Tuesday Open Thread
The 17th anniversary of 9/11; a sad and terrible day for our nation. Here's some thoughtful words from one conservative I do listen to, Rick Hess:
Great article from the Spokesman Review about McCleary spending and the mess the Legislature has created.
The horror of September 11 brought with it a period of quietude and reflection. Seventeen years later, I find myself wondering sometimes how it is that the forces of craziness, mudslinging, and oversimplification, on the right and the left, seem to have run roughshod over our better angels. And I can't help but think that those of us in and around the nation's schools shoulder a solemn responsibility in assisting to light a better path. We should recall that every day, but especially amidst the craziness enveloping this somber anniversary.This Mississippi teenager won the title of Homecoming Queen AND kicked the winning point for her football team.
Great article from the Spokesman Review about McCleary spending and the mess the Legislature has created.
The irony isn’t lost on the state’s school districts, teachers and the public they serve: that the $2 billion windfall created by the landmark McCleary court decision has reaped a whirlwind of contention, a chaotic summer of salary negotiations and an uncertain future for everyone.Superintendent Juneau is journaling her work (complete with what she admits is a corny joke). She has a community meeting tonight at Seattle Library's Broadview branch from 5-6:30 pm.
“If no changes are made, the ZIP code of students will end up determining the quality of their education. That is just plain wrong and was never the intent of the McCleary case,” Kowalkowski said.
Redinger also suggested the possibility of statewide collective bargaining.
“Benefits negotiations are already moving to that model,” Redinger said. “Local districts could still bargain over some things.”
Of interest:
‘Born This Way Presents: Deaf Out Loud’ documentary
When to watch: Wednesday at 8 p.m., on A&E.
What's on your mind?
‘Born This Way Presents: Deaf Out Loud’ documentary
When to watch: Wednesday at 8 p.m., on A&E.
What's on your mind?
Comments
Parent
Parent
Auto-response from the Super, no response from Zachary, Ombudsman responded that she reached out to Mr Howard who then later responded, "As we continue to work with the SSD to find a qualified candidate. We have interviews today. One for Japanese’s and another for French."
Here is what was posted last week....
Welcome back and I hope you all had a good summer. Garfield was trying to hire part-time French and part-time Japanese teacher; we worked with our HR department to find qualified candidates. Thus far we have not found a qualified candidate that we would feel confident to put in front of your sons/daughters. We will not be offering 1st year French or 1st year Japanese next year at Garfield because we were unable to fill the positions after extensive searches. We explored many options with sharing teachers, ESL candidates, and translators just to name a few.
In an attempt to find a qualified language teacher for a hard to fill part-time position, in August we began looking for a 0.8 Spanish teacher so that we could still provide students with a 1st year language class for the 2018-19 academic year. We will be interviewing for this Spanish teacher position this week, and will work with HR to get it filled as soon as possible. Although we realize that Spanish was not the first choice of students who signed up for 1st year Japanese and French, we wanted to offer these 1st year Spanish classes as a great alternative. Thus, the two sections of 1st year French and the two sections of 1st year Japanese have been made into 1st year Spanish classes. These 1st year Spanish classes will be offered periods 1-4 during the same times that 1st year Japanese and 1st year French were to be offered.
We realize that this situation is less than ideal for students excited to take 1st year French and 1st year Japanese. Please know that if you are willing to wait a year, 1st year French and 1st year Japanese will once again be offered in the 2019-20 school year. For students already enrolled in 2nd, 3rd, and AP Japanese and French, there will be no change to your schedule.
Have a good start of the school year!
Also, you need to hire someone who is a US citizen or who has a green card. Many otherwise qualified teachers of world languages can't teach here because of immigration rules and slow-moving certification requirements for people holding foreign teaching credentials.
Teaching world languages should not and cannot be part of the "gig economy." We need to rethink qualifications and hiring for this whole area.
Richard
Typical
Hello??
have only ONE language option, Spanish, NO Jazz program, and only two levels of band and orchestra?
