tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post4204007684225785530..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning Work SessionMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-63989414044482899872021-03-29T02:22:47.693-07:002021-03-29T02:22:47.693-07:00It's good to visit your blog again, it's b...It's good to visit your blog again, it's been months for me. Well, this article that I have been waiting for so long. I will need this post to complete my college homework, and it has the exact same topic with your article. Thanks, have a good game.<br /><a href="https://360digitmg.com/india/data-analytics-certification-training-course-in-bangalore" rel="nofollow">Data Analytics Courses in Bangalore</a> Data Analytics Courses in Bangalorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05172719692738010466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3167180380631604392018-12-09T17:47:21.827-08:002018-12-09T17:47:21.827-08:00The issue with TM's class sizes is that the di...The issue with TM's class sizes is that the district uses the weighted formula to determine the number of teachers, but makes no distinction for the fact that they have 2 programs there and students in GE and HCC can't be in the same classroom, so "dividing # of students by ~25 to calculate # of teachers" doesn't really work for TM. Some years they received "mitigation" and got another teacher to try to make the issue less problematic, but that stopped happening a few years ago. The TM administration has always made larger HCC classrooms and smaller GE classrooms when forced to solve the issue. Which seems like the right solution, but only if it doesnt' become extreme. Washington is doing the same thing this year, but the principal seems to think it's ok to have 39 students in math classes and 38 in science classes with predictably poor results.<br />TM ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-90784709106187066272018-12-09T14:31:40.993-08:002018-12-09T14:31:40.993-08:00@ So Tired,
I do not know anything about the int...@ So Tired, <br /><br />I do not know anything about the internal politics at TM or staffing. I tend to stick to the capacity topic because if you know the history of bad capacity decisions, it is generally pretty easy to guess the inevitable political challenges. <br /><br />Some building sites are pretty straightforward, other are just complicated and tend to remain complex regardless of the current situation. Thurgood Marshall has a long and challenging history from the point of view of capacity. Here is link to the building history project. <br /><br />https://www.seattleschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_543/File/District/Departments/Archives/BuildingForLearning/marshall,thurgood.pdf<br /><br />TM was built as a brand new school in 1990. As such, it is a relatively modern building for SPS. Despite the pretty new building, TM struggled with enrollment throughout the 90's and 00's. It was one of those "mysteries," a pretty new budding that just never filled. <br /><br />Over that time, there were dozens of plans on how to better "utilize" such a good facility. The African American Academy was co-housed there at one point. There were multiple attempts to relocate TOPS to this building, so that Montlake Elementary could be closed and moved into TOPS building. Those are just a few of the many failed plans to fill TM. <br /><br />During the era of the closures, TM was always on the watchlist, because of low enrollment. However, it was simply impossible to close such a new building. As many on this blog knows, the decision to move half of HCC to TM was made during the 08-09 closures. EVERYONE involved knew this was a bad plan. But after nearly 20 year of plans to fill the building, that plan stuck. <br /><br />The plan has nothing to do with academics. It was clear from minute one, that there was not actually enough space for both the neighborhood students and another program. By 2008, planned density was causing the local schools to fill on their own. Just two years later, Rainier View needed to be reopened for capacity reasons. <br /><br />It has been 10 years, and TM is naturally the flash point for the equity in AL conversation. There was great concern at the time of this decision, that placing APP at TM was going to deprive the school of Title 1 funds. The area surrounding the school is high poverty and the neighborhood students are entitled to extra funds and lower class sizes. Placing APP made that go away. <br /><br />The answer at the time ... no worries, The APP parents will fundraise to make up the difference. <br /><br />Who could have predicted this situation?? Who??? <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42230475122103943732018-12-09T12:24:31.429-08:002018-12-09T12:24:31.429-08:00Are HFA teachers grading tests on a curve? If so, ...