http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_city/20021025mathcity3p3.asp
The above link is from 2002 and very worthwhile.
You can then find the rest of the story in 2008 HERE.
So Dr Bergeson in an effort to continue your monarchy, you selected Dr Uri Triesman and the Dana Center at Six times the low bidder as his decisions would likely align with your run for a fourth term.
It was essential that your bizarre direction in Math not be exposed for the absolute hokum that it is.
The best way to do that was by selecting an organization in favor of continuing the disaster that you brought to the children and the families of our state.
The evidence is clear from Pittsburgh that Treisman's Dana Center was the group you needed.
From the Pittsburgh article linked above.
City Neighborhoods
Pittsburgh school board gets math class
Experts suggest ways to improve curriculum
Friday, October 25, 2002
By Carmen J. Lee and Eleanor Chute, Post-Gazette Education Writers
Four national experts retained by the Pittsburgh Public Schools agreed on several points about improvements that could be made in the district math program.
They said city school officials need to improve the way they collect information on student performance in math so they can accurately evaluate the effectiveness of instructional techniques.
They also agreed that elementary and middle school students need more practice in basic math skills than they now receive.
But while the four made every effort to show respect for each other's opinions and downplay any disagreements during last night's three-hour school board forum, there were apparent differences in their perspectives.
Philip Uri Treisman, a professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin, and Philip Daro, executive director of the Public Forum on School Accountability at the University of California, encouraged school officials to strengthen the current elementary and middle school programs rather than change them entirely.
They urged school officials to use the revised versions of Everyday Math, used in district elementary schools, and Connected Math, used in middle schools. The updated versions have clearer methods for teaching basic skills than the versions the district now uses.
Treisman and Daro said the district should extend the length of class periods in some instances from the current 45 to 60 minutes to 60 to 90 minutes.
They also said the district should require teachers to participate in professional development programs designed to improve math instruction.
Both men said that despite the deficiencies in the way the district records student math scores -- which they pointed out was not unusual among school systems -- they said math scores are improving.
Treisman added that when Pittsburgh is compared to similar districts in the state, it was second only to Lancaster in the percentage improvement on its average state test scores.
And Lancaster, which has shown exceptional gains in the past four years, did so because of its commitment to Everyday Math in terms of teacher training and length of class period time, he said.
"Claims that Everyday Math destroys students' lives is rhetoric. It just doesn't hold water," Treisman said.
R. James Milgram, a professor of mathematics at Stanford University, neither praised nor panned the district's math programs. But he also did not view district student performance as showing that much improvement, particularly when looking at SAT scores.
Milgram also was critical of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment test and said that he did not believe school officials should rely too heavily on it as indicator of student performance.
Wayne Bishop, professor of mathematics at California State University, was the most insistent of the four that district should change its curriculum.
He questioned whether recent reports that Pittsburgh students had steadily increasing scores on the PSSA were accurate or just "smoke and mirrors."
He dismissed the national tests the district administers as not good measures of student performance.
The four men were brought to Pittsburgh because the board's five-member majority have been skeptical of the effectiveness of the district's math programs, particularly in the area of teaching basic skills.
School officials said after the discussion they found the educators' suggestions helpful.
Some officials said they already had been considering changing the way they collected data on math instruction and instituting longer math periods.
Rick Sternberg, president of the Pittsburgh Administrators Association, said it would be possible to supplement the curriculum with materials that would include clearer ways to practice basic skills. But he did not believe that Bishop's recommendation to change the curriculum was practical.
"The fact that the other three had more agreements than disagreements makes me believe that they are making suggestions that will be useful for the district to consider," Sternberg said.
Sherman Shrager, a representative of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, agreed that the experts' suggestions were useful but noted that under the current teacher contract, professional development can't be mandated.
He said a greater portion of existing teacher training days could be devoted to math instruction but didn't believe the district's curriculum had to be changed.
Barbara Rudiak, principal of Philips Elementary on the South Side and a board member of the Pittsburgh Council on Public Education, said, "I thought the information was interesting."
She said that Treisman, Milgram and Daro presented information that related particularly to Pittsburgh and compared it to other places.
