Communication with the public
If Policy Governance continues, commit to using the whole model. Continue to build in opportunities for unfiltered information exchange between you and the public.
District culture Make sure that teachers, parents, students and community members are being treated respectfully. Connect the dots. Look carefully at all the new school choices popping up in our community. Are things as rosy as 9-R's press releases suggest? We repeat: find ways to listen to parents, students, teachers and community.
Dyslexia and other special education programs
What is behind the attitude from top administration that has produced so much angst? The exciting fields of brain research have revolutionized approaches to learning disabilities. Have 9-R teachers been offered the professional development to keep current? Why so much denial? How has 9-R responded to concerned parents?
9-R and dyslexia: Parents’ concerns deserve public discussion
9-R Touts ability to help dyslexic
Mother requests waiver for foreign language
Liberty School to open in September: private school to tackle dyslexia
Denial and defensive posture of Administration
Is "never having to say you're sorry" the most helpful strategy for dealing with public and staff? Track legal expenses for patterns behind lawsuits against 9-R.
9-R's $35 million budget -big picture thinking?
Make public participation in 9-R budget matters a priority. This community is deeply interested in choices made for academic programs. There are many models for including public in prioritizing expenditures.
9 comments:
I do not believe there is consistency in 9-R, especially when it comes to implementing eligibility status. Not all students are treated equally and not all teachers work to benefit students. Eligibility status is not consistently maintained in this district and students not only recognize the inconsistency, but they suffer for it.
And, while on this subject, I find it interesting that the administration takes the stance that "rules are rules and students and parents have no right to request a change to the rules under any circumstances." Yet, when 9-R sends in its application (to be the chartering organization) late, Dr. Barter's reply is to ask for an extension. She says they've been so consistent in the past and therefore deserve special consideration and the application should be considered. Talk about complete and total inconsistency in this district. Parents and students cannot ask for special consideration based on past performance, but the administration can. Huh? I think it falls under, "Do what I say, not what I do." It's a double standard.
Will there be open and honest communication? As open and honest as Dr. Barter wants it to be. End of story.
Ha ha ha. That was well thought out. I did read the article about Dr. Barter saying: "Part of my argument to the state board is we've been eminently consistent and timely in the past,"
And you are right, I thought how there's one rule for us, and another for them.
My son's records are "eminently consistent", showing that he stayed with a 4th grade reading age for 4 years, and now I'm having to go through all this "trouble" to get something as simple as a foreign language waiver, which is common practice for dyslexic students who request it, across the United States.
The maddening thing is, Dr. Barter told the school board at the 24th April work session, that 9-R WOULD provide foreign language waivers for SLD students (or whomever), if that was what was needed.
Now, the only "eminent consistency" I can see, is that all of our children should be treated the same, and bugger EL3 and EL14, or IEP's or "individualization."
One box, does not fit all children.
What I want to know, is WHY Dr. Barter is refusing to give us a foreign language waiver, when it is the easiest thing for them to do.
The why? part is more frustrating than the 2.2 years spent being kept in the dark. There should be a policy in place, not some dog and pony chase.
I'm very excited about the new charter high school. Based upon the San Diego model for a High Tech High School, we should see 100% graduation results and 100% of the students going off to college or university.
It's still a public school. What irks me most, is the 9-R prospective, that the Animas High Charter School will be "stealing" money from the 9-R coffers. That's just not true. The money follows the student, and the student and parent will now have a choice.
I think it has been well thought out, taking 100 students per year, over 4 years, thus mitigating the loss from 9-R and allowing everyone to budget accordingly.
I'm happy the new charter school gets to account to the state instead of 9-R, because with every board meeting I've sat through that mentions the prospect of a new charter school, I've only heard the "negative" undertones against it from some quarters.
What I don't understand, is why those educators who are against it, don't embrace it? Surely, good educational choices only stand to benefit our community and our students?
Someone wrote me: "In Colorado, it seems that a foreign language is required for college graduation, mostly two years worth. The foreign language taken in high school will fulfill this requirement. In other words, if you're son were to take a foreign language in high school and receive credit for it--2.7 GPA or above, he would not have to take it again in college."
I replied: "What is a 2.7 GPA? It's very close to a B right? Like a C++. DHS reckon my son "might" at best get a C grade (orally). The Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) shows without doubt this will only happen orally.
Tell me, do Colorado Colleges take a 2:00 for oral, and a zero for reading and writing? I read that Colorado Colleges require a 3:0 GPA, so what's wrong with this picture? Why are they making my son do a foreign language when the records prove they couldn't teach him English Language, and the MLAT forecasts are dismal, i.e. he won't be able to read, write or spell a foreign language. What part of this picture do they not grasp?
Or -- will a Colorado College take my son if he was given a Foreign Language Waiver? I've read that IF you have the waiver in High School, then you are set for College. No more battles. It's a done deal.
That's my point -- you can not manipulate the foreign language requirement, water it down to 50%, give a student 100% of the grade as though he did the same as his peers, and HIDE this little fact that he didn't read, write or spell a foreign language from a Colorado College, WITHOUT calling it a "Foreign Language Waiver".
