My very deeply personal statement to Christina constituents. This is my opinion and only mine.
Dear Christina,
Tonight, I ceded to the political coercion thrust upon our district through the media manipulation and propaganda campaign purported by the Governor of Delaware and his Department of Education to cripple our board's good faith action to rectify what I truly believe was the poor implementation of the PZ teacher selection process.
I voted with my fellow board mates to rescind the April 19th board action to retain and retrain our teachers at their current campuses. There has never been a more tortured dilemma before me. I continue to believe that the Department of Education failed to promote collaboration when they chose to freeze our funding without expressing their concerns directly to the board and giving us the opportunity to re-evaluate and initiate corrective action.
The spirit of collaboration is now dead. There is no "kinder, gentler DOE," as representatives have so publicly proclaimed. There is no desire to learn and share best practices. There is only their way or the highway. Christina, for my naiveté, I am deeply sorry. I will not rest well tonight. The weight of this failure weighs much too heavily in my heart. While I am committed to continue the reforms that our community has supported, I will forever know that my vote on April 19th was right, appropriate, fair, and in the best interest of our students.
The vote I cast tonight, Christina, was for you, to walk the path delineated by the Department of Education, if Christina is ever to reclaim the $11 million stolen from our children. The future is in their hands. Apparently, it always has been.
Jack Markell for President, he'll be right at home in Washington D.C.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Showing posts with label Christina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christina. Show all posts
Since late spring, Mr. Look has been overseeing a dramatic shakeup at Shawnee that is meant to turn around years of anemic academic achievement at the school and help fulfill U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s $3.5 billion mandate to fix the nation’s most chronically underperforming schools over the next three years. If Mr. Look doesn’t produce improved academic results in the school year that commences Aug. 17, he will lose his job at Shawnee.
“Some days, I’m feeling like I need performance-enhancing drugs to make the kinds of changes that people say will take at least three years to do,” said Mr. Look, a Louisville native who has led Shawnee since August 2008. “Well, I have one year.”
Mr. Look’s superiors in the 98,000-student Jefferson County school district—which includes the city of Louisville—have similar misgivings about what, realistically, can be delivered, especially on such a compressed timeline and using what many educators argue are unproven strategies. Six of the city’s schools, including Shawnee, are undergoing the turnaround interventions.
“We don’t disagree that something has to happen in these schools and that we’ve got a great opportunity with more urgency, funding, and potentially more-focused support,” said Joseph C. Burks Jr., an assistant superintendent who oversees the 21 high schools in the district. He is Mr. Look’s boss.
“But why not give people more than a year to start?” Mr. Burks said. “Very few people, if any, know how to turn a school around dramatically in one year. We are in desperate need of good training on how to do this.”
The most disruptive change—replacing half of Shawnee’s teaching staff—took place last spring, though those teachers who aren’t returning to the school were not fired, and most transferred to another campus in the district. The turnover in faculty was required by the federal rules of the “turnaround” model that Shawnee is using as its method for school improvement. Mr. Look recruited nearly all of the 25 teachers who will be new to Shawnee this fall. Most of them are experienced instructors. He still has few openings left to fill, though, including an instructional assistant and someone to run the school’s ROTC program.
With the teaching team mostly assembled, Mr. Look planned a retreat for them late last month to lay out the school’s priorities for the next 10 months and get the teachers fired up for the high-stakes year that awaits them. But first, they have to learn one another’s names. The entire social studies department is new to Shawnee. Five of six English teachers are new.
Roderick Pack, 28, is Shawnee’s new chairman of the social studies department... “The amount of intensity in how all of us at Shawnee care about the students and what’s at stake is really amazing and has me very optimistic about the school’s prospects,” Mr. Pack said. “At the same time, we can’t just get caught up in the monitoring that will be going on and worrying constantly about what the test scores are. That won’t work. We’ve got to really teach these students and have expectations for them beyond a score on a state test.”
MORE HERE: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/08/04/37kyturnaround_ep.h29.html?tkn=RSWFfDulozUJnCIQKknmKX10UKBkA1x%2F3vhu&cmp=clp-edweek
“Some days, I’m feeling like I need performance-enhancing drugs to make the kinds of changes that people say will take at least three years to do,” said Mr. Look, a Louisville native who has led Shawnee since August 2008. “Well, I have one year.”
Mr. Look’s superiors in the 98,000-student Jefferson County school district—which includes the city of Louisville—have similar misgivings about what, realistically, can be delivered, especially on such a compressed timeline and using what many educators argue are unproven strategies. Six of the city’s schools, including Shawnee, are undergoing the turnaround interventions.
“We don’t disagree that something has to happen in these schools and that we’ve got a great opportunity with more urgency, funding, and potentially more-focused support,” said Joseph C. Burks Jr., an assistant superintendent who oversees the 21 high schools in the district. He is Mr. Look’s boss.
“But why not give people more than a year to start?” Mr. Burks said. “Very few people, if any, know how to turn a school around dramatically in one year. We are in desperate need of good training on how to do this.”
The most disruptive change—replacing half of Shawnee’s teaching staff—took place last spring, though those teachers who aren’t returning to the school were not fired, and most transferred to another campus in the district. The turnover in faculty was required by the federal rules of the “turnaround” model that Shawnee is using as its method for school improvement. Mr. Look recruited nearly all of the 25 teachers who will be new to Shawnee this fall. Most of them are experienced instructors. He still has few openings left to fill, though, including an instructional assistant and someone to run the school’s ROTC program.
With the teaching team mostly assembled, Mr. Look planned a retreat for them late last month to lay out the school’s priorities for the next 10 months and get the teachers fired up for the high-stakes year that awaits them. But first, they have to learn one another’s names. The entire social studies department is new to Shawnee. Five of six English teachers are new.
Roderick Pack, 28, is Shawnee’s new chairman of the social studies department... “The amount of intensity in how all of us at Shawnee care about the students and what’s at stake is really amazing and has me very optimistic about the school’s prospects,” Mr. Pack said. “At the same time, we can’t just get caught up in the monitoring that will be going on and worrying constantly about what the test scores are. That won’t work. We’ve got to really teach these students and have expectations for them beyond a score on a state test.”
MORE HERE: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/08/04/37kyturnaround_ep.h29.html?tkn=RSWFfDulozUJnCIQKknmKX10UKBkA1x%2F3vhu&cmp=clp-edweek
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If you haven't seen it yet, you can catch Delaware's Race to the Top presentation to USDOE at http://transparentchristina.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/get-the-popcorn-this-is-riveting-stuff-rttt-markell-lowery-usdoe-secretjudges/
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Johanna Wald is the director of strategic planning for the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School. Lisa Thurau is the founder and director of Strategies for Youth, a Cambridge, Mass.-based organization that works to improve relationships between police and young people.
Taking School Safety Too Far?
The Ill-Defined Role Police Play in Schools
By Johanna Wald and Lisa Thurau
This past November, a food fight in a Chicago middle school resulted in the arrest of 25 students between the ages of 11 and 15. Parents, youth advocates, and others rightly questioned the decision to criminalize teenage antics that, let’s face it, seemed relatively mild. Plenty of us, after all, can recall hurling food at friends in the school cafeteria at a similar age.
