By Tom

I was sitting at home the other day, perusing the Spokesman-Review, and I came across an interesting editorial, criticizing Randy Dorn's recent proposal to make the state math test more reasonable. You can read it yourself, but here's the money quote:

"The state will only institute math and science requirements after it’s been demonstrated that a higher percentage can pass. This is like watching high jump practice and then deciding where to place the bar so that most competitors will clear it. When the consistent message is that the state will call off accountability, then it’s impossible to gauge students’ best efforts."

When I read this, I thought to myself, "Isn't that exactly how a high jump competition is supposed to run?" I mean, like most Americans, I only catch snippets of high jumping every four years, so I'm no expert, but that seems like the way I remember it. So I looked it up, and found that:

"In a competition, the bar is initially set at a relatively low height, and is moved upward in set increments ... The competitor who clears the highest jump is declared the winner."

That sounds right. You set the bar low and then raise it until only one jumper is left. But unlike a high jump event, our goal in education is not to designate a single winner. Despite the fact that you hear it all the time, high jump competitions are a really bad metaphor for educational standards and assessments. So I decided to find a better one.

 By Tracey
 

I love conference week. About five years ago, my district made the transition from teacher-led conferences to student-led, and I love it.  I’ve adapted it slightly, making it a blending of the two types of conferences.  I give my students about 45 minutes worth of projects to share, ideas to discuss, experiments to demonstrate, and learning to prove.  And then we all sit together for about 20 minutes discussing goals for the next academic quarter while reviewing the report card.  It's moving to see my students show pride in their accomplishments.  It's also remarkable to see them show areas where they didn't succeed, because they don't need me to tell them what needs to change.  They are truly held accountable, as the gaps are hard to cover up. 

 By Mark

I'm sitting here waiting for the turkey to reach 165F so I can load it into the car and rush it across town to the three-dozen waiting family members at our multi-bird feast this evening.

In these few moments, as hokey and cliche as it may seem, it is worth taking a few moments to reflect on what I appreciate about this business I'm in.

First, I am thankful to live in a state where with each new policy decision, teachers' voices are louder and more respected by policymakers. This is due completely to the diligent efforts of the teacher-leaders at CSTP (The nonprofit Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession, sponsor of this site) and Washington's OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) who proactively seek ways for teacher voices to be heard at the decision-making table--with CSTP being the force which helps remind OSPI of the need for teacher voices.

Second and even more important, I am thankful for those fellow teachers who have made their voices heard at those policy tables and in front of the legislature. 

Last, I am thankful for the thanks I get as an educator. Just last week, as the culmination of a tough unit on poetry with my Sophomores, students memorized and recited poems aloud as part of my poetry curriculum, with the assessment being the non-verbal channels of communication--tone of voice, power of expression, and stage presence. I sat in awe as sixty fifteen- and sixteen-year olds tackled voices from Keats to Komunyakaa and Sexton to Sanchez. They worked so hard, and they truly embodied the words in a way which gave me chills and proved to me that they really got it. I am thankful that I am in a job that can warm my heart and give me chills.

Enjoy the season, SFS readers, and thanks for checking in now and again.

By Tom

It looks like Arne Duncan decided to soften his approach to turning around "failing schools." Up until just recently, states that wanted to compete for Race to the Top funds had to take an aggressive approach to fixing their lowest performing schools. They had to either replace the principal and half the teachers, reopen the school as a charter school or simply close the school down.

But with the release of the new guidelines states are permitted to use a "softer approach" and still remain eligible to compete for the RTTT grants.

What's the softer approach? Providing professional development to the faculty and changes to the curriculum. Wow. Imagine that.

And who can we thank for this enlightened approach? Ironically, the charter schools themselves. Much to Duncan's surprise, they showed little interest in taking over these failing schools. Apparently they would much prefer to start from scratch than to take over a school in peril.

This is good news for Washington. It will make it easier for our state, which outlaws charter schools and doesn't have a particularly aggressive model for taking over failing schools, to compete for the funds.

And we really need the money. 

by Brian
 

David Horsey of the Seattle PI has weighed in with the best opinion piece about Superintendent Randy Dorn's proposal to modify the math graduation requirement that I have read so far.

