Today's News-Gazette:
The Champaign school district is well-positioned to make its case that it has improved the education of its black students, said Robert Peterkin, the court monitor for the consent decree case.
Peterkin – who is based in Boston and has been working with the district on equity issues for 10 years – has been in Champaign the last two days, meeting with district officials and plaintiffs' representatives. He meets quarterly with the district to look at the progress it is making toward the goals outlined in the consent decree.
They aim to eliminate unwarranted disparities between black and white students in achievement, discipline, assignment to special education, inclusion in gifted and honors classes and attendance, among other things. The consent decree is scheduled to end in June 2009.
"We left thinking (Peterkin) felt like things were going real well, and there's hope we may be doing things in a high enough quality that could lead to us being released from the consent decree at its conclusion," said Superintendent Arthur Culver of the quarterly meeting.
While Peterkin said he would not speculate on whether the district will have met all the goals of the consent decree by next June, "I'm optimistic."
"But in the end, the proof will be in our outcomes," he said. "If we're still looking at the same disparities in special education and a gap in graduation rates, I think they will not have demonstrated they can improve the destinies of some of these kids. What I see and what I hear is the intent to get it done as best they can.
That's encouraging.
I'm concerned about the last statement of the monitor. What happens if the school district does everything that it can, and there still isn't improvement. I don't think the school district's efforts necessarily equate to improved results--the problem with that analysis is that it doesn't take into consideration the efforts, or lack thereof, of the parents and students.
And CD, if by some chance,,,,,,,,just by some chance,,,,,teaching staff are under some pressure to make sure that some kids stay on the honors list, that maybe in reality do not qualify? So maybe in an effort to impress the judge etc, some manipulation of certain data is skewed to look like maybe minority kids versus non-minorties,,,,the disparity is not as large as it might actually be. Just speculation of course. but maybe possible. Afterall....regarding everything else,,,,sales tax,,,property tax etc,,,,,,,without getting out from under the Consent Decree,,,,nothing else means squat.
So are you saying that the positives the monitor found are inaccurate and that the results ultimately are going to be bad?
Maybe,,,,,,,,,maybe not,,,,,,,,,my opinion is that the whole thing is a shell game,,,,,and the results will be whatever they are willed to be. Lets just suppose,,,,,if kids are down as being honors/gifted students,,,,and they have D's and F's on their report card,,,,,what really matters,,,,,passing kids under false pretenses,? or lowering the bar so that anyone can get in ? I dont know the answer,,,in my day an F was an F, and got you a trip to the Dean's office. and summer school....and no sports of any kind. times have changed for sure.
One of the things you have to keep in mind is that black students have been disproportionately excluded from "Honors" or advanced classes in the past, and this has been a part of their struggle to achieve at the same level as their white peers. The research has found that students who are placed in higher level classes achieve at a higher level, and vice-versa. That might seem obvious, but it is not. Many (like Bruce, maybe) believe that struggling students should only be allowed to take lower-level classes. But that is not a formula for helping struggling students - it is a formula for keeping them struggling.
Take some out and throw them in AP classes - see how they do. Give them high expectations and the resources they need to meet those expectations, and you will be surprised how well they do.
It should be ridiculously easy to get into an AP class in high school and ridiculously difficult to get out of it. That is a recipe for increased achievement and smaller gaps between the ethnic groups. Holding everyone to some vague standard of performance before you unlock the doors to higher learning is a recipe for the status quo, imo.
Nope I dont think they should only be allowed to take lower level courses,,,,,,,,but I think it is being unfair to the student in some cases to put them thru courses they are going to fail, and then put them in again,,,,and also unfair to teachers to put them on the spot to cover and try to produce gold from straw like an alchemist or something,,,,,kids should be pushed and be able to attain the highest level they can,,,,,but I dont like some kids being put into honors/gifted categories that do not have the grades to merit it. Then when they are out of school and on their own, the school districts no longer give a crap how they do in life. I dont like a school system that uses kids as the widgets, to justify the system existing,,,,and not really giving these kids a fair shot in life. A high school diploma with no meat attached is worth almost nothing these days.