<i>Are HFA teachers grading tests on a curve? If so, how would the curve impact grades?</i><br /><br />And how do grades reflect knowledge and performance? If the same demonstrated knowledge and skills that result in an A for a non-HC student would earn an HC student only a C, what do grades mean for those interpreting grades and GPAs during the college admission process? It seems like grades become essentially meaningless to anyone other than the student and parent--in which case more descriptive feedback rather than letter grades would make more sense. <br /><br /><i>Leveling</i> the playing field is important for equity sake--not changing the size or shape of it.<br /><br />all typesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16512275797841629772018-12-09T12:15:37.078-08:002018-12-09T12:15:37.078-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Mihail337https://www.blogger.com/profile/07984886513147940076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-61672050521784677042018-12-09T11:38:19.787-08:002018-12-09T11:38:19.787-08:00Kellie: did you hear what happened this year at TM...Kellie: did you hear what happened this year at TM around this? We lost a teacher. They took a 5th grade hcc teacher and shifted all 4th and 5th grade classes resulting in two 29 student 4th grades and two 29 student 5th grades and one 27 student 4/5 split in hcc, while there remain 2 5th grade gen ed classes at 13 and 17 students respectively, and 2 gen ed 4th grades at 20 and 22 students. I did the math, we could have given up a teacher and shifted things in another way that resulted in all classes remaining at 24 or fewer students, had there not been insistence on impacting only hcc. (They also took kids from other than just the abandoned 5th grade to the liking of the teacher taking the split and allowed additional unnecessary upset to the gender balance in the remaining class and put kids with that teacher for a 3rd year in a row that didn’t want or really have to move.)So Tirednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-80180241452101746902018-12-09T00:17:34.974-08:002018-12-09T00:17:34.974-08:00Are HFA teachers grading tests on a curve? If so, ...Are HFA teachers grading tests on a curve? If so, how would the curve impact grades?<br /><br />Wonderingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42934529013550786582018-12-08T15:59:23.866-08:002018-12-08T15:59:23.866-08:00I love the magical thinking.
- In a memo to sta...I love the magical thinking. <br /><br /><i> - In a memo to staff (and I believe this is from Martin), he says, "With the shift to Common Core, automatically accelerating HCC students/classes two years ahead is no longer appropriate. While differentiated instruction is a necessity for these students, acceleration is not the only way to do this.</i><br /><br /><i>The advancement has to come from the rigor the teacher infuses into the content and instruction and the depth and breath at which the student can demonstrate mastery of a standard at consecutive, graduating grade levels."</i><br /><br />Aha! So the teachers just need to provide more differentiation and rigor! Got it! Thanks, Mr. Martin! <br /><br />For the record, Mr. Martin has had plenty of time to work on this issue, as the district has been throwing around the idea of dismantling HCC pathways for several years. And their current solution is that teachers should just do that thing they weren’t doing that made the kid want to switch schools in the first place? Awesome.<br /><br />If it’s judt “leave it up to the teachers,” there really isn’t a program or service to speak of, is there? It’s like he’s given up. Maybe Mr. Martin needs to go on a listening tour to reconnect with HC families and hear about the realities of our students” experiences.<br /><br />Ask us<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-31455087789111124782018-12-08T14:08:05.061-08:002018-12-08T14:08:05.061-08:00Good thoughts, Kellie. Wish you were on the Strat...Good thoughts, Kellie. Wish you were on the Strategic Plan group.<br /><br />On the subject of Thurgood Marshall, Simone said:<br /><br />"My understanding is that the higher appeals standards were introduced in 2016 at the quiet behest of the Racial Equity in HCC group at Thurgood Marshall, which seeks to achieve equity in HCC, perplexingly, by disbanding HCC."<br /><br />I have been thru the latest batch of public disclosure documents about TM. Here's the latest:<br /><br />- in a memo that was going to be presented to the Curriculum & Instruction Ctm in May 2016, staff said, "I would advise against publicizing anything at this point. Suffice to say that the draft language is being adjusted to allow for flexibility in program design." That's one way to make change without being accountable.