tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post2630871438244155935..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15045896188187355662015-03-12T21:37:20.723-07:002015-03-12T21:37:20.723-07:00Step J, the City Attorney is having a press confer...Step J, the City Attorney is having a press conference right down the block from me on the Sisley issue. I will be there.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-10684792443669936082015-03-12T21:23:02.759-07:002015-03-12T21:23:02.759-07:00I was driving by there today and was thinking the ...I was driving by there today and was thinking the land those abandoned buildings are on would be a great location for a Roosevelt annex.<br /><br />- North-end MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65726169801918401342015-03-12T19:55:47.359-07:002015-03-12T19:55:47.359-07:00Can they put portables in the park to expand Roose...Can they put portables in the park to expand Roosevelt's capacity? I'm not kidding.Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07777580098975083499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47491953189048383422015-03-12T18:29:10.989-07:002015-03-12T18:29:10.989-07:00King5 is reporting that the city intends to seize ...King5 is reporting that the city intends to seize Sisley properties and turn them into a park. http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2015/03/12/seattle-slumlord-housing-roosevelt/70238296/<br /><br />I hope the park will be the block in front of RHS.<br /><br />-StepJAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-69115610522591058662015-03-12T16:55:29.542-07:002015-03-12T16:55:29.542-07:00Lynn
Amen. They probably cut checks with the &qu...Lynn<br /><br />Amen. They probably cut checks with the "not valid after 6 months". Because they know that SPS' REA will show "dramatic gains" for these children - much like their effusive praise for JSIS and McDonald. I happy that, at least, Eric Anderson recognized that these schools are basically no SpEd, no ELL, and no FRL zones.<br /><br />This was pointed out quit effectively by Director Peters. Give her an Amen.mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-22086896975877681482015-03-12T05:46:00.520-07:002015-03-12T05:46:00.520-07:00Well stated District Watcher. One thing to point ...Well stated District Watcher. One thing to point out,<br /><br />There can be no maintenance of social status quo, if minority kids and disabled kids don't fail the test. So, let's make sure that we give them a test they will fail. We aren't failing them to "make them better", or to provide better education. We're failing them to keep them down, to keep them in their "place". To prove that discrimination was the right thing all along. White people deserve more status and financial advantage, because they do better on our test. Eugenics.<br /><br />HIMSMom, are you kidding? Are your kids in kindergarten? Teachers tell students all the time to "check the source", and the Fusion pages. Test info is all there. Every state test your kid took is there. And if they failed, it will appear brightly highlighted in red. Failure. Same as a failed grade. Your kid will definitely get the message.<br /><br />Reader<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-88144723195444951782015-03-11T23:24:11.984-07:002015-03-11T23:24:11.984-07:00Folks: Pay heed to DistrictWatcher's words, a...Folks: Pay heed to DistrictWatcher's words, as reiterated below. This is no conspiracy theory; it's a fact, proven many times over. <br /><br />"There can be no sales of test prep software and materials which is exactly what Amplify is,if they don't fail the test.<br /><br />There can be no Corp Reform 'solutions' like privitization, charters and vouchers if they don't fail the test.<br /><br />There can be no reason to market TFA if they don't fail the test."<br /><br />Amen, DistrictWatcher. AMEN! <br /><br />They will sell us the air that we breathe someday when they can manage to buy enough politicians to vote it into law. And without an eternally vigilant fight by the average folk, they will succeed. <br /><br />WSDWG Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37728354441395464002015-03-11T21:03:46.297-07:002015-03-11T21:03:46.297-07:00I am shocked that David Frockt voted for that hot ...I am shocked that David Frockt voted for that hot mess of a bill. It's just impossible to understand. It doesn't work, it's never worked, studies show it doesn't work - let's vote for it! <br /><br />What?<br /><br />Here's hoping it goes to the House to die.Josh Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242600011474990770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37681732275685570002015-03-11T19:24:35.128-07:002015-03-11T19:24:35.128-07:00Constant Churn,
The bill to split the district ha...Constant Churn,<br /><br />The bill to split the district has been in Rules since Feb. 20th. Some say the bill will die in Rules.Watchingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-501660293580470592015-03-11T19:04:31.701-07:002015-03-11T19:04:31.701-07:00(con't) Here are the individuals that voted N...(con't) Here are the individuals that voted NO:<br /><br />Voting Nay: Senator Angel, Billig, Brown, Chase, Conway, Dansel, Darneille, Fraser, Hargrove, Hasegawa, Hatfield, Jayapal, Keiser, Liias, McAuliffe, McCoy, Nelson, Padden, Pearson, Ranker, Roach, Rolfes, Sheldon<br /><br />Senators Rosemary McAuliffe, Steve Conway, Maralyn Chase, John McCoy, Christine Rolfes and Sharon Nelson all made passionate floor speeches opposing the bill. Several said SB 5748 is a distraction from what the Senate should actually be doing to help students.<br /><br />“The solution is properly funding our schools,” said Sen. Sharon Nelson.<br /><br />Watchingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64076467519455261722015-03-11T18:57:09.279-07:002015-03-11T18:57:09.279-07:00Senate Bill 5748 mandates the use of state test sc...Senate Bill 5748 mandates the use of state test scores in teacher evaluations – a policy that has no basis in research and doesn’t do anything to help teachers or their students.