As we write this essay, the final resolution of the Chicago incident is not yet known. But regardless of what that may be, the 25 students involved are likely to carry with them for a very long time the trauma of being handcuffed, taken away in a police van, and forced to sit in a jail cell for several hours...
Click anywhere on the story to link back to the full article.
Taking School Safety Too Far?
The Ill-Defined Role Police Play in Schools
By Johanna Wald and Lisa Thurau
This past November, a food fight in a Chicago middle school resulted in the arrest of 25 students between the ages of 11 and 15. Parents, youth advocates, and others rightly questioned the decision to criminalize teenage antics that, let’s face it, seemed relatively mild. Plenty of us, after all, can recall hurling food at friends in the school cafeteria at a similar age.
As we write this essay, the final resolution of the Chicago incident is not yet known. But regardless of what that may be, the 25 students involved are likely to carry with them for a very long time the trauma of being handcuffed, taken away in a police van, and forced to sit in a jail cell for several hours...
Another area of concern involves training requirements—or the lack thereof. School resource officers must deal daily with hundreds of students, many with serious health and mental-health needs. Yet they are not required to undergo any instruction in adolescent development or psychology, in de-escalating volatile situations, or on the effects of exposure to trauma, violence, or poverty on adolescents’ behavior. They are not taught how to recognize manifestations of students’ disabilities. As a result, students with special needs, students of color, and students from disadvantaged communities face a heightened risk of arrest.
Arguments that such heavy-handed tactics are necessary to keep schools safe no longer fly. Schools with harsh, zero-tolerance codes and heavy police presence are often less safe than those that embrace more flexible and nuanced responses to student misbehaviors. They are also frequently the same schools with shockingly high dropout rates.
A wide array of promising interventions and strategies exists for addressing problem behaviors without resorting to the mass arrests of students...
Click anywhere on the story to link back to the full article.
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The Nation is moving closer to Common Core Standards, leaving School Boards scrambling for intel. Forty-eight States signed on last fall to support the initiative. More than anything State Boards are pointing out the challenges of adopting national standards -- curriculum, assessments, and professional development.
Local-level Board Members need to be asking questions now, like where will the funding come from to provide textbooks, technology, and supplies that support the standards? The easy answer is Race to the Top b/c Delaware is well-positioned to win that grant. But, I won't count my chickens before the eggs hatch and I can't count on Race to the Top.
Local-level Board Members need to be asking questions now, like where will the funding come from to provide textbooks, technology, and supplies that support the standards? The easy answer is Race to the Top b/c Delaware is well-positioned to win that grant. But, I won't count my chickens before the eggs hatch and I can't count on Race to the Top.
State School Boards Raise Questions About Standards
By Catherine Gewertz
Las Vegas
States that adopt proposed common academic standards must use the entire document word for word, leaders of the initiative said this week.
Answering questions from state school board members at a meeting here, representatives of the two groups leading the effort to design common standards said that states may not revise them or select only portions to adopt.
“You can’t pick and choose what you want. This is not cafeteria-style standards,” said David Wakelyn, the program director of the education division of the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices.
“Adoption means adoption,” said Scott Montgomery, a deputy executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, which is organizating the common-standards endeavor with the NGA.
More HERE
In the earlier part of January, I blogged my suspicions of Delaware's plan to pilot Mass Insight's Turnaround Challenge Program in Delaware schools. The release of Delaware's Race to the Top Application confirmed my concerns.
Before we get started, here are my early questions:
1) Will School Board Members, as LEA leaders, be invited to participate in the Partnership Zone Institute?
2) Who has Mass Insight and DOE identified to Potential Operational Partners?
3) Will participants in the Partnership Zone Institute be invited to participate in the series of visits to schools nationwide that have been successfully reformed? And at who's cost?
The following excerpts are from different sections of the application, arrange here to provide ease of reading.
Here we go --
Before we get started, here are my early questions:
1) Will School Board Members, as LEA leaders, be invited to participate in the Partnership Zone Institute?
2) Who has Mass Insight and DOE identified to Potential Operational Partners?
3) Will participants in the Partnership Zone Institute be invited to participate in the series of visits to schools nationwide that have been successfully reformed? And at who's cost?
The following excerpts are from different sections of the application, arrange here to provide ease of reading.
Here we go --
According to Delaware's RttT Application:
The State’s Turnaround Office will provide a range of supports to LEAs as they turn around lowest-achieving schools, from the point of entry into the Partnership Zone, to the planning process, to recruitment of leaders and staff, and finally, to the launch and operations of the turnaround school ... The State has established a partnership with Mass Insight to support its turnaround efforts, making it one of a handful of states selected for partnership with this national leader in school reform...
Goals
As noted above, Delaware expects to turn around at least 10 lowest-achieving schools by 2014, with each school reaching AYP within two years of launch. The State will initiate three interventions in the 2011-12 school year, and will initiate seven more for the 2012-13 school year...
While the process to identify PLA schools is quantitative and objective, the process to select PLA schools to enter the Partnership Zone will include qualitative components Partnership Zone schools will be selected at the discretion of The Delaware Secretary of Education...
The State’s planned timeline for implementation is as follows: In March 2010 (using 2009 data), the State will identify an initial list of PLA schools. By September 2010, the State will select at least three schools from this list to enter into the Partnership Zone and begin preparations to implement one of the four intervention models in the 2011-2012 school year. By the end of July 2011, the State will again identify a list of PLA schools, and in August of that year, the State will select at least seven more schools to enter into the Partnership Zone. These schools will immediately begin preparations to implement one of the four intervention models in the 2012-13 school year. In this way, Delaware will launch interventions in 10 schools by the 2012-13 school year. These 10 schools will represent nearly 5% of all schools in the State, and more than 25% of all schools currently in school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring. The identification process will repeat annually in July based on accountability assessment results, with additional schools selected for the Partnership Zone as determined by The Delaware Secretary of Education...
Delaware recognizes the challenge faced by LEAs in turning around the State’s lowest performing schools. With a long history of failure, these schools require radical reform to achieve sufficient academic progress among students. To this end, Delaware has established strict requirements for the four intervention models required by State law (which are equivalent to the turnaround, closure, restart, and transformation options described in the Race to the Top guidelines). In addition, Delaware expects rapid progress – schools in the Partnership Zone will need to achieve AYP in just two years...
To meet this need, a newly-formed State Turnaround Office will provide a range of services to LEAs, beginning when a school is selected for the Partnership Zone. The Turnaround Office will bring the nation’s best thinking on, and experience with, school intervention to Delaware, by working with Mass Insight...
