Typical OSPI ... more than a day late and Multi-Millions short

BIG ADVICE -- if you wish to decipher the mumbo-jumbo that flows forth in regard to education and the achievement gap etc. from OSPI, SBE, and various school board ramblings, then spend less than 40 bucks here. You will then understand how to make an evidence based decision. You will understand that the focus on differences of opinion is nonsense; the focus must be on facts. The system will not be improved without the intelligent application of relevant data. It appears there will be little if any improvement in the foreseeable future.

A couple years and $1.2 million later in the life of OSPI Math Director Greta Bornemann is the topic of this example of OSPI incompetence. Note the SBE had found "Discovering" to be mathematically unsound. Apparently Ms. Bornemann did not get it at that time. The SPS Black student pass rate was 12.5% on the grade 10 math HSPE in 2010. Limited English Speaking students state wide from 2009 to 2010 went up +1.20% in Math yet in Seattle $1.2 million later they went down -4.20%.

There was enough evidence available for Porter, McLaren, and Mass and friends to spend $15,000 so far appealing the Seattle High School ultra Discriminatory Math Adoption of May 2009 on behalf of Black Students and English Language Learners.

Clearly the night of the HS Math Adoption, May 2009 Greta did not understand much.
Her 12 minutes of advice begins here at 117:00. OR Just 14 minutes right here.

Here is my posting from June 2009 on NMAP and explicit instruction. You will note both OSPI and four Seattle School Board members blew it. We have a large achievement GAP in math in the SPS because leadership is completely unable to make evidence based decisions.

Now $1.2 million later and 21 months later Greta finally gets it. (see email below)
SBE's executive Director Edie Harding was opposed to McLaren et al. filing this legal appeal. I wonder if she gets it yet?

Any sign if the WA legislature will ever get it?

How about the Gov. and AG? They refuse to investigate felony Forgery by the Seattle Superintendent and CAO, will the Gov and AG ever get it?

UPDATE!! - I learned at 4:00 PM 2-15-2011, it is the job of the Seattle Police Department to investigate the forged document submitted in the $800,000 contract approval for NTN services by central office administration. The Gov's Office spoke with the AG and the SPD was wrong in saying not our job.
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Here is Greta's email:

From: Greta Bornemann [mailto:Greta.Bornemann@k12.wa.us]
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 11:24 AM
To: 'katemartin@theseattlejournal.com'
Cc: Edie Harding
Subject: RE: National Panel on Math 2008 Report and OSPI work with districts on instruction


Hi Kate (and Edie),

This is a great topic. For far too long Special Ed and ELL students were ignored in the math world. There wasn’t good evidence for how to support teachers, and quite frankly for many districts with limited funds, reading has been the focus. But much of that is changing. I believe, with all its faults, part of the reason people are paying attention is because of No Child Left Behind. We’ve always had a problem supporting teachers working with Special Ed and ELL kids, but we are beginning to shine a light on this issue.

Thankfully, we do have some new research to guide our work.

{Unfreaking-Believeable NEW RESEARCH OSPI lives in a CAVE. The NMAP was released in March 2008. Hattie's Visible Learning in December 2008. Project Follow Through started in 1967 and was the largest study in Ed History and focused on Educationally Disadvantaged Learners K-3. Now OSPI's Greta is finding New Research after pushing Pointless ineffective Reform Math like all the UW cronies}

The National Math Advisory Panel (NMAP) is one such landmark document. I have a copy of the document close to my desk and use it constantly to guide my thinking.

{When did Greta start using NMAP to guide her thinking? Yesterday? Last week? or when she wrote this letter? How has it guided her thinking?}

We point to it when districts ask what research they should be reading. In fact, we are working on a document right now, the Mathematics Improvement Systems Framework, that gives support to districts in improving math achievement. It is just in draft form now, and our workgroups are working on providing more documents for implementation of the framework. We don’t have funding for this effort, so it is done by folks on their own time. We hope to have something final out by this summer.

If you look at the document you will find that we call out the NMAP research several times. And while ELL isn’t specifically attended to in this draft, we have received feedback from districts that they would like guidance on that topic as well. So we will be adding some guidance in our next draft.

You can find a link to the framework document at: http://www.k12.wa.us/Mathematics/pubdocs/MathImprovementFramework.pdf


I hope that helps answer your questions. If you have others, don’t hesitate to email me.

Thanks.

Take care.

Greta

Greta Bornemann

Math Director - Teaching and Learning
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Email: greta.bornemann@k12.wa.us

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THANKS to KATE MARTIN of the Seattle Journal for pursuing this issue long enough to finally get a response for completely irresponsible actions by OSPI and SBE. For years OSPI, SBE, and the SPS have failed to serve educationally disadvantaged learners, while mindlessly chanting "Achievement GAP" concern.

Look for the same from the FEDS, given RttT and actions by NSF/EHR and OIG NSF and US DOE's no response to discriminatory complaints about Seattle Schools.
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From: Edie Harding
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 4:00 PM
To: Greta Bornemann
Cc: 'katemartin@theseattlejournal.com'
Subject: National Panel on Math 2008 Report and OSPI work with districts on instruction

Greta- Hello! I understand you are in Portland today thus this email. I received a call from a Seattle Parent, Kate Martin, who has some questions about how the state was working with districts on math instruction particularly in the areas of ELL and Special Ed. She cited the recommendations of the National Math Advisory Panel in 2008. She wanted to know how the state used their recommendations in working with districts. I know you are familiar with the report. Can you shed some light on what kind of math technical assistance you guys are doing on OSPI with school districts to help special ed and ELL kids and others close the achievement gap on math and whether you recommend pieces of the NMAP report? If you can respond to Kate and cc me that would be lovely! She is focused on the instruction part not standards or curriculum and understands that it is up to school districts to do instruction but wants to know if the state guides them in anyway.

Cheers, Edie


http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/report/final-report.pdf

Edie Harding

Executive Director - Washington State Board of Education.