When we were there a few years ago, the two levels of orchestra were taught at the same time.
Sounds like HMS has it pretty darn good.
HMS has music and language equal to or exceeding most high schools!
HCC doesn't mean the kids get extra goodies.
Castor
And Eckstein offers Guitar, Beginning Orchestra, Junior Orchestra, Intermediate Orchestra, Senior Orchestra, Beginning Band, Junior Concert Band, Intermediate Band, Intermediate Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, Senior Jazz and Combos.
This debate has nothing to do with HCC.
Right!
Flummoxed
@right, I don't think it's limited to WMS or the south end. Schools who hand out schedules on the first day generally have a week with students missing or changing classes as it all gets sorted out. Some schools mail schedules a week early to remedy schedule conflicts BEFORE classes start.
And quit with the north/south divisiveness. Yes, the situation at WMS sounds especially horrific this year, but students in north end schools get placed in large classes as well. Sometimes that's the only way to get the schedule to work (42 is the highest I remember). A large class might be better than no class. You should thank the teachers willing to make such an accommodation for students. They have to agree to the load.
reality
No surprise.
https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/seattle-teachers-to-return-to-classrooms-wondering-if-they-got-a-good-deal/
Competition for teaching positions is affected not just by housing cost, but by geographic desirability, and the socio-economics of the students. The state has to pay a bonus for rural and remote undesirable areas. The state has to pay a premium for teachers in low socio-economic districts and schools, if there is to be an equitable distribution of teaching talent.
-NNNCr
It begins sept 25th.
It’s kinda ridiculous they can’t get this sorted before the school year started.
Leave it to HCC parents to feel that special entitlement classes starting at the starting bell on day 1 and exclusive rights to expensive array of language classes and orchestral offerings. Teachers are paid for just a few days prior to school start to prepare. Leave it to them to complain and compare their lot in life to HCC parents somewhere else, possibly a tiny bit more exclusive, rather than comparing their kid’s offerings to their actual southend neighbors and classmates. My kids QA school - didn’t even do “baseline assessments” until November. I was “gobsmacked” by that. I guess it’s only a big deal when it’s HCC.
Gob
1. What are "special entitlement classes"? I don't remember seeing those on the course selection sheet, but you've piqued my curiosity.
2. What do you mean by "exclusive rights" to classes, since language and music classes are not restricted to HCC students--and non-HCC students were apparently enrolled before the classes were canceled?
3. If HCC students are in a district program that is supposed to provide certain classes at an appropriately accelerated level, why does it make sense to compare offerings to students not in that program as opposed to other students in that program? The state requires accelerated learning for HC-identified students, and that should apply to all HC students, not just those at some schools.
4. Is your QA school an elementary? Often assessments happen later at that age range. By the time students get to middle school, you don't need to do those "baseline assessments" because their class level is usually pretty obvious--it's the next level in the sequence.
gobble
I sent Zachary DeWolfe and Sherry Harris an email about the Garfield french issue and have heard nothing in response.
“HCC doesn’t mean kids get extra goodies.”
Extra goodies include multiple and varied electives including multiple foreign language beyond anything the state requires, multiple and varied music offerings (while others get nothing). Have you people ever heard of equity? These things are not needs. The district isn’t obligated to provide them. The fact that HCC students enroll in some sort of outside sport, likely a pricey one, isn’t an entitlement to bennies at the school which come at the expense of everyone else in the building. Let me guess, we’ll next trot out the good old “equal is not equitable” meme, where HCC is always entitled to a whole lot more “equal” because it’s equitable. Other people aren’t buying it.
And gobble, thanks for your concern about my well being. I’m having a great day. Funny that the slightest observation, especially on equity, widely shared, believed by staff, results in “bad day” assumptions.
Gob
Seriously GFYS
And what about those Black & brown students who were enrolled in music & foreign language classes at WMS!!!?
I guess if you live near Eckstein or Eaglestaff or actually any other middle you will have better opportunities.
