Considering HCC

To better shape the discussion, here are a couple of documents you might have missed:


Results from the Advanced Learning Survey from ThoughtExchange (I note that there is no mention of Spectrum which is odd considering the district still advertises it like it exists.)

Overview questions:

1.What are the most important things for us to understand as we consider changes to our high school advanced learning services?
2.What are some things we could put in place to increase high school advanced learning opportunities for more students?
3.What questions do you have about these possible changes?

The top 20 thoughts from each school were examined, and thoughts with an average star count of 4.0 and above were themed.

Question 1

• Equal Access  “AP should be available to all students, not just those in the ‘AP/HCC track’.”
• Availability of Advanced Education  “HS students need access to a diversity of challenging classes, including a variety of AP offerings. For HCC pathway students who have experienced years of acceleration, and in order to grow they need to be challenged in HS, which requires depth of AP”
• Support Advanced Learners  “That you continue to place a priority on meeting the educational needs of advance learners at high school. At times, advanced learning is considered by some to be an "extra." It is about providing an appropriate education for all students.”

 Question 2

• Equal Access “Let all students know all students can take advantage of advanced learning if they want to be in those classes and have a good work ethic. All students should have access to advanced learning” 
• Availability of Advanced Education“More AP Classes at more schools. More accessibility to classes will increase learning opportunities”
• Eligibility Testing  “The district should implement universal screening for advanced learning The standard process for identifying gifted students, based on referrals of parents & teachers, misses many qualified students” 

Question 3

•  Information and input  “How will we hear what concrete options are being considered? It would be very helpful if parents were provided with concrete pathway options that are the "finalists," once things are narrowed down” 
• Timeline and planning  “What would be the rollout plan for moving students to Lincoln? Families are clearly concerned about the change to their student's school assignment” 
• Grandfather policy  “Will current Garfield High School students be grandfathered? Changing schools well into high school careers is a lot to ask, particularly as many advanced learning students have been through several splits/moves” 
•  

If you look at page 22 of the document, where parents of color were asked questions, I find some answers striking.

Spanish - Each region should have at least one school with the HC program. One elementary, middle and one high school per region.

Vietnamese - Build an additional HC HS school

Chinese - Not enough seats at Garfield

BUT
Across all groups - Every school should offer advanced learning programs

And that is supposed to be happening via ALO.  Is it? No.  Why not?  I don't know but clearly, not a priority at JSCEE.

Also, I find the long list on page 24, from Chinese families, to be interesting and telling. "More discipline, more homework."

Another telling point is how, across the groups, they complain about not getting information at school.  What is the disconnect between the decisions made at Central versus when/what parents learn about it?  What is the school's role in getting information about opportunities out?

I find a pattern here of people with children not in the program seeming to think that the only place to get rigor is in an AL-type class and that if you only have more at more high schools, that solves everything.

"All students should have access to advanced learning” 

But, at the high school level, they do.  And whose fault is it that more parents and students, especially those of color, don't know this?  It's the district's.  It's the principals'.  That's their job.

The other document I received has some of the same but some entirely different comments from parents. 

Merely offering some AP courses at one HS does not equate to dedicated Advanced
Learning Services (ALS) offered at another HS. Just because a high school offers AP courses
does not mean our students will receive the same high quality of education as at a HS with
dedicated ALS.

Advanced Learning opportunities should be available at every high school, in the school
itself (not just Running Start).


For HCC pathway students who have experienced years of acceleration, and in order to grow
they need to be challenged in HS, which requires depth of AP.


With the 24 credit requirement it is important that there are in depth, meaningful, rigorous
classes available for students throughout high school.

HCC's magnet school approach provides a free public option and critical mass for a large
group of high-achieving, motivated kids

Accommodate academically bright students and offer AP and acceleration in all high
schools, while offering specialized instruction at some.

Make more opportunities available to all and specialized opportunities (arts, woodworking,
welding, sports, STEM) for some to reduce HCC frenzy

More advanced course offerings, particularly in science. Most neighborhood schools do not
offer four years of science courses for HCC students.

Kids improve at different times. When you actively look for more high-achieving kids, you
will find more.

Some capable students may not have the parental support and involvement - teacher support
can ensure they receive AL testing and opportunities.

And multiple comments that testing should be done on all students in 1st grade.  I agree.

What will it take to get more kids in the rigor door (given that in high school there is no testing for HC)?  I suspect it will take more teachers/counselors spotting bright kids and trying to get them (or their parents) to sign them up for higher level classes.  That takes more support services to get that done.  Plus the costs of opening new AP courses at some schools even for a small class.   

The district MUST understand that putting HC students at their regional schools means MORE AP classes.  That costs money.  They cannot run away from that.  That Budget's JoLynn Berge was pushing back on more teachers at Lincoln tells me that they don't want to face this fact.

Surface change for a PR reason won't make academic outcomes better for anyone.  It has to be backed up with action.  I wish every single Board member would say those two sentences out loud  to staff and mean them. 

What will they do if that does not happen in a timely manner?