He started by praising the district results/offerings, and mentioning the improved Action Plans that were pending. He then went on to discuss the need to delay selling the excess buildings until RAS was sure they were actually not needed... Some interesting details/comments:
- New Hope Elementary is needed for CHS parking and Early Childhood programs.
- Sandberg can not fit all the programs.
- Northport and Lakeview must be remodeled or rebuilt (will need temp housing for the kids)
- Some organizations that would not compete with RAS have expressed interest in a small portion of property / land.
- He is interested in options to draw students and families back.. (ie possible magnet school or other)
- A past district he worked for surveyed families that left that district to see "what would get them back?" Possible here...
- Maybe student population loss will slow or reverse as neighborhoods turn over? Wouldn't being short space be embarrassing?
- The $2 mil in operating savings was achieved.
- Real estate market may get better in the future, hold property until then?
- Due to these reasons, the process must be slowed or stopped until more info is known.
Now for the things that frustrated me....
First, he avoided answering one simple question that was of particular interest to this audience. How many students/families left the district due to the school closures and boundary changes? This seemed appropriate and worthy of an answer, given all the PLE folks in the audience.
Secondly, he spent a significant amount of time bashing NCLB/AYP. And from my perspective, somewhat misleading the audience. Some key concepts he covered:
- Minnesota's standards are way too high.
- He said Proof is that Alabama's are much lower. (personal note: Nothing against Alabama, but is this the state you really want to be on par with? )
- Lg and diverse schools less likely to pass AYP MAP better than MCA II.
- "No one in their right mind would design such a system."
I agree he should work with the State educational experts that selected the criteria if he disagrees with them, however to confuse and rile parents seems irresponsible. Below are links to State Proficiency comparison information. Minnesota did set their expectations high, however others set theirs higher. What are your thoughts regarding Supt Sicoli's methods and my perspective?
I keep thinking... What I would tell my daughters if they came home complaining that teacher's course was too difficult? Roll up your sleeves and get to work, or stand their and complain to me and your friends...
NCES Proficiency Comparison (Pg 17 and 20)
NCES Nation's Report Card
ZLE PTA Minutes Nov09
13 comments:
The superintendent of any public school district is the conductor of an orchestra capable of producing only one note.
The conductor doesn't mind. The audience is locked inside and he and the orchestra get paid whether or not they actually produce a tune.
The fools are those who hear what's going on and commend the orchestra for the clarity of their one note.
When dealing with a school district as large and as diverse as RAS, the notion that everyone is playing the same note seems misguided to say the least.
So the late Sen. Kennedy wasn't in his right mind?
If I may leverage my "Cannibals" post, noting how experts came up with supposedly sound medical advice that would kill women by the tens of thousands if tried:
How many panels of experts exist to come up with concepts like NCLB, AYB, Language Immersion, IB, AP, and broad definitions of Special Needs?
These are the people that come up with concepts like "pre-Calculus" when the word "Algebra" has sufficed for centuries.
I think your Manager vs Engineer quip applies rather well here!
By the way, the simple and easy to read graphs are on pages 17 and 20 of the first link. Looks like many of the schools are in the same area as MN.
And there is a band or two below that thought simpler was better.
Dear Supt. Sicoli,
Please get back to me when 100% of your kindergarten classes graduate after 12 years with full literacy-- the most elementary of requirements-- and fully able to pursue a vocation or higher education. Then we will talk about what higher expectations we may want. The only people who complain about standards are those who cannot meet them. If you cannot do it, let us find someone who can.
J. Ewing
So, was Supt. Sicoli finally admitting that the declining enrollment that caused the school closures was NOT due to lower birthrates, but instead due to families leaving the district?
It would be nice for someone to be frank about that.
So, was Supt. Sicoli finally admitting that the declining enrollment that caused the school closures was NOT due to lower birthrates, but instead due to families leaving the district?
It would be nice for someone to be frank about that.
Christine,
I'm not sure why Supt Sicoli was hesitant to answer the lost student questions. I was keeping notes frantically and actually did not hear the specifics. However I was told about them by a ZLE parent that I trust implicitly. (ie no agenda in this matter)
To All,
There is a statement of fact that is being made by the district. It goes something like this: "All students that have been in RAS for 3 consecutive years are passing NCLB/AYP."
I may have misquoted it slightly, and I have not yet asked for the specifics. However if this is correct and valid, this is an admirable feat that needs to be congratulated.
Remember, mobility is outside of the district's control. If they are getting dinged because they have kids moving in that are behind without enough time to help them catch up before the tests. That is a totally different problem...
I was raised in a rural town school where "new kids" were unique in class.(ie an event!!!) Many of you can probably relate. Whereas there are schools in RAS where there is a "new or departing" student in each classroom each month. STOP and really think about that from the teacher and student's perspective.
I'll try to make some time to research this further.
Impressive if true.
J. Ewing
Apparently I mis-heard the RAS statement or someone mis-spoke. The facts below are based on the CALT/MAP tests. I am working to get more detail based on MCA2/AYP.
"On average, students who are continuously enrolled (defined here as in RAS during 5 school years, from 3rd through 7th grades) score higher than the national average in both reading and math."
"Across time, all ethnic groups are scoring at or above the national average in math."
"Across time, most ethnic groups are scoring at or above the national average in reading. The exception is Hispanic American students, of which half are English Language Learners."
I'll post separately when I know more. Thoughts?
This statement:
"On average, students who are continuously enrolled (defined here as in RAS during 5 school years, from 3rd through 7th grades) score higher than the national average in both reading and math."
actually signifies more success to me than this (apparently) incorrect one:
There is a statement of fact that is being made by the district. It goes something like this: "All students that have been in RAS for 3 consecutive years are passing NCLB/AYP."
Averages are a more authentic and accurate mode of comparison than the NCLB standards, which vary state to state and don't serve as a particularly valid tool.
To quote R. Ewing--impressive if true.
My concern is that averages mean little without a std deviation. In my line of work we have a cute name for this. "Squish and Scoot" This means that we need to reduce the variation of results.(ie squish the std dev). And increase the typical performance. (ie scoot the average)
Folks continue to say the MN AYP criteria is too hard relative to the rest of the country. My take is if much of the country is performing poorly. I don't want our schools compared to those lower averages with higher std deviations.
I want the goals and results compared to the best states in the country. It looks like the folks that set the Minneasota expectations had a similar viewpoint. Do you really want to rate your personal performance on the average that includes the poorest performers?
With this in mind, MN Schools need to squish and scoot the performance over the new higher criteria. Now that is the challenge: same kids, same starting point, same number of days and a higher global expectation...
"Folks continue to say the MN AYP criteria is too hard relative to the rest of the country."
I am not that interested in comparing Minnesota AYP results with those of other states because different states have different tests and testing policies. There is only so much that can be said about the differences between apples and oranges. For interstate comparisons, I would look at NAEP testing results instead.
There is an assumption out there that the higher the standard or expectation, the higher the performance. I think there can be some relationship, but standards and expectations don't exist in isolation. If we set standards too high, they can lose credibility.
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