Friday Open Thread
Break out those crayons/colored pencils/markers this weekend and work on your Color of Money McCleary coloring sheet. It's a great way to get the attention of legislators (see previous thread for sheet.)
Want to give input on what happens to the Roosevelt Reservoir (just down the street from Roosevelt High)? There's a survey out about that. Some of us in the neighborhood think best use might be a new elementary school while others think playfields would serve more people and there's even one person who wants a ice skating rink.
Yet another petition - via NEA - on high stakes testing - if that's your concern, sign it.
Hey parent! Put that pencil down and let your kid do their own Common Core math. I'm not sure whether to laugh or be dismayed by this article.
Free showing of the documentary on public education, Beyond Measure, with Q&A with director/producer Vicki Abeles next Thursday the 28th at Garfield High from 6:30-9:00 pm.
What are the hot jobs right now in the U.S.? Here's what Glassdoor says are the top 25.
Want to give input on what happens to the Roosevelt Reservoir (just down the street from Roosevelt High)? There's a survey out about that. Some of us in the neighborhood think best use might be a new elementary school while others think playfields would serve more people and there's even one person who wants a ice skating rink.
Yet another petition - via NEA - on high stakes testing - if that's your concern, sign it.
Hey parent! Put that pencil down and let your kid do their own Common Core math. I'm not sure whether to laugh or be dismayed by this article.
Free showing of the documentary on public education, Beyond Measure, with Q&A with director/producer Vicki Abeles next Thursday the 28th at Garfield High from 6:30-9:00 pm.
What are the hot jobs right now in the U.S.? Here's what Glassdoor says are the top 25.
A new ranking by the careers web site put data scientists -- people with a background in computer science, statistics and math who can help companies analyze the mountains of data available now -- at the top of its second annual list of the "25 Best Jobs in America.Good - no, GREAT news - for those striving to earn the GED. From UPI:
The GED Testing Service, responsible for administering high school equivalency exams, is lowering the passing score for the test after researchers found students who passed the test were performing better in college than high school graduates.What's on your mind?
The drop could allow thousands of people who previously failed the GED test to receive a diploma retroactively. Researchers found a large number of GED students had better academic success than those who received a traditional diploma. The passing score will be lowered from 150 to 145.
The company will recommend some 25,000 test takers who scored between 145 and 149 since 2014 be eligible to receive their GED.
Comments
concerned mom
http://www.seattleschools.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=15690
I was wondering if anyone at whatever meeting that was pushed back on that stat. I am also wondering if there's a way to do a mass survey of teachers to find out what percentage of educational time is being eaten up by assessments.
I was thinking the same thing that 2% was too low. I did some digging. I think the test time... is about 2%. but that doesn't included: the total disruption to the school day, the breaks between test sections, the test instruction time, the loss of access to computer lab/library or other resources at the school during testing. I believe I read that the Garfield Library was closed for library use for 3 weeks for each testing cycle. I have NOT verified that, but it's a disruption to learning time whether it's closed for a day or three weeks.
I recall my son's 4 hours of tests, wipes out all teaching for two days. Be careful what you measure....
Wondering about alternatives to standardized testing? Join Seattle Opt out for a FREE film screening of Beyond Measure! This new documentary features Garfield High School staff and their work with the New York Performance Standards Consortium schools who have received a state waiver from all testing, and have had great outcomes serving the general public ed population. You can learn more about the film and view a trailer here http://beyondmeasurefilm.com/
Share the event on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/490275397848644/
Opt Out
I'm thinking the same thing and BTW I was there. Maybe he will come around?
Phillis Pinehurst
-HS Parent
Anyone know what time they should be at Cascadia?
Watch for Rick Burke and the other progressive directors to push for better math. He was in the Where’s The Math? group that promoted fundamentally sound math curricula.
I sure hope they can make some headway now.
S parent
My daughter took the wasl, and because she didnt give a detailed description of how she worked the problem, she was marked way down even when her answer was correct.
Despite having an IEP and dyslexia/ Aspergers.
Even if you have the math background, to reteach everything they are learning in class, why are parents put in that position?
Really widens the learning gap in classrooms when parents with at least a high school diploma can't begin to help their elementary child in mathematics.
Carla Santorno placed Everyday Math books into every elementary school and Maria Goodloe-Johnson followed with Discovering textbooks in upper grades, even though the WA State Board of Education called them mathematically unsound.
We recently had better textbooks, Math in Focus, selected for elementary schools. Unfortunately, a couple of administrators at SPS are weakening that curriculum with something called Scope and Sequence in order to align better to Common Core testing. Leave it to a couple of people to make it up as they go along.
Parents have argued for years for better math (I am one of them). It is very hard to fight the administrators and some teachers who love the story problems. The Board really has to show leadership here.
S parent
Our kids deserve better than remedial math classes in college.
