Seattle Schools Community Forum

Clarification: the forum on the school to prison pipeline (this Wednesday, the 29th at the New Holly Hall at 6pm) is NOT sponsored by either the King County Council or City Council.  It was organized by a few members from each group.  They have invited members of the Seattle School Board but it is unclear who may be going from that group.  The featured speaker is Professor Wayne Au from UW Bothell. This is a good opportunity to point out how valuable that Middle College is to preventing more kids from entering the pipeline.  (I also suspect a fair number of candidates from City Council races as well as School Board races will be in attendance.)

Education Week is reporting that five non-waiver states - including Washington State - may be allowed by the Department of Education to "hit the pause button on their school ratings through next school year." 

Good News It is very pleasing to see different high schools do well with programs at their schools.  Ballard excels with video production, Roosevelt and Garfield with jazz bands and now Ingraham is doing great with their Rocket Club. Last Saturday, Ingraham participated in the Team America Rocketry Challenge in Virginia, coming in third.  Over 700 teams competed.  There were three Ingraham teams with Foxtrot winning 3rd and $1,000 for the school.  Each team had to create and build an under-two pound rocket by themselves.  They were judged on how close they came to their predicted trajectory and landing their rocket in less than 60 seconds. Foxtrot was just one foot off the 800-foot target and landed about 48 seconds after liftoff.  Team Foxtrot's first score of 1.0 was the best single flight score in the history of the competition.   Speaking of Ballard filmmakers , SPS Communications is reporting that Ballard was the ONLY school to w...

Anyone go to the SPS Sped meeting last night? This Friday is the deadline to file for elected races for November.  Still no one from Director Peaslee's district has filed.  I'm sure someone will and that one person will just walk onto the Board.  That's a terrible thing for democracy, no matter who the person is. Speaking of school board races, there is a candidate forum at the Fightin' 46th this Thursday at the George Center for Community, 2212 NE 125th St.  It opens at 7 pm with the program starting at 7:30 pm.  It's a great opportunity to meet the candidates.  (Note: I'll have a candidate wrap-up thread, probably on Sat morning of all the candidates, their websites/Facebook pages, etc.) SPS' request for a waiver from NCLB was denied by the U.S. Department of Ed.  Seattle had applied on its own because its teacher contract DID include use of test scores in triggering a look at teaching in any given classroom but did not include using test sc...

 Update:  I have attempted to get rid of the annoying CAPTCHA feature.  I'm hoping it works but that we don't see a lot of spam because of it.  I know if I found it annoying so did my readers.  Let me know how it goes. Update on SBAC from SPS Communications:   our assessment folks have communicated to principals that they may use the form or accept any signed refusal.   End of update    I will have a follow-up to the SBAC opt-out form.   I sought clarity from the district, got it partially and am now awaiting a response. The House budget will come out today but the hearing has been moved to Monday. Healthy Student Survey results - I haven't had time to read it in-depth yet.   The Charter Commission is having a special phone-in meeting today.  It's an interesting thing - they will go into Executive Session to discuss a "legal matter" with no final action taken.  Then, they will go back to having a public...

One reader sent along to me a response to her e-mail to Senator David Frockt over his vote on Senate bill 5748.  I'm printing it in its entirety below.  It is nuanced and carefully thought out.  I believe the Senator is probably speaking from a position of good faith in what he believes this bill to be.  Unfortunately, I do not share that trust/comfort that this bill is merely a way to get back the NCLB waiver.  If you read his letter, it seems like he thinks it does almost nothing and, of course, that makes no sense because no one created this bill just to do very little.  Perhaps it is just a foot in the door but it's kind of a Shaq foot in the door.  (I'm going to highlight relevant sections in red along with some comments.)

I finally finished the notes I had taken on the first hour+ of the latest School Board meeting.  I think it worthy reading for several issues. - enrollment is continuing to increase - NCLB waiver and the Senate bill designed to get it back - why SPS isn't funding IB textbooks - artificial caps on enrollment at some schools - Africatown MOU That last one is pretty eye-opening as it featured a last-minute change to the MOU, a blank space for the dollar amount on the lease document, and a question about any religious connections for this learning center that Africatown is running. Very odd and very troubling. 