Below are the details of the State’s implementation plan for its first cohort of three Partnership Zone schools:
1. Run a “Partnership Zone Institute” to inform LEAs selection of an intervention model and provide access to a network of potential operational partners: By July 2010, the State will host a “Partnership Zone Institute,” for LEA leaders. The Institute will provide a short, intense education process to ensure that local leaders are knowledgeable about the full range of available school intervention models, best practices, and potential operational partners. The Institute will begin with a one-day conference, providing in-depth reviews of the turnaround, closure, restart, and transformation models, including presentations by school intervention experts and support organizations. For example, the State and Mass Insight might run a workshop to share early results and experience from other turnaround states within the Mass Insight network. Next, the Institute will host a series of visits to schools nationwide that have been successfully reformed. Finally, as LEAs may choose to outsource management of Partnership Zone schools to a third party operating partner (10) the State will facilitate introductions to potential partners that have a proven track record and an interest in expanding to Delaware (this may require a second one-day conference). As planning and implementation continue, the Turnaround Office will provide additional assistance with recruiting partners, should LEAs be interested.
(10) One model for outsourcing management of schools in turnaround is known as the “lead partner” model. These partners are granted operating freedom (e.g., authority to recruit and manage personnel) in exchange for accepting accountability for performance. Lead partners provide all academic and non-academic services at the school, actively develop a new school culture, and establish a full-time presence on site in the school...
3. Assist with recruiting, selecting, and training school leaders, teachers, and other staff: As soon as a school is selected for the Partnership Zone, LEAs should begin their search for a school leader (or a partner that will then provide a school leader). Ideally, the leader will be involved in the design of the reform model and implementation plan, and in the negotiation of staffing and operating flexibility. However, it may also be difficult to secure a leader until the LEA can assure that leader that he or she will have sufficient flexibility to manage the school (i.e., after negotiations with the union are complete).
Regardless of the timing, the Turnaround Office will support LEAs in recruiting, selecting, and training school leaders (and eventually other staff), by acting on behalf of the State to build a pool of potential leaders for all turnaround schools. This will include working with high-quality alternative certification and training programs (as described in section (D)(1)), leveraging the networks of Mass Insight, and assisting LEAs with recruiting local operating partners that have their own leader pipelines...
School leaders for the first cohort of Partnership Zone schools should be in place no later than February 2011.
5. Provide supplemental funding: The Turnaround Office will ensure that Partnership Zone schools receive the maximum funds from School Improvement Grants under section 1003(g) of the ESEA (approximately $500,000 per school), and will provide additional funding of $200,000 to each Partnership Zone school for its first three years of operations.
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All Text from the Delaware Race to the Top Application
Note: Nearly every paragraph is a snippet from a different part of the application. I have organized them in most chronological order I can provide in order for flow of reading. I have highlighted some sections in bold for emphasis.
Happy Reading:
While DSTP is rigorous when compared to NAEP and other state assessments, it could be more comprehensive, cover a wider range of subject areas, and include multiple formative assessments to help teachers hit progress goals. For this reason, in 2009 the Delaware General Assembly mandated the implementation of a new computer-adaptive test (the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System – DCAS), including formative and summative assessments, by the 2010-11 school year. Delaware is on track to meet this mandate, with a signed contract with an assessment vendor in hand.
Since Delaware’s new assessment will align with the common core standards (pending review and adoption), address college-readiness requirements, and be operational a full five ears before a common assessment is expected, the State intends to make its assessment available to the multi-state consortium as a model for the common assessment. When the common assessment is ready, Delaware will transition from DCAS to the new assessment.
DCAS: Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System. Delaware’s new statewide test of student achievement, which will be computer-adaptive and include multiple formative assessments. For every student, DCAS will provide up to three computer-adaptive formative assessments and one summative assessment per year, including end-of-course exams in high school, making Delaware one of the few states able to measure student growth in a valid and reliable way. DCAS will be fully implemented in the 2010-11 school year including benchmark and summative assessments for grades 2-10 in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies and end-of-course exams for high school courses (e.g. Algebra II)
To measure learning against these standards, Delaware is dedicating nearly $13 million in local, state and federal funding to develop the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) – a series of new computer adaptive, flexible formative assessments that will be used to inform instruction and measure ongoing student learning. This investment, which shifts funding from an older summative testing system to one that is flexible and aligned with reform, includes $5.0 million of LEA funds, $4.1 million of State funds, and $3.6 million of federal No Child Left Behind funds.
Data from DCAS will flow into Delaware’s existing longitudinal data system, which already allows the State to know how every LEA, every school, every teacher, and every student is performing and improving.
As a computer-adaptive system, DCAS will improve testing by allowing all test takers, including students with disabilities, to take the same exam and have testing items adjusted to their level of knowledge. In this way, this single assessment will focus questions at the upper limit of a student’s knowledge, providing a nuanced assessment of aptitude and content knowledge.
Assessments:
In December 2009, the State signed a contract with an assessments vendor to develop DCAS (described in section (B)(2)), a set of statewide formative and summative assessments that will align with the common core standards. The vendor will make the DCAS tests for English language arts, mathematics, social studies and science available by August 2010, and the test will launch in the 2010-11 school year.
DCAS will be piloted during the spring semester of the 2009-10 school year. During the development of DCAS, the State will host a DCAS standard-setting event involving K-12 educators, higher education content experts and assessment experts to ensure that DCAS performance level cut scores represent college- and career-ready status for Delaware high schools. Once the development of DCAS is complete, the State will submit its revised State Accountability Workbook for USDOE peer review and approval.
In August 2010, the DCAS vendor will provide initial training for teachers and administrators on the new assessment. The State will augment this training with a manual and webinars to ensure that all teachers understand the importance of formative and benchmark assessments in improving instruction. Finally, in June 2010, the State will compete, as part of a consortium of states, for federal common assessments grants.
(B)(2)(i) Developing the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System. DCAS, Delaware’s own computer-adaptive assessment system, will be used to administer up to three formative and summative assessments per year per student in core subjects, and will include formative and end-of-course exams in most other subject areas. In developing DCAS, Delaware will use a combination of local expertise, outside vendors, and participation in consortia that will develop and share testing items (see above) to gain access to high-quality testing items at the best possible value. As a computer-adaptive system, DCAS will improve testing by allowing all test takers, including students with disabilities, to take the same exam and have testing items adjusted to their level of knowledge. In this way, this single assessment will focus questions at the upper limit of a student’s knowledge, providing a nuanced assessment of aptitude and content knowledge.
DCAS will also be able to synchronize with the State’s data system, yielding immediate results that a teacher will use to improve instruction. For educators, DCAS will provide a more accurate measure of student growth and more timely and detailed information that will be used for planning and improving educational programs at the school, LEA and state levels. The State will provide data coaches to aid in the use of assessment data to improve instruction (see section (C)(3) for more information on using data to inform instruction). In addition, DCAS will provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate proficiency and will provide academic achievement information to students and parents, including a measure of fall-to-spring and year-to-year individual student growth. The robust student data created from this assessment system will form the foundation for a data driven approach to education and evaluation that will affect all of education in Delaware.
Finally, as prescribed by the Delaware General Assembly, DCAS is to be developed in a cost-effective manner and, to the fullest extent possible, developed in collaboration with other states.
