Common Core Standards in Utah

This link answers why we need Common Core Standards. I have looked at them, studied the science standards and see nothing wrong with adopting them. It is just a shame it took some states so long to do it. But, I can understand that they would not want to have to revamp curriculum with funds being cut on todays education. All but three states have adopted the standards. I have been looking on line, but Utah (at least Canyon School District) chose to re-write their own curriculum this summer. So when I asked a math teacher at Eastmont Middle School, What Math Curriculum do you use? OH, the common core standards. But, I say, that is not a curriculum, nearly a guideline. Oh, then she said....None. She stated that Canyon School district chose to re-write all their curriculum this summer, very busy they were,  to fit the common core standards. This sounds totally confusing to me that they have no curriculum and they are strictly teaching the CCS. I understood the CCS to be a guideline that each state should make sure they cover A B and C, not something that only covers A B and C and forgets the rest of the alphabet?? Although I am sure the CCS covers it all, what if we get a teacher that only teaches the CCS. It may be like teaching a kid something with out the WHY? Hey, the more I think about this we are reverting to our old ways of,
the sky is blue just because, because I say so."  The CCS is a guideline! NOT a curriculum.
Any thoughts on this from a fellow Utahian would be great...

CNN article

Misused Funds in Special Education

If you read this, you will see that the special education fund was used for unnecessary  things ... Disney trip, suburbans...or it was not documented. 

New Mexico

Public Education Department

300 Don Gaspar

                                                                    Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501-2786

Hanna Skandera                                                                                                            www.ped.state.nm.us

Secretary-Designate

                       

Larry Behrens

                                                                                                                                        Public Information Officer

505-476-0393

Larry.Behrens2@state.nm.us

                                                                                    

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: June 15, 2012

NMPED Announces Findings of Tier II

Special Education Audit

Findings Include Over $4 Million in Questionable Spending

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) presented the final report of the Tier II audits of select school districts on Friday. The Tier II audits are the result of NMPED’s initial review of school districts after a spring 2011 student count revealed that, while the number of new students in New Mexico increased by about 1% from 2010˗2011, the number of funding units associated with those students increased 116%.  Even before the release of the final report, the increase in accurate district reporting over the last year has saved taxpayers in the areas which were the focus of the audit. This savings of over $7 million means funds are distributed more fairly to New Mexico students.

“Our districts have responded by going the extra mile to make sure their data is accurate,” said NMPED Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera, “and the beneficiaries of this hard work are the students and taxpayers of New Mexico.”

During the 80-day student counts in the 2010˗2011 school year, a highly unusual increase in student funding units occurred, a large number of them in the area of special education.  The Tier II audits also revealed over $4 million in special education spending which was not properly documented and in some cases, contained questionable spending. Some examples detailed in the final report include the following:

·         Over $16,000 paid to a credit card for a Disney World Conference for a special education conference with no invoices, training materials, or agendas to verify the appropriateness of the trip.

·         Over $81,000 spent on two Chevrolet Suburbans without sufficient passenger information about the purpose for trips.

·         Over $2,000 in special education funding spent on district legal fees without documentation to prove the costs were allowable.

·         Over $12,500 in special education funds spent in one instance without sufficient documentation to prove it was related to special education.

The audits were conducted in nine districts and one charter school in New Mexico which were identified after NMPED’s initial review in April 2011.  The complete report is currently posted on the PED website at: http://ped.state.nm.us/ped/PublicNotices.html.

New Mexico's Latest Initiatives

Two bills for New Mexico Education

1. Make sure kids can read by third grade. If not, 17 million dollars will be in place for "intervention before retention."

2. Keep track of teachers with achievement scores over a period of three years to see their improvement based on students achievement.

First of all,  Shouldn't students be reading by first grade. I am not ESL Certified, but I know that there are Natives in the classroom and not all of them speak their language at home, therefore they are speaking English. However, schools give themselves excuses as to why Native and Hispanic aren't learning because they are ELL. My point is, they are not all ELL. The bar is lowered in NM because they have a higher Native and Hispanic population. Therefore, everyone loses. The English speaking lack a challenging education and there is no expectation for the Natives and Hispanics. I see how smart all of these cultures are, then they get into school and nothing is expected of them. They all have significant more potential than schools give them credit for. 