Gee Are We Talking here about the now famous deceivers of the public from You Tube Uri Treisman and Phil Daro?
The video below from You Tube shows the Director of the Dana Center Uri Treisman and Phil Daro who is now also from the Dana Center explaining how to mislead the public.
Long Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFuJ4RjAh6o
Short Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR6k1UYe-w8
OSPI has continued to subvert the attempts of the Washington Legislature to solve the problems that OSPI created. Unfortunately this does not work as OSPI is apparently above the Law.
Key Markers Relating to Organizational Health
12 years ago
11 comments:
Here's a research study from Houghton-Mifflin - authors are not cited in this study. There's a pretest and a posttest of a middle school that is 79% Hispanic (2005-2006.
The name of the program is Access.
I don't consider this to be a legitimate study, but it would be good to follow it, to see how legitimate it really it.
http://www.greatsource.com/GreatSource/pdf/ACCESSMathLancasterPA.pdf
Here is a legitimate study and evidence looks like its a community that's 50% Latino, primarily Puerto Rican - urban flight into suburbs. Schools are roughly 60-70% Latino and the poverty level is about 79% economically disadvantaged.
http://alegreresearch.com/pdf/WIBStudy_WEB.pdf
SDOL = School district of Lancaster
While Latino students had the lowest
graduation rate in the SDOL (51% did not make it to graduation) , Whites and Black students also did not make the AYP with graduation rates of 67%
and 57% respectively. Asian was the only SDOL student racial/ethnic subgroup whose graduation rate met AYP
with 86%. With an overall 57% graduation rate SDOL was the only school district in the county not to meet the
2006 AYP graduation rate.
Here is an assessment from a math teacher that teaches in Lancaster -that sounds authentic - a person is asking if they should live there and by the conversation I'm beginning to see Lancaster is more urban -
I teach in these schools, all over the county, and I personaly would never send my two kids to Lancaster city schools. You can call your program anything you want but the fact is the middle schools in the city are the worst place. I sub teach and the teachers spend much more time disiplining behavior problems than teaching. The middle school kids in particular are rude, nasty, talk back, treat each othe like dirt, insult each other, kick and bite each other, slap and punch each other. I am an experienced teacher with 14 years of professional work. 5th to 7th grades seems to be the worst with so many disruptions it's imposable to do any teaching. The IB program at the high school is a joke you don't get higher academic standards just by putting in higher level courses, you should check the actual graduation rates for these programs. When the IB students complete their final exams their tests are sent to other IB schools to be graded in places like Austria, India, and Canada. When the tests come back Lancaster in the Joke of the IB world system with less than 15% of the IB students in any class actualy graduating with an IB diploma. You can give them the best teachers in a great program with all the best resouces and they still fail in huge numbers because they don't have the serious academic background to complete the program. Their parents never had serious academic training and they have no understanding of what is required to succeed. And the Middle schools they come from have wasted so much time dealing with behavior problems they don't have any time to teach academics.
Lancaster country Day (private school) pay $$$ uses Everyday (that's a joke) There's also a mention of IMP - so I suspect a connection to Merlino, Briars.
Jim Bohan was the curriculum expert. Here's his bio and ....Loyola is listed as his Alma Mater. Presently at La Salle University (AP Placement Program) and that's Merlino.
Jim Bohan is the Assessment Specialist at Intermediate Unit #13 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is the former K-12 Mathematics Program Coordinator at Manheim Township School District in Lancaster, PA. He is a veteran of 36 years teaching in parochial, private and public high schools. In addition, he has been an adjunct instructor of mathematics and Statistics at several colleges and universities in Illinois and his present home of Pennsylvania. Jim is a consultant to the College Board for AP Calculus and AP Statistics. He is presently a member of the Nominations Committee of NCTM. In addition, he has been a member of the AP Statistics Test Development Committee for ETS. He has published his syllabus in the AP Statistics Teachers' Guide and has published an AP Statistics Review through Amsco School Publishing. Jim has earned a Master of Arts in Mathematics from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois and completed a Master of Science in Applied Statistics at Villanova University in Philadelphia, PA. He is now enrolled in a doctoral program in Educational Leadership from Immaculata University, PA.