Delaware’s goal is to adopt new standards by June 2010 and to train the approximately 7000 teachers affected by the new standards by the start of the 2010-11 school year. The State expects the curriculum refinement process to be 50% complete by the end of the 2010-11 school year, and 100% complete by the end of the 2011-12 school year. By the end of the 2010-11 school year, the State expects that 100% of DCAS tests will be in place, which will include at least three formative assessments. To support college-readiness, the State expects that 100% of students will be taking the SAT by the end of the 2010-11 school year.
Note: Nearly every paragraph is a snippet from a different part of the application. I have organized them in most chronological order I can provide in order for flow of reading. I have highlighted some sections in bold for emphasis.
Happy Reading:
While DSTP is rigorous when compared to NAEP and other state assessments, it could be more comprehensive, cover a wider range of subject areas, and include multiple formative assessments to help teachers hit progress goals. For this reason, in 2009 the Delaware General Assembly mandated the implementation of a new computer-adaptive test (the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System – DCAS), including formative and summative assessments, by the 2010-11 school year. Delaware is on track to meet this mandate, with a signed contract with an assessment vendor in hand.
Since Delaware’s new assessment will align with the common core standards (pending review and adoption), address college-readiness requirements, and be operational a full five ears before a common assessment is expected, the State intends to make its assessment available to the multi-state consortium as a model for the common assessment. When the common assessment is ready, Delaware will transition from DCAS to the new assessment.
DCAS: Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System. Delaware’s new statewide test of student achievement, which will be computer-adaptive and include multiple formative assessments. For every student, DCAS will provide up to three computer-adaptive formative assessments and one summative assessment per year, including end-of-course exams in high school, making Delaware one of the few states able to measure student growth in a valid and reliable way. DCAS will be fully implemented in the 2010-11 school year including benchmark and summative assessments for grades 2-10 in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies and end-of-course exams for high school courses (e.g. Algebra II)
To measure learning against these standards, Delaware is dedicating nearly $13 million in local, state and federal funding to develop the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) – a series of new computer adaptive, flexible formative assessments that will be used to inform instruction and measure ongoing student learning. This investment, which shifts funding from an older summative testing system to one that is flexible and aligned with reform, includes $5.0 million of LEA funds, $4.1 million of State funds, and $3.6 million of federal No Child Left Behind funds.
Data from DCAS will flow into Delaware’s existing longitudinal data system, which already allows the State to know how every LEA, every school, every teacher, and every student is performing and improving.
As a computer-adaptive system, DCAS will improve testing by allowing all test takers, including students with disabilities, to take the same exam and have testing items adjusted to their level of knowledge. In this way, this single assessment will focus questions at the upper limit of a student’s knowledge, providing a nuanced assessment of aptitude and content knowledge.
Assessments:
In December 2009, the State signed a contract with an assessments vendor to develop DCAS (described in section (B)(2)), a set of statewide formative and summative assessments that will align with the common core standards. The vendor will make the DCAS tests for English language arts, mathematics, social studies and science available by August 2010, and the test will launch in the 2010-11 school year.
DCAS will be piloted during the spring semester of the 2009-10 school year. During the development of DCAS, the State will host a DCAS standard-setting event involving K-12 educators, higher education content experts and assessment experts to ensure that DCAS performance level cut scores represent college- and career-ready status for Delaware high schools. Once the development of DCAS is complete, the State will submit its revised State Accountability Workbook for USDOE peer review and approval.
In August 2010, the DCAS vendor will provide initial training for teachers and administrators on the new assessment. The State will augment this training with a manual and webinars to ensure that all teachers understand the importance of formative and benchmark assessments in improving instruction. Finally, in June 2010, the State will compete, as part of a consortium of states, for federal common assessments grants.
(B)(2)(i) Developing the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System. DCAS, Delaware’s own computer-adaptive assessment system, will be used to administer up to three formative and summative assessments per year per student in core subjects, and will include formative and end-of-course exams in most other subject areas. In developing DCAS, Delaware will use a combination of local expertise, outside vendors, and participation in consortia that will develop and share testing items (see above) to gain access to high-quality testing items at the best possible value. As a computer-adaptive system, DCAS will improve testing by allowing all test takers, including students with disabilities, to take the same exam and have testing items adjusted to their level of knowledge. In this way, this single assessment will focus questions at the upper limit of a student’s knowledge, providing a nuanced assessment of aptitude and content knowledge.
DCAS will also be able to synchronize with the State’s data system, yielding immediate results that a teacher will use to improve instruction. For educators, DCAS will provide a more accurate measure of student growth and more timely and detailed information that will be used for planning and improving educational programs at the school, LEA and state levels. The State will provide data coaches to aid in the use of assessment data to improve instruction (see section (C)(3) for more information on using data to inform instruction). In addition, DCAS will provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate proficiency and will provide academic achievement information to students and parents, including a measure of fall-to-spring and year-to-year individual student growth. The robust student data created from this assessment system will form the foundation for a data driven approach to education and evaluation that will affect all of education in Delaware.
Finally, as prescribed by the Delaware General Assembly, DCAS is to be developed in a cost-effective manner and, to the fullest extent possible, developed in collaboration with other states.
Delaware’s goal is to adopt new standards by June 2010 and to train the approximately 7000 teachers affected by the new standards by the start of the 2010-11 school year. The State expects the curriculum refinement process to be 50% complete by the end of the 2010-11 school year, and 100% complete by the end of the 2011-12 school year. By the end of the 2010-11 school year, the State expects that 100% of DCAS tests will be in place, which will include at least three formative assessments. To support college-readiness, the State expects that 100% of students will be taking the SAT by the end of the 2010-11 school year.
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Last Wednesday, Dr. Lowery noted that the DOE has recently engaged with Mass Insight to assist in some of the many reforms that Delaware is undertaking, regardless of whether we receive RttT funding or not.
In referring to Markell's Blueprint for Education, published while he was still candidate Markell and not the Gov., Dr. Lowery stated, "if we don't get RttT, this is going to fall apart, but we are doing this" as she stood before a large screen projection of "Exhibit 1" of the State's application.
Then, tonight, I'm trolling Mass Insight's website and stumble upon this little nugget of information:
STG's (SCHOOL TURNAROUND GROUP)continued work produces organizational strategies, work plans, and manuals for states, large urban districts, and outside funding partners to turn around low-performing schools through a new system of turnaround zones with improved operating conditions, Lead Partners, and other supports. The "Partnership Zone Initiative," which has received startup funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with matching support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will establish turnaround zones”in up to three states in 2009-2013 to serve as proof-points for these school turnaround and district redesign strategies.
And I can't help but ask, "Why am I spending time looking for the peer-reviewed model, when it appears that is the role that Delaware will play for the nation?"
Which would be fine and dandy, if there was proof that it worked. And if we knew for certain that any district could opt-out of the MOU at any point without penalty? Right now, the Fed language is "mutually agreeable." And if DEDOE would put it in writing that if a district fails to succeed in meeting AYP or mutually opts-out that said district would only have to return the unspent portions of the sum and will not be responsible for repaying spent funds.
