on request of Miss Biancheria
Boone: intention to bring back to School Committee a full package of information, including job description and timeline of filling position, once resignation is received (which it has not yet, please note)
last date of job description was 2003, thus will need revision
full stakeholder process in selection of principal
full national search for that position
There was not a process for the last opening of that position
"very broad and open process" for the community
also request for leadership in the meantime
Biancheria notes that Tech has the largest budget
Biancheria asks about funding of position of an interim basis: falls within budget
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Worcester: the City that Reads and Smiles
three areas being worked on:
Getting books in the hands of children, crucial
- attendence
- early childhood education
- summer learning loss
bookmobiles key in that
Worcester: City that Reads
20 minutes of reading each day with a child: can have impact on overall
reading daily and reading broadly
host of events tomorrow across the city
Family and Community Academy report
...is the report of the Superintendent tonight. You can find the presentation here.
Boone: how we more closely involve parents and families in schools
Cary: "began several years ago as a result of work with several organizations in the city"
the more families are involved, the more parents are involved in their children's education, the more successful the children are
has increased in success and participation
began to be "branded" in the community as a recognizable name
participation of WPS as part of effort starting last year
support parents and families "in developing the skills and confidence for lifelong learning and active engagement in the development of the whole child"
Rojas: meaningful ways that parents can participate in their children's education
building relationships among parents--schools--community providers
Four areas: advocacy, learning, child development, culture & community
offering "Academy Credits" for completing workshops
Developing a course catalog of learning: putting together those offered by various other parents
more organized way of disseminating information
website being developed (not up yet)
will reflect from parent input on process
Boone: trying to develop a family academy, community academy that has some real takeaways for parents
Monfredo: how are the parents invited?
Cary: targeted mailing list from each community group, CPPAC, Connect-Ed from WPS
meet at various times, last week's training on MASC site councils
"courses on the go" for training on the go
Rojas: community partners have been doing this work for years
Biancheria: comfort zone for people to attend, acknowledgement that they're learning while in the program beneficial to students as well as parents
asks that those who complete things be acknowledged by School Committee
O'Connell: growth of year to year, addressed in a series of logical ways
"as you continue to succeed, parents working with their schools...for the benefit of education"
"nurture it, support it, and encourage it"
CPPAC needs and welcomes new members
site council parity (of parent participation)
Boone: how we more closely involve parents and families in schools
Cary: "began several years ago as a result of work with several organizations in the city"
the more families are involved, the more parents are involved in their children's education, the more successful the children are
has increased in success and participation
began to be "branded" in the community as a recognizable name
participation of WPS as part of effort starting last year
support parents and families "in developing the skills and confidence for lifelong learning and active engagement in the development of the whole child"
Rojas: meaningful ways that parents can participate in their children's education
building relationships among parents--schools--community providers
Four areas: advocacy, learning, child development, culture & community
offering "Academy Credits" for completing workshops
- a core certificate is for 15 credits across two areas
- a leadership certificate is form 25 credits across all 4 areas (5 in each catagory, plus 5 in another area of interest)
Developing a course catalog of learning: putting together those offered by various other parents
more organized way of disseminating information
website being developed (not up yet)
will reflect from parent input on process
Boone: trying to develop a family academy, community academy that has some real takeaways for parents
Monfredo: how are the parents invited?
Cary: targeted mailing list from each community group, CPPAC, Connect-Ed from WPS
meet at various times, last week's training on MASC site councils
"courses on the go" for training on the go
Rojas: community partners have been doing this work for years
Biancheria: comfort zone for people to attend, acknowledgement that they're learning while in the program beneficial to students as well as parents
asks that those who complete things be acknowledged by School Committee
O'Connell: growth of year to year, addressed in a series of logical ways
"as you continue to succeed, parents working with their schools...for the benefit of education"
"nurture it, support it, and encourage it"
CPPAC needs and welcomes new members
site council parity (of parent participation)
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
What's going on with the science scores in Rhode Island?
New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island all use the same standardized test for their NCLB reporting, the NECAP*. In the reporting on this past spring's results, it appears that something odd is going on with the science scores in Rhode Island:
Rhode Island is postponing release of the scores until they can figure out something of what happened beyond the obvious, which is that a whole bunch of kids spent a whole bunch of time on a test that cost a whole lot of money and shows nothing of what they learned.
*Yes, it is pronounced "kneecap."Insert your own joke here.
Half of the kids getting not a single answer right? Yup, somebody messed up, and no, it wasn't the kids.Tim Ryan, executive director of the Rhode Island Association of Superintendents, said Monday that in some districts, the science scores changed so much it led educators to believe that a mistake in scoring had occurred.“In certain areas, 50 percent of the students (tested) didn’t get a single question right,” Ryan said. ”There were drops (in test scores) in a number of districts.”
Rhode Island is postponing release of the scores until they can figure out something of what happened beyond the obvious, which is that a whole bunch of kids spent a whole bunch of time on a test that cost a whole lot of money and shows nothing of what they learned.
*Yes, it is pronounced "kneecap."Insert your own joke here.
Parents literally giving their blood for higher test scores for their children
From the "you can't make this stuff up" file, here's China:
In July, Pujiang county in Zhejiang province announced a program allowing children of parents who gave blood to get extra points on their high school entrance exams. Under the program, local children of “gold medal” donors offering 8,000 milliliters would be granted an extra three points, while children of “silver medal” donors and “bronze medal” donors who gave comparatively less blood could be given an additional two and one points, respectively.
Florida superintendents asking for relief
As the school committees already have done, Florida superintendents are calling for relief from the state mandates around assessment:
The superintendents are urging lawmakers and top education officials to make three changes this school year: Suspend the state’s school grading system as students and teachers adjust to new standards and new online tests. Put the brakes on all consequences for students when it comes to state testing. And start scaling back the percentage of student test scores that are factored into teachers’ evaluations and their salaries.
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