Seattle Schools Community Forum

From SPS Communications: Seattle Public Schools invites all families, staff and community members to review instructional materials under consideration for use in middle school social studies. This is the first of two rounds of review. Public input will help the Middle School Social Studies Adoption Committee narrow materials for the second review round. Public viewing of materials and feedback for the first round ends on Wednesday, April 15. Two options are available for review: Visit the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence during normal business hours to view the materials in person and fill out a feedback form. Materials are on display and forms are available in two locations: the School Board office on the first floor and the Professional Library on the second floor. Access the materials online. Click HERE for our adoption page, which provides links to PDFs with access instructions from three of the four vendors. The page also offers links to survey

Thanks to a reader about the article at Crosscut about how, over the last six months, six Interagency students have died (either by shootings or suicide).  I take a little exception to the reporter's comment about this going "unnoticed" by the community at large.  Newspaper reports on murders of youth do not always say where the student went to school, nor are most teen suicides reported.  (And, of course, the district has said nothing about this pattern.)  Flamin' Hot Cheetos a "smart snack?"  Apparently so under new Obama administration school food guidelines (and tweaks of the snack by Frito-Lay).  Interesting article about the " Minneapolis Miracle " in The Atlantic including how that city has spread the wealth in jobs, low-income housing and yes, good schools. Why tell the truth about Common Core?  That's a good question for OSPI's Ready WA organization.  They say - in a multi-language handout - that "The standards, whic

I titled this thread "Early Warning" because I believe we are starting to see the signs of some major upheaval. First, I'd like to just take a pulse about opting out.   If you feel comfortable, could you comment if you are opting your child(ren) out of the SBAC and at what school (or, if not the school, the region - NE, NW, Central, WS, SW or SE)?  You don't have to give grade level, gender or names, of course.   As well, let us know if this is a source of open discussion or quiet discussion and if you are getting pushback from staff. Next, I believe the Charter Commission will be releasing a statement soon - probably in the next couple of days - that they will either be suspending First Place Scholars ' charter or closing it down entirely.  This will be sad but my impression is that the new Board/Director at First Place have not been able to meet the requirements set out by the Charter Commission when FP was placed on probation.  Lastly, below is a lette

To note about tomorrow, Monday, March 30th, it appears there may be a large number of teachers who may go to Olympia to lobby against SB 5748.   This is the bill that would likely get Washington State back its NCLB waiver and give those districts control of some Title One dollars.  It would also start us down the road of including high-stakes testing in teacher evaluation. So if your school sees a couple of subs coming in tomorrow, that's probably why. 

This is a guest editorial from Palo Alto On-line,from a junior at a high-pressure high school who has much to say about the nature of public education.  And yes, I know if you read this, you might roll your eyes and think, "white people problems."  But despite Palo Alto being a wealthy area, talking about teen stress and pressure is important no matter where a student lives. It is about what we are doing to kids, their joy of learning and the nature of learning. My stress began in elementary school, where students were segregated into separate class meetings as "early" and "late" readers. Although we were just elementary schoolers, we perceived this as a differentiation between the less and more advanced students and either felt superior due to our intellect or shamed for a "lack" thereof.  Middle school didn't get any better. At the end of sixth grade, we were placed into either Pre-Algebra or Pre-Algebra Advanced, though nobody

 UPDATE: in a quick 3 minutes , here's why this is a bad, bad idea.  If you want public money going to private schools - that have NO accountability to anyone and can pick and choose who gets in (and who gets kicked out), then you'll like SB 6079.  A big no from me. end of update Wait for it. A late dropping bill that missed my notice is SB 6079 by Senator Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane).  It would allow families to choice to get $5K of the average $7400 in state dollars per student.  Then you could use the money for "educational services" at public or private schools. This bill is listed as first coming into the Senate on March 9th and, as of today, was referred to the Early Learning &E-12 Education Committee.   Apparently, there it sits. This voucher nonsense is happening in a number of states mostly around special ed or ELL students.  Naturally the hope is to expand this crazy quilt idea for all K-12 children.  You could either get a voucher (and go

Yes, that is the title of a story at the district's homepage.  I will try to stifle a smile as this has not - to terrible effect - always been the case. Here's the link to the entire story. I note that the brag in the story is how close they get.  What's puzzling is that at the Work Session on the budget this week, there were repeated references to the projections for this year being off.  Not sure how to reconcile the two thoughts.

