Who Will Win?
Betcha thought I meant the school board races but no.
Primarily the question is will Superintendent Juneau win on her full-court press to break apart HCC. (And she played college basketball so I'll assume she's good at it.)
To that end she has a "who me?" impassioned op-ed at the Seattle Times about the need to change HCC.
You can read the whole thing but here's what my comment was at the Times:
Primarily the question is will Superintendent Juneau win on her full-court press to break apart HCC. (And she played college basketball so I'll assume she's good at it.)
To that end she has a "who me?" impassioned op-ed at the Seattle Times about the need to change HCC.
You can read the whole thing but here's what my comment was at the Times:
How handy that the Times had room for this timely op-ed. Clearly, the Superintendent has great passion on this topic. However, what she leaves out is telling.
Let's examine her thoughts:
"When student demographics in any educational service are disproportionate, we must examine our institutional structures to figure out why."She could have changed the testing mechanism last year and didn't. She could have directed staff to increase and try new kinds of community outreach. Speaker after speaker, people of color, at Board meetings have stated that they know nothing about the program. Who's job is that? Superintendent Juneau.
"For 17 months, an Advanced Learning Taskforce has been meeting to explore possible solutions to increase diverse representation. Three weeks ago, initial policy recommendations were presented to the School Board. Since then, there’s been confusion about the implications and misinformation about the recommended changes."Key word? Initial. The Task Force has not completed their work and yet the Superintendent is trying to push thru early recommendations. Why is that? There's no confusion - she needs to wait for the Task Force to finish their work.
"Under a new model, neighborhood schools would be equipped and supported to identify and serve most of our advanced and gifted students where the cultural context of students and their families is taken into account and honored."One, the district had allegedly been doing this for years in a system called Advanced Learning Opportunities (ALOs) that were supposed to be how each and every school provides for ANY student that wanted more rigor, including highly capable students. Guess what? Didn't happen.
Two, the Superintendent wants to roll this out next school year and where's the plan for this? Will all 100 schools have their own plan? Where is the professional development needed for teachers to teach across a wider spectrum of students? The resources? And, most of all, where is the budget for this work for each and every school?
"However, at every turn, I find that in Seattle, we struggle to live those championed values. I am unwilling to accept this."You know what parents and communities will not accept? Undermining process. Trying to ignore Board policies for oversight. NOT listening to ALL parents.
Juneau could do herself a favor and actually listen to parents and not try to shame them. They didn't set up this program; the district did. The state mandates services for identified highly capable students and if the Superintendent wants to do this in each school, then she needs a clear plan with resources and funding.
Comments
That's what this is: "Look what I can do!"
Stuart
"For better diversity and inclusion, the more oppressed your race or gender identity the greater the academic gift, and those with privileged identities need to have their opportunity controlled (for equity).
In this way High Cap will be for everyone."
I think that's it in a nutshell for Juneau but she wouldn't quite want to use those words.
"the greater the academic gift" - I'm unclear if this person means if a student comes from an oppressed minority, they will be smarter or if the "gift" is being in the program.
"...those with privileged identities need to have their opportunity controlled...for equity."
Read: check your privilege. But how would the district do that? And do it legally?
To do that, Juneau would have to say there are X amount of spaces per race? income? I don't know.
Juneau is not alone in her outrage over the demographics of SPS HC. Good for her to do something about it.
Finally
Or is it that the demographics do not reflect the broader city demographics, and we need equal allocation of seats in HC (e.g. quotas)?
We need deeper thinking about our outrage
DEEPER THINKING
Again, deeper thinking is needed as to our purpose for public education. Once we agree on its purpose, we can then decide where to allocate funds and what programs to support.
DEEPER THINKING
So that’s the new Juneau’s SPS motto: to ensure that all students are educated to the minimum. Well at least for the ones Juneau acknowledged, because if you are Asians, in this school district, you are now invisible!
This is what $1 Billion gets you in this school district. I like a refund please.
Wow! Not sure if it’s worth getting my kids up and ready for school if this is what SPS deep thinking gets you.
-voter
This is in addition to the segregation. You don't like Juneau quoting actual students who call Garfield Apartheid High or the Slave Ship? These are recent students. Moving it to where "optics" are better won't change the injustice.
Go Juneau!
Why? Because despite the "noise" (that is as much as she cares to comment about this blog and it bites, doesn't it?), somebody is finally to do something about the systemic racism in the school district. Like it or not, nobody else has done it before. Of curse there is going to be a whole lot of pushback. It comes with the territory.
Fed Up
In addition, Garfield is not cohorted. AP classes are opt in. Therefore, her criticism of Garfield could be analagous to Roosevelt versus any lower SES school. Some kids choose and are ready for AP while others do not, but taking away those options and watering down standards do nothing for equity. Shifting HC kids back to neighborhood high schools does nothing for equity either, if anything segregation will grow, that's why the pathway was placed at Garfield and not Roosevelt for example. I do suspect she will come after middle class schools next and limit AP offerings. The writing is on the wall.
Obvious
In fact Garfield had more than Lakeside not very long ago. The highest numbers STILL come from Ingraham and Garfield, two pathway schools. What are you arguing exactly? I have a student who tested top 1% (not in K, but in 5th), who would likely also still qualify for services under the proposed model. This does not mean my kid will become a NMSF, but they should still be supported in school with their programming. SPS does not offer anything special to these kids in regards to programming. My guess is other districts do. We are middle class, and do not come from generational educational or wealth privilege.