We are having parent conferences at my school this week, and yesterday I heard the parents of one of my better Algebra students tell me how frustrated they have been with the WASL. Their daughter is a bright, highly motivated freshman who seems to like my class and be comfortable with the curriculum. But her parents told me she did not meet standard in math on the WASL in 4th grade or 8th grade, and she has a lot of anxiety about taking the state test (whatever it will be) next year. It makes me angry to read the Seattle Times editorial board opposing Dorn's proposal: "It sends a disheartening message to students who want to excel and who understand that the route to higher education — whether college or trade school — is by meeting high standards." What do they think the message has been for the last ten years for the 50% of our students who have not met the math standard? Inspiring?? What makes them think that the WASL has been a reasonable measure of what a high school graduate should know? Not a college-bound student, just a high school graduate ready to go to work. It's time to answer that basic question.

I made an appointment with my Representative today to talk to him about where the bar should be set for graduation. I sent him Horsey's article too. I encourage you to read it, and talk to your Representative too. Our students deserve a realistic standard.

By Tom

We learned recently that Governor Gregoire decided to postpone Washington's application for the Federal Government's Race to the Top grants. The first round of applications is due in January. The second round is due in June. So the question is, what's the next move?

As I see it, there are two choices.

By Mark

I look with envy at my peers in the math department.

Sure, I know they have the same issues I have as an English teacher: kids who don't turn work in; hours of planning, prep, and grading to do; a state standardized test looming over our heads.

But, there's one thing they have that I really want.

You probably won't find many Algebra II students who cannot do basic work with monomials and reverse order of operations. In Geometry, the kids are all likely equally confounded at first by the mysteries of Pythagorus. In Algebra I, more often than not I think the kids at least have basic number sense.

Or, perhaps it is better put this way...

In that Algebra I class, there's probably not a kid sitting there running advanced differential equations through his head while everyone else solves for x. If that kid were spotted, you better believe that his teacher would bump him up to somewhere that he could be both more challenged and better served.

But in an English 9 class, just because their birthdays fell within a given year, a kid who can immediately spot the nuances in Scout's narration in To Kill a Mockingbird and by the end articulate how the novel is a coming-of-age tale about the collapse of childhood illusions is sitting next to a kid who still thinks Scout is a boy and Atticus is African-American.

by Brian

Back in September I wrote a post called How Much Math Does a Man Need?  I questioned the wisdom of requiring every student to take and pass Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2 in order to graduate from high school, beginning with this year's freshmen.  Today state superintendent Randy Dorn wrote a guest editorial in the Seattle Times, and posted on OSPI's website his proposal for changing the math and science graduation requirements.  He proposes using a two tiered model, already in use in Massachusetts, to provide students in Washington the opportunity to graduate with either a ranking of "proficient" or "basic" math skills.  Proficient will be the goal for all students, but under this proposal the student with basic skills will continue to take additional math courses, and still be able to graduate.

I think the superintendent has taken a huge step toward setting the bar for high school graduation at a realistic level.  For far too long we have been telling too many students that they were below standard in math, when the problem was not their skill level, but how hard the WASL was. We were giving the same test to students in Algebra 2 and Pre-Algebra.  It didn't matter what course they were taking; they all got the same WASL.  Now they will take end-of-course exams over the math they have just learned, and they will be judged to be at a proficient or basic level.  That seems a lot more fair.

I'm still not convinced that everyone needs to take Geometry, but this would be a vast improvement. (And thank goodness Algebra 2 has disappeared from the required list).

I applaud the Superintendent's honest and realistic recommendations, and I hope the Legislature will consider them carefully.

By Tom

A recent story brought my attention to a brand new issue. Teachers are now selling their lesson plans to each other on-line. Some of them are making some pretty good money at it, including an English teacher from California, who brought in an extra $36,000 by selling his plans.

It's an interesting story, to which I have several reactions:

By Guest Blogger Sarah 

 

The NBCT Policy Symposium is behind us, (whew), but now the real work begins (isn’t that how it always is…just when you think you are done, there is more to do, it is just like my laundry situation).  The Symposium was an opportunity for 100 NBCTs from around Washington to become educated about the policy decisions that will be made regarding how to best implement ESHB 2261.  It was a big, big deal and honestly, it was big, big day. The day before the Symposium, I, along with 20 other NBCT teachers, had a discussion with Governor Gregoire, Governor Wise (former Gov of West Virginia and now chair of National Board) & Superintendent Dorn.  This provided an opportunity to speak to decision makers about the possibility of NBCT’s voices being a part of education reform in Washington State.  Each of these leaders listened closely and respectfully to each of us and challenged us to become leaders beyond our classrooms, our schools and our districts.