 Update:  I have attempted to get rid of the annoying CAPTCHA feature.  I'm hoping it works but that we don't see a lot of spam because of it.  I know if I found it annoying so did my readers.  Let me know how it goes. Update on SBAC from SPS Communications:   our assessment folks have communicated to principals that they may use the form or accept any signed refusal.   End of update    I will have a follow-up to the SBAC opt-out form.   I sought clarity from the district, got it partially and am now awaiting a response. The House budget will come out today but the hearing has been moved to Monday. Healthy Student Survey results - I haven't had time to read it in-depth yet.   The Charter Commission is having a special phone-in meeting today.  It's an interesting thing - they will go into Executive Session to discuss a "legal matter" with no final action taken.  Then, they will go back to having a public meeting if there are any "action item

It has come to my attention that just submitting a signed, date form requesting your child to opt out of SBAC testing may not suffice at some schools. The SBAC page at SPS says this: Families who refuse to allow their children to participate in assessments, including Smarter Balanced, must submit the refusal in writing, signed and dated, to go in the student's permanent record file. Parents or guardians must submit this refusal annually. Families may use THIS FORM or submit a clear written and signed document. That's rather interesting wording in red as I might perceive they mean it has to be hand-written, not typed.  Why that would be, I don't know. Here's the SBAC page at SPS.   I note that when you hit the spot for the form to refuse, it does NOT take you to the form.  It takes you to yet another page.  Here's the link to the SBAC form. In the SBAC form, I'm supposing they want you to realize, in humiliating detail, how you are failing your child

On the eve of the first budget coming from the House is the latest NY Times Room for Debate section on "Is Improving Schools All About Money?" I'll just simply say - after sitting through the Board Work Session yesterday that included next year's budget - yes it does. But it matters HOW the money is spent (and SPS is a baffling example).  Naturally, as we wait for enactment of McCleary, it is also about fully funding basic education (which is not happening in our state).  My favorite in the NY Times bunch is Lisa Delpit "Can we put the money to better use?" and her analogy of a gym membership.

Update: totally related to this story - will SPS be able to give the SBAC as well as give Sped students the time they need to finish?  From Sped Special Ed listserv: Last night at the SPED PTSA meeting, the SPED Dept leadership said that SBACs cannot trump the law in regards to our students' SDI, that is, whatever the time crunch of SBACs, students' SDI still needs to be delivered per IEPs.   The SPED Dept leadership stated that they'd reached out to principals to ensure that master schedules are being created to ensure that no student's SDI lapses during the SBACs.  Teachers I've spoken with totally roll their eyes about this, that there is no way they can attend to SDI responsibilities fully while meeting students' needs on the SBACs. (Not to mention the kids who opt out. They need their SDI too.)  In any case, I think the bigger issue here is what is the info/comms plan for families on this matter -- did the SPED Dept indicate to buildings what the

The House will be releasing its budget tomorrow with a public hearing on it also that day. Naturally, this is a greatly anticipated moment for public education because the question is: what's in there for McCleary (and how are they paying for it)?   What is vitally important to let legislators know is that McCleary is about several things. fully-funding K-12 public education fully-funding to whatever they are defining as "basic education" remembering that class size IS part of McCleary (especially at K-3) and any attempt to say that they can't fund 1351 would not be true (given the first part of my statement).     You cannot divorce class size from McCleary.  What was clear from the Town Hall at Hale on Saturday is that even the biggest legislative supporters of public education have no time/stomach for figuring out funding for 1351.  However, none of them want to ignore the will of the people, either.  (They all said they would not vote for trying to

I'll put a notation by each of these; please consider contacting your legislative reps for your support or rejection of each bill. From the Seattle Times :

Honestly, I think sometimes the Times does not think much of its readers.  For many of their education stories, they always manage to leave out very basic information.  Almost as if they wanted to slant a story. The latest laugher comes via Washington Stand for Children and their " petition" to the Legislature over voting to link test scores to teacher evaluations.  The House will have a public hearing on their bill on Monday. Along with supporting this bill, Stand for Children, one branch of a national advocacy group, has also lobbied for stricter teacher evaluations and more school choice. The group collected the 20,658 signatures mostly online over the past year, said spokeswoman Jeanette Lewis. It vetted the signatures by deleting those with duplicate or invalid email addresses. What's missing - from a reporting standpoint - is not truly explaining who Stand is and who funds them (Gates).  I note the Times uses the cagey "nation advocacy group" and N

From Rainier Beach High's IB coordinator,  Cambrie Nelson: Dear interested community members, Rainier Beach High School students are transforming the very nature of education in South East Seattle . Equipped with the new International Baccalaureate Program and their personal experiences as educational muses, our youth are surging ahead to become some of the most potent global leaders in the region and beyond. A cohort of students have been selected to pursue a unique opportunity in Barcelona, Spain this summer-- the International Baccalaureate World Conference. For a week in July, these students will join 200 other change-makers from across the world in Global Action Teams to examine the theme of "Technology in the Global Society".