<br /><br />Last year, the Senate defeated a similar bill, but several Democrats flip-flopped this year and changed their votes. Without support from the following Democrats, SB 5748 would have failed:<br />•Annette Cleveland, Vancouver<br />•Mark Mullet, Issaquah<br />•Jamie Pedersen, Seattle<br />•David Frockt, Seattle<br />•Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Seattle<br />•Steve Hobbs, Lake Stevens<br />•Cyrus Habib, Bellevue<br /><br />Let's watch and see what happens in the House and with Inslee. Shame on Seattle's Pederson, Frockt and Kohl-Welles.<br />Watchingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37943133130581315012015-03-11T18:12:46.338-07:002015-03-11T18:12:46.338-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-74464386138506417832015-03-11T17:23:49.342-07:002015-03-11T17:23:49.342-07:00Anyone have a sense of the timeline for the propos...Anyone have a sense of the timeline for the proposal to split the district? We are house shopping and I am trying to incorporate "risk that district will split" into my calculus (eg, I have a kid who will be at Garfield based on APP/our current residence as of now, but if we move to the north end and the district splits, I guess would have to move programs, which isn't the end of the world but is something to throw into the real estate hopper). <br /><br />--constant churnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-28124885182770183402015-03-11T16:54:05.565-07:002015-03-11T16:54:05.565-07:00Watching, the SBE doesn't do the work to deter...Watching, the SBE doesn't do the work to determine the cut scores. OSPI and their on-staff and/or contracted psyshometricians do that work. I believe Ben Rarick stated that in the House Ed Committee work session segment you linked to above.<br /><br />OSPI does the psychometric analysis and submits that analysis and its recommendations to the SBE for adoption. SBE then officially adopts the cut scores or "thresholds" based upon OSPI's analysis and recommendations.<br /><br />--- swkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62242636067111274232015-03-11T16:41:24.392-07:002015-03-11T16:41:24.392-07:00"But in my mind the "levels" associ... "But in my mind the "levels" associated with SBAC are essentially meaningless..."<br /><br />You might want to consider the individual(s) that sit on the State Board of Education. What makes them qualified and competent to determine cut scores? Is the individual that works as Chief Deputy Assessor for King County competent to determine cut scores?<br /><br />What about the former Seattle School Board member that was kicked out of office for failing to oversee district operations? Is he competent to determine cut scores?<br /><br />Take note: Some of these individuals are closely tied to the Gates Foundation. Do these individuals support agendas that are tied to the Gates Foundation?<br /><br />Here are the individuals on the State Board of Education.<br /><br />http://www.sbe.wa.gov/boardmembers.php#.VQDP1pU5DugWatchingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14689721060903466712015-03-11T15:47:54.698-07:002015-03-11T15:47:54.698-07:00Lynn, that is VERY interesting about B-G preschool...Lynn, that is VERY interesting about B-G preschool. Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23462002790258941712015-03-11T14:13:15.015-07:002015-03-11T14:13:15.015-07:00DistrictWatcher, no cave here. Yes, the media can ...DistrictWatcher, no cave here. Yes, the media can spin this, but parents seem to be buying it hook, line and sinker. Changing the test and resetting the levels does not suddenly make more kids (or any kids) failures, so parents need to stop conveying the message that it does. A better approach would be to say the test is crap, the levels are only rough guides of where kids stand, and kids this year are not any less educated than last year, regardless of whatever BS numbers the test makers came up with. In other words, change the perception to match the reality, rather than letting a misperception of the test and results shape what people think is the reality. Parents seem to be fixating on the levels, when in reality we may never get to the point where level 3 is required of anyone. But you're absolutely right--the media and politicians will cry "failure" any chance they get. Can we at least not call these kids failures here, amongst the informed?<br /><br />HIMSmomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21919913783524195342015-03-11T13:33:37.463-07:002015-03-11T13:33:37.463-07:00The references to "failure rates" with g...<i>The references to "failure rates" with grades 3-8 seem silly to me. The levels really don't mean anything. We have levels now with the MSP--do people really tell their kids they "failed" if they score at level 2 on that???</i><br /><br />HIMS mom you must live in a media-free cave. YES, parents and kids themselves see themselves as failing when they scores 2s and 1s. The media refers to that failure too. Do you not see headlines filled with the failure of public schools? The articles are using the high stakes testing as the base point for that moniker. <br /><br />Perception is reality. The perception of failure is reality. The SBAC and PARCC are poison in that regard.<br /><br />DistrictWatcherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-58639636937944398442015-03-11T13:07:12.216-07:002015-03-11T13:07:12.216-07:00According to the Early Learning Department webpage...According to the Early Learning Department webpage, there are still open seats in Bailey Gatzert's Pre-K classroom. Watching the board meeting where this was authorized, you'd have guessed families were lining up to get in. I wonder what this tells us about the city's preschool program?<br /><br />The Gates Foundation must be irritated. They're paying for the classroom and won't get as much data as they'd anticipated.