I think lower numbers likely demonstrate the lack of attention, lack of programming and severely crowded classrooms kids have had in recent years.
It is a disgrace that shows how SPS is actually failing all of its students, including those who are identified. You see something good in this? I did not see Juneau even acknowledge the SPS NMSF students, did you? That sends a CLEAR message. I am certain that Eastside districts highlight, are proud of, and support their NMSF students.
KL
"For instance, after San Francisco Unified de-tracked math, the proportion of students failing algebra fell from 40 percent to 8 percent and the proportion of students taking advanced classes rose to a third, the highest percentage in district history. Until 10th grade, students take the same mathematics classes. From 11th grade on, students can choose different pathways.
Eight Bay Area school districts found similar results when they de-tracked middle-school mathematics and provided professional development to teachers. In 2014, 63 percent of students were in advanced classes, whereas in 2015 only 12 percent were in advanced classes and everyone else was taking Math 8. The overall achievement of the students significantly increased after de-tracking. The cohort of students in eighth-grade mathematics in 2015 were 15 months ahead of the previous cohort of students who were mainly in advanced classes.'
--GigsUp
Her plan is a war on those who will not be able to afford private schools that will provide rigor. One class for all in a large district of 53,000 diverse students, is not an appropriate or realistic reality in SPS.
She will limit AP classes to a core with her line of thinking, it is obvious. Comparing not only to neighboring districts, but nationwide the ability to be prepared for and enter colleges will be limited.
It is already difficult for many general education students, including those from higher SES high schools, to enter competitive majors, UW and other colleges. She is really doing this region a magnet for a highly educated population a disservice. She will not be helping to prepare these kids for jobs in our region with this line of thinking. Higher paying STEM and tech jobs in our area are already filled by those who move here from elsewhere, many India and China.
Good For None
Who benefits from this? Some kids clearly get hurt, but I see no winners here.
Is this all just a symbolic gesture to burnish Juneau's social justice warrior credentials?
Stumped
"We have "special" social emotional needs".
Maybe the pro HCC crowd should read the book "how to make friends and influence people" before you open your collective mouth again.
Geeze
Juneau's goal is to create optics where the achievement gap between groups of kids is narrowed. This is being done by lowering the ceiling and taking away rigorous classes for all. It is a sham and many can see though it.
Good For None
AP and honors are "opt in" and differentiating. Walk to Math is flexible grouping and differentiating.
Good For None
--Mandatory draft
"1. I am of two minds on this issue.
My son is competing to be the valedictorian at his Seattle High School, but was completely dismissed by the Highly Capable Test in elementary school as “above average learner” only. His aptitude & habits have not changed.
But Ms. Juneau has all the restraint of a Maoist Cultural Revolutionary. I don’t see anything good coming from changes directed by her. I see her forcing the AP doors open and stealing seats for politically selected under-qualified children of color, actually deepening racial divides. That is what was done at Aviation High School. They created equality by ruining everyone’s educational experience."
and
"2. Notice the percentages don't include Asians? Could it be that including the percentage of Asians would negate the writer's argument?
"When student demographics in any educational service are disproportionate, we must examine our institutional structures to figure out why."
Have you thought about examining culture, income, and parental level of education?"
Watching Juneau
Voter
Well,one, that would be some low level of basic education and two, you'd have to change the laws on providing services to Sped, ELL and highly capable.
"Again, deeper thinking is needed as to our purpose for public education. Once we agree on its purpose, we can then decide where to allocate funds and what programs to support."
I think that discussion is happening but behind closed doors. I'll have a thread on that soon but suffice to say, it will not be parents and the public determining the purpose of public education.
Go Juneau, yes, we all know HC needs to be reformed. But the crux of the matter is that Juneau cannot go around established policy and process and the Board should not let her. Because someday it may be another issue around a different policy and Juneau will say, "Well, you allowed us leeway on HC so why not here?" It's a slippery slope.
I say what is good for HCC is good for every student in SPS. We need vouchers so HCC can get the AL services they need.
HCC vouchers
I suspect if there were a charter school for gifted kids, it would sell out. But none of them in SPS have any control over how they run.
We do NOT need vouchers in this district, this state or this country.
You did read Juneau's Op Ed, right? You do know what's actually happening in schools across the district, right? Your attack on HCC is a false flag.
The district has eliminated walk-to-math in most elementary schools, which had many more participants than HCC. The district has eliminated honors English in high school, which had many more participants than HCC. The district wants to eliminate advanced math classes in Middle Schools across the district, which have many more participants than HCC. The district has eliminated advanced social studies in Middle Schools across the district, which had many more participants than HCC. The district wants to eliminate many of the AP High School classes, which have many more participants than HCC.
If you're on the fence or disagree; just look at the district's demographics and Advanced Learning demographics. The data does not reflect the district's racial narrative--in fact they are currently having to manipulate the data to fit their narrative. Which is why Asian minorities are now being targeted as privileged. The targets will continue to move until the narrative is reflected.
The narrative is racist. It assumes that certain groups are incapable; and given that they are incapable, in order to create equality everyone outside of those groups should be either penalized or have their "opportunity controlled." That's morally abhorrent. We need to expand opportunities, not limit them. Let's examine why certain minority groups are doing better than others? Let's not be afraid to ask questions.
