A couple of people have left comments about programs being put on hold at District 150. Of course, the biggest concern for most who comment here appear to be the disposition of the Richwoods IB Program.From what I have been able to find out, ALL PROGRAMS are under review for the 2011-2012 school year and all information going out (if any) regarding ALL PROGRAMS, will come from Administration.
Personally, I'm pleased that Dr. Lathan is reviewing ALL PROGRAMS. It's evident that ALL PROGRAMS as they currently stand DO NOT WORK FOR THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS.
Additionally, I am pleased that Dr. Lathan's highly qualified team, who appear to be open to equality in education, are from outside of Peoria. We see where the teams from Peoria have left the students of the District.
Riddle me this... Exactly what is wrong with a new administration putting a moratorium on processes until they get a handle on things? Absolutely nothing, that's what. They would be remiss if they didn't. I'm comfortable with letting this group do their work and have no desire to try and get out in front of them with speculation about what they should do.
29 comments:
I appreciate the actions of Dr. Lathan and her team more than I do a former Union Pres. who hand delivers letters advocating for retention of an ineffective HS teacher. SOS
I do not disagree with studying the programs to find out which ones do or do not belong in District 150 and which are or are not cost effective, etc., although I don't want cost to be the only consideration. For instance, the fact that Manual has been awarded so much grant money doesn't mean that the Johns Hopkins program is effective or desirable. I do object to all the reviewing being done in secret. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't know of any teachers who have been consulted about any program's effectiveness, etc. If teachers are not qualified to judge programs, then please tell me who is. No, I don't have complete trust in "insiders" or "outsiders." At least, I think we should be given some hints as to how these programs are being judged--what is the measuring stick?
Emerge, you do have complete trust in the new administration. What if you didn't? Would you be as comfortable with the way things are being done with regard to the evaluation of the programs?
You can get, at least, one side of the story by calling Terry. Then you can try to get the other side of the story, but you will probably be told that it is a personnel matter that can't be discussed--I would imagine that is what the BOE lawyer has advised.
I am a regular reader of your blog, as you know, but I am not sure what you are speaking about?? What programs are you referring to besides the IB that have been put on hold?
I agree with Ms. Sharon that cost should be only one factor in the analysis in determining what programs to retain and which to discard.
I am a regular reader of your blog, as you know, but I am not sure what you are speaking about?? What programs are you referring to besides the IB that have been put on hold?
I agree with Ms. Sharon that cost should be only one factor in the analysis in determining what programs to retain and which to discard.
Dr. Lathan has stated that all programs (and other than Edison, Johns Hopkins,IB, and probably Washington Gifted) I don't know about the others) are being evaluated and that the report will be completed by March. Of course, the board will have to vote on any decision to shut down any program.
I hadn't heard that applications were not being accepted for IB, but March seems to be a bit late in the year for notifying parents if IB isn't an option--if that ends up being the case.
However, I would feel much more comfortable if Dr. Lathan could state her educational philosophies that are the basis of her judgments. Does she favor special programs for advanced students?
Is she in favor of total mainstreaming which seems to be the unstated trend in District 150? Is she in favor of making Manual a school for at-risk students (which is what the Johns Hopkins program purports to be)? If so, will non at-risk students be able to opt out?
Having no answers to those questions after 6 months of a new administration makes me nervous.
Sharon - I agree. I guess I did hear her state she would be evaluating all programs in one of her speeches, I just didn't understand a "hold" would be placed on some of those programs.
It seems when she was describing her vision of offering a variety of different programs it was a bit muddled for me. It seemed she was fearful to go all the way with what she was envisioning choice offerings to look like within the District, which is to make Manual an at-risk HS, make Central primarily a vocational ed HS, and make Richwoods a college prep HS. This sounds to me like a good plan . . .EXCEPT . . . Dr. Lanthan still seems wedded to trying to execute this under the old scheme of school attendance zones.
Agreed--if all three high schools do end up having totally different curricula, then choice has to be offered to al. At first thought, at least, I am not in favor of a city with only three high schools all serving a different type of student. That's where we started. When my mother went to Manual, it was a trade school and all those who were college-bound went to Peoria High. Is going back to that system progress? It doesn't seem like progress to me.