When the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) published a series of standards documents in 1989, the council signaled “shifts in emphasis” in math education in curriculum, instruction, and assessment, writes Jim Bohan in Mathematics: A Chapter of the Curriculum Handbook (2002):
Curriculum would emphasize a deeper study of mathematical ideas and concepts and how they are applied today.
Learning would become more active, students would become more involved with mathematics, and all students would be given opportunities to reach their mathematical potential.
Student achievement would be assessed through many sources of evidence. (p. 1)
Many educators and professionals accepted the standards, but “resistance to both the vision and implementation of the NCTM standards became substantial and well-organized,” Bohan writes (2002, p. 1).
In response to this opposition—as well as to “changes in society, and to the greater understanding of children and learning” (Bohan, 2002, p. 1)—NCTM published the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Released in 2000, the new standards are intended to be a resource to mathematics curriculum planners, Bohan explains.
Bohan wrote a TI-83 instruction booklet for Key curriculum Press.
In regard to effectively educating Hispanic Children
http://www.brightstarschools.org/
Westchester is hardly a barrio. Lots of film executives...Harvard-Westlake is one of the best schools in the US.
Watch George Lopez sometime and that will give you a good perspective on what I consider are mainstream values for college-educated Latinoes - at least from what I know about education in Socal. This group is probably more conservative than most Republicans.
Contrary to what most Washingtonians might think, not all Hispanics are poor and uneducated.
Board of Directors
Ari Engelberg (Chairman)
Entrepreneur & Teacher, Harvard Westlake High School
Ari Engelberg was born in Los Angeles and attended Harvard-Westlake High School, at which he now teaches American History and coaches basketball part-time. In 1996, while attending graduate school at UCLA, Ari co-founded an Internet postage software company called Stamps.com (NASDAQ: STMP - www.stamps.com) at which he worked through 1999. In 2000, Ari co-founded Archive, Inc., a data storage software company, which was purchased in 2002. Currently, Ari is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bright Star Schools and is a founding partner of the Los Angeles Social Venture Partners. Ari has held positions on the Board of Directors or Board of Advisors of Ethos Water (acquired by Starbucks), eTeamz (acquired by Active.com), and CoreObjects Software. Ari's non-profit experience includes service on the Boards of Directors of the Jewish Venture Philanthropy Fund of Los Angeles, The Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles, and Jewish Big Brothers-Big Sisters. Ari holds BA's in Political Science and Psychology from UC Berkeley and a JD/MBA from UCLA. Ari's wife, Jennifer, is a Pediatric Dentist. They have two sons.
Ramona Bascom
Teacher and Assistant Principal of Academics, Stella Middle Charter Academy
Ramona Bascom was born in Pasadena and raised on Catalina Island. She has spent her adult life in education as a teacher, administrator and counselor, both in the suburbs and the inner city. Her work in these schools involved beginning development/school advancement programs, and parent groups, including boards. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees as Cathedral High School Ramona has worked at Stella as teacher and assistant principal of academics. Her undergraduate degree is in English; her graduate degrees are in English (MA) from Holy Names College and in school counseling (MEd) from Loyola Marymount.
In Chula Vista, Latino parents carpooled to Tijuana to send their kids to private schools.
There were also military academys and I know teachers and administrators who enrolled there kids in US private schools. So there is an affluent, conservative group of Latino parents, who are actively involved in the charter school movement.
This has nothing to do with public education which has a different purpose - promoting literacy and achievement in underserved communities.
WOW!!!
Thanks for the Westchester Enlightenment. Stella is to the best of my knowledge still primarily centered in the 36th and Mansfield area with close to 100% Hispanic and 100% free and reduced meals children making up almost their entire student population.
Has anyone been to the temporary Bright Star secondary Westchester Campus previously the home of LAUSD's former Orville Wright Middle School?
Dan
Stella is a pretty tough assignment for teachers - I searched edjoin and they have 8 vacancies for next year. This is amid Terminator's budget cuts and the school has only been operating since 2003. Also, its located close to Culver City, on the Santa Monica Freeway - so like the problem in Westchester, students have to be bussed in - add to this the long hours and it probably has a high turnover.