That's the "bit" they refuse to give us, despite it being common practice across the United States (it even translates over to London!) Despite too, the superintendent telling our school board (and the press) on the 24th April work session, that 9-R issue Foreign Language Waivers. Mary even got the school attorney to approve that was a possibility.
So why then, is this proving impossible? One size does not fit all. If you are going to water down a class to 50%, then why not call a spade a spade? It is by all intense and purposes a "Partial Foreign Language Waiver". But......they won't call it what it is called, so it won't mean diddly squat at College level."
Foreign Language Waiver at DHS
Dr. Barter put a partial offer on the table. At first I thought she was being progressive, as she said that my son could sit social studies and earn credit in place of a foreign language. Bravo, I thought. It would be a "partial foreign language waiver" and my son and those following behind him who had the same needs, would gain the "spirit of a foreign country" and learn about the politics, culture, history and literature. Dr. Barter said my son could do this at DHS or at FLC. It sounded so good.
There had to be a catch right? Well there was. My son would also be required to learn a language orally. Not with a teacher mind you, but with tapes. For a start, I thought we had to teach our children using "highly qualified teachers", not AAA batteries and a language on cassette. Then, I thought a dyslexic child needed a "certified" teacher, and DHS does not have one. They have a wonderful teacher who teaches using a multi-sensory method of teaching, but then, that's what they told us we were getting in Elementary and Middle School for English, and we have proven records that this did not work.
9-R kept my son at a 4th grade reading level for 4 school years. It was only the hiring of an Independent Certified Academic Language Therapist that took my son from 4th grade reading age to an 11th grade reading age whilst still in 8th grade. Can anyone see the pattern here? English -- they could not teach him. And now they think they can teach him a foreign language?
Why do our children drop out of high school? Is one of the reasons the failure to accommodate different learning needs? My son has worked very hard with English Language to get to where he needs to be, and now they won't let him graduate? Is this fair? No.
If Dr. Barter was as progressive as say, Yale University, then she could have just left social studies on the table, and let sleeping dogs lie.
For the record, since the visit last Wednesday with Dr. Barter, and that letter, we were emailed that someone else would be "taking over". I can't tell you who, because we were sworn to a secret oath not to discuss it.
After forgetting I was in America, First Amendment Rights and Freedom of Speech, etc, etc, I rationalized what we were told.
We were told that my son would sit in a regular ed. Spanish class, not be required to take reading and writing, would learn the culture and the language orally, be tested orally, and if he were successful would continue along this path of 4 trimesters of Spanish 1a/1b and 2a/2b.
If my son were unsuccessful, we would pull the plug and scrap it right away, but there was nothing in the back-up plan. We would cross that bridge if we got there. I want a back-up plan. At that point of proving failure, there would only be 4 trimesters left to grab another part of the curriculum (say Social Studies, which makes total sense, because you get the spirit of a culture via social studies, which is the purpose of sitting a foreign language anyway).
All the same, they are refusing to call this a Partial Foreign Language Waiver (partial, because it's only the oral part). They need to call it what it is. What is acceptable to colleges and universities.
This isn't just about my son. God forbid what I've done to raise dyslexia awareness hasn't even helped my son. This is about ALL children who have an SLD (and even those who were not diagnosed due to statistics). No, this is about what is right. This is about commonsense. This is about recognizing that children have different learning needs, and hey presto here is one child with the records to prove that what they are doing is stupid.
Commonsense, is all I'm requesting.
I'd like to add something to the list.
I believe teachers should not be allowed to use profane language in the classroom and should not be allowed to call a student a name in class, especially a vulgar name. When the teachers speak like the students it necessarily lowers the respect level.
I think teachers should be required to speak with respect and decorum and use appropriate language in the classroom. Sinking to the level of using profanity only serves to illustrate that teacher's ignorance of the English language.
Why is it that we had to hire a principal from another area? Don;t we have any qualified candidates here?
Did anyone check with the previous school district to make sure we weren't getting another district's headache? Are we going to be better or worse off?
It just seems silly to hire someone completely new to the area when there are people from our area who could serve in that position.
I hope we're not sorry.
I'm looking forward to the new principal. I googled her a month ago, and everything I found looked promising. Of course, googling alone isn't necessary a way of discovering what is on one's resume, but it was eye opening.
Diane seems to be progressive, and a "go getter". Whether we stay at DHS because of this foreign language waiver debacle is another thing, but I put my hopes on Diane bringing pride, respect and trust to our student and teacher body.
One hopes too, that we won't fail AYP for too much longer, and that our reading, writing and math CSAP results improve tremendously. One has to remember though, that DHS is getting the children at the end of the line, and in a way it's not their fault our results are so poor -- look at the actual proficient or above scores on CDE's website, and don't be fooled by the fact 9-R include "partially proficient" students, because partially anything didn't get you anywhere!
If Diane can garner the support of the school, then I believe we will see success all the way down.
Perhaps nobody applied locally....or maybe someone applied and they were not appropriate?
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