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-90787764979231091662015-03-11T12:22:42.774-07:002015-03-11T12:22:42.774-07:00Thanks for that link, Watching. I had suspected th...Thanks for that link, Watching. I had suspected that all the angst over the "40% failure" rate might be based on some misunderstanding of how the SBAC-developed cut points would be used in WA, and to clearly see that the State Bd of Ed (SBE) is planning to set different cut points for HS proficiency was a big help. Since the SBE is planning to set the proficiency cut points so that, at least in these early years, approximately the same percentage of kids meet the graduation requirement as do now, the cut points themselves are not really the cause for alarm that people seem to think. Different words and numbers, but essentially the same results. <br /><br />Yes, the cut points may rise over time--but it sounds like that will largely be in response to anticipated increases in scores over time, as kids become more familiar with the test and have more years of experience with the new CCSS. To the extent that any eventual increases in the cut scores required for HS proficiency reflect actual increases in the education attained in our schools, that would be a good thing, right? But in my mind the "levels" associated with SBAC are essentially meaningless, aside from the ability to test out of remedial college classes if you score 3 or higher. Then again, given how hard it apparently will be to score 3+ anyway, most of the kids who do so would likely not be worried about having to take such classes in the first place.<br /><br />I still have a lot of problems with the test itself and all the test prep--and any test that requires both practice tests AND training tests is a red flag to me--but I don't think the "failure rates" argument is a huge area for concern, in and of itself. There may be disproportionate impact on certain groups, but it's hard to say at this point exactly how the yet-to-be-determined SBE cut points for HS proficiency (TBD in Jul/Aug, after HSPE results are in) will impact the percentage of any subgroup meeting the new requirement. This will be something to watch closely--unless of course we can abandon this test sooner rather than later!<br /><br />HIMSmom<br /><br />PS - The references to "failure rates" with grades 3-8 seem silly to me. The levels really don't mean anything. We have levels now with the MSP--do people really tell their kids they "failed" if they score at level 2 on that???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60599678787119444002015-03-11T11:13:55.795-07:002015-03-11T11:13:55.795-07:00According to FERPA, and the school district policy...According to FERPA, and the school district policy, schools have 45 days (business days or calendar days?) to comply with requests for education records. Request your child's Amplify results now, before the end of the school year.<br /><br />ticktockAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64977355559506777002015-03-11T08:44:16.117-07:002015-03-11T08:44:16.117-07:00For those opting out and stating a reason for doin...For those opting out and stating a reason for doing so on the opt-out (aka "refusal") form, what reason are you putting down? Perhaps many of us could put the same, brief reason to help unify our disapproval of SPS administering it and using language ("refusal", "consequences") to discourage opting out. <br /><br />It feels like SPS is using fear-based bullying tactics to discourage opting out.<br /><br />-- Zero Tolerance Bullying PolicyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-70764480305767152462015-03-11T08:36:40.223-07:002015-03-11T08:36:40.223-07:00Oh Overtested, in a simple paragraph, you ask a bi...Oh Overtested, in a simple paragraph, you ask a big question:<br /><br />What right do YOU have to see your child's data?<br /><br />But understand, your child generated that data for the district. The district owns it and yes, they get to decide when and how much you see. <br /><br />That so many of you know your child took this test and would like to see the results (and yet can't get a straight answer on it) tells me a lot.<br /><br />Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17557316212588956242015-03-11T07:54:58.542-07:002015-03-11T07:54:58.542-07:00We asked our child's teacher for Amplify resul...We asked our child's teacher for Amplify results, but have not gotten them yet and the teacher didn't seem to know whether or not she was supposed to share them. I know parents have a right to their child's educational records, including Amplify scores, but I don't know who is in charge of releasing the data. Is it just a matter of printing a report? <br /><br />-overtestedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-9345549782436335552015-03-11T07:22:24.990-07:002015-03-11T07:22:24.990-07:00House Ed Committee this AM (Tuesday, 3/10/15) - Ac...<br />House Ed Committee this AM (Tuesday, 3/10/15) - Achievement Index; SBAC<br /><br />http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2015030095<br /><br />Discussion regarding high school cut scores in relation to msp, proficiency and college ready begins at minute 26.<br /><br />SBAC is intended to align state and federal systems. <br /><br />State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos counters and calls federal system "dysfunctional". She chooses her words carefully and discusses federal system of "rewards", but fails short of calling out system of federal "punishments".<br /><br />Very good article regarding SBAC and concerns regarding SBAC. Great quote: <br /><br />" It is not about the content of the standards, which would be objectionable even if written by Aristotle and refined by Shakespeare. Rather, the point is that, unless stopped now, the federal government will not stop short of finding in Common Core a pretext for becoming a national school board"<br /><br />http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-will-immigration-and-common-core-stand-in-jeb-bushs-way/2014/12/26/622035a8-8ba6-11e4-8ff4-fb93129c9c8b_story.html<br /><br />For the above reasons, I remain deeply concerned about the agenda behind SBAC and Common Core.<br />Watchingnoreply@blogger.com