Why is does the district continue to ignore economic disparity as a main factor?
And why continue to push the racial equity narrative? Why have we all bought into it?
Because people genuinely care about fairness and people hate racism. And our concern about both is being manipulated. I hate to sound so cynical, but there is currently serious racial equity $$$ to be had by those at the top. New jobs, new taskforces, government funding, private grant money, public grant money...
Nothing that Juneau is doing will actually hurt the TRULY privileged: they represent a tiny fraction of Seattle Public School demographics; and they can afford private schools. The people it WILL hurt are the middle class and the working class.
--Keep Asking Questions
But why the disproportionate success in SPS compared to our neighbors? Well, in the context of the more exclusive criteria noted above, the experience within a school district becomes more important. Since only a fraction of HC students in WA state can also become NMSFs, the quality of the education high-achieving students received is key. We've seen that SPS has been continually DECREASING rigor and putting ceilings on HCC student opportunities, whereas surrounding districts provide stronger HC services that support student growth and achievement. If SPS efforts to tamp down learning by HC students are even a little bit successful, and/or if other districts' HC services are just a little bit better than ours, then that could easily be enough to skew the NMSF results. Think of it as "keeping up with the Joneses"--if our HC services aren't doing as good a job of providing access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction (AKA basic ed for HC) as other districts, our HC students will not be able to keep up. They'll still probably score very high, but the deficiencies in the HC services within SPS hold them back just enough so that not as many qualify as NMSFs.
Quite simply, SPS's HC services are weak--which also helps explain why, as you said, "HC students who stay in their neighborhood schools do as well or better than cohorted students" (although there's a lot of selection bias here, not to mention a lack re: the nature of the two interventions...), and why "parents regularly complain about the low level of rigor in HCC." You just helped to explain why HCC students might not do quite as well as HC students elsewhere.
It's not the kids, it's the program. Strengthen our HCC services compared to neighboring schools and our NMSFs will surely go up.
quality matters
The answer seems clear. Just put all kids in HCC classes, make all classes 2 years ahead for every student in the district.
-simple
Many years later, by the time my daughter entered Hale after a terrific experience at Salmon Bay, and Hale failed to deliver the level of instruction she thought she needed, we knew what to do. We went right to a full load of Running Start, which launched a successful academic career.
The cohorts must go, for so many reasons I wouldn't even know how to begin. But that is more easily done than providing, within SPS, the level of instruction that the most capable students can handle, without the cohorts. To accomplish that, SPS will require smaller class sizes, more teachers, more classrooms, more paraeducators, more Instructional and Linguistic Assistants, more counselors, more tutors, more nurses, more mental health professionals, better textbooks and instructional materials, etc., etc., so that ALL students, even if they are not getting the same level of instruction, are getting the same level of SUPPORT, for the level of instruction that they ARE getting. We owe that to every one of our students. Every one of them. It is our Paramount Duty. Do NOT lay this all on the teachers!
Raise your hands if you think SPS is either ready, or willing, or able, to provide that. Nobody? Thought not.
If your kids need more, they need it NOW. Until such time -- if ever -- that SPS can provide it, they can't wait. And why should they? Because of some bureaucratic bla bla bla? They need Advanced Learning? Put them in Running Start and be done with it. No high school AP matches the community college level of instruction. If they tell you it does, they're blowing smoke. It isn't "college-level" work. It's college work, period -- for college credit.
For those who, for whatever reason, choose to remain in SPS, demand that the level of academic AND SOCIAL support be at the level that all students need, and refuse to settle for less, no matter how many bureaucrats need to be shown the door. My two cents' worth.
-- Ivan Weiss
Oh and there is also a pathway at that school, so HC will get scapegoated as the excuse. Look for IB classes to get cut.
Next we will see AP classes more largely curtailed at schools such Roosevelt and other schools with majority demographics of kids who opt into AP classes. AP classes will shrink to a small core of classes offered at all schools.
It began this past year when staff and classes were cut from high schools, and accurate student enrollment not funded.
JK
JK
From your post I cannot tell if you are aware that SPS is proposing keeping the cohort for the top 1% of students, but serving them at neighborhood schools?
So kids like my kid who had scored top 1% would still be in a cohort with tons of other kids from there same demographic at their local neighborhood school. But HC kids from other neighborhoods will be alone. I don't see how that does anything positive at all for anyone.
No, they need to keep the cohorts and better increase or change identification practices for both low income and racial minority kids.
JK
I don't know where I said I thought Running Start should be the ONLY option, but if and when SPS gets rid of HCC, which I think they should, the onus will still be on them to provide an equivalent level of instruction for those to choose to remain in SPS, and I see no concrete plans coming from them to ensure that this would be the case, in the absence of HCC.
I agree with you that for those who value the social connections and peer groups that their high school provides, they should be encouraged to strengthen those ties. All I'm suggesting is that there are bound to be tradeoffs, and students and parents should be aware of them.
-- Ivan Weiss
"how those kids aren't really different because they all paid to test in,"
Just no.
However, your idea - of teaching ahead - the district DID try at Maple Elementary, teaching at a Spectrum level. Know what? With supports, it worked. But apparently, it cost money so they ended it. True story.
