullet on BEX V.)
The district is looking for members for a taskforce on the new 24-credit graduation requirement.
In January 2015, the Washington State Board of Education approved the district’s request for a two-year waiver of the new requirement, which will increase the number of course credits needed for graduation from 20 to 24. Seattle Public Schools students currently are required to earn 21 credits.
The new rule was due to take effect with the graduating class of 2019, but with the waiver will now take effect for the graduating class of 2021 (current sixth-graders).
To note (bold mine):
While many of our students do earn 24 credits, the new requirement leaves no room to recover credits for students who may fail a course or want to access additional courses.
The waiver affords the district an opportunity to rethink its systems for high school students, which may include revisions to schedules. Community members, staff or students interested in serving on the task force should send an email expressing interest by Feb. 20, 2015, to Erin Stoen, Director of College & Career Readiness, at emstoen@seattleschools.org.
The district has also annnounced that the whole district is now totally wireless.
Tomorrow there is just one community meeting with Director Peters at the Magnolia Library from
11 am to 1 pm.
What's on your mind?
Comments
Bill 1497: Looks like Mayor Murray wants to run the school district now
Just sayin'
Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren is opposed to getting rid of annual accountability testing, per her statements at the Senate HELP Committee hearing on testing this past Wednesday.
--- swk
Current 6th graders will be the first class that needs 24 credits to graduate. Getting 24 credits is apparently already challenging for some students with the 6-period school day. Add in the coming capacity crisis at the high school level, which is particularly acute in 2017 and 2018 in the northend (ie, before Lincoln comes back on line in 2019), and there seems to be no other option but to do extended day high school. Seriously, how else do you increase course requirements in an era of extreme undercapacity? Are there other viable options?
I wonder when they'll start to really draw out what all of this means for families. Class of 2021 starts high school in just 2 years! Where are they all going in the northend and what does their school day look like?
Part of the problem is that Wa state graduation requirements are not the same as college entrance requirements. Also different colleges have different requirements & your student may want to have those options.
Many students already end up taking some required courses online or at community college in order to fit in both sets of requirements. High schools waive some graduation requirements or allow outside experience to count as credit. For example, students might volunteer in the school counseling office to get occ ed credits. I don't know too many students going to 4 year colleges who were able to fulfill all the graduation plus entrance requirements with-in the 6 period school day. It is already a problem.
-HS Parent
HIMSmom
Wow, HS Parent, that is troubling. Our schools don't even provide the opportunity to fulfill basic 4-yr college admission requirements??? Depressing. We have to change that.
HIMSmom
Graduation Core 24 and CADRs
--- swk
Here is the pathway grid, which shows that 4-year colleges and universities look for 15 core credits.
The bump is for the selective colleges, they require 23 core credits. Students seeking admissions into these schools could also fullfill their requirements in a 6-period day over 4-years, but probably will need to give up electives along the way or take online or Running Start - but it is a choice they are making, it is not because the 4 year highschool pathway doesn't allow for it.
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Graduation%20Credit%20Requirements%20NELA%20-%20Know2Go%20-%206_11_14.pdf?sessionid=796b94bbf3ca6035d28a8820efc91952
--- swk
There's a lot more alignment between the new Core 24 and the CADRs, which is good. A student who takes everything in the core 24 including 2 years of a foreign language will be in good shape. But given the areas in which the Core 24 reqts exceed the CADRs (extra science and extra art, plus also need some health/fitness and occupational ed), students don't have much flexibility in their schedules. If things don't always work out neatly so they can get what they need on the appropriate timeline, it could get ugly. As overcrowding increases, that's likely to become more of a concern, no?
@Po3, it looks like your URL is for an outdated table. It doesn't reflect the 24-credit requirement we're discussing.
Yes, it's definitely possible to fulfill all the college requirements in a 24-credit HS program. The question is whether or not all students are able to get those classes when needed. If kids are forced to look outside SPS to get the core classes they need--due to scheduling challenges or overcrowding or course cancellations or whatever--that's a problem, no? If some kids are facing that challenge now, under the current requirements, it's likely to be worse in a few years, when there are not only more requirements, but also greater obstacles due to overcrowding. That's my concern--but I'm happy to be reassured that it won't be an issue, so by all means bring on the data to support it!
HIMSmom
I have never heard of a student not being able to fullfill the 15 core credits required by universities/colleges - now maybe the 21 core credits are a problem for those students wanting to apply to selective schools.
I don't know of any students who are being forced to take core classes outside of school.
I know many students who choose to take core classes as well as electives outside of school for many different reasons.
There is a difference.
As far as overcrowding at high schools, with Lincoln coming online and several new charters in the pipeline I am not convinced it will be as dire we may think.