 

What really sticks with me is Governor Gregoire saying that Legislators need teacher mentors to educate them about the important issues of education.  What a terrific idea. But honestly, I think a lot about the barriers and not always about the possibilities and I need to get over that.  I think about people’s lives already being full with teaching, parenting, trying to eat right and get enough sleep - being a “Legislative Mentor” is probably the furthest thing from our minds, realistically, but I wonder- would the efforts put in now make a difference down the road?  Would becoming legislatively active and aware and influential, create a school system in Washington state that would ensure our students were prepared for the world they are going to, and maybe even lighten our day to day load by having smart, teacher influenced, educational policy?

by Luann

A few years back, some colleagues and I  previewed a new way to look at student work with my colleagues.  I learned more, brought the practice into my classroom, and saw significant, steady growth in my students approach to learning and study habits.  We all learned more, I was given the opportunity to offer this as professional development in my district. Those of us who worked together to implement this practice in our classrooms and departments saw student gains in achievement and engagement. Those of us who made honest use of this practice did, anyway.......but not any more.  Why not?

by Brian

I love my job, but I really hate having to eat lunch in thirty minutes.  It must be nice to be able to meet friends away from work and sit down for a leisurely hour.  But 30 minutes for lunch is just a synecdoche for the larger problem: the traditional 6 period day used in most of our high schools.  It's not only hectic, it's inefficient.  Think of the organizational skills that our students must have to keep track of 6 different subjects every day. And with 125 to 150 students per day, even if I had common planning time with my colleagues in the math department, which I don't, how could I collaborate with them when my time is devoured by my own classroom responsibilities.  The schedule creates isolation, even for brand new teachers who would benefit the most from collaboration. So why do we keep using it?  And what does it have to do with teacher quality?

By Tracey

Maybe having a parent around all the time won't help you in school.  Yesterday's NY Times article, Parent's Unemployment Stress Trickles Down to the Children suggests that it won't, especially when they're feeling stress about being unemployed.  I was struck by this statistic which came from a research study from the University of California, Davis. Fifteen percent of children whose parents lose their job are more likely to repeat a grade.  This is among children of parents with a high school degree.  Another study mentioned in the article reported that the children of single mothers who were unemployed were more likely to drop out of school.  With the unemployment rate at 9.3% in Washington (Sept. 09), this impacts all of us.  

By Kristin

I teach both honors and standard language arts.  For some time now I've been struggling with the concept of what makes an "honors" kid honors?  What makes a "regular" kid regular?

It's certainly not intelligence.  With the exception of some of my regular students who eat so poorly they're kind of out of it, I would say my regular kids are as intelligent if not more so than my honors students.  My honors students are just better educated and more sophisticated.  It's not simply academic skill, since some of my honors students write like third graders and aren't strong readers. It's not motivation, because some of my regular kids get to school despite tremendous obstacles, and some of my honors students do the bare minimum.  Two months ago I started to wonder would happen if I persuaded the counseling office to turn my regular class into an honors class.  Labels matter.  An honors class is like riding in the first class carriage of the train.  Being there gives you status.  Being seen stepping off gives you status, and that feels good.  Am I capable of teaching well enough that my regular kids could succeed in an honors class?  I decided to give it a try.

By Tom

Mrs. Rooney was my third grade teacher. We spent all day with her, from September through June. She was tough, smart and observant. She knew me well, and was able to tell my parents about all the wonderful things I would accomplish once I began to "apply myself."

Today I teach third grade, and my students endure the entire day with me. I teach language arts, math, science and social studies. And sometimes art.

I'm what's called a "generalist." I have no specialty. I'm supposed to be as good a math teacher as I am a writing teacher. The prevailing wisdom in this country is that children in the younger grades benefit from the stability and constancy of a single teacher who teaches every subject. The prevailing wisdom also holds that once a student enters seventh grade or so, the benefits of having a subject-area specialist outweigh the benefits of having the same teacher all day long.

But that wisdom is being challenged. In fact, up to 20% of our nation's grade school students, some as young as six, are moving from room to room, just like their high school brothers and sisters, taking their classes from specialists.

Why?

 Student learning has become a contest.  As we look for solutions to the deliberate disengagement of students and ways to help all students achieve, we begin to look at why some aren't, and search even harder for solutions. 

How could each situation listed here be turned into an opportunity for the student to leap the standard and find success?

By Mark

In the last two weeks, a few things have me thinking about the age old debate over how schools "grade" students. First, in Nevada, there was this discussion about the merits of allowing students in public high schools take exams to earn state-required graduation credit (as opposed to putting in the seat time). 

Second, there were the 28 letters I sent home to students' parents this past Monday updating them that their students were earning a D or F in my English class.