And I did ask for that in writing last Wednesday? You bet, but it was laughed off. Only, I must have a longer memory than most b/c not too long ago we were settling lawsuits out of court that we incurred b/c we didn't have to funds to pay for the contract we engaged upon ...
And the moral of the yet-unwritten story is this: If Delaware is the MODEL, DOE will never mutually agree for a district to opt-out nor will any be permitted to fail and thus, we could in fact see local control thoroughly eroded ...
In referring to Markell's Blueprint for Education, published while he was still candidate Markell and not the Gov., Dr. Lowery stated, "if we don't get RttT, this is going to fall apart, but we are doing this" as she stood before a large screen projection of "Exhibit 1" of the State's application.
Then, tonight, I'm trolling Mass Insight's website and stumble upon this little nugget of information:
STG's (SCHOOL TURNAROUND GROUP)continued work produces organizational strategies, work plans, and manuals for states, large urban districts, and outside funding partners to turn around low-performing schools through a new system of turnaround zones with improved operating conditions, Lead Partners, and other supports. The "Partnership Zone Initiative," which has received startup funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with matching support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will establish turnaround zones”in up to three states in 2009-2013 to serve as proof-points for these school turnaround and district redesign strategies.
And I can't help but ask, "Why am I spending time looking for the peer-reviewed model, when it appears that is the role that Delaware will play for the nation?"
Which would be fine and dandy, if there was proof that it worked. And if we knew for certain that any district could opt-out of the MOU at any point without penalty? Right now, the Fed language is "mutually agreeable." And if DEDOE would put it in writing that if a district fails to succeed in meeting AYP or mutually opts-out that said district would only have to return the unspent portions of the sum and will not be responsible for repaying spent funds.
And I did ask for that in writing last Wednesday? You bet, but it was laughed off. Only, I must have a longer memory than most b/c not too long ago we were settling lawsuits out of court that we incurred b/c we didn't have to funds to pay for the contract we engaged upon ...
And the moral of the yet-unwritten story is this: If Delaware is the MODEL, DOE will never mutually agree for a district to opt-out nor will any be permitted to fail and thus, we could in fact see local control thoroughly eroded ...
Category:
Christina,
Christina Education Association,
Delaware,
DOE,
Lillian Lowery,
Race to the Top,
Title I Funding
1 comments
From the Christina School District E-News (with my thoughts following):
District Clarifies That "Alternative School" Does Not Mean "Reform School"
One of the most negative aspects of the national media attention the Christina School District received this week was the characterization of its alternative placement program for young students as a “reform school.” The District does not run a “reform school” and would never use such an outdated and inaccurate term to describe any of its programs. Unfortunately, the term “reform school” was an expression used by the media and others in conjunction with Christina in recent news reports and websites.
Students in grades K-8 in Christina who are assigned to an alternative placement usually attend the Douglass Alternative School, which provides a more structured version of the regular school environment and offers additional services for students that may include counseling, academic support, and behavior support. Douglass provides a learning environment that contributes to the holistic development of all students by use of literacy programming, academics, behavior modification and character/social skills development. This collaborative effort between parents, students and staff helps students transition to a successful future.
Douglass School principal Harold "Butch" Ingram includes the following statement on the school’s website: “We teach students who are having difficulty in school how to succeed and that failure is not an option. Students are taught to be productive contributors to family, community and school. All understand that ‘Attitude determines Altitude!’ Student learning with high expectations in conjunction with social competence is paramount in the student's development and success.”
In January, 2009, the Christina Board of Education recognized the Douglass Alternative School administration and staff for the school’s outstanding service to students. The Wilmington News Journal will feature Douglass Alternative School in an article this weekend, and members of the community are also encouraged to learn more about Douglass Alternative School by visiting the school’s website (www.christina.k12.de.us/Douglass ) and reading about recent activities at Douglass School at the following link: www.christina.k12.de.us/Douglass/News.htm
-----
Having toured Douglass recently, I whole-heartedly concur! The children and staff at Douglass deserve much more respect than was afforded them by the media trying to spin a story and drive in "clicks" to their websites!
Though I carry a degree in Journalism, I have never been more embarrassed by the field and those who clearly were seeking sensationalism over the TRUTH!
I offer my heartfelt thanks to the staff and leaders at Douglass who work day-in and day-out to help children who are valued by their families and our CSD community. I have offered to assist at Douglass in any way the administration may deem appropriate, be it reading to the children or another more creative avenue. I sincerely hope that more community members will step up and partner to help those among us who need the most support! Show the children at Douglass that Delaware cares!
District Clarifies That "Alternative School" Does Not Mean "Reform School"
One of the most negative aspects of the national media attention the Christina School District received this week was the characterization of its alternative placement program for young students as a “reform school.” The District does not run a “reform school” and would never use such an outdated and inaccurate term to describe any of its programs. Unfortunately, the term “reform school” was an expression used by the media and others in conjunction with Christina in recent news reports and websites.
Students in grades K-8 in Christina who are assigned to an alternative placement usually attend the Douglass Alternative School, which provides a more structured version of the regular school environment and offers additional services for students that may include counseling, academic support, and behavior support. Douglass provides a learning environment that contributes to the holistic development of all students by use of literacy programming, academics, behavior modification and character/social skills development. This collaborative effort between parents, students and staff helps students transition to a successful future.
Douglass School principal Harold "Butch" Ingram includes the following statement on the school’s website: “We teach students who are having difficulty in school how to succeed and that failure is not an option. Students are taught to be productive contributors to family, community and school. All understand that ‘Attitude determines Altitude!’ Student learning with high expectations in conjunction with social competence is paramount in the student's development and success.”
In January, 2009, the Christina Board of Education recognized the Douglass Alternative School administration and staff for the school’s outstanding service to students. The Wilmington News Journal will feature Douglass Alternative School in an article this weekend, and members of the community are also encouraged to learn more about Douglass Alternative School by visiting the school’s website (www.christina.k12.de.us/Douglass ) and reading about recent activities at Douglass School at the following link: www.christina.k12.de.us/Douglass/News.htm
-----
Having toured Douglass recently, I whole-heartedly concur! The children and staff at Douglass deserve much more respect than was afforded them by the media trying to spin a story and drive in "clicks" to their websites!
Though I carry a degree in Journalism, I have never been more embarrassed by the field and those who clearly were seeking sensationalism over the TRUTH!
I offer my heartfelt thanks to the staff and leaders at Douglass who work day-in and day-out to help children who are valued by their families and our CSD community. I have offered to assist at Douglass in any way the administration may deem appropriate, be it reading to the children or another more creative avenue. I sincerely hope that more community members will step up and partner to help those among us who need the most support! Show the children at Douglass that Delaware cares!
Category:
Alternative School,
Christina,
CSD,
Douglass,
Reform School
3
comments
Christina School District - NEWS
Christina Board Amends Student Code of Conduct for Youngest Students
The Christina Board of Education voted unanimously on October 13 to amend the 2009-2010 Student Code of Conduct as it applies to Kindergarten and First Grade students charged with Level III offenses.