Instead of figuring out how to increase participation this principal just cut it all. How is that equity? I applaud the WMS parents and others who will be advocating for what should be basic education in middle school.
I went to school on the East coast and all students took multiple years of foreign language, as well as music AND art, AND PE & health!!! I think maybe you are assuming lower standards for basic education.
KL
It's also unfair to make big statements and then someone asks you clarifying questions and you ignore them.
You clearly believe something big and expansive is happening for HCC and yet you offer opinion, not proof.
HCC students don’t get “extra” electives. In a 6-period day, students typically take 4 core classes (LA, SS, math, and science), then PE/health and an elective like art, music, or a foreign language. Some HCC students, and some non-HCC students may request PE waivers based on outside sports (which can be rec level, don’t need to be select) or school-based sports (such as school team or after school club). Students granted such waivers can take two electives instead of one, or may be granted a late start or early release (which can help if they have jobs or family childcare duties). HCC students do not get extra electives, no matter how many times you say it.
Oh, and you’re right—equal is not equitable. That’s why we have another word for it. In fact, equitable usually means providing something different to one group, like free lunch to students who need it; special ed to students with disabilities; transportation to students forced to travel long distances, etc. I’m not sure what your point was exactly, but it’s true that equal is not always equitable.
Gobble
There wasn't a turnaround at her old school. The opposite occurred.
In fact, the school, George Washington High, maintained it's "D" rating during her post, '14/15 and'15/16, and experienced a huge increase in absences perhaps due to the violence and racial tension detailed in the attached articles.
While the number of suspensions at the school decreased by more than half, the number of students with more than 10 days unexcused absences increased, incredibly, from 10 the year before she started to 426 her first year and 336 her second year.
From the Chalkbeat article "Hispanics flee as fights, racial tension rile George Washington High School" published June 2015:
“The students basically took over the school,” Campos said. “There’s fights almost every day. You don’t know if somebody is going to come up and hit you for no reason.”
"Students, staff and community groups in and around the school are demanding change, arguing George Washington has spun out of control this year."
“The Latino students are feeling very much oppressed,” said Monica Medina, an IUPUI professor who works in George Washington training future teachers. “We’ve created a school that in many ways represents a prison … similar to a criminal experience because of the punitive environment.”
But Superintendent Lewis Ferebee and other district officials don’t believe the situation is as bad as some say.
“Has there been fights? Probably so,” Ferebee said. “It happens at every high school. We’ve got a first-year principal and she’s building her network. It remains on our radar as one of the schools that is under state intervention and we have high expectations for student achievement.”
"Groups including the Indianapolis NAACP, Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, Indiana University School of Education, IUPUI and Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center say they have called on IPS administrators to help fix what they see as increasing problems at George Washington.
They want to see an action plan for improvement next year.
“When we believe the school community has fallen significantly short of the goal, we naturally take notice and demand collective attention be directed to rectify shortcomings,” according to a joint statement from those groups. “Unfortunately for many of us, this is such a time.”
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2015/06/02/hispanics-flee-as-fights-racial-tension-rile-george-washington-high-school/
https://fox59.com/2014/10/06/parents-students-protest-violence-at-indianapolis-high-school-during-fall-break/
https://fox59.com/2014/08/29/fight-breaks-out-in-high-school-class-caught-on-camera/
https://compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/apr.aspx?type=school&id=5644 (scroll to pg. 100, 2017 Annual Performance Report, George Washington High School, Indianapolis Public Schools)
Data
How do we support students identified as highly capable?
Highly Capable students are our largest program group. We support them through rigorous course offerings with high school classes in World Language, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Algebra, Geometry, and Advanced Algebra. HC students are tracked in language arts and social studies. In addition we offer rich HOST and music programs.
oopsie
We do not out people here. Cease and desist.
We do not go into people's personal lives (except if they directly affect district operations). Cease and desist.
Do not use this blog for your own gossipy and petty means.