Bruce has a point. Some classes, like math, involve cumulative knowledge, and a student who doesn't have the foundation will have a very hard time passing. For example, taking someone who doesn't understand algebra very well and throwing them into calculus is a setup for failure. I'd also say that making a class "ridiculously hard to get out of" would discourage some people from trying it in the first place.
D. Boon said: One of the things you have to keep in mind is that black students have been disproportionately excluded from "Honors" or advanced classes in the past, and this has been a part of their struggle to achieve at the same level as their white peers. The research has found that students who are placed in higher level classes achieve at a higher level, and vice-versa. That might seem obvious, but it is not. Many (like Bruce, maybe) believe that struggling students should only be allowed to take lower-level classes.
These seem to be two different issues. struggling students and minority students. clearly a minority student who is able to do AP work will achieve more in that class than in a lower class. That's a different point than to say that a struggling student will achieve more. in any instance I'd love to see whatever study you are talking about. If it actually says that struggling students need AP classes than it really is saying that curricula in general is too easy and needs to be made more challenging.
I know that with gifted kids they frequently underperform when they are not challenged. But once you put them in a setting that takes them to task and interests them, they return with stellar performance. Boon has a very good point. Most people tend to live up to the expectations you give them. If you put them in lower classes and continuously berate them for underperforming, they'll underperform. That's the goal you set for them. But if you put them in a challenging environment and encourage them, they'll blow your mind away.
Personally, I could never understand why the minimum passing score is only a D. Make it a 75% or higher and see how well the kids do then.
Greg Novak here
Two conflicting thoughts here.
On one hand I have a concern that as we push more students into AP and honors classes that there is a danger that we lower standards to ensure that the numbers work out. I worry that we are concerned too much with data results – because data can be manipulated in a number of ways. All students do not always get the support that they need – and the needs of some students are subordinated to the needs of other students. Its something that I feel the Board needs to keep an eye on.
On the other hand – back in the mid 1990’s I was a member of the Jefferson Middle School “Renaissance” which worked at making successful changes at that building. We increased the length of the school day without increasing teacher pay (gasp) – changed the options open to students, and ended up being picked as a “Blue Ribbon School” for our efforts – all done with the cooperation and assistance of the teacher union.
One of our major shifts was in terms of student exposure to foreign languages. Prior to the shift – only 8th grade students were permitted to take a foreign language – and then only if they had a B average or better. In any given year – only 30% of the students signed up for such a class. The reason for this limitation is that we were attempting to fit a 50-minute high school class period into a 40-minute middle school class period so it was felt to be an accelerated class. Even with this cut off, many of the students ended up retaking the following year since they were not able to complete the class successfully
Jefferson ended up with a different Foreign Language format – ALL 6th grade students had to take a three different seven week exploratory classes – one in German, one in Spanish and one in French. Students were allowed to pick at 7th grade which Foreign Language class they wanted to attend. They then did the 1st semester of the high school class in 7th grade, and then did the 2nd semester in 8th grade – so instead of trying to do a 50 minute class in 40 minutes in one year – we did a 50 minute class in 80 minutes over two years.
We had 90% of our 7th grade students sign up for Foreign Language classes – with 80% of the whole continuing on to 8th grade. The majority of our students were successful – so with proper support raising expectations worked well. For eight years Jefferson turned out middle school students that all had access to foreign language classes – with many being successful and doing well at the high school.
