tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post9140013734155694803..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning Work SessionMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14977504373956541942016-10-07T09:47:36.330-07:002016-10-07T09:47:36.330-07:00The HCC Equity Team info is posted on the PTA'...The HCC Equity Team info is posted on the PTA's website, not the school's website, and seems like a parent led initiative, not a SPS initiative. It's concerning if others are mistakenly led to believe this is coming from SPS (though it is probably not out of line with what some staff believe). SPS already had a committee meet and discuss changes to AL policy, some of which were incorporated into the revised district policy. They tweaked the entry criteria, but did not make major changes, and agreed that the appeals process (required by WA Highly Capable rules) would still include private testing (district choice). That a small group is now trying to change the policy, after the discussions have already happened at the district level, well, I'm just not sure what to make of it. They are pushing a personal agenda. It bothers me in the same way a vocal group pushed for the start time changes that created such upheaval this year (only to find out major schedule changes may happen next year as well). The safety of young children waiting for early buses on busy roads on dark mornings...sigh. That's a post for another day.<br /><br />-anonyparentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-28767754876132744012016-10-06T21:41:05.039-07:002016-10-06T21:41:05.039-07:00Its also fairly hypocritical to admit you used an ...Its also fairly hypocritical to admit you used an appeal to enter the program, say the data leads you to believe future kids shouldnt use appeals and continue to both participate in the program and rail against other parents for bring racist - no?<br /><br />-aghastAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-25001687649642905672016-10-06T21:21:39.781-07:002016-10-06T21:21:39.781-07:00bad data is right, they have no official standing ...bad data is right, they have no official standing and there are HCC teachers at TM who are not speaking up for fear of being labeled racist.<br /><br />open earsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-60672890471518827662016-10-06T15:25:05.671-07:002016-10-06T15:25:05.671-07:00Thanks CM but to be clear it isn't HCC Equity ...<br />Thanks CM but to be clear it isn't HCC Equity Committee it is a self anointed group of people at TM that are working to waterdown HCC classes. It has no charter from the superintendent and is not related to the parent/teacher Advisory Committee which has a diversity reps. <br /><br />What is surprising is that this is authored by parents not just teachers like GHS. At least the learned to drop the segregation line. Geez<br /><br />bad data<br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43790916107586286522016-10-06T15:20:16.680-07:002016-10-06T15:20:16.680-07:00The title "HCC Equity Committee" is misl...The title "HCC Equity Committee" is misleading as well, and hoodwinked even current Cascadia parents into sending along a supporting letter under the guise of being simply support for increasing diversity in HCC.<br /><br />Devin Bruckner is the committee chair. Is he or she a parent of a student in HCC or a teacher or? Are there parents, teachers, administrators on the committee? The set of recommendations seems to contain a large helping of personal bias.<br /><br />ShockedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-8196537648847127332016-10-06T14:57:07.605-07:002016-10-06T14:57:07.605-07:00I have read the report from the HCC Equity Committ...I have read the report from the HCC Equity Committee. It is seriously flawed. The two biggest flaws in the report are the author's perception the HCC eligibility is a prize rather than a response to a pedagogical need and the belief that native talent at birth rather than current capability should be the basis for eligibility.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-52418213199192898502016-10-06T14:28:39.169-07:002016-10-06T14:28:39.169-07:00Thanks, Kellie! Leave Cascadia alone, create 250 s...Thanks, Kellie! Leave Cascadia alone, create 250 spots at OLympic Hills for an option HCC, move on to start over with the disaster neighborhood boundary "plan" and look at the entire system with pathways and special program numbers included in the projections.<br /><br />UrgencyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30490187614050492182016-10-06T14:22:00.910-07:002016-10-06T14:22:00.910-07:00If anyone was remotely interested in actually fixi...If anyone was remotely interested in actually fixing this problem the new building at Olympic Hills would be a perfect opportunity. <br /><br />Olympic Hills will be opening next Fall. The school was very carefully designed to have the ability to provide substantial extra support for a high poverty population. The opening could be paired with a pilot program to support gifted and talented in some way as well.<br /><br />There is the space and small class sizes for something like this to be a real possibility. <br /><br />Instead the plan for this building is to send the poor kids to a substandard building without the infrastructure. <br /><br />This entire HCC conversation just feels like a big distraction. What is the process to get something elevated to "key initiative" because I would love to get high school on that list. <br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-2546796604739342442016-10-06T14:16:52.690-07:002016-10-06T14:16:52.690-07:00Thanks Mel!