<br /><br />- Also, "Language mandates self-contrained cohort model in ELA and Math, but allows individual school flexibility for Diversity initiations in SS and Science." Wonder if this "flexibility" will go away if, as the Board and staff say, they want coherency in AL?<br /><br />- In one email, Director Geary asked head of AL, Stephen Martin, about where a child can either "either Eckstein (home) or the entitlement of HCC (JAMS)."<br /><br />- In a memo to staff (and I believe this is from Martin), he says, "With the shift to Common Core, automatically accelerating HCC students/classes two years ahead is no longer appropriate. While differentiated instruction is a necessity for these students, acceleration is not the only way to do this.<br /><br />The advancement has to come from the rigor the teacher infuses into the content and instruction and the depth and breath at which the student can demonstrate mastery of a standard at consecutive, graduating grade levels."<br /><br />- Interestingly, TM's waiver included survey results that had not a single negative comment. In the entire school, not one? Seems implausible.<br /><br />- It also stated that "we have heard" from minority families that they would not enroll their child at TM because of the segregation.<br /><br />- And probably the most jaw-dropping news is that the "head" of the Racial Equity group put out a flyer on AL that she handed out at various community events. <br /><br />It had only the head person's name and email as who to contact about how to enroll. But this person, Devin Bruckner, does not work for the district so should the district be endorsing this information?<br /><br />I know the district endorsed the information - at least the AL office did - because Stephen Martin said yes to paying for it to be translated into different languages AND paid for copies.<br /><br />This is a swell thing for Mr. Martin to have done but man, I could have used this service in my years as a co-president of a PTA. I could have used free translation services and copy service to serve my community but it never occurred to me to just ask for it.<br /><br />I'm being sarcastic here. It is not right for the district to have allowed this to be done AND to not have had the DISTRICT'S contact information, not just a parent. Especially a parent who has tried to undermine the very program she seeks to give other parents advice about. <br /><br />Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-748361276017079122018-12-08T12:56:46.212-08:002018-12-08T12:56:46.212-08:00@2e at Garfield, thanks for sharing. We, too, have...@2e at Garfield, thanks for sharing. We, too, have found that smaller class sizes and more individual instruction can really help. That’s probably true for all students, but if SPS want to reduce gaps in academic outcomes—without imposing ceilings on high achievers—they really need to think about how to provide this sort of tailored instruction to those in need.<br /><br />If your student did not get extra time on tests, they should. This will be especially important for standarfixed tests like the SAT. I think 100% extra time is usually recommended for kids with dyslexia. There’s a process involved (and different timelines for different tests), so if you are not already working with the school on that you might want to look into it ASAP. <br /><br />It’s interestingbthat you said GCC would not have been a good fit, but HFA and opt-in Honors are. Is that simply because you think your child has fully caught up and could work at the HCC level now, or is it because you feel the HFA and opt-in honors classes are a little less demanding than what HCC erosions would be? For students who found HCC middle school to simplistic and boring, do you think HFA and opt-ins will be even less appropriate?<br /><br />All typesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86665591493756697802018-12-08T10:32:45.979-08:002018-12-08T10:32:45.979-08:00@all types
A large discrepancy between IQ and read...@all types<br />A large discrepancy between IQ and reading achievement scores is a diagnostic criterion for dyslexia. There is no way that a 1st grader with dyslexia will score at the 97th percentile on a reading test. HCC will not discount the reading test. The AL office did allow Spectrum designation with an 89th percentile reading score for a my dyslexic 4th grader, which is honestly an amazing score for a kid with dyslexia. I had an email discussion with Roger Daniels about this during our appeals, and he said that the HCC program was designed around students reading two grade levels above, and would not be a good placement. He was right about that (we have many friends in HCC), but SPS really has nothing that would work for my kid in elementary. Individual teachers tried, and we did private tutoring, but there just wasn't anything available until kid did badly enough on the SBAC. By that time, kid HATED school. Washington wasn't a good fit either, though some other SPS middle schools might have been ok. Garfield's HFA and opt-in honors classes are a good fit.