Sadly the program was done away with due to the consent degree since all schools had to be equal – so Jefferson went back to the old ways of doing things to be like Franklin and Edison – the teachers fought to keep their longer school day – but the then School Board went along with the district’s recommendation to shorten the day to make all middle schools equal. Sadly Foreign Language is not part of the No Child Left Behind program – so it does not tested nor show up on the school report cards
My .02
Mr. Novak,
It is well known among linguists that the ability to learn new languages develops before age 12 and if kids aren't exposed to foreign languages before that age, their ability to adopt them is greatly diminished. I applaud what happened at Jefferson. Too bad it couldn't continue, because it should have. One of the best models for improving schools is what H. Ross Perot did with Texas schools back in the early 80s. It's sad to think that many Illinois schools are more than 25 years behind Texas.
clarification on the CDF list that bruce refers to above. If the document in question is what I think it is, Every teacher every week is required to notify administration of a "watch list" it could be nothing more than a student didn't do so hot on a test that week and needs to improve the next week. As most do! Another example of the CDF list is for athletes as they there is a pass to play policy for IHSA. I don't think it is the sinister plot that it is being portrayed as. One can be a straight A student and have a bad week and end up on the CDF list especially early in the year.
As for Dr Peterkins' quotes in the NG, it seems that when he is here in Champaign he actually sees the good things going on and is impressed. We seem to get good reports from his visits especially of late. Of course we need to accelerate at the high school level and are doing just that. I am more and more confident that we will reach a successful conclusion to the oversight of the decree in Jun 09!
Dave Tomlinson
Mr, T, I know I am a bit thick between the ears,,,,,but what does it mean when a principal sends out a memo and uses the term " at least make safe harbor " ( 10% ) improvement? Thanks :)
If it actually says that struggling students need AP classes than it really is saying that curricula in general is too easy and needs to be made more challenging.
I can look it up if I get the chance. We did quite a bit of work with this stuff in my graduate program, and there are several sources on the topic. I am not sure if there are on-line sources or not. But your point is valid: much of the curriculum is far too vague and/or easy for many of the students. This is one of the hidden factors in the disappointing test results: the tests are actually really difficult and many of the students have not been properly prepared for the level of difficulty because they have been wallowing in lower-tier classes all their lives.
But the really issue is what we call "scaffolding". It is not enough to throw kids in the AP classes and expect them to learn a lot. My terminology above ("throw them in") is very poor. What you need to do is give them the tools to be successful. And often that boils down to explaining (clearly and repeatedly) what is expected for success. Too many of our "best" teachers are the ones who simply hand out the assignments, lecture repeatedly, and then expect the kids to do the rest. Always (and I mean *always*) they will say, "Well, that's what they expect in college!" as a justification.
This is a load of crap. High schools and middle schools are not colleges. This is the time to equip students with the tools they will need to succeed in college when, for the most part, they will be left to their own devices to succeed. Part of that equation is to place them in the best classes and then explain how to ... say ... write an effective expository paper. Instead of simply saying "Ok, it is expository paper time - this is due back on Friday - let me know if you have any questions."
So, I guess my point is that many AP classes in high schools are not classes in which students are taught how to succeed in school. Instead, they are often fetish classes where a teacher can entertain the kids with tales from Shakespeare or the 1950s and then just expect the kids to do the rest. A good AP class should allow every student to succeed at a very high level, with a variety of learning styles and plenty of scaffolding to get the kids to produce high quality work. If that is what is being done in Unit 4, then the Consent Decree is one of the best things that could have happened to the district.
Sorry to ramble. This hits a lot of my prior knowledge through the U. Cheers!
Bruce
Again I Don't know what the memo said in detail and frankly that is not in my purview of policy oversight and governance. I will not second guess principals in Unit 4. The Superintendent works for the board... everyone else works for the superintendent. The CDF list or academic watch list is a good tool to monitor progress or lack of progress on a weekly basis.
Safe Harbor by the way is a term that NCLB and AYP use to show improvement. For example if a school didn't make AYP last year than there is a safe harbor target that allows for a school to show that it is making improvement. (don't blame me i didn't write the law)
Dave (signing off for the weekend because I am at a conference) Tomlinson
Pardon my confusion on this stuff, but does our district not differentiate between AP classes (which iirc were the classes we took when we were identified as students who were already up to par for college studies and were given the opportunity to take classes that treated us as such, and with credit that was often transferrable to higher institutions)...
and gifted classes/schools/etc (which identitifed students who were struggling with the status quo but demonstrated high potential in other areas, suggesting that they could excel within a different structure or towards an atypical career path, ie musical prodigees, or a math genius with strong social or other academic hangups).
