tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post39312200978759956..comments2024-03-29T02:41:52.718-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Transition Plan Voted on TonightMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-54178509917752573002010-01-21T11:13:38.575-08:002010-01-21T11:13:38.575-08:00I sure wish Dr. Vaughn would reflect those PSAT sc...I sure wish Dr. Vaughn would reflect those PSAT scores he has been sitting on for over a year.dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65728231170011816122010-01-21T09:46:14.717-08:002010-01-21T09:46:14.717-08:00I worked in the District's main office for jus...I worked in the District's main office for just under a year - several years ago. Upon leaving for another job, I stated: I will never vote in an SPS school levy again. Everything you are saying is true about how the system works between the Board and staff/administration. It's painful. And it warrants the very lack of trust that we give it. How do we make it better?Poloniushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04891727558441647384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-88334077955304047372010-01-21T09:37:33.529-08:002010-01-21T09:37:33.529-08:00Other random notes.
Director Patu went on for a b...Other random notes.<br /><br />Director Patu went on for a bit about how she entered the discussion of the new student assignment plan at the tail end and didn't know much, if anything, about it. So, for anyone who wondered how much she was paying attention to school district issues for the past year prior to being elected, the answer is: "Not at all."<br /><br />Director DeBell has discovered alternative schools. While I can carp about how it took him four years to do it, I'm just happy that he has. Director DeBell continues to show real growth. He also voted in favor of Director Smith-Blum's amendment to extend transportation grandfathering to five years for K-8s.<br /><br />I'm starting to see some realization on the part of Board members that one way to encourage people to choose a school is to pour some sugar on it. The staff still wants to push people from building to building, but the Board is starting to see the benefits of pulling people from building to building. So, for example, Director Carr mentioned that while there would be costs associated with making McDonald and Sand Point more appealing, there are also costs associated with the overcrowding at Bryant and View Ridge. Dr. Vaughan definittely sees advanced learning programs as a means for attracting families to schoools.<br /><br />Dr. Vaughan also made reference a couple times to the idea that the new ALOs shouldn't just be "words on paper" but an actual program. Well, at least he has acknowledged the problem. But who will confirm that these programs are more than just words on paper? Who will certify the reality and effectiveness of these programs? Not him. It's his job, but he has never done it. To be fair, I'm not sure that he has the staff to conduct the review and I know that he doesn't have the authority to de-certify a program.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-39706925486056115972010-01-21T09:08:19.995-08:002010-01-21T09:08:19.995-08:00Dr. Vaughan is a mirror... anything you do, you ...Dr. Vaughan is a mirror... anything you do, you see him reflecting it. You want something, he wants something. Your kid needs something, he says yes your kid needs something. You think something is a good idea, he does too.readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02754095597231700863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-45309408836955062672010-01-21T08:52:24.940-08:002010-01-21T08:52:24.940-08:00Anybody but me cringe everytime Dr. Vaughan used t...Anybody but me cringe everytime Dr. Vaughan used the word "special?"ParentofThreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15853045587227159562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-13236802433649336642010-01-21T08:51:08.236-08:002010-01-21T08:51:08.236-08:00Nice post again, Charlie. I got to watch about 15...Nice post again, Charlie. I got to watch about 15 minutes of the board meeting but I was treated to two instances of staff sniping at new board members: Enfield being snarky about discussions Patu had missed and Princess Sharif dissing Smith-Blum big time.<br /><br />I've already complained about all the time I have to waste watching the board members brown-nose the staff, so it galls me to see not even politeness returned...Chris S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17016898261120819596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-34385933265324519592010-01-21T08:13:49.261-08:002010-01-21T08:13:49.261-08:00I watched the beginning of the meeting on televisi...I watched the beginning of the meeting on television at home and then went down there to see the rest of it first hand.<br /><br />Some quick notes.<br /><br />First, Betty Patu is all heart. While some heart is good and necessary, some head and some guts are needed as well. Her two amendments were unintelligible messes. Even when she tried to explain them she relied on the listeners' ability to infer her meaning more than her ability to provide it. Y'know? The other Board members spoke very patronizingly to her, praising her sentiment and heart.<br /><br />Second, she actually submitted three amendments, but it is obvious that she did not write the third one, to make the Aki Kurose service area the geographic zone for South Shore this year. It's obvious that she didn't write it because the prose style is so different from her other two and, in later discussion, she disavowed authorship of it, saying that she had written two amendments. So that's a little creepy. If she didn't write it then who did? If it was another Board member then why didn't they submit it? Was it a member of the staff? Was it someone from the New School Foundation?