The Board is having a multi-topic Work Session today with an update on the Families and Education levy, more Board policies and a  presentation to the Board on the 2025-2016 Budget.  I don't know if it's because I don't read many budgets but I am finding this presentation documentation hard to understand.  It appears - on page 10 - that the district is trying to pay for "strategic initiatives/grant backfill " to about $5M.  Seems like a lot given that's money that is NOT going to the classroom.  What is also troubling on that same page - if I am reading it correctly - is that the district says the "materials, supplies, operating costs" are at $20.3M .  And yet, they will get $16.5M from the Operations levy.  Obviously the two numbers are not equal but the problem for me is that the district gets money from the state for operations.  If there is state money plus local levy money, how are they not able to corral the $20M? They say

A couple of things that may extend beyond one school - if you know this is happening at your school, could you please let us know. Update: on the SAT testing story, at the end of the thread is a letter from Roosevelt principal, Brian Vance. Key passage: In the following weeks we received no indication that there would be a consequence for our timing error and even after speaking with College Board and Educational Testing Services after the exam, we received no information that would lead us to believe they would invalidate the test scores. The first indication that there was an issue came last week, when students were not able to access their scores. In the end, the College Board invalidated our students' scores.  It sounds like RHS was trying to figure it out but the College Board took their sweet time in making a decision.  Not good. end of update  First, I received this e-mail from a reader about recent SAT testing at Roosevelt on Feb. 25th: Evidently, at R

Opt-out information in Spanish (thanks to a Spanish-speaking parent).   Please share with others.

Here are the toplines.  The district is to have a press conference on Thursday that I hope to attend and the survey with all results will be released then (bold mine). Among the survey results:

Too long AND very hard?  Tell your kid that the "average" kid won't be able to understand the test and do the whole thing in the time allotted?  (This is from the PARCC test but I wonder how different the SBAC is/) How does that really help a student and how do you think your child would feel?  I know my sons liked a challenge but I also know that they both would have rushed to finish, maybe even guessing answers because they would not have wanted to be thought of as "average." 

The first of the community meetings around BTA IV coming up in Feb. 2016.  It's at Mercer Middle School, 1600 S. Columbian Way from 6:30-8:30 pm. There is also one on Wednesday at Ballard High School , 1418 NW 65th St from 6:30-8:30 pm. There are more next week at other locations; see the district calendar.

From SPS Communications: We have students from over 70 different elementary school classrooms that meet at least one criteria for Algebra 1 Readiness Testing. Given this wide variety of classrooms, we opted to select a central location for testing. The Stanford Center and the dates/times were selected because: · The Stanford Center is close to the center of our large city. · It offers desks and chairs for students and waiting spaces for families. · As opposed to using a school, it means we do not have to burden a school staff with staying late for   the testing. · The afternoon times prevent students from missing school. · The variety of dates allow families to select one that they can make work. The Stanford Center was the location used for testing last year and many families dropped students off for testing and walked up to Starbucks for an hour; others dropped students off and waited in the common spaces. To my knowledge we had no compla

Unhappy with Pearson ?  Apparently you are not alone.  Speaking of Big Brother, here's the SBAC's "Guidance for Social Media Monitoring during the Field Test."  The State Senate is to drop its budget this week.  Let's see how that fulfillment of McCleary is going and where they find the funding.  I spoke to Speaker Chopp last week and that's pretty much all he would say.  I note that when I mentioned that while I think preschool is great, that the Constitution says K-12 is the state's paramount duty and that I was worried about the push that both preschool and higher education are receiving this session.  He said something to the effort that there would be more dollars for preschool but not in McCleary. Whether it's in McCleary or not is not really the point.  Because, frankly, education dollars are education dollars. I note that there's a new group, Why Not Us Washington that is pushing the Legislature to invest more in preschool.  It'

 From Politico's story (and hats off to Politico reporter Stephanie Simon for simply excellent work): When President Barack Obama called earlier this year for a new federal law to protect student privacy in an era when children increasingly learn online, he called the concept “pretty straightforward.” But the bipartisan bill to be introduced Monday — which was drafted in close collaboration with the White House — has proved anything but. The bill lets education technology companies continue to collect huge amounts of intimate information on students, compile it into profiles of their aptitudes and attitudes — and then mine that data for commercial gain. It permits the companies to sell personal information about students to colleges and employers, and potentially to military recruiters as well. And it em

Join a discussion with southeast Seattle families and teachers Standardized Testing and “Opting Out”:  What are the impacts on our region’s diverse schools and students? Wednesday, March 25, 6:00-7:30 pm   Hillman City Collaboratory 5623 Rainier Avenue South Seattle, WA  Seattle 98118 Sponsored by parents from Dearborn Park, Hawthorne, Orca, Leschi, John Muir, Graham Hill, Concord and Beacon Hill Elementary Schools;  Families of Color Seattle ;  and  Seattle Opt Out Group

Absolutely hilarious blog thread from a woman calling herself the "FERPA Sherpa" and saying she's for student data privacy about Pearson and their interception of a student's tweet on the PARCC test. She says (bold mine): Have we stopped to think if students care or, dare we say, expect it even? You see, as adults we can express our outrage over a multinational corporation monitoring students but are we speaking for students or for ourselves? Is this our outrage or the students? K-12 students think differently. They expect to be watched by their teachers, parents, peers etc. but certainly do not expect companies monitoring social media to see who mentioned a test. And here is where it gets interesting. I asked some 5 th grade students how they would feel if they posted something online and it became public information. They said that everything they do is seen by their parents and their parents are always posting things about them anyway . They expec