Perhaps I'm the one getting mixed up by the comments, but I'm curious if I'm getting the right or wrong impression.
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Glock21 Op/Ed
That's probably my mistake, Glock. Gifted classes are usually used at the elementary and middle school levels, whereas AP or "AP Prep" classes are used at the high school level. They essentially mean the same thing for the parameters of this discussion, even though they are really very different ideas.
The Champaign school district is in a no-win situation, and they will never achieve these goals, no matter how well-intentioned their efforts or how much money they throw at it.
They are being forced to be the surrogate parent to children whose parents aren't active in their discipline or education. They are being forced to dumb down the education of every student in the system so the minority of non-achievers will feel good about themselves.
The gifted programs need beefed up - but "throwing the underachievers" into AP classes just to see how they do? Whoever said that is backing the whole "dumbing down" idea, because then the AP classes, meant to be a challenge to gifted students, will have to have lower expectations so those students can get the grades or the school district takes another ding. That's insanity and punishes the gifted kids.
Whoever said that is backing the whole "dumbing down" idea, because then the AP classes, meant to be a challenge to gifted students, will have to have lower expectations so those students can get the grades or the school district takes another ding. That's insanity and punishes the gifted kids.
There is no way to dumb down an AP class, as the goal of these classes is to have each student take and pass the AP exam for that subject area. Granted, many students do not pass the test even today (it has much more to do with test taking skill than it does with knowledge of the subject, imo) with rooms stuffed full of "gifted" students. Either way, adding some non-traditional AP students to the mix will not bring down the level of the classroom. On the contrary - it might just make for a heightened learning experience for everyone. Listening to different perspectives on a subject is one of the best ways to deepen the learning.
As an employee of this district I see many talented kids and many not so talented kids. The problem is, that many of these kids still cannot read, write, or do basic math by the time they are in middle school or high school. Go sit in on an literature class and you'll see. Many of the kids sound like they are in 2nd grade when they are reading. It's really sad. Math skills are bad too. They are are placed in Algebra I as freshman when they cannot do basic arithmetic. They need calculators to do 2 + 2. So to place some of these kids in gifted or AP classes just for better color representation is ridiculous.
Centennial and Central both have meetings about their gifted students who are African-American. They have meetings discussing all their students who are African-American and getting D's or F's. Last time I checked, if you're in a gifted class, you are in there because you want to learn and can handle the work.
Oh and these honors classes aren't so hard either. They are like what I had as a regular class when I was in high school. The regular classes in Champaign high schools are super easy. So mindless. I really feel for the smart kids who are in the regular classes because they are bored to tears.
Another disturbing factor, I asked a teacher why there weren't any remedial reading or math classes, and she said they got rid of them because they were racially identifiable. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. They aren't put in remedial classes based on their race, they are put in there because they aren't up to speed, or they are a little slower. There is no shame in that. But they'll continue to fail if you expect them to work at a level in which they are not prepared for.
In addition to some of the African-American students underperforming, is the behavior problems. There is a lack of discipline BIG TIME. Thanks to the consent decree there are basically no consequences for many of the African-American students who do misbehave. They pad the stats so it doesn't look like the school district is being racist with the lopsidedness of the suspensions with more blacks being suspended over whites. So with little or no consequences, they know they can get away with anything. And for the kids who are in trouble constantly, why are they even in school? Go to schools' ISS room. There are kids who are in there every day. The same kids. Until this consent decree goes away, and African-American parents step up and take responsibility, this district will continue to get worse.
I feel very strongly that the whole community needs to own the issues before us. Especially white "middle-class" folks like me. From my observations, we have failed to embrace other groups and essentially say "Hey, we have a problem - let us work on this together".