Just as HCC has been the only guaranteed service for my academically-advanced child.
It is imperfect, and I too, believe that the bubble-atmosphere of a cohort is not a good social model. But the model can be edited and amended. At least it exists. I'd rather have something than nothing. As you've pointed out, SPS is in no position to provide better advanced learning services and support in all schools. And Running Start would be a poor fit for my very vulnerable, young child whose social skills lag behind academic skills.
--Keep Asking Questions
First there was the SAT, which already is expensive. Then they added the PSAT to practice taking the test. How do you get people to pay TWICE to take a test? You add a fancy sounding scholarship and call it an honor -- the National Merit Scholarship.
Schools like Lakeside do tons of test prep for the PSAT. No wonder their students do well on it and qualify as NMSF. But it's not a measurement of gifted-ness.
To add to the irony, how ridiculous that commenters like @GoJuneau who attack HCC for equity reasons promote an inequitable standardized test that's known to be racially biased against AA students.
Criticism
Since at least the late 1970s, the College Board has been subject to criticism from students, educators, and consumer rights activists. The College Board owns the SAT and many students must take SAT exams for admission to competitive colleges such as Ivy League institutions. Although the ACT is usually accepted as an alternative to the SAT, some colleges require students to take the SAT Subject Tests. Some colleges also require students submit a College Board "CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE" when applying for financial aid. As there are no broadly accepted alternatives to College Board's AP, SAT Subject Test, and CSS/Financial Aid products, the company is often criticized as exploiting its monopoly on these products.
FairTest, an organization that advocates against over-dependence on standardized tests in school admissions, maintains that the SAT often underestimates the aptitude of African-American students and others. FairTest maintains a list of more than 1000 SAT-optional colleges on its website.[18]
The consumer rights organization Americans for Educational Testing Reform (AETR) has criticized the College Board for violating its non-profit status through excessive profits and exorbitant executive compensation; nineteen of its executives make more than $300,000 per year, with CEO Gaston Caperton earning $1.3 million in 2009 (including deferred compensation).[19][20] AETR also claims that College Board is acting unethically by selling test preparation materials, directly lobbying legislators and government officials, and refusing to acknowledge test-taker rights.[21]
YesplzGO Juneau!
I'm sure there are parents in both groups that would accept and welcome just the opposite if it was the LRE for their child.
The final analysis seems to be that the HCC program was created to deal with highly functioning autistic children. So who is benefiting the most from the segregation?
What do other large districts do to serve their autistic students?
--Thought problem
YesplzGO Juneau!
More Noise Please
Most commenters are voicing that their HCC students are emotionally delayed.."
Most of them? Not true. "emotionally delayed?" No, some have different social skills (or lack thereof). It doesn't make them emotionally delayed.
Do not conflate SPed services with HCC services; completely different.
And the DISTRICT created the entire program and never have I found any reason to believe they did self-contained because of parents. Now when people got used to this form of service and the district wanted to change it, parents were unhappy. But the district got rid of Spectrum, so there you go.
The final analysis seems to be that the HCC program was created to deal with highly functioning autistic children. So who is benefiting the most from the segregation?
What do other large districts do to serve their autistic students?"
Absolutely untrue and you are wrong to say such a thing. You have no basis in fact for saying that.
And if you want to go find out how other districts handle Sped kids and highly capable kids, go right ahead.
Well, yes, I do know that you can't tear something down before there is a place for people to go, because that is exactly what I said. But it appears that is exactly what they ARE going to do, and their denials are just a bunch of window dressing. They won't be adding the additional support I mentioned above. Or at least they offer no concrete evidence that they are moving in that direction. But if they are truly interested in providing equity, this is what will be needed.
I'm not sure the blame lies with "the left wing of SEA." I suspect the culprits occupy the executive suites at the John. But thee are only suspicions and I do not claim to have any inside information.
-- Ivan Weiss
1. Is this just about the money? (A straightforward budget grab to free up dollars for a different pet project/interest group or a longer-term play to grow the Seattle School District budget pie)
2. Is it purely political machination? (A divide-and-conquer tactic to distract and de-fang parents along racial/school boundary divides or a way to shore up political support from key interest groups?)
3. Is it a blend of stubborn incompetence? (Juneau and her senior staff are in way over their heads trying to manage the Byzantine bureaucracy that is SSD, genuinely believe this is the correct course and have settled on "damn the parental torpedoes, full speed ahead!")
4. Is it a brilliant strategy that I am too obtuse to comprehend? (Vanity prevents me from believing this is correct, but I will include it for completeness! :-)
So: one/some/all of the above — or am I missing some other endgame?
-- Perplexed
-almost gone
1) maybe but there has to be dollars spent to implement AL for All. Not sure this helps the budget.
2) Probably right on both counts (divide-and-conquer and shore up the support she wants).
3) I don't know that it's incompetence but stubborn? Yes. I think she came in, having studied the district from afar, and staff said, "You need to ignore the parents as much as you can. Just go for it."
4) Well, yes, it is a strategy. I don't think it so brilliant to try to gaslight the public (and some parents) into thinking that she is listening to the Task Force and wants to work with the Board. Clearly, she doesn't.
I think her strategy is to look like a strong leader, make good connections with the powers that be in Seattle and "implement" as much of the Strategic Plan as possible so that if there is another, better job, she will be ready to present her case.