When I look at those 28 letters, there are really only probably seven kids getting the low grades who I think genuinely have not yet exhibited the minimum language arts expectations which I have at this point in the semester and thus "deserve" the F. The other 21? Missing assignments. I'd bet dollars to donuts that those 21 would pass an on-demand-test of minimum language arts skills and content, and I have few concerns about next spring's state tests for those kids, even though they are presently earning Ds and Fs in my class. They've been able to show me that they have the skills through classroom work and other assessments, some of them far exceeding the standards from the very first assessment--yet their grade is an F.

I know that this discussion is almost as old as the model of education present in most public schools today, but how do you as a teacher reconcile the necessity of "grades" and the reality that grades do not necessarily reflect actual skill in a content area? 

Are these kids earning failing grades due to a lack of content knowledge and skill or due to a lack of ability to submit complete work on time...which incidentally is not one of my content area standards? Is the idea of a mastery test (in lieu of seat time) really out of line? We put so much stock in those one-time snapshot tests to assess school and teacher effectiveness, so why not a one-time snapshot test for a kid who has the skills but doesn't want to spend 90 hours this semester in a class which will penalize him for poor organization, not a lack of skill?

by Brian

I generally don't like articles that begin by saying something like the Obama administration's Race to the Top will fail.  My default position is optimism, and I don't want it to fail.  But I read an article like that today that made a lot of sense.  

Marion Brady, writing in the Washington Post says that it will fail for a reason no one is talking about: A curriculum adopted in 1893 that grows more dysfunctional with each passing year.  I teach math, and when my students ask me why they have to do two-column proofs in Geometry, I tell them we settled that question in 1893.  We do it because that's what we do.

You should read the whole article, but here's the money quote:  

"There are, however, some things Congress and the administration could do.  First, they could stop basing education policy on the opinions of business leaders, syndicated columnists, mayors, lawyers, and assorted other education "experts" who haven’t passed the 10,000-hour test-10,000 hours of face-to-face dialog with real students in real classrooms, all the while thinking analytically about what they’re doing, and why."

I recently participated in the NBCT Symposium where we were asked to prioritize how to allocate the money to implement the reform package encompassed in ESHB 2261.  While I appreciated the opportunity to contribute, I could not help but reflect that there was no one on the Quality Education Council, that could pass the 10,000 hour test.

And I remembered a New Yorker article byJames Surowiecki about Toyota's success.  He titled it The Open Secret to Success, which it is.  Toyota has defined innovation as an incremental process, fueled by the suggestions of workers (teachers?) on the factory floor.  He says Japanese companies get a hundred time more suggestions from their workers than U.S. companies do.  So instead of trying to throw long touchdown passes, Toyota moves down the field by making short and steady gains.

We can do that in education too, if the real experts, the teachers who have passed the 10,000 hour test, are increasingly involved in the process of planning reform, not just implementing top-down decisions.

By Mark

He's a middle-of-the-bell-curve kind of kid, affable and hard working, but his strongest efforts tend to net him Cs at the very best. 

He's not into sports, and is always telling me about his truck that he's working on at home. He's got a good mind for literature (my content area) and when he really puts effort into it is a better-than-average writer. 

But, he's not the most organized. The only thing keeping him from a higher grade in his English class is that he's missing a few assignments here and there, bombed a few vocabulary quizzes for lack of studying, and didn't take well to the recent unit on poetry.

And he's probably not going to graduate from high school on time. He's a few credits short already, as a junior. He knows his problem: he can do the work, but when he leaves school, it just doesn't get done. Chores on his family's small farm and tinkering under the hood of his or any number of other local vehicles...the joys that make his face glow when he talks about them...take up all his precious homework time when he should be doing his geometry or poetry or history homework.

We've already had some lively discussion here about the importance of vocational ed and trade skills in our public schools, so that's not my angle here. This young man could conceivably graduate from high school with the required math, science, English and history. He's not averse to the requirements for PE and art and CTE. He's capable, and there are ways to make up those credits. In our building, in addition to all the named requirements, a student must also take a total of 6.0 credits of general electives in order to graduate.  Many use these for foreign language, higher level math and science, extra arts and music, or other specialized courses that interest them. We do have two periods of woodshop and vehicle design, but that's about all we can fund and house.

With all due respect with my colleagues in arts, CTE and upper division maths and sciences, what this young man needs isn't more of those in his schedule.  

He needs study hall.

by Luann

The results are in from the Policy Summit held a few weeks ago. 

The top three priorities for most immediate funding, as reflected by the decisions made by teachers at the Symposium were:

(drum roll).........................