Seattle Schools Community Forum

From Huffington Post, news that Secretary Duncan wants this to be the last year for alternative tests for special ed students.  He wants them ALL to take the general assessments.  This, of course, is all around the NCLB legislation (which is practically on life-support anyway). 

From the Superintendent to Pinehurst families: Seattle Public Schools is considering the possibility of closing Pinehurst K-8 School after the 2013-14 school year. No decision has been made at this time. The schedule of events shown below has been created in order to determine whether the school is to be closed. The Superintendent will make a final recommendation to the School Board, which will make the final decision. We are inviting you to attend a meeting 630-8 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Pinehurst. At this meeting, Seattle Public Schools staff members will share information, answer our questions and request your input and feedback.

Contract talks march on.  Diane Ravitch endorses Sue Peters for School Board. Addicted to your computer (or is your child)?  Here's an article from the NY Times with a couple of book suggestions. Speaking of algebra, I came across this website recently - The Algebra Project .  What's on your mind?

 Update:   a great column at the Washington Post by UW College of Education professor Ken Zeichner about the issue of the issue of "highly qualified teachers" that references right with this thread. Our federal government supports a practice of putting the least-prepared teachers in the highest-need classrooms — classrooms that are most often filled with children from low-income families, English language learners, students with disabilities and students of color.  There are powerful players in the education reform world who are advocating for the Obama administration and Congress to maintain a federal policy that promotes this practice. Parents and guardians should be accurately informed about the certification status of their children’s teachers so they can question the wisdom of the policy that has supported the disproportionate assignment of the least qualified teachers to our most vulnerable students. You might remember that I had advocated for parents...

From SPS Communications: We value the contributions, skills, and dedication that our educators bring to Seattle Public Schools’ students on a daily basis. Their leadership and passion drive the success of our district and community. While we are disappointed that members of the Seattle Education Association did not approve our proposal, we are hopeful that we will reach an agreement that is in the best interests of students prior to the start of school. We are pleased that we have reached common ground on many contract topics with a few items remaining to be resolved. We remain committed to the negotiation process. We are confident the bargaining teams will be able to craft solutions that keep student success the priority and meet the needs of both sides. I want to recognize and thank the Seattle Education Association and our district bargaining team for their efforts and hard work.

 Update on this story with numbers from Rainier Beach High School: RB had the highest increase in reading scores for high schools in the district (17%). 22% increase in Science and 8-10% increase in Math  End of update From SPS Communications (bold mine): Seattle Public School students again made significant academic gains during the 2012-2013 school year, Superintendent José Banda announced today. The preliminary scores released by the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) show Seattle students outperforming the state average in multiple subjects. [1] In 2013, Seattle students met or exceeded standard on the state exams at a higher rate than the previous year (2012) in 19 of 21 exams taken. Seattle also exceeded the 2013 statewide average in 19 of 21 exams, remaining slightly behind in only 10th grade reading and writing. The district widened its lead over statewide averages in 18 exams reflecting a trend in recen...

From SPS Communications: Student  Information System now live, Waiting List Moves will begin August 31 We want all families, including those with students on wait lists, to know what to expect as we implement a new, improved student information system. The system is live as of August 26. However, we must carefully check current capacity at schools before we begin moving waiting lists. We expect to begin moving waiting lists no later than August 31.    Waiting Lists: We expect to begin moving waiting lists no later than August 31 . If your child is on a waiting list for a school, please be sure to check your email and/or voice mail over Labor Day weekend. (August 31, September 1 and 2). We expect to make waiting list moves throughout that period, and will move waiting lists where space is available. Please remember, however, that we typically are not able to offer seats to all waitlisted students. We understand how important it is to families, studen...