Tuesday Open Thread
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Comments
Here's a link to information on the process. Note that there is a two week window between the announcement and the nomination due date.
I wondered how SPS was going to deal with the WA requirement on identification at the high school level.
As I read it, the benefit to this designation would be have access to APP/IB classes if they are over-enrolled.
zb
Oh, and then there's that "special advising" they'll get at their local HS... Hah. :)
HF
Also, the petition to the "committee" to provide access to another school seems wishy washy enough that I'd be wary of relying on that (though maybe it is a useful provision for those at schools with limited offerings).
zb
I know it's a really naive question, that we've discussed before, but I've never paid much attention to it because tests aren't an issue for my own children, but, as the issue becomes a more general political discussion, I wanted to search for more information. I'm taking the low barrier approach, but will look harder for info next.
zb
GHSmom
-sleep deprivation
Schools may tell you that the tests themselves are required of students, but this is not technically accurate. Families have the right and the option to opt their children out of any of these assessments. However, unless something changes in the legislature, students are still required to pass the high school assessments in order to graduate from high school.
As for for students with learning disabilities, there are a range of accommodations available --- too numerous to list here. The IEP team must identify the accommodations to be provided on the assessments.
--- swk
There are currently three alternatives to high stakes testing that students may pursue in order to get a high school diploma in Wash. They have different guidelines and not everyone is eligible for all (one is designed to be supportive of students coming in from another district, to help them meet requirements that have been established in Seattle), but they are worth checking out.
They may be brought to the attention to more families as SBAC testing begins this spring.
https://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/GraduationAlternatives/default.aspx
AS
HP
--going private
-southpaw
On a related note, a "high stakes" test is NOT a kind of test. High stakes is a policy and could be applied to virtually any test. All of the high school alternatives are high stakes in that students must pass them in order to graduate (if they've not passed the summative tests). For instance, one of the alternatives is a portfolio assessment --- the Collections of Evidence --- but it is still a high stakes tests.
Too often people use the term "high stakes" when they mean a large scale, standardized summative assessment.
--- swk
--- swk
-SPS parent
-SPS parent
In your scenario, a student could take the IB biology test and use that to substitute for the EOC requirement, but only after failing EOC. It's another route, but not exactly thte same.
With that, they can use their IB scores as alternatives but ONLY after they've attempt the state tests at least once.
--- swk
There is a good article here that explains some of it, though at this time, the page is not loading for me. It's titled PARCC and SBAC - promise something.
http://atprogramnews.typepad.com/files/2014_fall-common-core-controversy--special-double-issue-1.htm
CT
The Washington Educational Research Association has published a White Paper on Parent/Student refusal to participate and a handy test refusal form.
One might ask: What makes Jesus Aguirre qualified to run the Parks Department? Mr. Aguirre was a teacher, executive for Teach for America in New York, operated a failed charter school, worked underneath Michelle Rehee in Washington DC's school district as Director of Operations, and was Superintendent of Wa. DC schools. He also had a few years invested in DC's parks department.
I've heard that Holly Miller will be leaving the city's education department and it might be worth noting that she worked for the city's parks department- for years.
Any chance we will watch Murray put Arguirre into the city's Department of Education?
How about Ed Murray' connections to Washington DC?
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2015/02/jesus-aguirre-is-seattle-mayors-nominee-for-new-parks-department-superintendent/#.VNu0uM4y6Dg.facebook
One thing I wasn't sure of is if the web site suggest that children who use alternative assessments for special needs (for example, below grade level competence testing) would receive a different "degree/diploma" than others i.e. the "Certificate of Academic Achievement" v "Certificate of Individual Achievement."
Anyone know the answer to that one?
zb
either CAA for those taking the standard test or CIA for those taking the alternative test will be stamped on the diploma. Otherwise they are the same.
LP
The notation of the CAA/CIA is on the high school transcript, not the diploma. The courts have said it's OK to differentiate achievement on the transcript but not the diploma.
--- swk
Yes. If somebody really wants to, they can find it. So what ?
Sped
Are low income (or English language learning or special education eligible) students better served in segregated and enriched environments or in diverse classrooms alongside their more academically successful peers?
Several board members were determined to ensure that access to the free preschool program at Bailey Gatzert is limited to students from these higher needs groups. Is there evidence that this produces the best results? The city's preschool program is based on the assumption that economically diverse classrooms are preferable.
I suspect it's a capacity issue. SpEd and lower income students are much better off with a diverse peer group. OTOH, if that means you can only serve 1/4-1/2 of the population who really needs the opportunity (and the other group already has quality preschool), I wonder if they think you're better off serving more kids and giving them all *something* vs serving 1/4-1/2 the kids, but better. Not an easy choice.
NE parent
I'm glad you are finally admitting that students from poverty do better in a socioeconomic diverse school. You've been skeptical when I've stated this research in the past.
On the other hand, you seem to be using this realization as a reason to not use poverty as a tie-breaker for entrance into preschool.
Sounds like you don't want those kids in poverty to get in front of the line and you're using this recent, and seems convenient, realization to make your point. I don't think the district and school board are as unaware of the research about the income diversity plus for kids in poverty as you have been until now.
Tell us you aren't using this recent acknowledgment as an excuse to ensure your peers don't get shortchanged in the preschool admissions process. Say it ain't so.
--enough already
So, it's useful to have other's answers.
Would it be appropriate to say that the SpED community (to whatever extent there is a common position) is comfortable with the CIA designation on the transcript? Will these modified assessments be available when they are necessary? Will they be over-used? (It's always a balance between those two).
zb
PS: I'm considering this a discussion, and I do not need the information for any urgent practical reason, so I am not expecting others to have an obligation to answer my questions.
My daughter graduated from HS in 2009. At that time, if she scored at the Basic level on the MSP (I think WASL was gone), then she would have gotten the CIA rather than the CAA. She lucked out because passing the state math test was not yet a requirement, so got the CAA. I would think that the place where the difference would come into play would be in colleges looking at transcripts, in which case, maybe scores on state tests are not as important as grades in specific courses. Of course, there is the SAT for colleges to look at rather than the state tests.
Also, the CIA option is only available to SpEd students.
HTH,
LP
More:
How can we make K-12 education more student-focused, personalized and community-rooted? Join local news outlet Crosscut.com, a panel of education experts, and others to answer that question as part of Crosscut's next Community Idea Lab in partnership with MOHAI.
The Community Idea Lab will feature five rapid fire presentations from community members selected for their innovative and scalable solutions. A panel of expert judges will critique and provide feedback on each idea, and you — the audience — will vote on the winning path forward.
Prizes include a team of civic leaders, assembled by MOHAI, to help you implement your idea over the months following the Idea Lab (Runners-up will also have a chance to work with a MOHAI-assembled team); meetings with local education leaders and policymakers; and a six month part time membership at Impact Hub Seattle.
There are just too many cooks in the kitchen.
As I said at their website (and that redesign is not good), if it's the same people they use as their go-to ed people, it's people talking in an echo chamber.