Second, keeping track of teachers?? I know that the district has their required assessments. I think they have these because they are already keeping track of teachers. Are they doing anything about the teachers that mess around in class? NO. And maybe the problem isn't the teachers, maybe its the administration!  They hand out a good teaching book or management inspiration books and say they have done their jobs. They need to encourage further education and attending seminars. Throwing more money at a problem does not solve an issue. More assessments cost. Spend that money somewhere else. Rio Rancho brags that it spends less per pupil than another school...I am no sure I would be proud of that, but their schools are not any better than Albuquerque. 

Hispanic CREO Hispanic Council for Reform and Education Options

"When you met with Secretary-Designate Skandera, you asked to be informed of the priorities for improving public education for New Mexico’s kids. Thank you sincerely for your interest.

 

The New Mexico Public Education Department will put forth two bills during the 2012 legislative session that, if passed, will dramatically and positively impact our students, teachers and schools. Currently, New Mexico ranks near last in the nation, so dramatic changes are necessary and the time is now.

 

One of those bills will address reading proficiency. This early reading initiative will provide the means to assess the reading skills of our children from Kindergarten through 3^rd grade (something not every school does now) and then provide intervention tools to assist with students requiring more help with learning to read. We will invest $17 million dollars into these programs to give parents, teachers, and students a real opportunity to assess and improve reading skills. While this may seem like a large sum, the cost is insignificant in comparison to the cost to our children’s future if we fail to intervene on their behalf now.  Keeping in mind, in the latest scores from a nation-wide assessment reveal 80% of New Mexico’s 4^th grade students are not reading on grade level. You may hear more than a few media reports call this the ‘no social promotion’ bill, but what’s important about this bill is intervention before retention.

 

Our next bill is designed to keep and inspire the great teachers we already have and to recruit new ones of the highest caliber.  Currently, we have no system for evaluating our teachers that emphasizes their students’ performances; so many of our teachers and the miraculous work they are doing goes without recognition.  This bill will establish a system that assesses teacher effectiveness and performance based on objective measures of improved student achievement, not just a single test score or a single subjective observation, but three years worth of data, observations in the classroom and district priorities.  Our goal is to honor the art and the science of teaching.

 

The reading bills are House Bill 69 (HB 69) sponsored by Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, Rep. Andy Nunez, Rep. Dennis Roch and Rep. Jimmie Hall along with Senate Bill 96 (SB 96) sponsored by Sen. John Arthur Smith, Senator Stuart Ingle, and Senator Gay Kernan. We anticipate having numbers assigned to our teacher evaluation bills soon. 

 

We would love for you to contact your Representatives and encourage them to support these bills. And if you make the trip up to Santa Fe for the session please let us know so we can make sure you stay in the loop when these bills come up for debate in the various committees. Your presence would be invaluable!

 

Today and every school day, New Mexico will lose 71 of its students (2011 Diplomas Count report). We must stop this devastating loss. New Mexico’s children deserve an education that will help them reach their potential. Let’s keep telling our kids to dream big; but let’s also give them the tools to help them realize those dreams. I am asking you to support New Mexico’s kids by joining me on this journey. I will e-mail you about the numerous opportunities there will be for you to support reform by being present in Santa Fe during the 2012 legislative session. Please follow on Twitter (@HannaSkandera) and keep checking your e-mail for the most up-to-date developments throughout the session.

 

My most sincere and humble thanks to you for supporting the initiatives that will make a difference in the lives of New Mexico’s children.  

 

Reminder: We need your help to pass these initiatives. We’re asking each one of you to:

1.       Send a letter of support to each of your legislators. Also, please feel free to send us a copy as well.

2.       In addition to your letter, please call your legislators and let them know these reforms are important to you.

3.       Please let us know if you’re visiting Santa Fe during the session and can speak in support.

 

Where did the Child's Imagination go?