I didn't attend the Board meeting last night but watched the first hour or so on tv.  (President Carr wasn't there so Director Peaslee filled in but I never heard why Carr was not there.) Highlights ( updated and complete ):

A bit of a slow week at SPS, probably because of the MLK, Jr. day off.  It's a good day to reflect on issues around race relations and our district, our city, our state and our country.  Maybe a good day to go see Selma.  (I read that one student - at a sponsored viewing of the movie - had said thank you to the producers for making it because he finally learned what "MLK" stood for - meaning, the actual letters, not the man. Amazing.) Looking over the Board agenda for the school board meeting on Wednesday, I found a compare and contrast moment.  The Times had a good story about the Creative Advance Initiative - arts in the schools program - and it's highly successful launch.  The Creative Advantage Initiative, a program paid for by the city of Seattle, Seattle Public Schools and the private Seattle Foundation, this school year helped 1,659 students in about 12 schools — mostly in the central part of the city — who wouldn’t otherwise have ...

The WEA did a survey of schools that field tested the Smarter Balanced assessments .  The highest score - on a 1-4 scale - was "alignment with Common Core."  That came in at 2.65. The lowest was a 1.72 for "Overall Impact of SBAC Practice and Administration on the School Day." 50% (!) of member respondents said it 11-20+ hours for student to take the test. Also SB had an estimate of how long it would take students to complete tests in various subjects.  Most respondents said it was about one hour more than estimated.  (Learning curve?) But when asked what were challenges to students in taking the LA test, the biggest one was "keyboarding skills" followed by " test screen - split screen, navigation, scrolling." For math, the biggest student issues were "test tools - fractions, calculator, graphs, formulas), followed by "difficult, above grade level." The biggest concern for teachers was "Schedule disruptions, ...

Update: In my original thread, I mentioned that "several" staffers are to go on a trip to Toronto for an Asian American Alliance.  Now I get a press release - again, on info from the earlier thread - about who is going to the White House to represent SPS for a discussion about SPS' PE programs.   It's Superintendent Nyland. It seems the invitation was just for superintendents from districts who have programs that are working well to share ideas (SPS' being PE).  I'm sure that despite the Superintendent being so new that staff will have him well-prepped for questions and, of course, he may come back with many good ideas from other districts. As well, on the story of a student getting hit by a car in Wallingford today : - it is a 7th grader - he was being treated and would be released today From SPS Communications: There were also new flashing lights installed within the past week on 43 rd /Stone as another safe crossing option for students. This ca...

Someone at OSPI has a sense of humor.  Their press release is called, "State Test Scores in a Waiverless World."  Seattle's Test scores   I have to say that those 10th grade scores are looking pretty good for reading and writing: Reading: 81.2%, Writing 84.5% Math and Science EOC - looks they are holding steady at about 61-64%, not great. From the press release:

The AP is reporting that the State Supreme Court will announced on Friday that it would consider if the charter law of Washington State violates our state's constitution. I would say that's a rather large piece of news as I have been repeatedly told that it was "highly unlikely" this would happen.  Oral arguments are scheduled for Oct. 28th.  I just might have to go and listen. A King County judge had earlier ruled that parts of the law were unconstitutional and both sides asked to skip the appeals and go straight to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court issue centers around our Constitution's wording about "common schools" and whether charters meet that specific definition (and therefore are entitled to be funded in that manner). NCLB letters are reaching mailboxes soon.  (SPS is holding back to see if their individual district waiver comes thru based on the district's belief that the CBA covers using test scores for teacher evaluation.)  Her...

Update: as Charlie points out, Arne Duncan has really decided - without real authority backing his actions - to be large and in charge of public education in this country.  (I suspect this is one reason so many conservatives, not just in the Tea Party, don't like the DOE.) One conservative education writer, Michael Petrilli,  advocates for Washington State to go to court over the NCLB waiver issue.  Now the head of the state group for Washington school superintendents says he thinks that's a good idea as well. Bill Keim of the Washington Association of School Administrators said this : For me, one of those continued sources of irritation is the unfettered federal intervention into what used to be the states’ domain—operating our public schools. I was amazed when the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation passed that there was so little debate regarding the expanded role it created for the federal government to dictate how schools in each state must function. It was ...