Vermont says no .  From the Vermont government website, an op-ed by a member of their Board of Education: On Tuesday, March 17, 2015, the Vermont State Board of Education unanimously voted to suspend the use of Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) scores for the 2014-2015 school year for the purpose of annual school evaluation determinations. These English Language Arts and Mathematics assessments were developed to measure student mastery of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which were adopted in 2010. Until students' education has been guided by the new standards and schools have practiced administering and interpreting SBAC, the results will not support reliable and valid inferences about student performance and should not be used as the basis for any consequential purpose. Unless empirical studies confirm a sound relationship between performance on the SBAC and critical and valued life outcomes ("college and career-ready"), test res

One reader sent along to me a response to her e-mail to Senator David Frockt over his vote on Senate bill 5748.  I'm printing it in its entirety below.  It is nuanced and carefully thought out.  I believe the Senator is probably speaking from a position of good faith in what he believes this bill to be.  Unfortunately, I do not share that trust/comfort that this bill is merely a way to get back the NCLB waiver.  If you read his letter, it seems like he thinks it does almost nothing and, of course, that makes no sense because no one created this bill just to do very little.  Perhaps it is just a foot in the door but it's kind of a Shaq foot in the door.  (I'm going to highlight relevant sections in red along with some comments.)

I finally finished the notes I had taken on the first hour+ of the latest School Board meeting.  I think it worthy reading for several issues. - enrollment is continuing to increase - NCLB waiver and the Senate bill designed to get it back - why SPS isn't funding IB textbooks - artificial caps on enrollment at some schools - Africatown MOU That last one is pretty eye-opening as it featured a last-minute change to the MOU, a blank space for the dollar amount on the lease document, and a question about any religious connections for this learning center that Africatown is running. Very odd and very troubling. 

Education Funding Town Hall with State Legislators from Districts 36, 43 and 46 Nathan Hale High School Gymnasium 10750 30th Ave. NE Saturday, March 21st from 10am-11:30 am I'm think there could be a variety of education topics including SBAC (given it's at Hale). As well, if David Frockt shows up from the 46th that could be interesting given his support of the Senate bill that includes test scores for teacher evaluations.  I also note that in the Feb. 2015 edition of the Hale student newspaper, The Sentinel, principal Jill Hudson is quoted in a story about SBAC for 11th graders: I don't think we should demoralize our students by giving them a test where the test makers have already decided that 60-70% of our students are going to fail." I won't debate this issue of whether the test makers meant "fail" rather than not pass but I give Principal Hudson credit for speaking out. Also in the newspaper, a student speaks out about "honors&quo

An excellent article on teen suicide from a parent and psychiatrist in Palo Alto, California after the suicide of high school student there. What is notable about Palo Alto is that it is in Silicon Valley and both high schools have experienced a fairly steady rate of suicides over the last several years.  It is an area of high expectations and high hopes and that may play a part in why teens kill themselves. The author, Adam Strassberg, gives this advice: There is no single cause of suicide -- the act can arise from any combination of multiple factors -- biological, environmental, psychological and situational. As a community, we agree that whatever can be done to mitigate these factors must be done; where we disagree, however, is where one might expect: What does "whatever can be done" entail? Our public debate continues -- in community meetings, in online forums, in newspaper letters, in school board and city hall meetings. But for me, on line at Starbucks, i

The Laurelhurst Blog has done a notable job in covering the issue of portables at Laurelhurst Elementary.  This is an issue that many schools have struggled with, both recently and long-term.  Here's one school's story. 

Happy First Day of Spring! The Teenaged Brain: Spock versus Kirk via NPR . Mukilteo Education Association at Mariner High School in Everett speaks out about SBAC testing of 11th graders. Look who was on both the local and national NBC news - students at John Rogers Elementary.    They did a class project on who is on U.S. paper money and found not a single woman.  So there's now a petition to get a woman on the $20 by 2020 (getting rid of Andrew Jackson who apparently didn't even want to allow paper money).  But who? Via KING-5 Via NBC Nightly News Womenon20s campaign NY Times article on this subject by notable women Update: want to learn more about Rainier Beach High's IB program?  Here's your chance: Join us for food, fun, and community: When: Saturday, March 21st from 1:00pm-3:00pm Where: El Centro de La Raza, 2524 16th Ave S Dear guardians, families, and community members, Join your neighbors for a free meal to learn about how to support the r

 Dear Staff, > Some of you have expressed concern about the administration of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA). Concerns have included questions about the utility of the assessment, the instructional time lost due to testing and the likelihood of lower test scores. I encourage you to visit our newly developed Frequently Asked Questions< http://smarterbalanced.www.seattleschools.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=324018& > on our district website.