Stella has a longer school day 7:30 - 4:30 up to 6:30 and a uniform policy. Also, the stats show 2/3 of the student body are classified ELL students - and the school is grades 5 -7.
The rules for who is eligible for STAR testing may give Stella some advantage over other schools - 100%eligible for Title I and 67% Latino.
Who takes the tests in the STAR Program?
All students in grades two through eleven participate in the STAR Program, including students with disabilities and students who are English learners. In addition to the tests administered in English, state law (Education Code Section 60640) requires all Spanish-speaking English learners to take the designated primary language test (DPLT) if:
They receive instruction in Spanish (regardless of how long they have been in school in the United States), or
They have been enrolled in a school in the United States for less than 12 months (cumulative).
At the option of the school district, schools also may test English learners who will have been in a United States school 12 months or more (cumulative) and who are not receiving instruction in Spanish. For spring 2008, the DPLT is the STS in grades two through seven and the Aprenda 3 in grades eight through eleven.
Only students whose parents or guardians have submitted written requests to exempt them from STAR Program testing do not take any of the STAR Program tests (Education Code Section 60615).
My assumption is that students are placed in the ELL program if they are bilingual - this happenned to my own kids and they had to test out of the ELL program, although their English was stronger than their Spanish. The district was eligible for more funding.
Who takes the tests in the STAR Program?
All students in grades two through eleven participate in the STAR Program, including students with disabilities and students who are English learners. In addition to the tests administered in English, state law (Education Code Section 60640) requires all Spanish-speaking English learners to take the designated primary language test (DPLT) if:
They receive instruction in Spanish (regardless of how long they have been in school in the United States), or
They have been enrolled in a school in the United States for less than 12 months (cumulative).
At the option of the school district, schools also may test English learners who will have been in a United States school 12 months or more (cumulative) and who are not receiving instruction in Spanish. For spring 2008, the DPLT is the STS in grades two through seven and the Aprenda 3 in grades eight through eleven.
Only students whose parents or guardians have submitted written requests to exempt them from STAR Program testing do not take any of the STAR Program tests (Education Code Section 60615).
May 18, 2008
LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ ----Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the nation, announced its choice of a single research-based, innovative math curriculum for the city's K-5 students on Wednesday. With the adoption of enVision Math California, all Los Angeles students will be learning from the same curriculum developed by education publisher Pearson and customized for California. Applauded by educators nationally for its visual, innovative, research-based approach, envisionMATH California becomes the most widely adopted curriculum in the state. The program is centered on conceptual development and problem-solving skills, and exposing young students to algebraic concepts as early as Kindergarten to build a rock solid foundation for higher-level math courses in middle and high school.
I've been to the EnvisionMath website and its Scott-Foresman. Its nothing but the same testimonials, only this time they're anonymous and no legitimate research, so I think this going to be more money less well spent. Sorry, nothing to write home about.
Another aspect that is not well researched is that established communities like Westchester don't have children, so the majority of the kids are bused in from out-of-area. If those kids don't behave they are sent right back to their neighborhood schools. This is an example of a reverse magnet school, which is the dilemma at La Jolla High School.
The long hours and uniform policy are not conducive for most kids living in poverty. It would be easier to bring school to kids, than kids to school.
LJHS could not stay open if it were not for the students they get from SE San Diego. LJ kids are in a different track; so the two groups don't mix anyway. I had a student gunned down in a driveby at LJ who was under court supervision and trying to make a clean break from his former gang.
Stella is in an easy to access location at the Former St. Agnes Catholic School at 36th and Manchester. Lots of Latinos and Latinas is the neighborhood. The Westchester location is temporary as that is the best they could do for the moment.
Your statement about La Jolla is also true for El Segundo HS. Just South of LAX. They want kids coming from the outside like Inglewood to have at least a 3.0 to apply.
The 45 episodes of:
"Joan of Arcadia"
were filmed at El Segundo HS
that contributed to the District Financial Coffers.
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