Keep the discussion to facts, outcomes and effectiveness.
Apparently the problems at WMS sound fairly similar to chaos Butler left behind at her previous school:
"Butler said she was working around the clock — including scheduling multiple interviews on weekends — to get all the positions filled by the first day of school just two weeks from today.The same problem happened last year, after Butler was hired late in the summer. Students and parents complained of substitutes filling in for months until teachers were hired."
A Parent
Stunning.
While a person is never guilty by accusation alone, were these allegations in the article below, that mirror the previous articles I posted, investigated by the SPS hiring committee?
From the Indianapolis Recorder newspaper, Jan. 2015:
"Bluntly speaking, in my view, Washington High is out of control, dysfunctional; led by a rookie principal incapable of running a lemonade stand much less a school of some 500 students. The school’s leadership is so bad IPS headquarters had to assign additional administrators to help the principal regain control. And this strategy reportedly hasn’t worked.
Washington began the year with numerous teacher vacancies; many remain.
School enrollment has fallen since August. The educational environment is so toxic, the Class of 2015’s valedictorian transferred out.
And in violation of federal law, Special Ed teachers still teach regular classes.
Community stakeholders who’ve worked with Washington High the past few years were so alarmed at the deteriorating conditions they demanded a meeting with Dr. Ferebee. But neither he nor his top academic aide Dr. Wanda Legrand would meet with them. Instead, they delegated the meeting to a lesser administrator who’s only been at IPS eight months.
During the meeting, I’m told IPS admitted the school was out of control; even saying there’s no coherent system wide standard of discipline in place.
The school’s administrative controls have collapsed. Students don’t know if their grades and credits have been properly documented. Written class schedules are incomplete or non-existent."
http://www.indianapolisrecorder.com/opinion/article_61c555c8-a7d7-11e4-ac39-d31c221ea357.html
Data
NE Parent
FNH
DisAPPointed
Good afternoon Washington families!!
This is fun. While we're on the subject of policies, do note that "It is the policy and practice of this blog to delete unsigned anonymous comments." However! This very clear opening disclaimer is followed by an even more detailed account as to how one might indeed remark anonymously, which I see that many on this post string have chosen to do.
Are you proud?
My name is Sarah Butler Ginolfi and I am the wife of your new principal. My position is the one that led us to this city. I'm a young, lesbian priest in an institution that old men have dominated for centuries. We eat comments like these for breakfast, so keep 'em coming!
My wife doesn't need my on the defense as she's quite able to handle that on her own. My comment will very well be deleted or run through the mud just as my wife's name has since there's a very clear bias in these assertions. Especially the anonymous ones.
I supposed I'm bias too, though. After all, I did marry a firecracker who lives with a passion far greater than the likes of most people.
Nonetheless.
I own it.
With my name.
With love and prayers,
The Rev. Sarah Butler Ginolfi
-NOT biased
You can read her bio here.
http://www.stthomasmedina.org/who-we-are/our-staff/
-Caphill Parent
-Caphill Parent
Everything about this is a disaster. This is no way to run a school. It will be a test of Denise Juneau's leadership to see how this is handled.
Leschi parent
-district staff's attack on hcc - this did not happen in a bubble
-admins getting rid of self contained classes as laid out in the sup's policy
-disparity of services north and south of the ship canal- including world languages and language immersion
-al office's role in overseeing program integrity
-online courses for middle school students instead of classrooms
-disparaging emails about half your student body
-eliminating classes to broaden opportunity
-claiming that resources should only be used for "gifted" kids when other students are at grade level
-8 days and many schedules are not finalized
-principal promising to send out detail rational for wholesale changes that were never sent
-utter lack of transparency
-vetting process that leads to an admin with such well documented and troubled past
one person should not be able to unilaterally cause this much disruption. she therefor has the support downtown and with the ED. let's see if that holds true to the board and juneau. if not then the staff and the ED should be held accountable too.
no caps
Survivor
-sorry!