Under the approved amendment to the Code of Conduct, a separate category addressing Kindergarten and first grade students has been added, with revised consequences for a first or second offense. For example, a Kindergarten or first grade student charged with a Level III offense for the first time will now face 3-5 days out-of-school suspension and referral to school based counseling, but will not be required to be alternatively placed. The recommendation changed the language to read “Possible recommendation for alternative placement.”
As part of the motion to adopt the amendment, the Christina Board made the decision retroactive to the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.
The Christina School District Student Code of Conduct outlines student rights and responsibilities for grades Kindergarten through 12. A copy of the Student Code of Conduct is given to each student upon school entry. Orientation to the Code of Conduct is held in each school at the beginning of the school year. Many offences and their consequences outlined in the Christina Student Code of Conduct have been determined by Delaware State Code.
The Christina School District Student Code of Conduct is intended to promote safe and positive school environments, where student safety is not compromised by others, and learning is not disrupted by inappropriate behavior.
Shared via AddThis
Christina Board Amends Student Code of Conduct for Youngest Students
The Christina Board of Education voted unanimously on October 13 to amend the 2009-2010 Student Code of Conduct as it applies to Kindergarten and First Grade students charged with Level III offenses.
Under the approved amendment to the Code of Conduct, a separate category addressing Kindergarten and first grade students has been added, with revised consequences for a first or second offense. For example, a Kindergarten or first grade student charged with a Level III offense for the first time will now face 3-5 days out-of-school suspension and referral to school based counseling, but will not be required to be alternatively placed. The recommendation changed the language to read “Possible recommendation for alternative placement.”
As part of the motion to adopt the amendment, the Christina Board made the decision retroactive to the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.
The Christina School District Student Code of Conduct outlines student rights and responsibilities for grades Kindergarten through 12. A copy of the Student Code of Conduct is given to each student upon school entry. Orientation to the Code of Conduct is held in each school at the beginning of the school year. Many offences and their consequences outlined in the Christina Student Code of Conduct have been determined by Delaware State Code.
The Christina School District Student Code of Conduct is intended to promote safe and positive school environments, where student safety is not compromised by others, and learning is not disrupted by inappropriate behavior.
Shared via AddThis
Category:
CEA,
Christina,
Code of Conduct,
Zachary Christie
0
comments
Time to teach the Board Member:
Would you please share with me your experiences of a "48 Hour Meeting?" You can do so anonymously using the comment link at the bottom of this post.
Your time and effort is always appreciated,
Elizabeth Scheinberg
Would you please share with me your experiences of a "48 Hour Meeting?" You can do so anonymously using the comment link at the bottom of this post.
Your time and effort is always appreciated,
Elizabeth Scheinberg
Category:
48 hour meeting,
Christina,
Christina Education Association,
Christina School District,
Delaware
0
comments
Former Christina Superintendent Joe Wise weasels his way back into the picture!
Thank You to fellow board member, John Young, for sharing this information via his blog http://www.transparentchristina.wordpress.com/
I took Delaware's Department of Education to task in yesterday's post for failing to create a firm and thorough request for bids for the assessment system( DCAS) slated to replace the DSTP. The original RFP (Request for Proposals) resulted in not one, but two lawsuits filed against the department, including a suit filed by the company to whom the DOE wanted to award the contract, NORTHWEST EVALUATION ASSOCIATION (NWEA).
According to yesterday's NJ story, "Subsequently, at the end of June, the department selected Northwest Evaluation Association -- the only vendor that bid on all components and whose Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test has been piloted in several Delaware school districts and charters -- as the winner and began negotiations despite AIR receiving the highest scores on technical ability and price for the summative test and end-of-course exams. According to documents obtained by AIR through Delaware's Freedom of Information Act, AIR was the first choice overall for 54 percent of teachers who observed a demonstration of the tests."
DOE then announced they would scrap the first RFP process and start over with a tighter (and more in line with Delaware law) request.
So who is Wise to NWEA? He is currently a member of the NWEA's Board of Directors, although his bio briefly touches on his stint in Christina, and speaks of only great things during his brief and questionable time in Duval County, Florida (the district for which he resigned from Christina to lead.)
I feel it is also important to disclose NWEA is also the company that provides the Christina School District with Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. I do not know if Wise was an NWEA Board member prior to our district's adoption of that assessment, nor am I advocating that we scrap it. My teacher intel share's that this is a model our educators find helpful in tailoring their approach to meeting student needs.
The disclosure aside, I was not a board member, and barely a district parent during the Wise years. I was a tax payer and like many still carry a deep resentment for Wise. His time with our district fostered an incredible distrust from stakeholders, that unlike our financial affairs has yet to remedied.
So, yes, I do question the decision of any Delaware agency that would do business with a company that values Mr. Wise. As I imagine I will state frequently over the next four years (when my time with the board comes to an end) what every smart shopper knows, the cheapest product is seldom the best.
I am further concerned that DOE entered into negotiations with NWEA despite the fact that another company received higher scores on technical ability and price for the summative test and end-of-course exams. This company was the first choice overall for 54 percent of teachers who were involved in the demonstration process.
Finally, I call into question the fact that NWEA has threatened to file suit against DOE.
According to a letter issued by Sec. Lowery to all entities that bid for the contract, NWEA had indicated that it would also file suit against the department regarding requirements of a performance bond -- an insurance policy on the vendor's performance. The letter says that what was written in the bid request and what was told publicly to vendors conflicted with what Delaware law requires. The threat of suit comes from the company with whom the DOE entered negotiations and from whom DOE already has an existing relationship. Come on!
It all reminds me of the old saying: keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer...
Of course, I am writing this as I listen to the rain wick off my new roof (one day old) into my new gutters, currently being installed as I speak ... yes, in the rain. That's work ethic! I vetted the companies that bid on my home and chose not the cheapest, but certainly not the most expensive. I chose the company that had the right product at the fairest value, who also happened to have a fantastic rating the BBB, great reviews from past customers, and who had never done business with Mr. Wise.
Okay, I fully expect to take a beating for this opinion from many in education administration throughout Delaware. But, if our board members can't ask questions openly, will we ever have any answers? This is the road to transparency and accountability.
Thank You to fellow board member, John Young, for sharing this information via his blog http://www.transparentchristina.wordpress.com/
I took Delaware's Department of Education to task in yesterday's post for failing to create a firm and thorough request for bids for the assessment system( DCAS) slated to replace the DSTP. The original RFP (Request for Proposals) resulted in not one, but two lawsuits filed against the department, including a suit filed by the company to whom the DOE wanted to award the contract, NORTHWEST EVALUATION ASSOCIATION (NWEA).
According to yesterday's NJ story, "Subsequently, at the end of June, the department selected Northwest Evaluation Association -- the only vendor that bid on all components and whose Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test has been piloted in several Delaware school districts and charters -- as the winner and began negotiations despite AIR receiving the highest scores on technical ability and price for the summative test and end-of-course exams. According to documents obtained by AIR through Delaware's Freedom of Information Act, AIR was the first choice overall for 54 percent of teachers who observed a demonstration of the tests."
DOE then announced they would scrap the first RFP process and start over with a tighter (and more in line with Delaware law) request.
