[NewsJunky]

OK, so the system did not meet AYP. What do we do to fix this? I have been trying for years. Does anybody have any suggestions?

Link to AYP results:

http://public.doe.k1...-0000-b-1-0-0-0

[workingforaliving]

Isn't it about time for the state to be stepping in?

My laptop is down, so I'm looking at the scores on my phone.....which makes it harder to make educated comparisons.

[Riograce]

Wow - *none* of the high schools met AYP.

[workingforaliving]

i see a lot of secondary indicators not being met at various levels.

This is attendance for elementary and middle, right?

[markdavd]

If you look at the summary for 2011, it looks like it's the 'SWD' classification that's bringing the entire system down.

Should resources be taken from the rest of the students and thrown at Students With Disabilities in the hopes their performance can be brought up to the rest of the population?

[NewsJunky]

Yes, the state will be involved with at least one of the schools I believe.

markdavd, on 21 July 2011 - 02:07 PM, said:

If you look at the summary for 2011, it looks like it's the 'SWD' classification that's bringing the entire system down.

Should resources be taken from the rest of the students and thrown at Students With Disabilities in the hopes their performance can be brought up to the rest of the population?

I think NCLB plays a part in that. Time for it to go away. They are having trouble getting it passed again as well they should.

[Riograce]

markdavd, on 21 July 2011 - 02:07 PM, said:

If you look at the summary for 2011, it looks like it's the 'SWD' classification that's bringing the entire system down.

Should resources be taken from the rest of the students and thrown at Students With Disabilities in the hopes their performance can be brought up to the rest of the population?

I noticed that, too. If you look at the actual academic performance percentages for most of the subgroups, the picture isn't nearly as bleak. I hope that people will look at the breakdown before freaking out.

And as cold as it sounds, I am *against* throwing more resources to students with disabilities.


Edited for Angel Eyes' benefit ....

This post has been edited by Riograce: 21 July 2011 - 02:18 PM

[George W. Bush]

I've been critical of the leadership at the school system for quite a while. The State needs to step in.

There will be a new principal at PCHS this fall (thankfully), but I still don't see how a school can fail year after year and when parents question the higher ups, we're met with arrogance and condescending attitudes.
Could it be little Johnny didn't have a math book due to the budget cuts? Could it be teachers were furloughed? I've griped and vented and went round and round with folks on this board, yet the results are still the same. FAIL. I've been to PTA meetings, school board meetings and all that stuff, but the end result leaves you frustrated and mad. FAIL FAIL FAIL.

Hopefully my child will soon graduate and be done with the Paulding County School District.

[Lady Raider]

yep the state will be stepping in...

[mei lan]

NewsJunky, on 21 July 2011 - 02:12 PM, said:

I think NCLB plays a part in that. Time for it to go away. They are having trouble getting it passed again as well they should.

One of THE stupidest laws ever enacted.

[workingforaliving]

mei lan, on 21 July 2011 - 02:18 PM, said:

One of THE stupidest laws ever enacted.

Best thing that ever happened to special education, since IDEA was established.


Worst thing that happened to schools as a whole.

[TJB]

There are many factors associated with making AYP, such as attendance and students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, etc.. My school made AYP, but if one student in special education had failed, we wouldn't have. Our success came down to one student deciding our success or failure, which to me, seems like such an arbitrary measure. Overall, my school had good scores, yet it seems like the bar is moved to make teachers look like they're failing. I'm curious why Angel Eyes has such a hard-on for Paulding County Schools; looking for bad at every turn.

[workingforaliving]

It looks like AMS met academically (even with SWD subgroup) but missed on attendance.

[Papi]

workingforaliving, on 21 July 2011 - 02:02 PM, said:

Isn't it about time for the state to be stepping in?

My laptop is down, so I'm looking at the scores on my phone.....which makes it harder to make educated comparisons.

That's the biggest problem right there. Government. State, federal or local. It doesn't matter.

Private sector should step in.

[workingforaliving]

Digging a little deeper-----it looks like many of the HS's DNM in the secondary indicator----graduation rate.


How does this relate to the graduation debacle in May?