-Caphill Parent
my reaction: ouch. too bad, i had no idea.
no caps
I'm sorry to hear about your experience.
What part do you think restorative justice and the drive to to decrease suspensions plays in the situation at Meany?
I've read national articles where these two factors have led to out of control classrooms and both students and teachers afraid for their physical safety.
TA
There is a meeting coming up and as well, I am seeing some answers to questions put to the principal on different topics. I'm investigating some of her claims.
What I would advise is for everyone to take a deep breath. I am certain that the Board has heard a cheerful earful. The Board is having an Executive Committee meeting today and I may attend and try to get the ear of the Superintendent. As well, the Board, with the Superintendent, is having a retreat on Saturday. Go early and let them know your thoughts (the retreat itself already has an agenda and the public can listen but not speak). It's at JSCEE from 9 am to 12:30 pm.
I'll start a separate thread soon.
The situation is obviously not going to be work out at WMS, it's already gone too far and now you have the entitled words of the spouse telling everybody to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. Like this is going to the trenches.
In a normal District, with standards and leadership, these people would be gone by the lunchtime? A poster said this did not happen in a vacuum. I think the vacuum is professionanlism. There is a professionalism vacuum in Seattle Public Schools. Let's see if the new Supt thinks so, too. I think everybody else is just used to it. That's why none of this is going to blow back on Sarah Prichett, either. It never dones.
FWIW
Deep breath, people.
Ruthie
Ms Butler Ginolfi requested and received permission from the district to change the Algebra II class at WMS to an online class this year. Some of the 8th grade parents had a meeting with Ms. Butler Ginolfi. The result is the Algebra II class will be ok this year, however we don't know what will happen next school year.
WMS placed these kids in Algebra 1 as 6th graders with the promise there would be a math pathway for them. Like the 8th graders, these kids chose a school and math pathway with the expectation they would beable to take three years of rigorous, in-person math classes in the appropriate sequence.
Concerned
-Curious
DisAPP
I’m also curious about the level of uproar—or not—by parents at the school last year. Was there concern, outrage, etc., and to whom was it expressed? What were the responses? This could be a great example to share with the Board and Supt Juneau re: how things can spiral out of control, how things get addressed (or not), and what sort of additional policies, practices, and oversight might be needed as they consider the apparent mess at WMS. Maybe by looking at both schools the Board and JSCEE admin can better understand the problems they create and/or allow via their actions, and maybe once Supt Juneau clearly sees this she can take steps to clean things up. One can hope.
DisAPPointed
thanks fwiw it couldn't have been said better. i would echo that it is not happening without approval either, and perhaps even with direction from sarah prichett, wyeth jesse and michael tolley.
so if you can't get board approval to eliminate hs pathways you can make them irrelevant by getting rid of ms hcc. viola. no more need for advanced ap class schedule.
this is a real %^&* storm.
no caps
No. The closest would be from the WMS principal's first letter to the school where she said:
"When you view your child’s schedule next week, keep in mind that we are not only a public school, but also a small, public school. Washington lost over 500 students in the last year and a half, which was almost half of its general fund or baseline budget. Additionally, almost 20% of our budget comes from additional Levy and LAP funding, which is exclusively for serving our students living in poverty and not meeting grade-level standards. That is funding that has not always gone towards that purpose, but in making this year’s revised schedule, it was. Given our advanced learning programs, we are a middle school that not only needs to offer intervention courses for more than a third of our population that is not meeting grade-level standards, but we also have offered upper-level high school courses atypical for middle school including Algebra 2, Chemistry, and Biology, all without receiving additional funding for students identified as ‘gifted’. In middle schools, it is typical for all students to take a rotation of PE/health, music, visual art, and computer/technology. Choice at the middle school level is often limited to whether or not a student opts to be in band, choir, or the general music course. This is in part because middle school is all about breadth and exposure, while high school begins to be more about depth."
concerned
Additionally, it seems the principal renamed some courses from HCC to Honors. It was pointed out that if Honors at Washington means HCC that is confusing because Honors in high school does not mean HCC. Her reply was that HCC is part of Sped (it's not) and that it would be a FERPA violation to label the classes as such. That's not true (or thousands of schools are erroneously labeling classes). I asked some privacy advocates throughout the nation and here's what they said:
"I wonder how this principal explains the classifications of students at selective charters or magnet schools or how she explains how identifying special needs students is not a breach of FERPA. I don’t know her but she may be attempting to weaken your gifted program with this ploy."