<br /><br />The private middle school wasn't designed for students with disabilities, but it was able to provide an environment where students with learning disabilities and those without could succeed. It had direct writing instruction, with writing done in class and red-lined by an LA teacher with a PhD. It had small classes allowing the teachers to tailor learning to the needs of each student. It had old-fashioned math without badly-written Common Core word problems, and a lot of project-based learning in other subjects. It had PE and Recess and Art and Music, every semester. It had lots of field trips for hands-on learning. Kid is now caught up to HCC friends in math, and a good writer. Kid also (mostly) likes school, and is confident in their skills as a student. It took a level of effort by the teachers at the private school that is simply not available at SPS. The support services that Garfield provides (tutoring, teen health center, clubs, etc.), along with being able to opt into honors, serve the same need in a different way. There are lessons to learn there.<br /><br />2e at Garfield<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16831174363196556082018-12-08T08:33:48.254-08:002018-12-08T08:33:48.254-08:00Next on my list is the ongoing challenging with en...Next on my list is the ongoing challenging with enrollment forecasting and building staffing. <br /><br />Total enrollment is now trending downwards, this could be blip or this could be the start of an ugly trend. <br /><br />As anyone who has ever done projections professionally understands, projections are ALWAYS wrong. That is not a problem. They are ALWAYS wrong. Projections are your best guess about what the future holds. When your projections are correct, it is typically an accident, or it was not really a projection (aka only 3-6 months in the future) <br /><br />The most important part of projections is doing your variance report to learn how your projected future matched the actual future. SPS has NEVER done true variance reports. Every variance report I have ever read, was created by parents and community members, not SPS. <br /><br />They do these occasional snapshots of 2018 projected enrollment vs actuals but those are really just basic accounting reports, (where the students are counted). They are not true variance reports for projections, where you examine the 5 year projection vs actual. <br /><br />Because SPS has NEVER done variance reports, mythology, not data, guides the enrollment narrative. During the recession, growth was because students were "returning from private school." Nonsense. There was not one private school that went out of business. There were some individuals who could no longer afford private school, but the private schools merely backfilled from their healthy wait lists. <br /><br />We have had six years of lower than expected enrollment and it is being blamed on mostly on housing prices and even more toxically on "parent choice" and "stealing students." That fact that there is no data to support this, is not even slowing down this toxic narrative. Very simple variance reports tell a very different story about how growth has stalled at various grade bands and various part of seattle. <br /><br />I did not do a variance report this summer but I am familiar enough with projections over the years that even a casual glance at the projections provided to me during the BEX task force this summer told me that the changes in AL are directly related to several enrollment drops. <br /><br />But there is no conversation about AL and total enrollment because more enrollment is AL is more inequity on paper. That is a terrible narrative and not true but mythology has a power that is more persuasive than basic facts. <br /><br />The final piece is this narrative about refusing to move waitlists because the choice system is simply "stealing" students from one school. That narrative is ludicrous beyond belief but it has taken root in the district. <br /><br />Families that participate in the choice system have one foot out the door. The choice process is a way for SPS to load balance enrollment across schools and continue to enroll students, who are likely to leave the district. The idea that these students are stolen, equates them to widgets who are just supposed to be at their assigned school and completely overlooks any notion that real live human beings are part of the equation. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-9812971884058334002018-12-08T08:14:12.823-08:002018-12-08T08:14:12.823-08:00@ Simone and the other optimists.