I think you are correct Sharon. The schools should be more blended but I think there still needs to be specialization based on budget considerations. I think Central can still offer some type of college prep curriculum perhaps coupled with ICC in which you can begin taking college courses your senior year of HS. Many schools in Illinois and other states offer this option. It would allow cash strapped students to have their first year of jr. college paid. But I would like to see Richwoods offer a selective enrollment college prep academy geared to preparing students for top universities throughout the country -- and this school within a school at Richwoods should be open to all within the District based on academic merit regardless of whether the student is within the Richwoods boundaries.
Fristrated, a few years ago, I would have disagreed with your plan to house the top students at Richwoods.
However, the district has allowed Manual to become what it is today--a school that definitely does not attract students headed directly to a four-year college.
Therefore, at first glance, I can't object to the plan you just outlined. I am sorry that the district has already allowed so many of the top students to find a way to Richwoods (leaving the other high schools with the less academically inclined students). And, as you know, I find no fault with those parents who have found the escape route to Richwoods.
Now that that is already well on its way, the district might as well build on what it has inadvertently begun. And with Peoria High as a viable middle ground.
P.S., Emerge, I, also, want equality in education. Also, I want quality in education. I believe that both can be achieved, but to accomplish that the extremes have to be avoided. So far, District 150 has not found the balance.
I guess I will have to give a concrete example of what I am getting at. An embarrassing Manual honor roll of 325 students is an attempt at equality (phony equality) but has little to do with quality.
Let me make sure I understand what you are saying Sharon...
If my nephew is brining home straight A's from Manual, they don't mean anything? Further, he shouldn't fool himself into thinking that he may be college material if he made the grade at Manual, because he's not? Right?
It's parents really don't have anything to be proud of, it's just an illusion?
Your nephew is probably very smart. He probably has involved parents and Aunt. However, what I believe Sharon is saying is that having that many honor roll students will and has cheapened the results. Your nephew should be the maddest at that fact and you should not be mad at Sharon for pointing it out. If all the students were indeed honor students at Manual, then they would not have such low test scores. It is illogical to think that they have more honor roll kids at their school than Richwoods when their test scores are so much lower.
Emerge, your nephew may very well have the capability of being an A student anywhere in the district--and if he is, then I would strongly urge you to find a way to get him into another school.
I do firmly believe that Manual's grades are very inflated--there were actually 373 on the honor roll. I know that students at Manual get 1 credit a year for what is essentially homeroom and that almost no one in last year's senior class received less than an A for that "class."
Also, all academic classes are condensed into one semester--and no one can tell me that students gain the same knowledge that they would if classes were a full year in length.
Also, there are academic courses that are not offered at Manual. At least, Calculus and Trig do not appear on this semester's class listings. I don't have the info for science classes.
Prior to Manual's restructuring, I would never have made these statements about Manual. However, the Johns Hopkins program (in its own literature) states that this program is for "at-risk" students--and, therefore, the curriculum offered is different than that of a traditional high school.
Do some further checking. Ask about your nephew's NWEA scores in math and reading to find out if you believe he is being challenged to the best of his ability. Please remember that Manual is definitely not coming close to meeting AYP. Although I do not believe that the NCLB measuring stick is the best judge of a school's effectiveness, Manual's AYP doesn't make a very strong case for 373 on an honor roll.
My statements are meant to reflect on either the teachers or the students at Manual. I believe that teachers at Manual are strongly encouraged to give high grades. I believe that there are students at Manual that are quite capable of earning As. I just think they are being cheated. Some are being lulled into believing that they are excelling. The true test, of course, is how well these students will perform in college.
As for me, I am glad that the sophomore in my life is at Richwoods instead of at Manual, which is her attendance area. Of course, several of the teachers she has had so far were actually Manual teachers within the last five to 10 years. She is in the IB program, and I hope that it is not discontinued.
Oops--I left out the word "not"--changes everything. My statements are NOT meant to reflect on teachers or students.
I just wanted to share the following information because it reveals that the FOIA laws do demand that public bodies deal fairly with requests for information.
The last paragraph of the letter to me from the Attorny General's office reads, "We have determined that District 150 has not met its burden to withhold the requested information under Section 7.5(r) as the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that release of masked information about students is not prohibited by the School Student Records Act. We ask that the District immediately respond to Ms. Crews' request in accordance with the requirements of the Act by releasing the requested information."