"The FERPA argument is silly. A class designation does not personally identify a student. If we took the principal's argument seriously, it would mean that every high school is violating FERPA if it has a "calculus" class, thereby disclosing that a set of students are learning about calculus and others are not.
under NCLB/ESSA, the feds don't care that a kid who already exceeded standards can exceed them even more, which means that no one else down the pike has an incentive to support it either."
"I agree that this doesn’t violate FERPA unless the district publicly published a list of all the students in the class and even then probably not since it might be seen as directory info and and not stigmatizing; for the same reason, lists of kids on the honor roll displayed publicly are not considered violations of FERPA."
Not sure if the principal is misinformed or is trying to push the envelope but labeling a class as part of AL is not in violation of FERPA.
DisAPPointed
In order to comply with OSPI rules, a hicap student must have access to accelerated and appropriately leveled coursework. Otherwise, she is not receiving the basic education to which the student is entitled under both state law and the state constitution. It is as simple as that.
If hicap students are placed in courses with age peers, even if it is an honors class, it does not count as hicap coursework without acceleration, and it is not compliant with OSPI, state law, or the state constitution.
-Simone
thanks mw. ask yourself people why is the new principal able to do this? because tolley is telling her to through sarah prichett.
ferpa? what? so she is going to go against sup's policy because of her understanding of sped law.
this is war. they are truly trying to supersede the boards will. will the board deal with it? more importantly, where is stephen martin in all of this? tied up in a closet is the only thing i would say as to why he hasn't resigned or put out a statement.
i will say this goes back to those board stealing rubes that really worked hand in hand with tolley. devin bruckner and her merry fellows.
no caps
HCC provides significantly accelerated curriculum in reading, math, science and social studies based on student need. Services include student progression through pathways to specific school sites with adequate cohorts of Highly Capable students. This model provides students peer learning and social/emotional opportunities, teachers with suitable experience and/or professional development on the academic and social/emotional needs, appropriate curriculum, appropriately differentiated instruction, deeper learning opportunities and accelerated pacing.
sheesh
Simone,
I 'think' our paperwork with the state reflects depth and breadth and not accelerated as the last LA/SS curriculum was put together to insure newcomers to HCC would not skip years of material. Worked well before that but now that is what we have. I have been told that WMS is still using the HCC curriculum. What I am uncertain of is who is in those classes and are they still able to go through the curriculum at the same rate. Also, is there any truth to online Algebra II course work? I would greatly appreciate it if someone could shed some light on these two issues.
APP dad
Concerned
the district gets extra funds that cover identification and transportation. that is it. but the cohort model is the least expensive way to provide services with a district of seattle's size. the hcc saves time for every other program through lowering the amount lesson differentiation that would be necessary without it. imagine adding 2-4 grade level ability to every classroom. yikes right?
no caps
I miss Jon Halfaker.
Ruthie
I think you are right. I have not read the actual paperwork on file, and that is something I will try to do this week, as I suspect there are major disconnects between the paperwork as filed and what is happening in the schools.
Most HCC students are already accelerated in language arts and mathematics when they start middle school. In 6th grade, no HCC students start accelerated in science or social studies because the curriculum accelerates only from that point forward. HCC students are thus intended to start 9th grade prepared for more advanced coursework in all four core academic areas.