Papi, on 21 July 2011 - 02:39 PM, said:

That's the biggest problem right there. Government. State, federal or local. It doesn't matter.

Private sector should step in.

When the state steps in, they force the schools/county to implement research based programs, etc.

I don't want the private sector in my classroom. Ever.

[Papi]

mei lan, on 21 July 2011 - 02:18 PM, said:

One of THE stupidest laws ever enacted.

Yes, it was.

If Johnny can't read Johnny should sitting in first grade even if he is 14 years old.

[Go BLUE!]

Sorry but I find this funny as hell. All the years I lived in PC I heard about how GREAT the schools are, how the bond was needed for things like new gyms and stages while kids used outdated books and trailors....Blame NCLB or anything else but the real bottom line is the entire school system in PC is mis-managed from the top down. Maybe ya'll can follow the APS to get your numbers where they need to be.

[workingforaliving]

Scoggin's scores look like a trainwreck. Do those kids feed to PCHS?

[TJB]

Papi, on 21 July 2011 - 02:39 PM, said:

That's the biggest problem right there. Government. State, federal or local. It doesn't matter.

Private sector should step in.

That would be a nightmare. I worked for a school called CEP-Community Education Partners. CEP was awarded a contract to run the alternative school program for Atlanta Public Schools. It was a for profit school and each day I went to work, I was fearful I'd be beaten up or killed. School security lacked staffing, and even the most dangerous students were allowed to remain in school. I was left in a room alone while my assistant was taking lunch and a student came from behind and attempted to choke me from behind while another came at me from the front. I eventually freed myself from the student trying to choke me and was in the process of punching him when my administrator came in the room. I was written up for horseplay and nothing was done to the student. While being choked, I thought I would pass out. CEP also had people in administrative roles with no background in education or time spent in a classroom, yet they were evaluating teachers. Teaching took a back seat to survival; with little or no learning taking place. This is what education would become under the private sector. Quite frankly, I believe this is what many in power want; education for the wealthy and the poor and middle class would be thrown under the bus.

[Riograce]

workingforaliving, on 21 July 2011 - 03:02 PM, said:

Scoggin's scores look like a trainwreck. Do those kids feed to PCHS?

Hard to tell - Scoggins is almost exactly halfway between Paulding County and South Paulding.

http://www.paulding....rs-map_2011.pdf

[MiniVanMomma]

workingforaliving, on 21 July 2011 - 02:41 PM, said:

Digging a little deeper-----it looks like many of the HS's DNM in the secondary indicator----graduation rate.


How does this relate to the graduation debacle in May?



When the state steps in, they force the schools/county to implement research based programs, etc.

I don't want the private sector in my classroom. Ever.

Sorry I'm out of the loop - what was the graduation debacle?

[workingforaliving]

MiniVanMomma, on 21 July 2011 - 03:12 PM, said:

Sorry I'm out of the loop - what was the graduation debacle?

It was on the news-----a lot of kids couldn't walk during graduation because they didn't pass the GHSGT in SS.

I don't teach HS, so I didn't pay it much attention.

[momnteacher]

From just looking at the inital page that came up, it looks like my school made AYP!!!!!!! God I pray that we did.

[sugail]

Go BLUE!, on 21 July 2011 - 02:42 PM, said:

Sorry but I find this funny as hell. All the years I lived in PC I heard about how GREAT the schools are, how the bond was needed for things like new gyms and stages while kids used outdated books and trailors....Blame NCLB or anything else but the real bottom line is the entire school system in PC is mis-managed from the top down. Maybe ya'll can follow the APS to get your numbers where they need to be.

I agree with what you are saying, but I don't see how you can think it's funny - even if you no longer live here.

[Oh No Its Me]

So glad to see my kids school got green checks all across!

[mei lan]

Go BLUE!, on 21 July 2011 - 02:42 PM, said:

Maybe ya'll can follow the APS to get your numbers where they need to be.

OH NO YOU DI'IH!!!