S parent
Having said that, at my school my grade level has moved to the district's scope and sequence which does emphasize "explaining your thinking." Even I get confused occasionally in figuring the "steps" to some rather simple math. It gets weird.
Finally, a scope and sequence is just a frame for what you teach and when. Every purchased curriculum has one. It isn't a program. Along with the scope and sequence, the district has actually realigned much of the teaching and added back in all the time-consuming "explain your thinking" teaching. We could move much faster if in fact our kids were just doing the math without all the conceptual stuff. In some ways, we are asking young kids to think in abstractions they aren't really ready for. But some teachers think it is absolutely necessary. I'm not expert enough to know which is better. But it does kind of put MIF and the district's plan in conflict. At least for me. I finally put the MIF book away because I just couldn't merge the two.
One more thing: I absolutely depend on my parents to help teach. If you want your kids to do well, help them. Dislike me all you like because you think I should be the one who makes them all successful, but teach them because you love them and want them to be successful in spite of me. I cannot remember a time when my parents didn't help me at home. And math really was just numbers in those days. It was called arithmetic and it was very basic all the way through elementary. A lot has changed.
In the real world, getting the right answer quickly is important. Employers complain that workers do not have math skills. College professors talk about freshman that arrive at college unprepared to do simple math.
Many parents are not helping their children at night with math. It should not fall on parents or expensive outside tutors to teach children.
It is up to SPS to teach math as effectively as possible so students gain fundamental skills. Conceptual math is a waste of time.
S parent
In contrast, I can't remember my parents helping beyond making sure we did our homework. Math was rather straightforward (and yes, there were story problems, too) and nothing like the EDM and CMP we had to supplement, then supplant, with our own children. The poor SPS choices in math curriculum, and the seeming love for discovery style math, forced us to get involved in our children's school work. In hindsight, it would have been best if we never helped with the assigned homework, but simply ignored it and spent that time learning solid math. We eventually took that path, and our children now have a strong math foundation, with little credit to SPS.
mathy parent
https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/314736
Dongying Li, a University of Illinois doctoral student in landscape architecture, and William Sullivan, head of Illinois’ landscape architecture department, found that classrooms providing a view of green space significantly improve high school students’ performance. Their findings are being published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning.
-HS Parent
Yes. And I'd add that it's completely unfair to parents to assume that those who don't work on math with their kids at home don't love them or want them to succeed, as "n" implied (1/24, 5:44am comment).
Loving Parent
But really, parents should only need to help make sure it gets done.
Many features seem familiar. Full day kindergarten not offered in all communities. Charter schools more a priority in the State House.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/01/23/milton-preschool-illustrates-haphazard-state-funding/oJtqDHfUscbRJGGvTL2ExJ/story.html
Jonathan
wow - no. I think people want teachers to do enough. To explain enough that a kid has a fighting chance of understanding homework whether or not their parents are capable/available. Enough so that they have a fighting chance of staying up with kids whose parents CAN afford tutoring, or who understand math enough to assist with homework, or are even home to help with homework in the first place.
I come from a family of teachers. None of them would expect parents to be doing their job of adequately teaching students ENOUGH to be able to accomplish homework. That's just a very very unrealistic view of the world. HS parent makes some excellent points as to why.
reader47
It was maddening to me to see former state superintendent Terry Bergeson pour millions into teacher training for WASL prep. No help for students or parents in this waste of money. Then we spent more millions for inadequate math textbooks. When we finally got something good (Math in Focus) the administrators started meddling with it. Now many schools do their own math materials because there is so much confusion.
I remember asking Rick Burke years ago why SPS didn’t ask the colleges what students were lacking in math. He agreed that was a good question.
Now that he is a board director perhaps we will get some answers and, hopefully, better math in Seattle schools.
S parent
HP
We used outside math tutors for our boys in middle and high school but it still wasn’t a substitute for a solid math curricula.
S parent
Mathy Parent
I would be interested in seeing the numbers on this -- my "sense" (and it is nothing more) is that the GED is taken far more often by kids who dropped out due to academic or behavioral issues, or home related problems (poverty, illness, other instability) than not. A few years back -- when I was home schooling and looking at its issues, the general consensus for home schoolers was to AVOID the GED (it was not given equal weight with high school diplomas by the military, was not as accepted by many colleges, the colleges their kids were interested did not require it, etc.) in favor of home based programs that actually granted a diploma -- or (in Washington) going directly in to Running Start and avoiding the entire issue. In fact, during the time I was involved, I did not know a single home schooled child who attempted to go the GED route. Also, while there are no doubt a number of very bright kids who leave high school because they cannot stand the pace or inanity (or the rules) or whatever, -- and some of them DO take the GED, logic would suggest that there are many more who have other issues that make it unlikely that they would "outperform their peers" who were educated in regular high schools.