"Astrid Lindgren"
By: Eva Maria Metcalf
Published 1995

"Lindgren equates childhood with an abundance of imaginative play, and her stories revive the freedom of play that was lost together with childhood. It may be true that this freedom was more intensely felt eighty years ago when ideas about rearing children were stricter and more authoritarian, and when children could throw off the shackles of convention and strict discipline only while at play.  Playful imagination became a compensatory expression of freedom in the face of narrowly defined rules and truths.  Now that the education of the average child has been liberalized and multiplicity of values has stretched rules, morals, and truths, the need to escape into the free and wild world of play and adventure may not be quite as great.  In any case, the chances  for playful escape in real life have been narrowed for many middle-class children, whose play-life has become more organized and structured and has come under greater supervision. By going back in time Lindgren offers her readers the chance to partake at least mentally in the free and imaginative play she once experienced.

Why are Finland Schools so Successful?

Why Are Finland kids actually learning?

NAEP Reading Average 2011

According to my map taken from the NAEP website, it is not difficult to beat NM. It is the 2nd worst state for reading average, next to District of Columbia! Math does not get any better! What is NM, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska and California doing wrong?

Alabama 220 (1.3)
Alaska 208 (1.1)Arizona 212 (1.2)
Arkansas 217 (1.0)
California 211 (1.8)
Colorado 223 (1.3)
Connecticut 227 (1.3)
Delaware 225 (0.7)
District of Columbia 201 (0.8)
Florida 225 (1.1)
Georgia 221 (1.1)
Hawaii 214 (1.0)
Idaho 221 (0.8)
Illinois 219 (1.1)
Indiana 221 (0.9)
Iowa 221 (0.8)
Kansas 224 (1.0)
Kentucky 225 (1.0)
Louisiana 210 (1.4)
Maine 222 (0.7)
Maryland 231 (0.9)
Massachusetts 237 (1.0)
Michigan 219 (1.2)
Minnesota 222 (1.2)
Mississippi 209 (1.2)
Missouri 220 (0.9)
Montana 225 (0.6)
Nebraska 223 (1.0)
Nevada 213 (1.0)
New Hampshire 230 (0.8)
New Jersey 231 (1.2)
New Mexico 208 (1.0)
New York 222 (1.1)
North Carolina 221 (1.2)
North Dakota 226 (0.5)
Ohio 224 (1.0)
Oklahoma 215 (1.1)
Oregon 216 (1.1)
Pennsylvania 227 (1.2)
Rhode Island 222 (0.8)
South Carolina 215 (1.2)Year Jurisdiction
All students
Average scale score Standard Error
South Dakota 220 (0.9)
Tennessee 215 (1.1)
Texas 218 (1.5)
Utah 220 (1.0)
Vermont 227 (0.6)
Virginia 226 (1.1)
Washington 221 (1.1)
West Virginia 214 (0.8)
Wisconsin 221 (0.8)
Wyoming 224 (0.8)
DoDEA 229 (0.5)