I wished I sha...@ Simone and the other optimists. <br /><br />I wished I shared your optimism, but I don't. Nearly 20 years of advocacy has taught me a few things and I share them in the hope that it informs your optimism and that you continue to advocate for effective AL. <br /><br />First and formost, there is always a financial crisis. It varies from a scandal to a recession to legislative issues but there is always a financial crisis and every year precious time and energy that could be spent planning for students and infrastructure, is instead spent managing the crisis of the day. Of all the crises, IMHO, the levy cliff(s) have been the worst. <br /><br />Recessions and scandals pass and have light at the end of the tunnel. The ongoing issue of levy authority and the potentially annual possibility that Seattle could suddenly lose 20% of its budget means that process of investing in students is pretty much at a stand still. <br /><br />I don't think the full magnitude of this issue has really reached the public. However, the impact of simply not be able to spend money until the last moment, will mean that investments in teachers is precarious at best. <br /><br /><br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-11393195086671658202018-12-07T21:06:38.948-08:002018-12-07T21:06:38.948-08:00@ Simone, yes, I believe that's what Sib meant...@ Simone, yes, I believe that's what Sib meant as well. I should have been clear that my comment wasn't meant to be a response to Sib--I was just musing. The comment reminded me of something I've often thought about re: HC and SPS, which is that the gap between HC and GE, seems like it should grow over time, not shrink--yet SPS seems to do all they can to narrow that gap, taking students who were operating several years ahead in earlier grades and turning them into students who are essentially on your typical college prep GE track come high school. SPS seems to want to push everyone to the middle. <br /><br />all typesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53424254437016368942018-12-07T20:21:42.258-08:002018-12-07T20:21:42.258-08:00@All Types
I think what Sib means is that highly ...@All Types<br /><br />I think what Sib means is that highly capable students in underserved communities still experience gaps compared to other highly capable students, not to gen ed. If the underserved students are HC-identified aggressively at kindergarten level (via NNAT3 or othrwise), the gaps between them and other highly capable students are dramatically narrowed. If they are not identified until third grade, the gaps remain pronounced, statistically, in comparison with their highly capable peers.<br /><br /><br />@Crazymaking<br /><br />My understanding is that the higher appeals standards were introduced in 2016 at the quiet behest of the Racial Equity in HCC group at Thurgood Marshall, which seeks to achieve equity in HCC, perplexingly, by disbanding HCC. As with any narrow/siloed decision making, many unintended consequences have ramified from that change, which Advanced Learning made without public announcement or community engagement. I suspect Michael Tolley was involved in this decision, so with his departure there may be freedom to act more rationally. Ironically, and sadly, however, Advanced Learning has made a change that makes it nearly impossible for most highly capable minority and low income students to qualify for HC, so they are harming the very students they purportedly want to help. They have also made it impossible for many 2e students (highly capable students who also have a disability) to qualify for HC. They have also made it impossible for a family to appeal a suspected or obvious testing error. The provision serves only to keep the program small, not to create racial equity.<br /><br />In other districts, the highly capable are actively sought out, and ambiguous results are explored to err on the side of getting all highly capable students into the services they need, not on the side of keeping them out. Miami-Dade identifies 11-12% of their student population as highly capable, with good results for diversity. Our neighboring districts also identify a larger percentage of their students of than does Seattle, and Federal Way does a splendid job identifying minority students. It can be done if there is both the expertise and the will. I suspect AL has the will but lacks both money and expertise.<br /><br />-SimoneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-56538523320816803892018-12-07T14:56:44.799-08:002018-12-07T14:56:44.799-08:00In theory, shouldn't the outcome disparities b...In theory, shouldn't the outcome disparities between HC students and others grow over time? If HC students are able to learn more quickly and deeply, with less repetition, grasping abstract concepts and applying them more easily, and often working with more intensity and passion, wouldn't you EXPECT the gaps to grow over the years? Why is that a bad thing, in and of itself? Why would you expect others to keep pace, when these students have exceptional abilities? Nobody complains if an young star athlete makes it into pro sports, but that's clearly an example of a widening gap based on ability. I've never understood why SPS seems so intent upon trying to turn HC students into more average students. It's bizarre. Why try to slow the trajectory of such students? (Our failure to equitably identify and serve all HC students is a separate problem; they, too, should be supported to learn deeply and quickly). <br /><br /> all types<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-32080706309190083872018-12-07T14:41:28.303-08:002018-12-07T14:41:28.303-08:00The earlier you provide AL services to students wh...The earlier you