<br /><br />Third, Peter Maier is such a schmuck. His primary reason for rejecting Director Smith-Blum's amendment to extend the transportation grandfathering for students at K-8s was that it didn't come with vetted data. How could it when it was a response to a change made in the transition plan just two business days ago? Where is the vetted data for the change? The hilarious thing, of course, is that it did come with data. Director Smith-Blum had an analysis by Transportation that showed, if done in concert with other changes, it wouldn't cost anything. So there was data, but it wasn't vetted because time didn't allow for the vetting. So he arbitrarily created an impossible standard as an invented reason to vote against the amendment. He also kept talking about being willing to adopt amendments so long as they were narrowly defined and brief in duration. Is that because we wouldn't want to do anything that helped a lot of students and families for an extended period? What is the virtue of helping only small groups of people for a short time?<br /><br />Four. Brilliant work by Director Smith-Blum to respond to the change in the transportation grandfathering for K-8s. She either saw the change or was made aware of it by constituents. Either way it is good. She got right on it and requested an analysis from Transportation. She presented a well-written amendment and provided data from staff on the fiscal impact. She provided exceptionally good rationale for the amendment. She even called Director Maier on his impossible standard. She did fabulously well. If anyone had any doubts about her I hope they can find assurance from her performance last night.<br /><br />Five, speaking of assurance, there was some talk last night about "academic assurances". I never saw it actually defined, but it sounds like the District is going to make some baseline assurances about what every school will have and do. I will be very interested in hearing more about this. I wonder, of course, if it will be enforceable or enforced. What recourse will a student or family have if the academic assurances - whatever they are - are not met?<br /><br />One other thing. There was a lot of talk about the potential savings from different transportation schemes, but no one ever said if those transportation savings were gross or net. Were those the savings before or after the state reimbursement?Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-32324452716140938922010-01-21T05:36:35.693-08:002010-01-21T05:36:35.693-08:00Chris Jackins in his presentation at the board mee...Chris Jackins in his presentation at the board meeting noted that the Student Assignment Plan likely violates a few provisions in the WACs and RCWs as it furthers racial and economic imbalances in schools.<br /><br />Every school will become a "Quality School" idea has now faded so far it does not even get lip service. This is now a plan for separate and unequal schools. It is all about boundary line adjustments and grandfathering. There is not even a word said about how "Quality Schools" will be created.<br /><br />Hey the fact "School Quality" is not even mentioned means the district did learn something from the SE Initiative.dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-31382432841183831122010-01-21T05:20:18.062-08:002010-01-21T05:20:18.062-08:00Charlie, Chris Jackins, and I were at the work ses...Charlie, Chris Jackins, and I were at the work session, which started at 4 PM. It dealt with performance management and instructional philosophy. My belief that these folks have little idea of how to positively impact student achievement was reinforced during the 90 minute session.<br /><br />#1. More top down direction and time spent monitoring subordinates compliance with centralized mandates is pointless and a waste of resources....... because the leaders fail to recognize what structure, materials, and practices actually bring about increased achievement. For the majority of this group, it seems that "Broad Practices" = "Best Practices".<br /><br />#2. Instructional Philosophy largely focuses on meaningless jargon unlikely to have any effect. Until the philosophy becomes based on doing what works and ceasing to emphasize practices that don't work the rest is pointless jargon wrangling. It is quite clear that No one in a leadership position likely has a copy of John Hattie's "Visible Learning" and if they do they are not taking it seriously.<br /><br />#3. The district bases actions on what they wish to do NOT what has been "scientifically analyzed" as very likely to produce improvement.<br /><br />==================<br />#3 was once again very evident during the Cleveland STEM sales pitch to the board for the $800,000 contract for New Technology Network services.<br /><br />Happy talk substitutes for data on achievement. Strings of anecdotes trump reality.<br /><br />This school is going to be successful for lots of reasons given in the presentation. <br />#1 kids are going to do Calculus (the UW will be helping us)<br />{WOW!!! short memory on the last three year UW math iniative at Cleveland}<br />#2 Project based learning will be used with lots of small groups and inquiry learning. {PBL effect size is 0.15, inquiry based learning = 0.31 :: while mastery learning = 0.61, and direction instruction = 0.59} <br /><br />The good news is I got Michael Tolley to look at <b><i>Visible Learning</i></b> and he wrote down the title.