Another Day Wasted at School

I substitute fora currently un-named school district in NM.  Although I do not get to see a real day, because I know how kids act when a substitute comes, it is interesting to see if they have a lesson planned.  I get to see a typical day ie. schedules, and the typical kid.
First of all of the kids have what is called a flex/advisory class. This is where those who need to get extra help can get support. (without knowing it...shhhh).  I really had a hard time understanding how this helps because most times the teacher hands them a story to read and questions to answer, a math drill or a video to watch. Where is the real lesson? The help comprehending the story?
I will write about three different days.
Day 1: EA Handicapped pre-school.
The teacher had nothing planned! Grant it she was not feeling well, the kids did nothing! I baby-sat while she walked around and straightened. She did say it was the end of the year...clean up time. It is April! School ends the end of May. Hello...there are two months left! The only routine was a morning song on the rug. During the long half day, she did sit down to read a story. After she read the story she said, "whew, I guess the kids really needed that." For the afternoon class she did sit down and have them glue on a chart the different transportation types. This was not a lesson. It was a quick 5 minute, this is this, and that is that. Glue. Good. Your done.
Day 2: EA Elementary School
I was a one on one for a variety of kids. We shared a down syndrome boy, a severely autistic boy, and a "defiant" boy with "issues". This is an inclusion class. I baby-sat. Basically it is trying to keep the kids quiet while the General Class tries to learn. The Defiant Boy, gets to play with his favorite toy just to keep him quiet. They did not get anything out of school that day. By the end of the day another EA sat the three down infront of the computer to watch videos. Grant it, it was "off Schedule day", and they have tried a routine for the autistic child and it does not work? There was NO routine. I was flustered as to what was happening next, imagine how the kids feel. No level of expectation.
Day 3: Middle School
This teacher left exceptional notes. It seemed to be a very organized and strict teacher. The kids were as good as could be expected. I only hated the flex class where they do a 3 minute drill and sit for the rest of the time. Read? Homework? No, they sleep, and talk some more. "Oh kids, come and get some Dot to Dot". Sure, middle grade, they would rather talk!
I forgot to mention the teacher yelling and pointing her finger at a student to go to the office and another child comes to her with a concern and she yells at the top of her lungs, "not right now, go to class." I later saw the child and he was distraught because someone had been telling people that he was _______ their brothers. I advised him to go to the office and tell someone there. And the woman who was yelling, didn't follow through. The student that was suppose to go to the office was laughing how she out-smarted the lady!

What are the schools doing? or What are they not doing?

School Reformers and Crack Dealers

School Reformers and Crack Dealers What do school reformers and crack dealers have in common? They both follow the principle "Never get high on your own supply." Crack dealers don't smoke their own product, and school reformers never send their own children to the schools their policies create for the children of the poor! Taken from "With a Brooklyn Accent" Blog. Thanks

Curriculum Review Board-

I have been going to the Curriculum Review Board meetings for the last couple of months. It was eye opening. The schools have had CHOL kits, some science lab kits that have been sitting in an empty classroom all year. They can not use them because they do not have the funds to replenish the disposables, ei. plastic cups, popsicle sticks, etc. The supplier is actually here in the schools town. I would think that the supplier would cut a deal to their own community to make it happen. And because they were no affordable, CHOL was not on the list of curriculums to review. So here we are trying to adopt a new curriculum when we can't replenish the old science kits. Last year they skipped Health, all together, in elementary. Not sure why. Since we have transferred here from NJ to NM one of my children's complaints are that science is boring. They use to do 1-2 labs a week in NJ, and they have done one lab in a month here. Teachers complained in the Curriculum review that they do not have time to do science like they use to. They use to have 45 min. Now, they have 25-30 only twice a week. That is not enough time to do a lab. So while, parents think there should be more labs in science class, teachers have other concerns, time restrictions. These time restrictions are due to pressure on the reading and writing and other subjects. All of the teachers were concerned for choosing the best curriculum. One can't help wonder if they want the one with a workbook and less labs because it is easier? Frankly, I am surprised science is put on the back burner in NM due to the Nuclear Science Museum and Intel based here. So here we are with the final choices, two text book suppliers and two supplemental suppliers. It all came down to : STC http://www.nsrconline.org/curriculum_resources/stc_program.html FOSS http://www.fossweb.com/ Fusion http://www.hmhschool.com and Pearson https://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/snpapp/login/login.jsp (pearson has an all online school text. You can't see much as the website because you need to log in to see anything.) I only liked the supplemental kids, but chose a text book one just because I wanted my opinion used not wasted. I chose FOSS and Pearson for the final review for the schools. I am not sure what the final outcome will be. Over all, I was glad to see schools moving to eTexts. I thing all text books should be viewable online at home for kids. I will keep you posted.  Update: Pearson won. I knew that would happen because they want a work book and enjoy busy work. Who are they?....the teachers. Can you blame them? The kids have low expectations. 

Sir Ken Robinson

This animation from Sir Ken Robinson, British author of "Out of our Minds", touches the beginning of what is needed for Education Reform.

Inspiration

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.