So who is Wise to NWEA? He is currently a member of the NWEA's Board of Directors, although his bio briefly touches on his stint in Christina, and speaks of only great things during his brief and questionable time in Duval County, Florida (the district for which he resigned from Christina to lead.)
I feel it is also important to disclose NWEA is also the company that provides the Christina School District with Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. I do not know if Wise was an NWEA Board member prior to our district's adoption of that assessment, nor am I advocating that we scrap it. My teacher intel share's that this is a model our educators find helpful in tailoring their approach to meeting student needs.
The disclosure aside, I was not a board member, and barely a district parent during the Wise years. I was a tax payer and like many still carry a deep resentment for Wise. His time with our district fostered an incredible distrust from stakeholders, that unlike our financial affairs has yet to remedied.
So, yes, I do question the decision of any Delaware agency that would do business with a company that values Mr. Wise. As I imagine I will state frequently over the next four years (when my time with the board comes to an end) what every smart shopper knows, the cheapest product is seldom the best.
I am further concerned that DOE entered into negotiations with NWEA despite the fact that another company received higher scores on technical ability and price for the summative test and end-of-course exams. This company was the first choice overall for 54 percent of teachers who were involved in the demonstration process.
Finally, I call into question the fact that NWEA has threatened to file suit against DOE.
According to a letter issued by Sec. Lowery to all entities that bid for the contract, NWEA had indicated that it would also file suit against the department regarding requirements of a performance bond -- an insurance policy on the vendor's performance. The letter says that what was written in the bid request and what was told publicly to vendors conflicted with what Delaware law requires. The threat of suit comes from the company with whom the DOE entered negotiations and from whom DOE already has an existing relationship. Come on!
It all reminds me of the old saying: keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer...
Of course, I am writing this as I listen to the rain wick off my new roof (one day old) into my new gutters, currently being installed as I speak ... yes, in the rain. That's work ethic! I vetted the companies that bid on my home and chose not the cheapest, but certainly not the most expensive. I chose the company that had the right product at the fairest value, who also happened to have a fantastic rating the BBB, great reviews from past customers, and who had never done business with Mr. Wise.
Okay, I fully expect to take a beating for this opinion from many in education administration throughout Delaware. But, if our board members can't ask questions openly, will we ever have any answers? This is the road to transparency and accountability.
Click to read the entire article at the NJ website:
Many Del. public high schools fail to meet federal goals
By JENNIFER PRICE • The News Journal • July 31, 2009
Twenty-one of Delaware’s 29 traditional public high schools failed to make adequate progress this year under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Middle schools did slightly better, whereas elementary schools showed far more progress.
Twelve out of 30 middle schools and 83 out of 99 elementary schools showed progress toward federal proficiency goals.
-------------------------------
The good news for Christina:
The restructuring plans at Gauger-Cobbs Middle School seemd to be working. Gauger was one of only two schools that made adequate progress this year. If these schools have the same success next year, they will no longer be “under improvement.”
The bad news:
All three district high schools (Christiana, Glasgow, and Newark) and Bancroft Elementary were among the eight schools statewide that failed to make adequate progress for the sixth consecutive year despite restructuring last fall.
The worst news:
Pulaski Elementary and Red Clay School District's A.I. duPont Middle become the first schools in Delaware to enter the seventh year of “under improvement” status. Under NCLB, states are allowed to take over schools when they continue to fail, but Delaware law forbids the state from total intervention. (News Journal)
Many Del. public high schools fail to meet federal goals
By JENNIFER PRICE • The News Journal • July 31, 2009
Twenty-one of Delaware’s 29 traditional public high schools failed to make adequate progress this year under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Middle schools did slightly better, whereas elementary schools showed far more progress.
Twelve out of 30 middle schools and 83 out of 99 elementary schools showed progress toward federal proficiency goals.
-------------------------------
The good news for Christina:
The restructuring plans at Gauger-Cobbs Middle School seemd to be working. Gauger was one of only two schools that made adequate progress this year. If these schools have the same success next year, they will no longer be “under improvement.”
The bad news:
All three district high schools (Christiana, Glasgow, and Newark) and Bancroft Elementary were among the eight schools statewide that failed to make adequate progress for the sixth consecutive year despite restructuring last fall.
The worst news:
Pulaski Elementary and Red Clay School District's A.I. duPont Middle become the first schools in Delaware to enter the seventh year of “under improvement” status. Under NCLB, states are allowed to take over schools when they continue to fail, but Delaware law forbids the state from total intervention. (News Journal)
Category:
Christina,
CSD,
Delaware,
Education Rankings,
High Schools,
Keene Elementary,
Lillian Lowery,
Marcia Lyles,
Secondary
0
comments
Red Clay has a new approach to summer school -- preteaching at-risk students. Will it work?
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906280323
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906280323
Category:
Christina,
Christina School District,
Red Clay,
Summer School
1 comments
After an informative presentation at the Board Meeting last night, CSD BOE voted to accept to the district recommendation that the 2009/10 tax warrant maintain the same levels as the 2008/09 warrant. For CSD tax payers, there will be no increase to school taxes.
Of note, the district cited 1% increase in revenue from taxes due to new construction, both residential and commercial (thank you Home Depot.)
On the down side, the closing of the Chrysler Plant in Newark could lead to a $1 million loss in revenue. After consulting with the State Auditor and Department of Education, the value of the former Chrysler property was not included in the calculations. The district will cease to receive revenue from the site if it is purchased by a non-for-profit entity such as the University of Delaware, the apparent fore-funner in current real estate negotiations. Furthermore, a for-profit successor entity to Chrysler could choose to level the plant, remove all the buildings, and leave the land with little to no taxable value for the purpose of school taxes.
I hope to delve a little deeper into the tax warrant in the coming days, to explain the more complicated portions of the formula. But, first I need to fact check for accuracy.
As for the board meeting itself, it started forty minutes late, indicating that executive session prior to the meeting ran long. In-coming Superintendent Marcia Lyles was again in attendance. During public comment the Board acknowledged outgoing member Beverly Howell for her years of service. The other noteworthy action of the night, voting on the consent agenda, was complicated by the decision to table all of Item B - Bid Awards for Foreign Language Translators, Elementary Counseling Services, Behavior Intervention Specialist Services, In School Alternative Program, and Student Support Services [ whose job it is to "assist building staff in monitoring in various capacities such as Hall Monitor and In School Suspension Monitor" (6/23/09, School Board Meeting Agenda, p. 4, BID #CSD-2009-05.)] The vote was 4-2 in favor of tabling.
Of note, the district cited 1% increase in revenue from taxes due to new construction, both residential and commercial (thank you Home Depot.)
On the down side, the closing of the Chrysler Plant in Newark could lead to a $1 million loss in revenue. After consulting with the State Auditor and Department of Education, the value of the former Chrysler property was not included in the calculations. The district will cease to receive revenue from the site if it is purchased by a non-for-profit entity such as the University of Delaware, the apparent fore-funner in current real estate negotiations. Furthermore, a for-profit successor entity to Chrysler could choose to level the plant, remove all the buildings, and leave the land with little to no taxable value for the purpose of school taxes.