That she narrowed the definition of which black boys she is guiding the work towards tells me that she needs a smaller group and thus, making it easier to show progress. I wonder what the Somali moms group would think if they knew this was happening (she refers to them a lot).
As I have said before, if the country elects a Dem president next year, I can near-guarantee that she could be offered a job in D. C. in the Department of Education.
So walk to math and other flexible grouping and differentiation has been eliminated not expanded in elementary schools. Multiple other changes at middle schools eliminating advanced learning opportunities. Elimination of true honors courses at multiple high schools. The goal is a one size fits all curriculum and limits on advanced learning options.
What is going on is that she is lowering the ceiling, as to improve "optics". On paper it narrows the opportunity/achievement gap.
This issue has been a thorn in the district's side as Seattle has attracted more highly educated and wealthier families in recent years with high achieving kids.
Economics and educational attainment of parents and other factors are the primary driving force for the opportunity gap.
Look at the Eastside for comparison and number of Asian kids achieving and they are also over-represented in highly capable programs. Cannot blame "white institutional racism, segregation or redlining". Mercer island had something like 20% of its population in highly capable programs last time I heard.
While advanced classes and programs do have many affluent kids with parents that have obtained high levels of education, they also have other kids who come from middle income families.
We are one such family with an HC qualifying kid, and actually earn less than many families we know with kids in the general education program. We do not come from generational wealth or educational privilege. Offering advanced learning classes and opportunities are a bridge.
But the district has been busy eliminating any academic differentiation and this hurts all kids. It is far easier it seems for her to take things away from all (not just HC) highly academic kids, than to support those "furthest from educational justice".
JKL
Juneau is also pushing policy changes that haven't gotten vetted through various committees.
Juneau does not know Seattle. This isn't going to end well- for her.
This is the day before the election?
https://www.seattle.gov/ethics
-voter
Also, she didn't tell anyone how to vote or even ask the Board to consider voting a certain way.
I think it's just a sign that she will play every card she can. I'm not sure she has figured out that many people don't listen to the Times.
Keep Asking Questions also touched on problems with "equity" CRT adherents TCG, Wayne Au, and, apparently, Supt. Juneau evade: if, by district definition "Educational and racial equity is achieved by providing high quality curricula, support facilities and other resources to eliminate historical barriers even when it means giving more to (black kids than to White/Asian kids)", then how will SPS measure success? Will simply naming the historical barriers, then removing them erase the "test gap" which is pointed to as evidence of "inequity"? How so? Is this a temporary experiment to see if removal of historical barriers is the solution to test gaps? Does the experiment need to last one year, twelve, a generation to determine its efficacy? If it needs to be a permanent program of favoring Blacks generation after generation with services that allow them to catch up to White/Asian test scores, then SPS is providing a corrective to social shortcomings in childrearing as opposed to serving the purposes of Basic Education. Is K-12 replacing DSHS despite not having the requisite money or resources?
Can the Superintendent clarify what is intended in forcing equity onto K-12 kids who are supposed to be preparing for adulthood in a capitalist economy that requires inequity and culturally fosters inequity through competition between individuals, groups and nations? I don't see how as American culture is not about "equity" unless one creates a definition significantly different than what standard dictionaries provide.
all types
The is the Seattle Times! Anything remotely progressive gets hammered. It's a MAGA hotbed.
LoL!
-Cynic
It is ironic that the people that have fought standardization are the same ones pushing for more standardization.
I can't get past the first sentence of her opinion piece. Perhaps it needs a rewrite:
Washington State recognizes that for "highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education." Our state provides extra funds to school districts to provide accelerated learning options for highly capable students. States and districts differ in their identification, programming and funding for highly capable students, and we are no different. In Seattle Public Schools, students who test at the 98th percentile on a nationally normed cognitive test generally qualify for HC services. As a large city home to the University of Washington as well as several technological companies, it should come as no surprise that more than 2% of our students qualify for HC services. In fact, almost 9% of SPS students qualify.
...and that's just the rewrite of the first sentence. Did Juneau really write this?? It just reads like someone getting their info from public testimony at Board meetings. It shows a lack of understanding about some very basic stuff.
kinda odd
Kinda lame
Lame excuse
Since we have gone to the neighborhood school model, and Seattle has had an influx of highly educated people with lots of kid testing into HC, the cohort has ballooned in our area.
The HC cohort model does need some consideration as in some schools the population of kids qualifying is quite large. Another issue is capacity. When all those HC kids return those already overcrowded schools we will see some big boundary related issues.
Regarding 9%, versus 2% etc. that tells me nothing because Seattle also has been a city drawing the highest number of people with 4 year college degrees in the country.
Keep in mind also that higher percentage of kids test into highly capable programs on the Eastside and neighboring districts, as well as on Mercer Island where I believe it is 20%. We have an area that has highly educated people. They tend to have kids who score high on cognitive and achievement identification tests.
The cohort identification process is flawed. It under-identifies low income kids and some groups of color. Everyone seems to agree that needs to change.
Some neighborhood schools have MANY kids being identified for HC. If the district truly supported differentiation, and had single subject honors in middle school etc. I do think those schools can support HC kids. Other neighborhood schools will have much difficulty.
But the district is schizophrenic, and has also been dismantling walk to math, opt in honors and other differentiation in schools.
