Here is a bill to keep an eye on.
It removes the statewide assessment as a requirement for high school graduation and dedicates savings realized to close student achievement gaps and motivating students to pursue postsecondary education. (See also Companion HB 1341).
The House version:
http://www.washingtonvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=70290
and the Senate version:
http://www.washingtonvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=70226
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Look at the ill fated attempts to remediate those who failed the math WASL.
Look at the Collection of Evidence ... which in some places seemed more like an attempt to get all students to graduate rather than teach the students, while in others became a productive way to get students to focus on the task at hand. The amount of energy required of teachers to make OSPI happy often drains teachers and lessens the quality of what happens in the classroom.
OSPI has been a political machine for far too long.
It will be nice if educationally sound actions happen.
A lot of this seems to be founded on the idea that the state knows more about what is good for kids than the parents do.
Key Markers Relating to Organizational Health
12 years ago
5 comments:
That is a good point. There is a law of diminishing returns. Teachers could be more productive in the classroom, rather than focus on being aligned to the latest reform movement.
Our latest reform is professional learning communities. It is up to the staff to decide when to meet professionally. However, if we can't agree on a time (which means adjusting the school day to make the time, then we are told the district will do it for us. How would a teacher know how to schedule a day or even a year. Its a terrible waste of time.
If a teacher raises there hand to make some observation that this all sounds like more top-down direction then the administrator says there will need to be more time given for staff development. Our school made AYP and as a result we are now an 'overflow' school required to take children from any school that is underperforming.
Lets not forget all the students that needed to fail and drop out before our school could make AYP. This does not exactly bode well for new students.
As a result, I have 200 angry students in five low level math and science classes that are barely literate and furthermore, we get no assistance from Title I. (None) of our students qualify?! Help?
Bush and his cutthroats through reform have wiped out the public school system. They are the most contemptible people on this earth so far as I'm concerned. The longer we wait, the worse this place is going to get.
Regilon is a facribation of vendible impoonderables in the enth dimench. - Owsal Vaben este fumar e Party gas
It seems that Mr. Dorn is not staying with the status quo. It will be interestinf to see how much change if any this brings to the regular classroom teachers.
An end to social promotion would be nice.
The WASL is here for at least another 5 years - longer than Dorn's term as Superintendent. Bergerson made sure of that.
The best Dorn could hope for is a compromise with Pearson and minimize the damage that's been done to OSPI's reputation as an impartial entity. I don't think creating a new position for a Pearson executive is very subtle. But OSPI seems bent on spending the public's money for education on test reform?
Anon,
You may be surprised at what Mr Dorn does with testing. He is a practical guy and has some practical folks he brought with him.
Dan
Whatever will be done to rid Washington of the WASL will not alleviate the current problem with high school dropouts.
Seattle is a Daley-City in the rough.
A differential index of .96 would put Seattle around Chicago, 1854 in terms of racial separation.
Puritanical plain and simple. Seattle has homeless teenagers wandering around everywhere. A stellar example of reform. Now all Seattle needs are housing projects.
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