Hi Save Seattle Schools readers! I am a Garfield graduate now attending Rice University in Houston, TX.  I am taking a class called"Black in Schools," which examines the history of and current state of education for black students in America.  For my final project in this class, I need to explore issues in black education through the personal experience of a single person--a student or educator.  For this project, I am interested in interviewing a student, teacher, or administrator from the now-defunct African American Academy.  If there are any former AAA students or educators interested in talking to me about their experiences there—or if you know someone who would be—please contact me by phone at  (206) 288-9051  or by email at  jht4@rice.edu .  My initial research on the African American Academy leads me to think that it might provide a very interesting perspective on some of the issues we are studying in my course, so any help would be greatly appreciated. 

(At a recent Work Session, the listing for what BTA will do was decidedly heavy on the technology side.  If your building has real building needs, you might want to attend one of these meetings or give input.  Always cc your district Board director.) Seattle Public Schools is hosting five community meetings to share information about our upcoming Operations Levy and our Buildings, Technology, Academics/Athletics IV (BTA IV) Capital Levy which will be submitted to Seattle voters in February 2016.  The Operations Levy renews every three years, represents nearly 25% of the District’s annual general fund budget and supports basic educational programs not fully funded by the state. The Buildings, Technology and Academics IV (BTA IV) Capital Levy renews every six years and funds hundreds of small renovations and major maintenance projects, as well as technology, academic and athletic initiatives at our school buildings. Staff members will present information, ask for comm

The Superintendent - in his comments at last night's Board meeting - had very little to say about how it's going for SPS  and SBAC testing. But here's one man's dissection of the SBAC math from the GFBrandenburg's Blog (he's a retired math teacher).  The critique of SBAC math is from Steven Rasmussen from SR Education Associates.   Mr. Brandenburg breaks it down (as Mr. Rasmussen's writing is quite lengthy but very in-depth).  Here is the money quote: “…the Smarter Balanced tests are lemons. They fail to meet acceptable standards of quality and performance, especially with respect to their technology-enhanced items. They should be withdrawn from the market before they precipitate a national catastrophe.” As well as this one: Ironically, while poor results on the Common Core tests will be a blow to policy makers, parents, educators, and students, they will be a boon to those in education for a profit. 

Now this is exactly what should be happening - a notable activity at a high school evolving to bring in more students.  From the Times : But these weren’t your typical drama kids. When one girl wanted to talk, she used her hands and a sign-language interpreter. Others didn’t speak at all. One girl walked slowly, her gait uneven because of cerebral palsy. They are members of a new drama group at Roosevelt, open to special-education students and their typically performing peers. On Thursday, the group will give its first performance of a play, “Voices,” they helped create. Called “ unified drama,” the after-school club is based on a similar, successful sports program at Roosevelt and a similar drama class at nearby Nathan Hale High . It’s also part of a wider effort to include special-needs kids in more regular high-school classes, and regular extracurricular activities.

I didn't attend the Board meeting last night but watched the first hour or so on tv.  (President Carr wasn't there so Director Peaslee filled in but I never heard why Carr was not there.) Highlights ( updated and complete ):

Press Release from the Lunch and Recess Matter group: Parents of students in Seattle Public Schools will attend the school board meeting this afternoon to express their frustration that the district has failed to act on their requests that the district provide their children with enough time to eat lunch and play at recess. They are asking the district to quickly ensure that kids get more to eat and play at school. Parents also pointed to a new study from the University of Washington that found students in Seattle Public Schools get only 12 minutes to eat their lunch, resulting in most of the fruits and vegetables going uneaten and putting students’ academic achievement at risk. “We came to the board in November telling them there is a serious issue affecting most of the kids in Seattle Public Schools, and very little has been done since then to fix it,” said Sascha Demerjian, a parent at Whittier Elementary School. “The district is currently finalizing schedule

Jacque (pronounced “Jackie”) Coe will be recommended for school board approval on April 1, as the Chief Communications Officer for Seattle Public Schools (SPS). She currently is the Senior Director of Strategic Communications for the Washington Dairy Products Commission and is nationally accredited in public relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Prior to joining the commission, Jacque served as the Director of Communications and Community Relations for the Bellevue School District. While working for the Bellevue School District, Jacque’s responsibilities included internal and external communications as well as community engagement initiatives including strategic initiatives, policy, public affairs, community engagement, and outreach to diverse audiences. During her tenure with the district, she re-organized Communications staff for strategic focus and enhanced customer service, redesigned the web site for easier navigation, created a district advisory co

This is something that seemed to just spring up on the SPS website (and I have heard that they seem to be scrambling for facilitators). From SPS:

 From Student Privacy Matters (I note there is nothing for Washington State):   Below are links to the laws enacted regarding student social media privacy.   Some states cover K-12 and post secondary and others only post secondary.  In general, these laws make it difficult for Pearson and schools to monitor online the students the laws cover.  You may want to provide this information to the list serve in case they want to review their state's law and/or advocate for coverage for K-12 students.  