[All I Hear is Blah Blah Blah]

_{YAY Roberts!
<---- To the awesome Roberts teachers....}

[NewsJunky]

TJB, on 21 July 2011 - 03:10 PM, said:

That would be a nightmare. I worked for a school called CEP-Community Education Partners. CEP was awarded a contract to run the alternative school program for Atlanta Public Schools. It was a for profit school and each day I went to work, I was fearful I'd be beaten up or killed. School security lacked staffing, and even the most dangerous students were allowed to remain in school. I was left in a room alone while my assistant was taking lunch and a student came from behind and attempted to choke me from behind while another came at me from the front. I eventually freed myself from the student trying to choke me and was in the process of punching him when my administrator came in the room. I was written up for horseplay and nothing was done to the student. While being choked, I thought I would pass out. CEP also had people in administrative roles with no background in education or time spent in a classroom, yet they were evaluating teachers. Teaching took a back seat to survival; with little or no learning taking place. This is what education would become under the private sector. Quite frankly, I believe this is what many in power want; education for the wealthy and the poor and middle class would be thrown under the bus.

So we should throw them ALL under the bus to make sure public education is protected? Achieving it's purpose or not?

[LisaC]

Hopefully, Kim will come in and will comment on this and address how the school board is going to react.

As for the private sector getting involved - that could and has worked. Our law firm partnered with the 2010 graduating class of Booker T. Washington High School when they were freshmen. As a freshman, each student who volunteered to be part of the program was assigned mentors - they came to the school and met with them on a weekly basis. As graduates, 96% of those students received college scholarships worth more than $6 MILLION.

I don't know what the problem is in Paulding, but our students are not getting the education they deserve and it's time we held our students, parents, teachers, and school board responsible.

[markdavd]

Here's one key point - If your child is passing, and isn't in one of the failing demographics, you really don't have much to be concerned about.

If your child doesn't miss school, you don't need to worry about the part about attendance.

[NewsJunky]

markdavd, on 21 July 2011 - 06:08 PM, said:

Here's one key point - If your child is passing, and isn't in one of the failing demographics, you really don't have much to be concerned about.

If your child doesn't miss school, you don't need to worry about the part about attendance.

I disagree. If your child could do better with books and could score higher on a national test then you should worry. We are near the bottom after all. The children are taught to the test. We need to stop that.

[bookreader]

Several of the high schools did not make it due to graduation rate. Did you guys know that students who graduate with a special education diploma (students in the severe/profound, moderate intellectual disabilities, and mild intellectual disabilities) count as drop-outs AND against the school for the graduation rate. So a school which is a hub for special ed classes may have issues meeting graduation rate due to students who completed their schooling AND met their IEP mandated goals. Believe it or not, this makes a HUGE difference, especially when schools only missed by a percentage point or two.

This will change with the incoming freshman class, but until then, it will continue to affect the rate...but folks reading the score report will not have a clear picture of this at all.

Also, some of the high schools may move forward a bit (maybe not enough to get to AYP, but some gains) with the students who graduate after completing their schooling/GHSGT testing this summer.

MarkDavid made a VERY valid point...if your child is not in the subgroup performing poorly AND your child met or exceeded, then your child IS receiving an appropriate education.

[footballbeerchic]

workingforaliving, on 21 July 2011 - 03:02 PM, said:

Scoggin's scores look like a trainwreck. Do those kids feed to PCHS?

nope, SPHS

[markdavd]

NewsJunky, on 21 July 2011 - 06:19 PM, said:

I disagree. If your child could do better with books and could score higher on a national test then you should worry. We are near the bottom after all. The children are taught to the test. We need to stop that.

They should not be taught to the test, but they should be taught what's on the test.

BTW - dead tree learning is a thing of the past. Get used to it.

[retiredteacher]

I am interested in getting affiliated with one of the schools near me that would let me work with children who are struggling (for free). I taught reading and math, grades 1 - 8, and always had a special love for the ones who struggled. Is there a tutoring program in place? If not, why not?

As literacy coaches in Cherokee, we trained people to tutor. They did have to pay to be fingerprinted, but it was only about $25, a small price to pay for the kids!

Kim Cobb, can we organize something to help?