And no I am not a charter supporter, I just know they are here and families will choose them and that will impact capacity at the high school level.
I hope you're right re: HS capacity. Lincoln won't really come online in time for my kid, and it sounds like things are already tight. I'd love to see some capacity projections that support your optimism!
HIMSmom
Lincoln doesn't open as a high school until 2019.
And, according to FACMAC's numbers about a year ago, the north end of the city will be short 1600 seats the year *before* Lincoln opens and still 500 seats short after Lincoln opens.
I guess that because I've been going to community meetings about capacity for 6 years now, starting when we enrolled in Kindergarten, and I've seen all the predictions come true (programs growing out of their buildings, interim locations, no room at the middle school), it's hard for me to think there isn't anything to worry about at the high school level.
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1583136/File/Departmental%20Content/school%20board/Friday%20Memos/2014-15/January%2016/20150116_FridayMemo.pdf
HP
Remember that various Seattle High schools have added their own graduation requirements too.
Colleges also tell prospective applicants that the most important factor in admission is to take the hardest possible classes available in their school. 'Taking the first couple of years of a subject & then stopping before hitting the AP/IB or Honors level makes a student look like a slacker' according to one admissions officer. Not taking a 4th year of math & science won't persuade an admissions committee that your student is really interested in STEM major.
The students I know felt they needed 4 years of math, la, history, science, 3-4 of foreign lang, 2 of arts for the colleges they were interested in. Add in the required PE, personal fitness, health & occ ed. Then it gets sticky even if you are not taking music. Also many kids are required to take a study skills class each quarter to keep their IEP. So most students I know took some classes of health, PE, personal fitness, art & occ ed outside of school.
I would do my own homework on the colleges you want to consider; don't depend on CADR. Even the UW is pretty competitive these days. Just look what their common data set says.
-HS parent
until you some families are mapped out of Roosevelt with the new HS assignment plan...oh the howling
ParentofThree
From Dr. Nyland's Friday Memo.
Will he share with the crowd, please?
WHAT is the MOST pressing capacity problem (unmitigated) in this District (and why -- i.e., data). WHAT is he envisioning doing to FIX it? WHEN will it get fixed, and, with WHAT dollars and HOW MANY dollars?
WHY DOESN'T HE TELL US?
My bet? They are prioritizing the downtown school. Why? Did you see the smug Jan. 2 2015 Jon Scholes (CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association) interview in the Puget Sound Business Journal?
Yeah, the fix is in.
Despite having several REAL capacity problems RIGHT NOW, despite Mr. Joe Wolf, head of K-12 Facilities Planning, telling the Ops committee the worse problem was high school north, the District, or better put, Flip Herndon, is focusing his staff on the downtown (is there some political patronage appoint he'll get after he delivers this?). Even though Lowell sits there, half empty... Why doesn't the Board REJECT this play??? WHY OH WHY??? (I guess I know the answer, when you have Marty who specializes in deference, and, Sharon who doesn't care unless it is about her precious K8, and Stephan who is arrogant, and Sherry who seems to have lost her mind... who is left to turn this hulking ship around from plowing into the iceberg? Harium? I think not).
Sorry, high school north, no fix for you! Sorry, West Seattle, your middle school crisis is a couple of years away with no fix! Sorry, Ballard elementary, portable saturation and beyond is coming your way soon!
The arrogance and incompetence -- which is worse?
My second bet? The next ask, after downtown is Magnolia. Why? Because it is low hanging fruit. They own it and it is empty. Not because it is the best solution to the worst problem. Just because it is 'd-able'. So lame. It is so obvious the way this 'team' 'think'.
Does anyone trust them to bring on Lincoln High School? With no field? No track?
Parents of current 5th graders who are destined for Ballard and Roosevelt, look out! They will be coming for your kids, to geo-split them out into "Lincoln" to be the inaugural 10th graders. You are the ones who will experience the most instability. Watch out.
Facilities Planning
Is there a limit to the number of hours students can be kept out of school while others take exams or attend family engagement meetings?
"Colleges also tell prospective applicants that the most important factor in admission is to take the hardest possible classes available in their school. 'Taking the first couple of years of a subject & then stopping before hitting the AP/IB or Honors level makes a student look like a slacker' according to one admissions officer. Not taking a 4th year of math & science won't persuade an admissions committee that your student is really interested in STEM major."
--
Agreed, 100 percent. If my daughter's experience is representative, then every parent of every high school student who has college in mind should print out this paragraph, and put it up on the wall, where their student is reminded of it every day.
Jumping into Running Start with a full load after 10th grade -- taking NO high school classes except for PE -- got my daughter a full scholarship to UW, and the UW Admissions and Financial Aid people were not shy about telling us that had been the major determining factor, along with her making the Dean's List at the community college level.