In the "wait, what?!" category comes this story from the Washington Post's Answer Sheet - School puts nearly 100 kindergartners in one class in a teaching experiment.   The first sentence in the article says "no, it's not a headline from The Onion."  This is being tried at the lowest-performing school in Detroit.  There are three teachers in the class. Incidentally, the lead teacher is 30 years old, another teacher is in her second year and the third is in her first year. It's from a story in the Detroit Free Press .  It sounds like it works (somewhat) but I honestly do not believe it is what is best for children. The AP is reporting that Washington state is the only state denied renewal of its NCLB waiver that seems unlikely to get their waiver back (the other three states seem to be doing what Arne Duncan wants).   Randy Dorn, the WA state superintendent said this:

Further Update:  I asked about Seattle School District's request for a district waiver for NCLB.   (Banda did this back in early July.)  I hadn't heard anything and Communications says time is running out for waivers so an answer will likely come in the next week or so.  I doubt if the district will get it but if they did, that would be good news.) Update: - also Dr Nyland is working this week.  It is unclear to me whether there is any contract in place (despite me asking the question.) - info on the Source from the district: SOURCE is normally down during the summer, this is not unique to this year.  SOURCE is taken down because schools are not in session, and work is going on behinds the scenes to 1) complete end of year processing, 2) implement and update student/academic schedules (which change right up until the final day) for FY15, and 3) complete software upgrades to PowerSchool and related applications.  As a result, we take SOURCE...

What does Rand Paul, a possible candidate for the Republican nomination for President, think should happen in education? “If you have one person in the country who is, like, the best at explaining calculus, that person maybe should teach every calculus class in the country,” the senator said. “You’d still have local teachers to reinforce and try to explain and help the kids, but you’d have some of these extraordinary teachers teaching millions of people in the classroom. “The mantra has always been, ‘Oh, we need 10 people in the classroom for everybody to learn,’” Paul continued. “Well, no, maybe actually you need the opposite: You need 2 million people in the classroom, and having a teacher that can communicate with all of them.” I smile when I remember how courses on tv were going to change everything but, not so much.  I think the Internet will continue to be a useful (and growing) tool for public education.  But tool, not teacher. I'm seeing more and more articles qu...

The 2014 Band Jam event will take place at 6:30 pm this Friday July 25, 2014 at the Southwest Athletic Complex – 2601 SW Thistle St. (across the street from Chief Sealth International High School.) Band Jam is an annual band showcase intended to highlight what we all know to be the best part of the summer parade season – the bands. In addition to featuring some of the youth ensembles participating in this year’s Seafair Torchlight Parade, we will also be treated to performances by some talented adult music ensembles, as a reminder to students that music can be a lifelong pursuit and a great way to connect with fellow performers and the community. This is a non-competitive event sponsored by the Seattle Schools All-City Band. Admission is free.  Food concessions will be sold on site. The 2014 lineup includes: The Junior All-City Marching Band www.DennySealthMusic.org The Pacific Northwest Drumline The Ten Man Brass Band www.facebook.com/tenmanbrass The Sumner...

Stand has this "education" petition going around. Consider not signing it. First, note the source.  That should tell you all you need to know right there.  (What's funny is they want one word changed and claim it will "free" Washington from NCLB.  There's no way they can know that for sure.  Next, it is a GOOD thing that Washington State stood up to the feds on No Child Left Behind. Our districts lost the ability to decide how to use the money (and hey, that may mean they have to use it for the most direct services.) We should be telling our state legislators that while teachers and principals need to be evaluated, test scores should not be the main criteria.  All this talk about "personalizing" teaching to the student should be reflect in how teachers are evaluated.  If this crosses your desk, think about just deleting that e-mail and moving on.

From Superintendent Banda: Dear Seattle Public Schools community, Over the last several years we have made great strides in ensuring our students graduate ready for success in college, career and life. However, much work remains to ensure that each and every student has the academic and community supports they need to be successful learners in school and beyond. In order to best serve our students and families, Seattle Public Schools is asking the U.S. Department of Education for a Local Educational Agency (LEA) waiver from several provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).