I guess I shouldn't be surprised ...Thanks Mel!<br /><br />I guess I shouldn't be surprised any longer, but ... I am quite surprised by the intense focus on HCC and Cascadia this year. <br /><br />IMHO, I wouldn't even put Cascadia in the top 10 capacity problems. Nor would I put HCC in the top 10 academic / educational outcome problems. <br /><br />But yet, these two issues are getting a tremendous amount of time, focus and energy. <br /><br />None of the items under discussion will improve equity for poor minorities or students who start K gifted but behind their more affluent peers. The proposed boundary changes are creating equity issues that are much more impactful to students. Cedar Park is only one example but the entire domino effect of the boundary changes in the north end will greatly increase segregation will simultaneously removing students from the supports built at OH. <br /><br />The feeder patterns for North-end middle school are fundamentally broken. They are so badly broken, that they can't be fixed without undoing all of the elementary boundary changes. <br /><br />And middle school HCC is a real problem that isn't on the agenda. The feeder patterns for the southend are also going to be very problematic as the current plan will effectually empty out Washington and overfill Mercer. There is no official statement for where north end HCC will be placed. <br /><br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-35183882447272152392016-10-06T13:59:00.333-07:002016-10-06T13:59:00.333-07:00Again, do not out someone. I know no name was men...Again, do not out someone. I know no name was mentioned but we don't do that here. That some of you are able to discern patterns in writing is probably useful to you but let's keep it civil (even if others are not.)<br /><br />Kellie, see my newest thread on Lakeside. You are spot on.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-76504437244358694232016-10-06T13:25:55.968-07:002016-10-06T13:25:55.968-07:00How about this "calling lame," they oute...<br />How about this "calling lame," they outed themselves? And that would be she right? You can't spread the same lies in the same grandiose manner without showing your hand. we had the same thing with a school board candidate earlier. That should be the precedent. <br /><br />Bear in mind the defense of watering down HC is all based on straw man arguments. <br /><br />And thanks Kellie. Totally agree; surprise one size fits all will never work and that is why we need testing accommodations and greater support for the ell, frl and 2e kids. <br /><br />bad data Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-72314066224467688912016-10-06T13:09:21.788-07:002016-10-06T13:09:21.788-07:00Tired of Zealots above just broke the one unbreaka...Tired of Zealots above just broke the one unbreakable rule of this fine blog. No outing commenters no matter how much one disagrees with the commenter. Jerk move.<br /><br />Calling LameAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-57532585822579491022016-10-06T13:04:07.245-07:002016-10-06T13:04:07.245-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-77329352082510411912016-10-06T13:01:01.014-07:002016-10-06T13:01:01.014-07:00So those statistics also begs the question if HCC ...So those statistics also begs the question if HCC looks like Seattle, why doesn't the rest of SPS look more like Seattle?<br /><br />It is because of the high private school enrollment. Private school enrollment is the missing part of this equity conversation. kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-57206923304295807532016-10-06T12:59:05.771-07:002016-10-06T12:59:05.771-07:00The statistics that KT posted from the City of Sea...The statistics that KT posted from the City of Seattle shows that HCC is in the exact same proportions as the City of Seattle as a whole for White and Asian students. <br /><br />The distinction is with the number of mixed race/Hispanic/African American. That is where you see the variation. <br /><br />So the problem is not the over-representation of White students but rather the over-represnation of mixed race and under-represenation of Hispanic and African American students. <br /><br />Rainier Scholars was designed for exactly this type of challenge. So there is a solution. <br /><br />SPS doesn't need to change HCC. They need to ADD a new program that specifically supports low income / high potential students with their independent set of entry requirements. <br /><br />As a side note, HCC elementrary enrollment has leveled out. HCC was growing quickly at the same time all of North end enrollment was growing quickly. Now that elementary enrollment has stabilized so has elementary HCC. <br />kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322661098626555834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-35089393988059535922016-10-06T12:40:11.596-07:002016-10-06T12:40:11.596-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47536852455906243892016-10-06T11:32:45.542-07:002016-10-06T11:32:45.542-07:00MW that is pseudo statistics and a bastardization ...MW that is pseudo statistics and a bastardization to follow someones failed understanding of driving forces in HCC. <br /><br />First, they claim to be the HCC Equitability Committee but they really are just a group of folks at TM and don't speak for the HC Committee or community at all. <br /><br />Second,there are all kinds of claims of numbers but from first glance you can see many (including testing cost) are for AL in its entirety not JUST HCC. You can do that all you want if what you want is to show a greater achievement variability. But HCS are offered based on IQ first and not achievement (though it seems the opposite based on some of the identification tools used to increase diversity).