<br /><br />============<br />Despite an overwhelming amount of evidence to the contrary the presenters state that all 41 New Tech Network schools are successful.<br /><br />Yup... <b>"Happy Talk" trumps relevant data ... when you want to buy an $800,000 lemon</b>.<br /><br />Of the three NTN demonstration schools in CA, New Tech Sacramento has almost the same demographics as Seattle. (NT Sac = 45% poverty and 16% ELL in 2008) Data from the last six years shows a catastrophic math failure and it is getting worse. This is a STEM emphasis school and in End of Course testing in 2009 of 50 kids in <b>Algebra II</b>:<br /><b>Advanced 0<br />Proficient 1 = 2%</b><br />Basic 2 = 4%<br />Below Basic 18 = 36%<b><br />Far Below Basic 29 = 58%</b><br /><br />to be continued ...dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62152512493086349172010-01-20T23:50:50.388-08:002010-01-20T23:50:50.388-08:00The board voted 6-1 on the transition plan. Patu ...The board voted 6-1 on the transition plan. Patu voted against it. The board seemed to acknowledge that they didn't gather their data correctly for this first year transition. They are seeming to "promise" to do better data gathering for the next transition year, Fall 2011. However, I believe at that point, most of the grandfathering of siblings issues will be irrelevant. Do they think we will start our incoming child at one school, establish ties, and then want to move them again to another school when they readdress the issue in one year?<br /><br />I feel like the school board is merely hoping all of us angry parents will just go away. I am really saddened that the school board dealt with this initial transition plan in such a poor manner. I feel like they were so focused on drawing boundary maps (which are already outdated since there are huge capacity issues at over 10 schools already) that they did not give the focus they needed to to the transition plan. <br /><br />Many parents brought up many of these issues before the maps were adopted, but they kept shoving us aside saying they would deal with that in the transition plan. Did they fulfill their promise? NO! They are just pushing it aside again saying they will address it again in one year. They don't seem to really care about what our students are facing NOW. They are too removed from the schools. They did not seek public input well enough or for a long enough duration for this initial transition. To already have major capacity challenges at schools before we even look at the grandfathering of incoming siblings just seems like incredibly poor planning on the part of the district.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17444660757190318548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-72646380587678838592010-01-20T23:06:01.055-08:002010-01-20T23:06:01.055-08:00Thanks Shannon!Thanks Shannon!Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-38170070376078851312010-01-20T23:03:06.367-08:002010-01-20T23:03:06.367-08:00Thornton Creek graduates for 2010/11 get access to...Thornton Creek graduates for 2010/11 get access to Salmon Bay without transportation.<br /><br />JSIS graduates get access to Hamilton International School for a year even if they are out of zone.<br /><br />South Shore gets a geographic zone tiebreaker for 2010/11.<br /><br />Lots of debate on the number of years bus transportation should be grandfathered but it seems to be deferred to "discuss a year from now." There was a lot of unhappiness about the 2 years vs 5 years and that the savings did not seem to justify the cost to families.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13865361028544783972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1475322844571081222010-01-20T22:11:20.966-08:002010-01-20T22:11:20.966-08:00Bob Vaughn talked about program placement for adva...Bob Vaughn talked about program placement for advanced learning. They want to add Spectrum at Arbor heights, Hawthorne, BF Day and Maddison middle school. <br /><br />NEW ALOs will be introduced at Brighton, Dunlap Emerson and Van Asselt.<br /><br />[The reason these schools were chosen was not because they had a higher distribution of high achieving students in the South End but in order to make these schools "a little bit more special" - ie. as a carrot to the neighborhood model]. <br /><br />Spectrum will be changed to ALO at Leschi, North Beach and West SEattle Elementary (but current Spectrum students at these schools keep their Spectrum eligibility.) The goal is said to be to keep some access to AL but "build up Spectrum programs that are comparable to programs that we have now at Lafayette, Whitier, Wedgwood and View Ridge in other regions of the city".Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13865361028544783972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86019657792183212752010-01-20T21:56:52.041-08:002010-01-20T21:56:52.041-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13865361028544783972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48265691209428734372010-01-20T20:05:37.998-08:002010-01-20T20:05:37.998-08:00I was there at the very beginning and two speakers...I was there at the very beginning and two speakers ceded their time to Madrona students who wanted to say they were unhappy about their principal being reassigned. There were also at least two speakers about sibling grandfathering. Oh! and Meg Diaz gave one more excellent presentation calling out the District on funding STEM (Especially with NTN whose schools apparently have a horrible academic record). She encouraged them to take the time to do it right and not to redirect resources to one school from all of the others. <br /><br />I had to leave after about eight speakers and I don't have cable--so won't know what else happens unless someone posts it here (pleeeeaase...!)Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-57151212057940111532010-01-20T19:32:51.837-08:002010-01-20T19:32:51.837-08:00Well, for all the significant issues outlined the ...Well, for all the significant issues outlined the only one I have been hearing about at the meeting is the TOPS bussing plan. Sigh. I mean, its all very important and all but there are other points that seem vital to make.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13865361028544783972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-9581295789733662652010-01-20T18:10:54.037-08:002010-01-20T18:10:54.037-08:00I believe Meg is scheduled to speak. She is #4 on...I believe Meg is scheduled to speak. She is #4 on the list.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17444660757190318548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21733216935122742662010-01-20T18:06:08.822-08:002010-01-20T18:06:08.822-08:00Is Meg Diaz scheduled to speak? She just posted th...Is Meg Diaz scheduled to speak? She just posted this:<br /><br />http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=0AVRHgOkrxGL8ZGhta2I4cXJfNTBjYjh0ajRoaA&hl=enDorothy Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17108759281089768738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-51570051524087084792010-01-20T18:04:42.164-08:002010-01-20T18:04:42.164-08:00That's a whole lotta push back from Director P...That's a whole lotta push back from Director Patu and also Smith Blum. Good for them.Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12875541753709754758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-11780093491860364932010-01-20T17:55:46.253-08:002010-01-20T17:55:46.253-08:00Here is the new agenda.
http://www.seattleschools...Here is the new agenda.<br /><br />http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/09-10agendas/012010agenda/012010agenda.pdfUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17444660757190318548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-83325876552657447952010-01-20T17:54:17.522-08:002010-01-20T17:54:17.522-08:00Has everyone seen the 6 (we are up to 6 now) amend...Has everyone seen the 6 (we are up to 6 now) amendments that are being brought forward by the board members? Here are a few samples from Patu:<br /><br />"I move that the implementation of other aspects of the new student assignment plan and the transition plan be delayed until the district provides resources for rigorous course offerings in all southeast area schools, to be measured by comparison to the academic programs and results at other schools throughout the city."<br /><br />"I move that siblings not be assigned to different schools, if their family’s preference is that the siblings attend the same school, regardless of any attendance area or other student assignment plan considerations, as long as the preferred school can meet the siblings’ needs."Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17444660757190318548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-74555807635855989102010-01-20T17:48:52.683-08:002010-01-20T17:48:52.683-08:00I think Luz has it right, too. I read the 26 page ...I think Luz has it right, too. I read the 26 page document and that is how I interpreted it. There are already capacity issues with no grandfathering of siblings involved in **at least** 10 schools, possibly mroe. Outrageous!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17444660757190318548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-2216173059869879182010-01-20T17:46:24.897-08:002010-01-20T17:46:24.897-08:00dj and others, I suspect that capacity issues at W...dj and others, I suspect that capacity issues at Wedgwood, for example, have to do with the fact that they already created some large bubbles in the last few years that are now working their way thru the school. We've been "oversubscribed" in the NE for a few years now, and each school has had to add K classes in the recent past. If you consistently enroll more kindergartners relative to how many 5th graders leave, sooner or later, you're going to run out of space. <br /><br />Last year, Wedgwood only had room for 2 Kindergarten classes, but I believe that they had had 4 K classes the year before. Some parents who lived very close to the school were surprised to get sent somewhere else. People generally expected them to have the same number of K classes that they'd always had.<br /><br />So I'm guessing the "new" Wedgwood area is right-sized for the number of K classes it *used* to be able to accommodate. Only it can't accommodate them this fall because those rooms are needed for 2nd and 3rd graders. <br /><br />I guess the district sees the current bubble as a temporary problem, and when our current crop of 1st and 2nd graders leave for middle school, the areas will finally be "right-sized."Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07777580098975083499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-62030781924311777222010-01-20T17:39:24.732-08:002010-01-20T17:39:24.732-08:00dj's interpretation is what the memorandum est...dj's interpretation is what the memorandum establishes, there is not enough capacity to accommodate incoming kindergarteners within the attendance area. Forget about siblings! <br />How could they have gotten it so wrong? I mean TEN schools!?!Luz Villasanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14303118608767036399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-26116864785005305882010-01-20T17:38:17.987-08:002010-01-20T17:38:17.987-08:00Well then, even worse!Well then, even worse!Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.com