I hope to delve a little deeper into the tax warrant in the coming days, to explain the more complicated portions of the formula. But, first I need to fact check for accuracy.
As for the board meeting itself, it started forty minutes late, indicating that executive session prior to the meeting ran long. In-coming Superintendent Marcia Lyles was again in attendance. During public comment the Board acknowledged outgoing member Beverly Howell for her years of service. The other noteworthy action of the night, voting on the consent agenda, was complicated by the decision to table all of Item B - Bid Awards for Foreign Language Translators, Elementary Counseling Services, Behavior Intervention Specialist Services, In School Alternative Program, and Student Support Services [ whose job it is to "assist building staff in monitoring in various capacities such as Hall Monitor and In School Suspension Monitor" (6/23/09, School Board Meeting Agenda, p. 4, BID #CSD-2009-05.)] The vote was 4-2 in favor of tabling.
Category:
Budget,
Christina,
CSD,
CSD Board Meeting,
Marcia Lyles,
Tax,
Tax Waiver
0
comments
CSD will host a Community/Parent Meeting to gather imput for Fiscal Year 2010 planning and Consolidated Grant Application development.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
6 pm at Gauger-Cobbs
According to the CSD website, you can contact Andy Hegedus, Supervisor of Grants at (302)552-2601 for more information.
----------------------------------------------------
So, what is the Consolidated Grant Application? Basically, it's the success plan that is key to the receipt of funding for Delaware's School Districts. Of the online documents I viewed, the following is probably the best explanation:
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/staff/si/comp_of_SI/ca/files/Success%20Plan%20Guiding%20Questions%20WEB1.pdf
Thursday, June 25, 2009
6 pm at Gauger-Cobbs
According to the CSD website, you can contact Andy Hegedus, Supervisor of Grants at (302)552-2601 for more information.
----------------------------------------------------
So, what is the Consolidated Grant Application? Basically, it's the success plan that is key to the receipt of funding for Delaware's School Districts. Of the online documents I viewed, the following is probably the best explanation:
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/staff/si/comp_of_SI/ca/files/Success%20Plan%20Guiding%20Questions%20WEB1.pdf
Category:
Christina,
Christina School District,
CSD,
Delaware,
Grants,
LEA,
Title I Funding
0
comments
Here's an official Children and Educators First! Welcome to Dr. Marcia Lyles - in town, scoping out the new digs in prep for her July move. Brief introductions were had before Dr. Lyles was swept away by the attention-seekers.
A brief word of thanks to David Resler, acting board president, for publicly explaining the back story to consent agenda votes. Issues are debated and questions posed during executive session prior to the public meeting where the board then votes. Not exactly transparent, as the questions and answers never reach the public's ears, but the explanation is appreciated.
Moving along - What bucket of money is the funding for the new computers in our elementary schools coming from? Will they be new or refurbished? How old are they? How are we disposing of existing technology? Just a few questions brought to mind by Shirley Saffer's public request for information during the Board Member Requests portion of the evening.
A brief word of thanks to David Resler, acting board president, for publicly explaining the back story to consent agenda votes. Issues are debated and questions posed during executive session prior to the public meeting where the board then votes. Not exactly transparent, as the questions and answers never reach the public's ears, but the explanation is appreciated.
Moving along - What bucket of money is the funding for the new computers in our elementary schools coming from? Will they be new or refurbished? How old are they? How are we disposing of existing technology? Just a few questions brought to mind by Shirley Saffer's public request for information during the Board Member Requests portion of the evening.
Category:
Christina,
CSD,
Marcia Lyles,
Marcia V. Lyles,
School Board
1 comments
Another look at the DSTP data for the Christina School District:
In Fall of 2006, 4th graders scored at 88.8% meeting or exceeding science standard.
Those same students were tested in the Fall of 2008 as 6th graders and scored at 66% meeting or exceeding science standards. In the course of 2 years, 22% stopped meeting/exceeding standard.
In Fall of '06, 68.3% of fourth graders met or exceeded state social studies standard. In the Fall of 08, 52.1% of those students, as sixth graders , met or exceeded the standard. That is a decrease of 16.2%
My thoughts: Clearly something is happening between fourth grade and sixth, something is not working. A double digit rise in failure rates give me great concern. Whether you like the test or not, it's what we have and we need to focus on why these students are failing to make progress and even regressing. It's time to revisit our strategic plan, because at this rate, we will never attain the goals outlined in the CSD plan.
While many are assuming the DCAS test will replace the DSTP, we cannot operate on that assumption. Nor do we know that our students will score better using the DCAS model. We need to plan now on how to move the resources into the classrooms that our teachers need to educate our students!
In Fall of 2006, 4th graders scored at 88.8% meeting or exceeding science standard.
Those same students were tested in the Fall of 2008 as 6th graders and scored at 66% meeting or exceeding science standards. In the course of 2 years, 22% stopped meeting/exceeding standard.
In Fall of '06, 68.3% of fourth graders met or exceeded state social studies standard. In the Fall of 08, 52.1% of those students, as sixth graders , met or exceeded the standard. That is a decrease of 16.2%
My thoughts: Clearly something is happening between fourth grade and sixth, something is not working. A double digit rise in failure rates give me great concern. Whether you like the test or not, it's what we have and we need to focus on why these students are failing to make progress and even regressing. It's time to revisit our strategic plan, because at this rate, we will never attain the goals outlined in the CSD plan.
While many are assuming the DCAS test will replace the DSTP, we cannot operate on that assumption. Nor do we know that our students will score better using the DCAS model. We need to plan now on how to move the resources into the classrooms that our teachers need to educate our students!
We received this letter in the mail yesterday:
Dear Rob and Elizabeth,
I am happy to advise that Autism Delaware has select you both to receive an award as Outstanding Volunteers to the Autism Delaware for your leadership and work with the Autumn Auction over the past several years ...
Sincerely,
Theda M. Ellis
Executive Director
Rob and I are honored by this recognition. Autism is a special cause for us. It is a disability that affects our life daily. We've chosen to view the autism journey as an adventure, though always challenging, our lives are richer for having been given such a special child.
Our heartfelt thanks go out to the entire Autism Community, especially the dedicated board and employees at Autism Delaware. We appreciate the honor!
Elizabeth
Dear Rob and Elizabeth,
I am happy to advise that Autism Delaware has select you both to receive an award as Outstanding Volunteers to the Autism Delaware for your leadership and work with the Autumn Auction over the past several years ...
Sincerely,
Theda M. Ellis
Executive Director
Rob and I are honored by this recognition. Autism is a special cause for us. It is a disability that affects our life daily. We've chosen to view the autism journey as an adventure, though always challenging, our lives are richer for having been given such a special child.
Our heartfelt thanks go out to the entire Autism Community, especially the dedicated board and employees at Autism Delaware. We appreciate the honor!
Elizabeth
Category:
Autism,
Christina,
Christina School District,
Delaware,
Delaware Autism Program
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