The first paragragh of the letter relates to the information that I requested: "On September 8, 2010, the Public Access Counselor received from Ms. Crews a Request for Review of the Peoria School District's denial of a FOIA request submitted August 16, 2010, in which Ms. Crews sought, among other things, "the total number of credits earned" for seven students identified by fictitious ID numbers. Additional information regarding these students and total numbers of credits for 106 other students had previously been provided to Ms. Crews. District 150 responded denying that portion of Ms. Crews's request pursuant to Section 7.5(r) of the FOIA."
Sharon, I understand your argument.
Grade inflation is happening in a lot of schools around the country and it is not the data point from which a student or parent should draw conclusions about college readiness.
There is a high correlation between ACT/SAT scores and performance in college. When I am looking for a new school to send my children to, I want to see the average ACT or SAT scores of that school and, of course, the curriculum offerings in which I want to see a long list of AP and/or IB courses.
Emerge - Though it is good idea that Dr. Lathan is taking a look at all programs at the District, the constant uncertainty that has plagued the District the last couples of years is not doing it or the community any favors.
I will be looking for a new home this Spring in the Peoria area -- the idea that Washington Gifted might be eliminated (my kids are past MS but still . . .) or the IB program may be demolished makes me uneasy to purchase a home within District 150 boundaries. I imagine there are many other families in the area that are deciding the fate of their children's education and how they wish to spend their property $$ and are apprehensive as well about how unsettled the District is at this juncture.
I erred in stating that Manual doesn't offer Trig or Calculus--at least, one enriched class of each is on the master schedule. I didn't catch in on the data concerning enrollment because Algebra 5 and Trigonometry E are offered as one class in one semester (again the problem of cramming too much into one semester).
Frustrated "eliminated" and "demolished" are such strong words to describe what the decision of Dr. Lathan's team "may be".
I am hoping that the District does spread the gifted and IB program throughout the District and into middle schools. The District needs to deal with serving what is the current population and problems. Once that is fixed, only then can they begin to hope for what could be (i.e., families like yours feeling comfortable moving back to the District).
It is unfortunate, yet true that they run the risk of alienating some whose busines they want, while trying to correct the errors of the past Administrations. Hopefully, that will not stop them from making the tough decisions on what will be good for the MAJORITY of the students in the District.
The problem with delaying the IB program admissions is that it runs up against hard deadlines for registration. Applications, letters of reference, grades, standardized test scores, all have to be gathered and considered in a much tighter period of time.
In past years, you had the opening of applications during the first week of December, due a couple weeks later, before school is out for break. Over break Dist 150 makes decisions on who is in and who is out with announcements/offers? mid to late January. A meeting for parents and students is held, to introduce them all to the program and the school; (kind of important if you are outside Richwoods area). Then finally registration begins in February.
So... now for someone whose kids are not in District 150, you have the problem of communication and deadlines for paper work that wouldn't be readily available to IB staff.
I see several outcomes. a) they skip a year because they can't meet a review deadline. b) the timeline is constricted resulting in fewer applicants due to missed communications and/or unobtainable deadlines. c) just cancel it.
I appreciate their desire to review programs. They need to step it up tho.
Thanks for explaining that Mahkno. It is quite a dilemma. I hope they don't have to cancel it.
I hate to say this--but I hope Dr. Lathan knows about these deadlines. I would imagine Steve Ptacek would have called them to her attention. Since Dr. Lathan has chosen not to have a mentor--one who knows about past practices in District 150--there is much danger that she will be operating without the needed data.
I have discovered this problem before (the problem of having almost no one on Wisconsin Avenue with enough knowledge of the past)--Dr. Lathan didn't know about how high school summer school was funded; she didn't know that the district had no board policy on tardies (I didn't either since it was eliminated in 2005). This summer I believe she was under the wrong impression about how adult education is funded.
That's what makes me nervous about these delays in letting us know what is really going on.
In this case the delay could well kill the IB program--these particular parents aren't going to wait for 150 to make up its mind; they have other options. I might add that I wish that delay was going to do as much "harm" to Edison or Johns Hopkins--but they will wait for that money to come in.