Calling something "honors" does not in and of itself make it an acceptable course within those sequences for hicap students. Naming things "honors" is a bit of a fad lately meant to smokescreen the dilution of hicap-appropriate course sequences. I'm extremely concerned that Washington MS may be trying to jump on that same fad, so it's incredibly important for parents to take a close look at the details and ask extremely pointed questions: courses are appropriate only if they fit into a hicap sequence and provide either depth/breadth or acceleration, or ideally both. If they do not, they are not appropriate for a hicap sequence and need to be revised to be in compliance.
-Simone
THIS. Absolutely. Nailed. It.
And now the FERPA drivel?
If the new WMS principal and Pritchett still have their jobs after this fiasco, consider it fair warning of the direction this district is heading and make future plans accordingly.
Data
Mad parent
Mad parent
NE teach
sounds like typical tfor bs. absolutely no nuance. and no more choice. oh but they all have pe, like that is therapy.
no caps
If taking 1 ELA class doesn't seem to be doing the trick, what makes the principal think that taking a double dose will help? Maybe the ELA classes themselves are "broken" and they need to figure out how to make them more effective for their population instead. On the off chance that the classes are great and they just need more of the same to see an impact, how much of that unlikely-but-theoretically-possible benefit would be offset by the sheer lack of joy--and sense of punishment--that are likely to come from such a mind-numbing schedule? And you know, kids--across the country--don't do that well in math, either. Maybe everyone needs twice as much math, whether our approach to math is working or not. And twice as much science. We also have an obesity epidemic, so maybe double PE while we're at it. Golly, there are just so many things to double up on...
If the ELA classes aren't effective, make them better! Why aren't kids meeting standards? Is the curriculum effective? Are the teachers effective? Are there sufficient materials? Are there technology problems? Are parents engaged and/or able to help? What have schools with similar populations been able to do to increase the percentage of students meeting standards? Are there evidence-based approaches they can try instead? Can they shorten core classes by a few minutes each and add in a short extra period that can be used for extra ELA instruction/support? Can they get parent volunteers to help provide before-or after- school ELA tutoring? Have they engaged with GE parents of kids who aren't meeting standards to see what THEY think should be done?
DisAPPointed
DisAPPointed
NE Teach
Well what about high school? HC kids are taking classes labeled honors that also have non honors students (combined classes) that are not accelerated. In most high schools for an honors option they are offering extra assignments or a more difficult grading schedule for kids taking a class as honors.
HS parent
HS parent, the answer to that is that HC doesn't exist in high school, it's just the cohort of kids.
"I miss Jon Halfaker."
Well, he's an ED now. Wonder what he thinks.
Reader
Reader
-Former WMS
HCC as a specific service doesn’t exist (with the possible exception of HCC-only classes at Ingraham, if still offered), but HC students, and the requirement to prove HC-appropriate services, still exist. Further, the requirement to provide appropriate HC services exists whether students attend an HCC pathway school or not—so whether they are there as part of an official cohort or not. Even if they are there via te pathway, classes are not cohorted.
I think HS parent’s question should be answered differently, nor in line with what Simone was getting at. Regardless of the fancy names some high schools like to slap on courses to make them sound like they are advanced, the actual law says that they are supposed to provide “access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction” which, for HC students, constitutes “access to a basic education.” Simply calling a class “honors” does not fulfill that if it isn’t actually advanced. Ironically, Garfield’s attempt to get around the legal problem associated with eliminating honors LA and SS for 9th grade HC students was further bungled by naming the new classes “Honors for All,” which is a dead giveaway that they aren’t accelerated as required, since acceleration implies that something is accelerated in relation to something else. Maybe if you had a really high performing school you could say that everyone was ready for the honors version and honors version was accelerated over what would typically be offered in GE, but it would be hard to make that case at Garfield. Someone should make them prove these classes—that are supposedly appropriate for all—are truly accelerated and truly provide the enhanced instruction required for HC students.
All types
http://discussapp.blogspot.com/
-Caphill Parent
Hoping that this will be the focus of tomorrow's meeting at WMS.
WTF2