Seattle Audubon Society is currently looking for volunteers for our Finding Urban Nature (FUN) program. FUN introduces 3rd and 4th grade students to the interconnections between producers, consumers, and decomposers in the schoolyard habitat. Volunteers lead small groups of students through hands-on outdoor lessons. Four lessons in the spring and four more in the fall give students a chance to fully explore the schoolyard habitat, proving that nature is around us no matter where we live, work, and play. We serve 12 Seattle Public Schools located throughout Seattle. -The FUN program relies upon 120 volunteers each school year. We currently still need almost 50 volunteers to meet our needs for the spring 2015 program! -Volunteers devote about two hours a week for four weeks in the spring and/or fall. -Volunteers lead a group of 4-6 students through each lesson with the support of the school's FUN Team Leader and classroom teachers. - No previous teaching or science

Six questions for Secretary Duncan about teacher evaluations. The Times tries to defend Common Core .  The Times pushes against "ideologies and alliances"   in bills in the Legislature for teacher evaluations. Updates coming on tomorrow's Board meeting. What's on your mind?

 Update: I realize my original headline that did contain ("no thanks to the district") and  was not fair.  The district DID create the IB programs at Ingraham, Chief Sealth and now Rainier Beach.  It just that they don't support them in the way those programs should be supported if they expect them to thrive.  Again, the district creates programs they do not support (like IB and dual-language.) end of update The Times owns up to something good happening in Seattle Public Schools (without charters or a state turnaround order).  Tangled in bureaucracy and tradition, public schools need years — often the better part of a decade — for real turnaround, so skeptics may wave off the spike in graduation rates at Rainier Beach High as a mere blip. Or ignore its ballooning enrollment. Or shrug at the dozens of students on track to leave with college credit for advanced studies. No marker is more stunning than Beach’s 25-point increase in graduation rates since 2011

 Update: a student "oath" from Louisiana from last year's testing: End of update Update: Via news updates , this is what the student did: Apparently, the student had just commented on the question after taking the test, and deleted his tweet after being contacted by the district. So commenting on a test score via social media will get your child on Pearson's naughty list.  What a bunch of bullies.  (You should read the whole article but here's a bit of it.) In addition, Pearson/PARCC has access to if a student is using testing modifications, along with their names, unique identifier numbers, etc. Beyond sensitive student information, Pearson also collects everything a student types into the keyboard during the test including words or sentences that were typed and then deleted. Pearson knows whether or not the student views a test item, how long it takes him/her to answer a specific question, and it tracks the student's clicks as he/she na

I am sorry to report that a Cleveland high senior, Robert Robinson, Jr., was killed Sunday afternoon by a drive-by shooter.  He was shot walking thru his neighborhood around 4 pm. The deepest of condolences to his family, friends and school staff.  (I am more than a little surprised to see no notice of this at the SPS webpage. Cleveland's principal, George Breland, did send out a letter to his community.) Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call 206-233-5000. Update: SPS is reporting this event: Remembering Robert Robinson: students/staff to hold school-community-only, open mic vigil on Thurs 6:30 pm. 

Ding dong, the bill to split Seattle School district died in the Rules Committee.  I heard this on KUOW this morning and was surprised to hear that one of its creators, Sharon Tomiko Santos, said it would have benefited all students in SPS.  This was the first time I heard that reasoning advanced and yet if that's what they thought, they could have explained how that was.  Reports of shots from a BB gun fired at a school bus near Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary are being reported in the Seattle Times.  It happened yesterday around 4:30 pm.  The school had been under lockkdown for some period of time but then the students were allowed to go home.  No one was hurt.  I'm off in a few minutes to the press conference right by Roosevelt High about the blight around there by the infamous Sisley brothers.  Hoping there is some relief in sight. Don't forget these legislative Town Halls tomorrow (this organized info via the CPPS website): Seattle town halls, Saturday, Marc

As many readers have reported, seven Democratic senators, in the Washington State Legislature, including three from Seattle, voted to move forward a bill (SB 5748)  that would tie student test scores to teacher evaluation.  The vote was 26 yeas to 23 nays.

I had been wondering where the agenda for tomorrow's Audit and Finance Committee Meeting was.  Well, now I can see why it was delayed. 1) It's HUGE. 2) It's a mess.  Literally.  Things added links not there - very confusing. The minutes from the last meeting note note a troubling trend - the end of funding for number of programs.  To whit:

From SPS: Yesterday, some staff members were unable to log into the SchoolFusion websites. We believe this issue has been resolved and all staff should be able to log in. If not, please let us know.  Today due to some remaining export/import issues students may be having trouble logging in. We are working on this issue with our vendor and expect to have it resolved by tomorrow.