-- Ivan Weiss
So if we want to a) lower class sizes; b) increase credit requirements; c) increase instruction time; AND d) give teachers the non-instruction time they really, really need (and not ask them to sub for absent teachers during their prep periods due to a lack of subs) then we need to spend much, much more money. Will we do this, or will we continue to pile more "reforms," hours of instructional time, and accusations of teachers being lazy or part of the status quo onto our educators?
Want a good education system? Pay for it. Or turn it into a digitized, "adaptive program" on laptops. That'l save those pesky labor costs. After all, even though Bill Gates told students at Lakeside that the great thing about his school was the small classes that allowed human relationship between teacher and student, he later told all us peons that class size doesn't matter: stick the kids in front of a wonder Microsoft prodcut and the data will do the rest.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/26/testing-time?utm_source=tny&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyemail&mbid=nl_012215_Daily&CNDID=28155562&spMailingID=7443737&spUserID=NTE4MjYwMDQ3MDMS1&spJobID=602743913&spReportId=NjAyNzQzOTEzS0
http://nyr.kr/1EFtBBX
WHY
(where is their precious 'data driven' decision justification? Oh yeah, no where, they didn't do it. Good job, Flip.)
and
HOW
(who is going where? how does QA/Mag get high school capacity - because that is something they happen to be missing...)
I am kind of in shock that the active folks of QA seem not to be at the headwaters of this 'conversation'.
Conversation is in quotes because... since when did the District actual REALLY ask the parents what makes the most sense given the constraints, the needs, the enrollment numbers, the residential growth, the costs, the capacity, and the ability to place portables? Oh, and, ha ha, preschool?
The elephant, it is so very, very large.
not optomistic
I think QA and Magnolia are not at the headwaters of high school capacity issue because the enrollment bubble is just starting to hit middle school. Those parents are not aware of the looming crisis - it's just not on the radar. When I try to talk to people about it, I get puzzled looks. Plus there is a lot of confusion about enrollment in general...people hear that there are lottery seats and then stop listening, not realizing that in crowded schools such as Garfield, Ballard, and Roosevelt, the lottery is a figment of the imagination.
QA Mom
I have written Flip and the school board and only Sherry Carr expressed interest.
S parent
ASB funds. Does anyone know what is required to be reimbursed from ASB? I bought items used as part of a fundraiser for a sport group. The kids participated so the funds raised go in the ASB account for the sport. I submitted receipts for the items I purchased for the event, but they are saying I need to submit credit card statements too. Is that normal? It is obvious the items were purchased and received because we gave them out during the fundraiser. Why would they need more than the receipts? The credit card statements have too much private information on them for me to be willing to hand them over.
I am not trained in accounting but I've done research into expense management processes for work and it isn't standard to require more than receipts for expense reimbursement. Procedures can vary by organization, and typically there are rules such as requiring pre-authorization for certain types of expenses or over a certain dollar threshold. I also checked with my partner who has a background in finance and he said a credit card statement is not standard accounting procedures.
I expect that you are being asked for additional documentation by someone who has no training in accounting practices and has no idea what they are doing. I suggest you contact someone higher up the food chain if you aren't able to be reimbursed with the receipts. There can be limitations on how long you are able to submit receipts after a purchase so don't ignore it or you will be out cash and not even have the chance of being recognized for an in-kind donation should you decide that is what you would prefer to do.
Here's geek wire's take:
http://www.geekwire.com/2014/amazon-coms-rd-lab-four-possible-ideas-amgens-beautiful-seattle-waterfront-campus/
Amazon, spaceX, SPS? Wouldn't that be a coup if we can do a co-location with one of these wonders and make it the STEM HS city and industry leaders talk so much about and do so little to support? (Think Raisbeck Aviation HS) But most likely, the best we'll get is on site day care. Oops, I mean quality preK.
reader
There is talk of U of W occupying this space, too. Lots of potential, here.
I am also advocating for the district to sell the John Stanford Center, which is a noose around the district's neck. The Amgen property has plenty of space for administrative staff and relocation is possible.
There are reports for students and teachers, but I cannot seem to find any reports for administration staff. If there are no reports, I am wondering why administration wouldn't report their own racial diversity profile, given that schools are required to produce it. If there are reports, I am wondering what they say, both overall for central administration staff and for the executive management.
Does anyone know?
Email Flip Herndon and the Board on this idea. I wish they would consider leasing at Amgen instead of a downtown location filled with asbestos.
The SPS administrative staff might also like this location better than the Stanford Center. Don’t let this opportunity be missed.
S parent