One perspective
It was just a matter of time for a leader with a backbone to get hired at just the right time.
Justice Arc
Seattle Times/Ms Juneau: please correct this misleading information contained in opening.
"Did you know Seattle Public Schools has a service called Highly Capable that serves 4,896 of our students, 9% of our student body, while the national average is 2%?"
This makes no sense - the national average of WHAT is 2%? Superintendent needs to go back to school for some basic essay writing and statistics. There no such thing as a national average of "Highly Capable". Juneau either does not know how cognitive test (IQ) percentiles work or she is intentionally trying to mislead people. SPS chooses to define Highly Capable students as those who who test at the 98th percentile on a nationally normed cognitive test (ie those that test in top 2% nationwide) As a large city with UW and high tech companies (ie a highly educated workforce) it shouldnt' be surprising that more than 2% of our students qualify for HC services based on these nationally normed criteria. Seattle is not Hickory, NC. It would be possible to use local norms for the cognitive test in which case the 98th percentile would reflect the top 2% in Seattle, or WA state for example.
"Did you know this advanced learning service is highly segregated? Of all participating students, 67% are white, 1.6% are African American, and less than 1% are Native American." This is false. There is no policy of segregation according to ethnicity, income, gender or anything else. The demographics are unfortunate but it is not segregated as this by definition implies a specific intentional policy. Exactly who does she believe is doing the segregating - her own employees? ANY student that achieves the cognitive and math and reading scores set by the district is eligible for the program. The district determines what scores they will accept and what tests they accept, organizes the testing and oversees any appeals. The demographics are the result of socioeconomic/societal factors outside of the districts control AND it's own failure to adopt suggestions by previous ALTFs about identification and recruitment of underserved students. The district could fix that simply by following the recommendations made by it's own task forces.
WA State recognizes that for highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education. WA state provides extra funds to school districts to provide accelerated learning options for highly capable students. The district gets this money. it does not specifically go to provide additional resources for HC students in their cohort schools. States and districts differ in their identification, programming and funding for highly capable students. The cohort model is considered one of the best practices according to educational researchers and is a cost effective model - probably why it was chosen in the first place.
Blocked by ST
Mirror Game
So come up with an actual PLAN for an HCC program and/or HC services that will work better, and we'll surely listen up.
However, simply saying "we should just serve HC students via differentiation and blended classrooms!" is not a plan--it's a belief. That nobody promoting such an approach can provide any details on how it could actually be implemented and effective speaks volumes. What will schools and teachers need to do differently? What additional resources will be needed? How will this affect assignment zones? How will the most-highly-capable of the HC get their needs met? How will more minorities (aside from Asians, who apparently don't count) get identified as HC, or placed into a possible 99th percentile cohort? There are just too many questions. If it's such a great idea, why not share the details so people can get on board?
Juneau is treating this like a PR problem, not an educational one.
all types
Another Arc
And alas, a larger proportion of kids of minority ethnic backgrounds will be going back to neighborhood schools with substantially less acceleration options.
What are you thinking that dissolution of HCC will solve? Who will it help? Sounds like the optics are blinding.
ARCLESS
HCC isn’t really cheaper per kid when you drive all the expensive kids out like Washington and Garfield did for years.... or concentrate poverty, ELL, special education making those kids way more expensive than they would be in natural proportions. But you already knew that. The fact is, HCC didn’t accomplish much except segregation. And if you hadn’t loved yourself to death, you might have been able to keep your unicorn. But, insult other people all you like. It doesn’t appear to be working.
Another Arc
Regarding your hechingerreport.org article linked above, i.e. the one that tries its best to say that the SFUSD experiment with removing advance math opportunities is performing miracles.
Because the entire notion sounded suspect I decided to go digging into it. You’re welcome. First of all, the links embedded in that article are bogus. Very strange. Go ahead, give them a try. The “8 Bay Area school districts found similar results…” link and you’ll learn all about SVMI, the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative. Interesting, but irrelevant. The “In the National Assessment of Educational Progress study…” link takes you to some data that shows how the US is doing worse now that a few years ago, and that our achievement gaps are widening. But nowhere does it talk about anything related to tracking. So much for supporting data.
I guess I’ll have to do my own research.
1) In EdWeek’s A Bold Effort to End Algebra Tracking Shows Promise
Koch said, he tries to explain to parents that 8th grade math under the common core contains a significant amount of algebraic content, such as linear functions, that wasn't in earlier 8th grade math iterations. Algebra isn't so much gone from 8th grade as it is now taught much more deeply over two school years.
So the first big takeaway is that THEY SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED THE CURRICULUM. We’re no longer comparing apples to apples, and suggesting that the reason for any possible successes is because we’ve limited kids options is already sounding bogus.
2) What are the success metrics they’re referring to? In American Institutes for Research’s Pursuing Equity and Excellence in Mathematics: Course Sequencing and Placement in San Francisco we find the specifics.
1) An increase in the percentage of students earning the highest possible score on eighth-grade tasks from the Mathematics Assessment Resource Service;
2) A decrease in the percentage of students who are repeating Algebra 1; and
3) An increase in the number of students taking math courses beyond Algebra II, including increases among groups that have been historically underserved in mathematics.