I noticed that the Tuesday Open Thread is chock-full of concerns and complaints.  Most are around the pending SBAC testing but others are more basic.  So, as a public service, I'm going to open this thread up for more of those.  And, in a couple of days, I will forward it to the Board.  It would be helpful if you at least identify your region (possibly school?) so that Directors get an idea who's writing in. I'll start.

Scratch art by Ava Code-Williams Two SPS students were named Regional Award winners at the Regional High School Art Show that is sponsored by the Puget Sound Educational Service District.  Those students are Ava Code-Williams from Garfield and Huo Xian Wu from Franklin.   I love Code-Williams' haunting "You have your mother's eyes."  In a battle of the titans, the state boys basketball title went to Garfield who beat Rainier Beach High School, 64-51 last weekend.  Congrats to Garfield and a good effort by all.  (RBHS had beat Garfield for the Metro title but Garfield turned the tables on them in the state finals.) SPS was also awarded a 2014 Gold Star by Governor Inslee for getting students signed up for the College Bound Scholarship program.  SPS signed up 100% of eligible 8th graders.  Yesterday was the Curriculum and Instruction Committee meeting.   I wasn't able to go but I know that Director Peters was going to try to get the SBAC issue on the ag

In a recent thread about the culture of lawlessness, I wrote a comment that said, in part: "In the end, though, it will still come down to someone in the District leadership insisting on compliance with the law, regulations, policy, and the District's stated values. All it takes is one person." But what would it really take to foster a culture of compliance to replace the culture of lawlessness? Could just one Board member do anything? Would it require a Board majority? What would they have to do?

From Politico, a great number of stories.  The first being that the SXSWedu is going on this week:  Education entrepreneurs from across the globe are flocking to Austin this week for SXSWedu. They’ll unveil the latest in education software and talk about how to innovate and disrupt their way toward better teaching and learning. And, of course, they’ll network. The conference is always known for showcasing new ed tech products, but this year, there’s another emerging theme: student data privacy . There are absolutely a large number of student data privacy events as well as Special Ed (I didn't see any on ELL) and computer science.   And look who has "lounges" at this event: McGraw-Hill, Microsoft, Pearson and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.   (Apparently, there is also a "playground" and it actually looks like it's for kids. )

 From the Seattle Opt Out Group: Seattle Opt Out Group's next meeting, with two dynamic speakers, Jesse Hagopian and Fred Hamel. We will discuss high stakes testing, what is happening in Seattle, how to refuse the tests (and why), and much more. Everyone is welcome! March 12 (Thursday) Southwest Library 6pm-7:45pm event info (and more) our Facebook page

As was reported and discussed, Seattle Public Schools recently settled a sexual harassment suit for $249,999. This situation provides a number of examples of the District's dysfunctional culture of lawlessness. Shall we count them? The staff attempted to keep the settlement from the Board. The staff attempted to keep the settlement from the public. Rather than being held accountable for the failure at the heart of this litigation, the principal in the case was promoted - twice. No one has been or ever will be held accountable for this failure. No one has been or ever will be held accountable for trying to cover up the failure. No one has been or ever will be held accountable for trying to keep the settlement from the board or the public. This settlement will not lead to any improvements or changes in the way the District handles these sorts of complaints. No lessons were learned. The District enacted a crisis response plan for exactly this sort of public relations disaste

As you all may be aware, both sides of Congress are struggling to rewrite NCLB (formally known as ESEA).  It appears that AFT (American Federation of Teachers) is pushing hard with Senator Patty Murray to put in a clause about the right of parents to opt out of standardized testing.   PLEASE give her office a call to let her know you support this inclusion to the revision of the law.  Email   or phone, 866-481-9186 or in Seattle 553-5545 Sample statement: "I wanted to let the Senator know that I support a clause in any revision to NCLB that would include parents' ability to opt their child out of high-stakes testing." From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel comes news that the Walton Foundation , which has made huge "investments" into Milwaukee's public education system, is pulling out.  (Thank you to reader, Dan.)  This article seems to be an op-ed by a professor of law and public policy at Marquette University :aw School, Alan J. Borsuk.  He is not h

Sent March 5 Dear Principal Hudson and the Nathan Hale Senate: We, the undersigned teachers of Schmitz Park, join with the Nathan Hale Senate in its concerns over the validity, reliability, and equity of SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) including the questionable cut score strategy.  Like the Nathan Hale Senate, we are also concerned with the loss of instructional time devoted to this questionable test.  We stand with you in asserting a commitment to a judicious use of valid, reliable, and equitable assessments.  We urge parents to inform themselves about the tests their children are taking and the validity of those tests. Thank you for putting students first. Sincerely, (signed by the majority of teachers at Schmitz Park)

From the ever-clever, Arch Stanton:

From the UW Computer Science and Engineering Department : Want to control computers? Like to impress your friends with new skills? Curious about computing ? Our summer camps introduce middle and high school students to computer science through programming projects, magic tricks and faculty presentations.  Registration will be opening March 9th and closing 11:59pm on March 16th. The application will ask for the student's T-shirt size and a couple short written answers from the student. Students who register during this period will hear back by March 23rd at the latest. Read FAQs about our upcoming camps. They also include a huge list of other camps/programs with similar themes.  