Emerge said: “I am hoping that the District does spread the gifted and IB program throughout the District and into middle schools.”
The IB program requires extensive teacher training and would be too costly to replicate in more than one HS, besides the program is open to all students throughout the District that meet the requirements. Even larger school districts such as Chicago Public Schools and Miami-Dade, only offer the IB program at a limited number of high schools.
The Middle Years Program (MYP) is a precursor to the IB program and again requires extensive teaching training and is premised on inquiry based learning. The District would be wise to create a Magnet School based on the MYP methodology. Offering MYP via a magnet school would allow all interested District students to make application and would better prepare students for the rigors of the IB program.
I am afraid I don’t understand the benefit of “spreading” such programs around? It sounds, according to Mankho, that they have a thorough application process to gain entry into the IB program and I would say the same for Washington Gifted. Is it your impression that there are academically eligible students that are being turned away from these programs? I suppose in the case of Washington Gifted, there are some students that miss out, but the creation of the above referenced MYP magnet school would cure that dilemma, as the MYP curriculum and evaluation process is an intensive one.
Emerge said: “The District needs to deal with serving what is the current population and problems.”
That’s correct Emerge, the District does need to deal with serving what is the current population, and that still includes a substantial student population that performs at or above grade level and deserves to have programs like Washington Gifted and the IB program to be available to them. Riddle me this – why should there be funds available for the John Hopkins program and not the IB program?? Why should one group of students’ educational needs necessarily take precedence over another?
The biggest problem facing District 150 is its skewed demographics which will only be eased by maintenance and creation of more programs like those discussed above.
I hate having to reverse my feelings on this subject of "segregating" the best of our students. However, this trend of mainstreaming as many special ed students as possible into regular division classes is causing me to question my previous stance.
I don't think this mass mainstreaming is helping any group: special ed students themselves, the middle range, or the top range. Right now the current special ed students are perhaps performing better because they have had several years in self-contained classrooms where they received the benefit of teachers trained to deal with their educational issues. However, that doesn't seem to be happening as much at the primary level either. I think we're going backwards. I started teaching when there were no special ed services. I taught special ed and didn't know it--and wasn't prepared to do so.
It's all about money--it has nothing to do with sound educational theory.
Just a thought regarding the IB program at Richwoods...would this program have as many students applying if it were housed at Manual or PHS? I think not. My belief is that it is a program for the more affluent or upper-middle class people to send their children to Richwoods (even if they do not live in the Richwoods area)so they do not have to attend school with the thugs.
If I were the administration, I would be doing a thorough audit of the curriculum offered in each of these IB classes and how it differs from the curriculum offered in non-IB courses. Then I would complete an analysis of who is enrolled in these courses, what these same students score on the ACT and finally what colleges and/or universitiies these same students are accepted into.
If there is no difference, drop the whole IB program. If there is a statistically significant difference, then a decision to maintain the program should be made. (However, they may choose to move it to another campus to help equalize the census at each high school.)
I have one final thought...do not all of our students deserve the same rigor an IB course offers?
Anonymous, one then Manual teacher once asked Hinton why the IB program couldn't be at Manual. The response was more like one of disbelief.
"I have one final thought...do not all of our students deserve the same rigor an IB course offers?"
How do know students not enrolled in the IB are not experiencing rigor in their studies? Students are best served by offering a curriculum plan that meets their educational needs. The IB program is not right for all students but it is right for some. The IB program is for students on task. It is not geared to students from affluent backgrounds or only for the gifted, but it does require students that are willing to work hard and distinguish themselves in a number of areas, academic and otherwise.
"My belief is that it is a program for the more affluent or upper-middle class people to send their children to Richwoods (even if they do not live in the Richwoods area)so they do not have to attend school with the thugs."
I believe you are in part right. It is a program that allows promising students not within the Richwoods attendance area to attend a school with their peer group, that is, other students focused on excelling academically. And the problem with that is WHAT?
Change of meeting place for District Watch this week only (Monical's is too busy with Christmas gatherings)--we will be meeting on Sunday at 6:00 at Donnelly's at 4908 N. Renwood (near Glen and War Memorial)
Needless to say, District Watch has been cancelled tonight due to inclement weather.
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