[Mariposa]

footballbeerchic, on 21 July 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

nope, SPHS

PCHS and SPHS, both

[Garland]

Yay, McGarity!!

[Veritas]

This discussion carries on, as such exchanges typically do, as if the school system is in a vacuum, completely isolated from the changes that society has endured over the last two generations. Members discuss what can be done to fix the system, and declare that the leadership has failed, etc. Some use the recent reports to justify a politcal agenda, while others are oblivious as to what makes a school not meet AYP--in some cases, it is one or two children in a particular subgroup not passing a test, or having poor atendance. Some even liken it to the APS scandal, which is really incredible. It is amusing to watch some anti-government activists declare that NCLB must go, while completely ignoring the fact that they put into power the very people that crafted and passed NCLB.

Folks, society is not what it was twenty, thirty, forty and fifty years ago. The family unit is no longer the adhesive that keeps society together. Bless those who still are fortunate to still have a solid family life, but this is now the exception, not the norm. With the decline of the family has come about a completely materialistic view of the purpose of education. This trend exists across the socio-economic spectrum, and across all demographic groups. People view education primarily as an economic function, a meal ticket, a key to material gain, a higher standard of living, enhanced social class and little else (except, of course, free child care). Of course, it was always these things, but the concept of an education as the gateway to democratic society, where all were able to contribute to the betterment of that free society, is almost passé. We have all read on this forum about how the role of the parent has changed from supporter of the school life to zealous advocate for their own children. Of course, this is certainly not true of all parents, but suffice to say that this view is common place.

We as a society no longer value knowledge for its own sake. We expect everything to carry some dividend with it. The common good is no longer widely supported, but the individual good is constantly pursued. We do not care about our history, our culture, our heritage, our system of beliefs and values; we care about the pursuit of pleasure. Children are not sent to school ready to learn, bceause they have been nurtured in a world of entertainment and entitlement. There is very little ethic to work hard and achieve goals and growth; attention spans of both adult and child are a fragment of what they once were. Anything that can't be delivered in a sound byte is at risk of being ignored. We are immersed in our cell phones and our own little worlds. Self-absorption is the order of the day, and the consumer culture is the fuel that feeds it. If there is no immediate gratification, then society does not wish to invest too much time in it. The latest reality show commands far more attention than what is going on in our community, nation and world.

Schools simply reflect this reality. They are not isolated from this trend. Our society created the school system, and that school system reflects the now disordered values that society espouses. One cannot "fix" the school district any more than one can create a way to safely drink and drive. When one stops drinking, then one can begin to safely drive again. Our society is upside-down from top to bottom, and schools are but one symptom of this. Given the state of our society, it is a miracle that the schools do as well as they do.

[TJB]

Papi, on 21 July 2011 - 02:41 PM, said:

Yes, it was.

If Johnny can't read Johnny should sitting in first grade even if he is 14 years old.

If Johnny is 14 and can't read, there may be other issues to consider. This past year, I had a 13 yr old 6th grader with an IQ of 55. I tried giving him 2nd and 3rd grade material and it was too hard for him. This poor kid will never pass the CRCT and finally our school took steps so he will be in a program more appropriate for what he needs. However, this child is part of the statistics and could have potentially prevented us from making AYP. Over the years, schools have taken on many of the roles once handled by parents. In the case of the developmentally young man I taught; it seemed fairly apparent after meeting his mother, she was probably developmentally herself. So this poor child had a less than effective parent at home on top of his developmental disability. It's tough for teachers to overcome widespread poverty, poor parenting, and a general disregard for education by students and parents. Teachers try their best, but the failure of education is an issue far more complex than our elected officials, news media, and bloggers would like to admit.

[NewsJunky]

markdavd, on 21 July 2011 - 06:36 PM, said:

They should not be taught to the test, but they should be taught what's on the test.

BTW - dead tree learning is a thing of the past. Get used to it.

Yep, went the same way that hand writing has. Not a good thing by some standards. I have first editions that I treasure. I also know that you can get books on disk.
I will make sure my grandkids have books when I can get them in one form or another. Bet they do better than most kids who don't have them.