provide AL services to students who need them, the smaller the opportunity gap. Some principals actually urge waiting until 3rd grade to attempt identification on the theory that students who are behind age-mates will catch up by then. But it doesn't work that way. This erroneous thinking is harming students. And it is harming them disproportionately, because students from wealthier better educated families have more opportunities outside of school for enrichment and advanced academic activities. Waiting until kids are older to identify allows years for the opportunity gap to grow. The earlier you begin services, the higher the trajectory advanced learners hit by the time they finish high school. Our district's botched attempts to close the opportunity gap have been increasing it. I'm sure the district has data showing as much. <br /><br />I'm hopeful for change because so far I've been happy with what I've heard from Juneau. And I think national and state law are making course corrections that will actually improve equity instead of talking a lot about it while making it worse.Sibnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-2253341695749091392018-12-07T11:43:37.753-08:002018-12-07T11:43:37.753-08:00It is important to note that a successful appeal f...<b>It is important to note that a successful appeal for HC eligibility will need to include supporting evidence that the student qualifies as “Most Highly Capable” or “Highly Gifted.”</b><br /><i>Those qualifications usually indicate that the student’s scores approach three standard deviations (approximately 99.6%) above the norm on standardized cognitive and achievement tests. This threshold does represent a higher standard than that required for initial eligibility because the student has been given the benefit of individually administered assessments.</i><br /><br />...from the AL appeals page. <br /><br />https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/advanced_learning/testing/results/appeals<br /><br />The logic behind this change is incredibly faulty (and Exhibit A for why I'd share kellie's skepticism about the direction of AL). If students are testing in the HC range (whether through district or private testing), that indicates a need for services. Period. Why the rationing? And frankly, SPS is not delivering HC services geared to those testing 3 SD and above. Based on a normal bell curve, only 0.13% of the general population would even be expected to test at that level and above (compared with just over 2% at 2 SD and above). Do achievement tests even report above 99%ile? It should be noted this only applies to HC qualification, not Spectrum level AL opportunities. Why the disparity? <br /><br />Optics and such, they take the back door approach to restricting the pathway to HC (and only HC) with private testing. They are sidestepping a formal policy review and seem to be making up different rules each year. Eligibility benchmarks used to be the same whether tests were district administered or privately administered, but this was not (and is not) detailed in Board policy. It's only on the AL website. <br /><br />crazymakingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23645749898183462402018-12-07T10:55:17.066-08:002018-12-07T10:55:17.066-08:00@Kellie
Thank you for laying this out so clearly,...@Kellie<br /><br />Thank you for laying this out so clearly, as you always do. Your perspectives are incredibly valuable. I am a bit optimistic despite the deficiencies you cite, but I share your concern about the simplistic scapegoating of advanced learning, a perennial problem in Seattle that honestly we don't see in most other places.<br /><br />Unlike our most recent superintendents, Juneau seems able to read people's motivations and see through their fixed beliefs (not just on HCC but most issues). She hasn't taken enough concrete action that I can see if my impression is borne out by those actions yet, so we'll have to wait and see. But I see some reassuring signs.<br /><br />-SimoneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-16476369462000579982018-12-07T09:42:19.603-08:002018-12-07T09:42:19.603-08:00@ 2E at Garfield, you mentioned that your "2E...@ 2E at Garfield, you mentioned that your "2E kid never tested into APP/HCC because their learning disability directly impacted scores on the achievement tests" Was your student not able to get accommodations for the achievement tests? <br /><br />Also, can you clarify what you meant by the statement that you "remediated with private middle school"? Did your child attend a middle school specifically for 2E students or students with learning disabilities, or was a regular middle school able to do that? Was simply being at the middle school the remediation, or were there extra services provided specifically for remediation. Did the middle school remediation involve grade level work, or 1-2 years above? <br /><br />I'm always interested in hearing what solutions families are able to orchestrate for their students who aren't getting what they need through the usual SPS channels.