#1 is a complete crock. Of course you’ll have higher scores on average when you hold kids back that have already mastered the material 1 or 2 or 3 years earlier. Even you understand this, right? LOL
#2 just shows that if you look hard enough you can come up with a benchmark to support your cause. Seriously, percentages again? When you include kids that have long since mastered the material, this metric says nothing.
#3 is the only possibly interesting point — EXCEPT WE’VE ALREADY DETERMINED THAT THE CURRICULUM WAS CHANGED!
So we really have nothing here. Zero. Nada. Zilch.
Unfortunately, we still live in a world where unicorns are imaginary, and holding kids back does not help students with higher achievement levels.
(more in the following post)
Let’s continue exploring San Francisco’s math experiment.
Who here in Seattle is familiar with London Breed? I had to do a little research myself, but she is currently the Mayor of San Francisco, and the first African American woman in that role. She is truly amazing, I heartily recommend reading her story, even if it’s only the condensed wikipedia version. She was raised in an extremely poor public housing project, surrounded by drugs and violence not only in her neighborhood, but within her family. She not only survived, but thrived, went to college, has had a successful political career and is now the Mayor of one of the most amazing cities in our nation.
She ran her campaign with a lot of emphasis on education. Let me quote one of her 10 points of emphasis:
9. Protect Algebra + Advanced Math
I will continue to support options for students to accelerate in mathematics. No child should be deprived the opportunity to excel. As mayor I will listen to parents and advocate for math enrichment so motivated students whose passion is not currently met by the curriculum sequencing can thrive.
Feel free to read that again if you need to. One of her goals is to remove the ridiculous barrier to mathematics achievement in San Francisco public schools.
Let’s not continue heading down the same misguided path.
And please, GigsUp or whatever your current handle of the day is, if you’re going to post research, you might want to make sure it actually supports your position.
Jon Morrison Winters
@HC_Dad
·
Nov 5
@SeattleSupt
Thank you for your op-ed this morning. Current system isn't just failing students of color. By fetishizing individual exceptionalism and promoting segregation, it is failing everyone.
"Fetishizing?" That's quite the word to use and yet, apparently, he has his own kids in HCC. If HCC is so terrible, why not leave his kids in the Gen Ed class? Hmmm.
Another Arc "No. It's your PR problem all types. The problem isn't too few minorities or an identification problem. It's too many white people in the segregated program. Sorry you don't like differentiation. That's the plan. So surely listen up."
One cannot argue about white people and racism entirely in this context, because we also see a higher proportion of Asians qualifying not only in Seattle, but also on the Eastside. Asians are over-represented and whites are under-represented. Nice try. Easier identification is related to many other factors, educational attainment and attitudes of parents, socioeconomics etc.
Regardless there needs to be true differentiation and flexible grouping for hard working kids who are not identified at all schools, but the district has been eliminating it.
I support a different HC program for kids identified at the 1%. My kid is in that group. BTW without any test prep and identified through school testing well after kindergarten. We are also middle class and don't come from generations of educational privilege.
A Mexican-American teacher of color told me my kid taught her how to think differently about math. She was the person who told me about HC and urged we test in first grade after my kid showed unusual math aptitude. We stayed at the neighborhood elementary and there used to be walk to math. Then it disappeared. There needs to be realistic options for these kids. The district has shown they are eliminating advanced learning in neighborhood schools.
That's the facts Arc, come up with a solution instead of insulting people who are just trying to get their kid an appropriate education. You are so blinded by your views you cannot hear what people are saying.
JKL
Again, "differentiation" is not a plan. It's a strategy for using a variety of teaching techniques and lesson/curriculum adaptations to try to meet the needs of diverse learners, including those who "get" things quickly vs. slowly, those who are already way ahead vs. way behind, those who have learning disabilities or attentional disorders, etc. Differentiation is complex, time-consuming, and expensive. It also requires significant teacher expertise. Even then, many teachers argue it's not feasible in large classes with such a span of abilities.
So what is the PLAN to make the infeasible feasible? What steps will/could/should the district take to ensure that teachers have the ability to differentiate? What is the plan to make classes smaller? To provide curricular resources appropriate to all levels? To provide support for all levels of students? To create extra time for teachers to not only work with students at different levels, and using different instructional techniques, but also to redesign their lessons for such efforts?
What is the PLAN to make this strategy actually REALISTIC? Everything we've seen thus far suggests it isn't. Schools have moved further and further away from differentiation, dropping walk-to's and other ALOs because differentiating students by current achievement/ability makes some people feel bad. Garfield's Honors for All initial evaluation similarly showed that teachers struggle to provide challenging material to all students in a heterogeneous setting that spans such a great range of abilities. "Differentiation" is not some magical incantation you shout and...poof! It takes hard work, preparation, and support. Lots of support. So where it the PLAN for how SPS will make this a reality?
all types
If she were attacking it as an educational problem, she'd lay out the plan, clarifying how exactly teachers would be able to effectively implement differentiated instruction with even greater ability and achievement ranges in classrooms, what additional resources would be available for them, what additional training and support would be required, what parents could expect, what educational outcomes would expected for various groups of students, etc. She'd also explain how this will increase access to advanced learning and HC services for students at schools that have had low numbers of AL/HC students identified in the past. She would explain whether a cohort-based program would still exist for a subset of students, clarifying the types of students it would serve, why, and how. In other words, she'd be able to explain the instructional needs of the various students and how they would be met.