<br /><br />Third the heat map argument might apply to option schools and neighborhood schools but it doesn't apply to special protected groups like ELL, SPED and HCS. You can't protect a class and then add a bunch of another race to "seem" equitable. <br /><br />Fourth private testing elimination is a red herring and mostly supported by the schools so that they can stop the late roll of kids to HCC. There is nothing equitable about denying services to those kids who need a more controlled environment to take an IQ test (ADHD and other 2e kids). <br /><br />Finally, this is not about skin color, it is about fRL, ell and 2e and that is why those groups ARE giving special consideration to enter the program. I think it is also weird that TM group would put this all on the North. TMs HC population lines up pretty close to Cascadia.<br /><br />bad dataAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4660986864715292062016-10-06T10:59:20.426-07:002016-10-06T10:59:20.426-07:00@ Nose - yes that is what I was coming here to com...@ Nose - yes that is what I was coming here to comment on. I wish they would cite their sources! "It is generally accepted that higher scores are easier to obtain on the private 1:1 WISC test than the mass administered CogAT, giving families who pursue private testing an advantage." Who says? And, like you say, if this the case, wouldn't you want to encourage this among low-income students as another way to increase their eligibility in the program? <br /><br />-nose is rightAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48463200838131672402016-10-06T10:30:42.036-07:002016-10-06T10:30:42.036-07:00I wonder if the TM staff understands the implicati...I wonder if the TM staff understands the implications of this proposed change: "Make appeals process clear and equitable, including ceasing to accept private tests."<br /><br />Do they know that "private testing" appeals are available for FREE for low-income students? Do they expect that by eliminating this for low-income families that they will increase enrollment of those same families?<br /><br />This seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.<br /><br />-nose<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-12530336266625835732016-10-06T09:30:54.518-07:002016-10-06T09:30:54.518-07:00Interesting what KT and Marc pointed out. Research...Interesting what KT and Marc pointed out. Research from standford and elsewhere has strongly suggested income being primary determiner of achievement gap, not race. I also think it would be very interesting to correlate socio-economics, level of education of parent along with race/ethnicity breakdown in relation to advanced learning eligibility. For example, comparing lower and higher SES white & asian kids and advanced learning participation/eligibility versus other races/ethnicities. <br />-ballardite Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43747779690565989192016-10-06T09:24:06.805-07:002016-10-06T09:24:06.805-07:00No ALO, thank you for providing that link. That T...No ALO, thank you for providing that link. That TM document is quite interesting and I'll have to ask Stephen Martin, AL director, how he came to some of his conclusions (like how much parents spent on private testing.) <br /><br />The document has some conclusions that I'm not sure I believe or agree with. And, they make suggestions that I know have already been done and, for whatever reason, didn't work. As well, they don't try to acknowledge what are some of the likely reasons that there are not more students of color in AL. <br /><br />All that said, very pro-active on their part. Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-54833532672142818872016-10-05T23:36:42.124-07:002016-10-05T23:36:42.124-07:00@-parent
Thank you so much! I was able to find th...@-parent<br />Thank you so much! I was able to find the information!<br /><br />--HCC CuriousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-44723424870003464422016-10-05T22:59:20.779-07:002016-10-05T22:59:20.779-07:00@HCC curious, the percentiles are in a spreadsheet...@HCC curious, the percentiles are in a spreadsheet on OSPI's website:<br /><br />http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/TestStatistics.aspx<br /><br />Open the 2016 file and select the sheet with your child's grade level, then find the "Cumulative percent (percentile rank)" corresponding to the reported SBAC scale score. For 2016 3rd grade ELA, for example, 95% would be around a scale score of 2580.<br /><br />-parentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-58382196027492923492016-10-05T22:38:42.636-07:002016-10-05T22:38:42.636-07:00I'm interested in the statistics referenced by...I'm interested in the statistics referenced by Sad Face. How do I even know if my HCC kid scored in the 95th percentile or higher on math and LA SBAC last spring, and whether my AL (Spectrum) kid scored in the 87th percentile or higher? I have their scores, but not their percentiles. In fact, further to that point, in trying to decide whether to have my AL kid test this year for HCC, it would have been nice to know whether or not her SBAC scores were in the qualifying range. I know SPS has this info, but they don't share it. Makes no sense to me.<br /><br />Also, I too would love to hear the name of asdf's school. We are looking at high schools now. I think it's great you are so happy with your choice!<br /><br />-HCC curiousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1431957006032940482016-10-05T19:55:15.351-07:002016-10-05T19:55:15.351-07:00@KT...we believe Cascadia offers more diversity (e...@KT...we believe Cascadia offers more diversity (ethnic, SES, and emotional) than our neighborhood school. <br /><br />Target Practice Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com