It's hard to say what is going on but Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos appears to be taking a sharp turn to the ed reform side.  The newest evidence comes from the Seattle Education blog: Washington State Representative Santos was a primary sponsor for yet another nonsensical bill, House Bill 1121.  From the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) Watch List ,  is the following description of the bill: Directs  the partnership to work with OSPI to  integrate financial ed into common core and career and college standards. Directs districts to offer a course students can take at school or home (meaning online) . Districts are encouraged to grant credit. Allows the partnership to seek federal and private funds (guess who from).

I am tired and so frustrated over this issue but here we go again. Seattle Schools is paying out $249,999 (to avoid hitting $250k which would have triggered School Board approval) to a former student at Eckstein who says a computer teacher sexually abused her verbally and physically.   This was about the time one of my sons was there and I am appalled and saddened because I thought the teacher was a good one.  Maybe he was a good teacher but this settlement seems to say otherwise. I have no idea if the Board knew this was coming. From the Times :

The district sent out this robocall today about SBAC assessments.  They pack a lot into a short bit. (Yes, they probably used the word "assessments" probably because "testing" has a bad ring to it.) They also say " the state requires assessments ..." when REALLY what they should say is that "the state requires the DISTRICT to give assessments"- not that all students have to take them.  But maybe that's more information than the district wants parents to know.

FYI, several of the Seattle legislative Reps/Senators are having town halls soon.  Might be a good idea to drop in and give them a cheerful earful about Common Core and testing.  (And oh, by the way, how's McCleary going?) March 14th   36th district 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Phinney Neighborhood Association, Community Room in the lower brick building at 6615 Dayton Ave. North. 37th district from 9-11am at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S Alaska St  (this is home to Eric Pettigrew and Sharon Tomiko Santos who want to split the district; couldn't hurt to give them some input on this ridiculous idea) 43rd district 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.at Erickson Theater, Seattle Central College, 1524 Harvard Avenue

This just in - it's all about the Benjamins.  At least, it was to Governor Chris Christie about Common Core. In an interview at CPAC with conservative show host Laura Ingraham, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) acknowledged why many governors likely adopted the unproven Common Core standards were dangled before them by the Obama administration: He signed onto them because his state needed the federal funds that would come in exchange for adopting the unpopular education reform.

We've had quite the exhaustive discussion around SBAC testing and it hasn't even started. Here's one teacher's take on what should be assessed : * An assessment of children's nutrition before they come to school. * An assessment of how many times children have been read aloud to before they entered kindergarten. * An assessment on student attendance and student homework. * An assessment on children's financial stability at home. * An assessment of children's abilities to sleep each night in a loving home. * An assessment to gather data on the damage that is done to schools by politicians, CEOs and companies that lobby and manipulate schools into spending millions of dollars on products that are unnecessary, redundant and embarrassing. What do some Republican lawmakers in Minnesota want to do?  Break up Minneapolis School District...into six districts

A lot of this uproar is about technology, I'll admit that.  But it further confirms that schools and districts are - not - ready.  I have no idea is SPS is truly ready. It's funny because at last night's Board meeting, Director McLaren asked what kind of message it would send to kids to entertain discussion about SBAC.  (She also said kids would be "proud" to have taken the test.  Are kids supposed to feel proud of getting thru a slogfest of a test?) But if I were a kid, siting and waiting and sitting and waiting, I think my range of emotions probably would not add a lot to the actual taking of the test.  If I were a teacher, I would feel a lot of frustration and some despair for my students.  And, as a parent, I would just not take any test result seriously. Maybe SBAC will do better than PARCC.   So let's see what's happening around the nation.  (all bold mine)

 Update:  I heard from one staff person who challenges some of the statements by Nyland: Nyland:  This year, the state is replacing the MSP/HSPE assessments with a new assessment called Smarter Balanced, which is aligned to our new College and Career Readiness Standards (Common Core). Staffer: The Smarter Balanced Assessments are NOT replacements for the MSP/HSPE. The HSPE was only required once in High School, at the 10th grade, and only in literacy. The Smarter Balanced Assessments are for more subjects and in more grades. The claim that the Smarter Balanced Assessments are a replacement is ill-informed at best and an intentional deception at worst.  Nyland: A s a tool for educators, Smarter Balanced Assessments are an improvement.  They are designed to better measure student growth from year to year.  They are adaptive to students' skill level and will adjust questions (easier/harder) based upon previous answers, an approach that does a better job of assessin