But she can't, or won't--because she is viewing this as a problem of optics. She has a plan to make the optics look better, but no plan to make the instruction actually work.
all types
In a general education setting, job one is to get all students up to standard. Job 2 is to meet the sometimes huge needs of whatever high-needs students happen to be there. Jobs 1 and 2 are all consuming and infinite. A teacher can work 120% and never finish jobs 1 and 2. There is no capacity in the system to differentiate for advanced learners, and it doesn't happen. Go actually observe a general ed classroom for more than 20 minutes and see for yourself. Not to mention that at least half of Seattle teachers would rather eat sand than differentiate for advanced learners. AL happens in a cohort setting or it doesn't happen. (Walk-to math, where it survives, is a form of cohorting.) Eliminating the HC cohort is eliminating HC. And that's the goal.
Juneau doesn't care about PD and resources for differentiation because there will never be any such thing. There is no real intention to deliver HC services in a "blended" setting. Delaying for a couple of years to pretend to study and have PD would just be a charade for the sake of optics, and with all the political momentum on your side, why bother?
The commenter in the Times who wrote that "those with privileged identities need to have their opportunity controlled" is the only one telling the truth. The intention is to limit the level of education available in Seattle Schools. Like it or not, you have to respect some one who gives it to you straight rather than spinning it with buzzwords and fake promises.
In other words, the old differentiation wasn't cutting it. What does SPS think will be different about the fancy new differentiation they are "planning"?
all types
The lack of a real plan should stop Geary's amendment cold. But we'll see. Thank God it's still the current Board.
Clear view
Outsider did indeed hit the cost nail on the head, noting how HCC puts an incredible burden on teachers and general education by increasing their load. That is, it hoards resources. Everyone was happy with how he said it: "Also, putting HC cohort students back into general ed classrooms will lighten the load of teachers on average, and might therefore indirectly benefit other students. HC students tend to behave relatively well and can learn grade-level material easily," Right! Hence the drive to do it. Look, all parents want their kids in the "smart" class and to be with students who don't challenge the teacher. But we can't exact the heaviest burden on the same people over and over again. And there diversity truly is educational as well.
Arc
Re: science, I doubt that "cutting edge science research books" are compatible with Amplify science. But I suppose parents could pony up for advanced texts for their own kids to read at home or during all that Amplify down time.
Or maybe well-funded PTSAs at schools with a lot of HC students will fund extra science materials and texts to help provide advanced opportunities. Teachers at high performing schools will likely feel more pressure to differentiate.
Simply having kids write "better, more thorough, deeper" papers is not really differentiation. Differentiation is about what the teacher does to help them do that--to push them to work just above their comfort level, as should be true for all students. But research, analysis, and writing are also skills that need to be developed--that's why we have ELA classes and teachers. You don't just tell them to do more--you need to work with them on how to do more. You know, teach.
Do the starred math problems? Really? So if you've mastered the double digit multiplication the rest of the class is learning, maybe you get to move on to triple digits--which is essentially the same thing, but with an extra busy work component built in. That's how the "harder" work is often provided in reality. Or, like in my child's class one year, the equivalent of "starred work" was the hallway math for a handful of kids, "led" by a TA who was completely lost when it came to the upper elementary math they were covering.
What's clear from all this--and is particularly striking in your "they can 'google a little better' if they are really 'yearning to learn'" comment--is that you see differentiation as the kids primarily teaching themselves. Teachers don't really have to dedicate much time to their instruction, because the kids can just us Professor Google to teach them how to do more or go beyond the current lesson. Unfortunately, not only do kids actually need instruction (even HC kids!), but teachers aren't always so hip on students moving ahead on their own. (Funny story: One of my kids routinely gets in trouble for doing internet research during class when the lesson is too simplistic and they want to go deeper. Another is regularly scolded by a teacher for trying to discuss things they've researched at home to deepen their knowledge on the topic at hand, with the teacher pointing out that this is beyond the scope of what the class is covering.)
Suggesting that kids are "unmotivated" if they need actual instruction is a pretty low blow. Does that apply to all students, or only HC students? Maybe all students just need more motivation, that's it! And who said giftedness is related to motivation anyway? There are gifted students who are slackers, and there are motivated students at all levels of intellectual ability.
Plain and simple, differentiation is NOT free. If it doesn't involve additional teacher time and effort, and usually also supplemental materials, etc., it isn't differentiation. It's just words.
all types
" If the 40% private testers can't do these things, how gifted are they really? Perhaps just unmotivated. All these things are free."
Certainly but it's up to teachers to explain what they want to see for rigor/acceleration. Lakeside does just say, "Go forth and you figure it out."
But All Types said it better:
"What's clear from all this--and is particularly striking in your "they can 'google a little better' if they are really 'yearning to learn'" comment--is that you see differentiation as the kids primarily teaching themselves. Teachers don't really have to dedicate much time to their instruction, because the kids can just us Professor Google to teach them how to do more or go beyond the current lesson."
"Everyone was happy with how he said it: "Also, putting HC cohort students back into general ed classrooms will lighten the load of teachers on average, and might therefore indirectly benefit other students. HC students tend to behave relatively well and can learn grade-level material easily,"
Oh well then, thanks for explaining to us what the role of those students is in class. I thought it was to learn.