According to the article in this week's ''This Week in Pickerington,'' ''School district officials say report cards are misleading,'' new superintendent Dr. Karen Mantia is reported as saying, ''The goal of the report cards is honorable. I also want 100 percent of my students to succeed, but our dynamics are far different than some other districts in that we are continuing to grow at a rapid pace, adding students all the time.''
The article talks about adequate yearly progress (AYP) evaluations of 14 subgroups, consisting of 30 (45 if disabled) or more students.
Mantia goes on to say that because Pickerington is large and other school districts are smaller or not growing as fast, those other districts get the advantage of not having to include scores of the 14 subgroups (I'm paraphrasing here).
The chart included with the article doesn't seem to support her assertion.
Contrast Mantia's position with what is being achieved at Tussing Elementary. I believe Tussing has the largest population of minority, foreign-speaking, and economically disadvantaged elementary students in the district, and was considered ''at risk'' last year. This year Tussing met all its AYP goals, and is projected to do so again next state report card.
Tussing Principal Tom Wilkinson has said, ''We analyzed the data from last year, identified our weaknesses, shared that information with our staff, modified instruction to focus on our weaknesses, and used our specialists to assist the classroom teachers.''
Here's the link: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=pickerington&story=sites/thisweeknews/082307/Pickerington/News/082307-News-405724.html&tab=tab4
What is Mantia saying? Can't the other schools do what the principals, teachers, staff, students and parents at the most diverse elementary school in the district do?
In addition, a press release posted on the school's website titled, ''District celebrates report card success,'' offers no reassurance that the new superintendent ''gets it.'' It talks about the district receiving a performance index score of 100, failing to mention it is out of 120. 100 is a perfect score, right? seems to be the attitude. 100 out of 120 makes it into the ''excellent'' category, disregarding AYP, but a 99 out of 120 knocks the rating down a notch.
It's interesting that the schools want all kinds of rights over our kids: to drug test them, to test them for mental disorders, to punish them for postings on their ''My Space'' webpages, to ''co-parent'' them. Yet the leadership wants to duck responsibility for the failure to adequately educate some of them.
I'd rather have a school administration who sucked it up, accepted responsibility, and vowed change instead of (my interpretation), ''Yeah, I want them all to succeed, but what can I do?'' and shrugging their shoulders.
The article talks about adequate yearly progress (AYP) evaluations of 14 subgroups, consisting of 30 (45 if disabled) or more students.
Mantia goes on to say that because Pickerington is large and other school districts are smaller or not growing as fast, those other districts get the advantage of not having to include scores of the 14 subgroups (I'm paraphrasing here).
The chart included with the article doesn't seem to support her assertion.
Contrast Mantia's position with what is being achieved at Tussing Elementary. I believe Tussing has the largest population of minority, foreign-speaking, and economically disadvantaged elementary students in the district, and was considered ''at risk'' last year. This year Tussing met all its AYP goals, and is projected to do so again next state report card.
Tussing Principal Tom Wilkinson has said, ''We analyzed the data from last year, identified our weaknesses, shared that information with our staff, modified instruction to focus on our weaknesses, and used our specialists to assist the classroom teachers.''
Here's the link: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=pickerington&story=sites/thisweeknews/082307/Pickerington/News/082307-News-405724.html&tab=tab4
What is Mantia saying? Can't the other schools do what the principals, teachers, staff, students and parents at the most diverse elementary school in the district do?
In addition, a press release posted on the school's website titled, ''District celebrates report card success,'' offers no reassurance that the new superintendent ''gets it.'' It talks about the district receiving a performance index score of 100, failing to mention it is out of 120. 100 is a perfect score, right? seems to be the attitude. 100 out of 120 makes it into the ''excellent'' category, disregarding AYP, but a 99 out of 120 knocks the rating down a notch.
It's interesting that the schools want all kinds of rights over our kids: to drug test them, to test them for mental disorders, to punish them for postings on their ''My Space'' webpages, to ''co-parent'' them. Yet the leadership wants to duck responsibility for the failure to adequately educate some of them.
I'd rather have a school administration who sucked it up, accepted responsibility, and vowed change instead of (my interpretation), ''Yeah, I want them all to succeed, but what can I do?'' and shrugging their shoulders.