<br /><br />all typesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-57839902500268708192018-12-07T07:47:38.233-08:002018-12-07T07:47:38.233-08:00Thanks for the shout out Mel. I am really glad tha...Thanks for the shout out Mel. I am really glad that downtown is beginning to acknowledge the reality that the master schedule really does control everything. <br /><br />That said, I am not nearly as optimistic as you are. I reviewed all of the documents and IMHO, there is a still an entrenched attachment to optics paired with a disregard for the mechanics of how things operate. Simply put, SPS has always had the opportunity to provide more rigor for more students. When you add more rigor, you either add more variation or you add more costs. <br /><br />Adding more variation is very easy within budget constraints. When you add more variation, you add more programs and you add more class options at the top of the schedule. You are able to add more classes because you are reducing the number of typical classes. This then creates more variation and it is really clear that some schools have more AL than others and you have more tracking. <br /><br />The other way to do this is with detracking and MTSS. Detracking creates the "optics of equity" However, detracking ONLY works when you ADD a lot more MONEY to the system. MTSS and the hundreds of other names uses for such programs, is supposed to be paying for MORE ADULTS to provide individuated supports at the both the top and bottom. Detracking also typically includes substantially smaller class sizes so that the teachers can provide more differentiation. <br /><br />When you try to implement something like MTSS in a cost neutral manner, then all you have is more pressure on teachers to be the magic solution. <br /><br />I hate to be overly cynical but ... there is no free lunch. SPS constantly tries to have their cake and eat it too. They want all the optics of detracking at the price point of adding variation. This presentation tells me that they are still tilting at that windmill. <br /><br />Frankly, there are a few very economical options that could split the difference. But the most telling comment of all to me what Juneau's notation that she heard about inequity in AL at every stop on the listening tour. That amount of consistency tends to point to mythology. <br /><br />Who remembers when all the problems in the district were caused by option schools and their exorbitant transportation costs??? If we just stop transportation spending, then we have enough money to invest in the classrooms and ... provide quality for all. That was never true but ... the narrative was foundational to nearly a decade of school closures. The narrative that somehow AL is the cause of inequity is ridiculous on its face, but that narrative has taken hold in the district. <br /><br />AL is not inequitable. The process of qualifying for AL is very inequitable. That distinction is still lost in this conversation. <br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64042414671076506852018-12-06T18:47:49.585-08:002018-12-06T18:47:49.585-08:00Sounds hopeful. Thanks for attending and typing al...Sounds hopeful. Thanks for attending and typing all this up, Melissa.<br /><br />I know a lot of us are cynical after all that has happened -- I sure am -- but this makes me think that maybe there will be an effort to teach all children in Seattle. It certainly shouldn't be enough to teach the minimum and leave kids so bored they hate school. I don't know if we'll ever get enough money to be able to teach every child to the maximum of their ability, but with what we do have, trying hard to teach every child is something to aspire to.<br /><br />It sounds to me like the new superintendent may believe this too. That's very promising.Gregnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-82754799118110568722018-12-06T15:15:08.371-08:002018-12-06T15:15:08.371-08:00Continuum, Eh? I absolutely agree. I was pleased t...Continuum, Eh? I absolutely agree. I was pleased to see that Juneau's report on her listening tour mentioned 2E. SPS has been terrible at serving this population. I hope she gathers some data and does something to fix the situation. We remediated with private middle school. I hate to think about what would have happened if we hadn't been able to afford that. Garfield has been great so far. Maybe there's something to learn there.<br /><br />2E at GarfieldAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64131016546167829482018-12-06T11:10:34.821-08:002018-12-06T11:10:34.821-08:00Yeah, Seattle's HCC program keeps a lot of stu...Yeah, Seattle's HCC program keeps a lot of students out who would benefit from it. It's all just school. I find it bizarre how hard the district fights to keep children from accessing the program. If you ran a district with hundreds of students who could be learning more, learning faster, exploring concepts more deeply, progressing faster, why would you hold them back? And at the same time, why would you not look for an IDEA-covered learning disability in a child just because they have high cognitive ability? It's cruel and immoral. But maybe it's cheaper? Or at least it's cheaper to not provide the PD that would prevent these situations from occurring over and over again to student after student. <br /><br />It's important for the board/administration to follow up on HFA and detracking and our district's extremely suspiciously low Section 504 rate because all these factors impact the well-being of children. And there's so much bias in the system. Without looking at actual data, there's no way to make sure that educational choices made for ideological reasons aren't harming the very students they were meant to help. Or other students that no one cared enough about to even consider when the choice was being made in the first place. Continuum, Eh?noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42283055791570645502018-12-06T10:43:38.694-08:002018-12-06T10:43:38.694-08:00Yeah, Garfield is our neighborhood school, and 2E ...Yeah, Garfield is our neighborhood school, and 2E kid never tested into APP/HCC because their learning disability directly impacted scores on the achievement tests. So, our view of HFA is probably quite different from that of someone who is busing across town for a test-in program.<br /><br />2E at GarfieldAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com