Signing on to the Common Core

Did our Montgomery County Board of Education really vet the new curriculum, otherwise known as the Common Core, before the rollout? Or was our school system just taken with the bells, and whistles of the program AND the goodies offered by the Pearson arrangement? 

 In Massachusetts, the State Board of Education decided to delay the rollout. Not an individual board - but State Wide. Here is a summary: 

 This week, the Massachusetts Board of Education voted to slow the transition to Common Core. The board decided to delay implementation for two years while it compares the Common Core aligned Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests to their existing—and widely praised—Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam. Commissioner Mitchell Chester, who also chairs the governing board for the PARCC consortium, says that adopting the Common Core by the 2014–2015 deadline would cause Massachusetts “too precipitous a transition.” Massachusetts is known for its quality state academic standards and student achievement levels. This year, Massachusetts celebrated its 20th anniversary of its historic education reforms that kick-started the state’s success.

Continue reading here:  http://blog.heritage.org/2013/11/22/cracks-core-massachusetts-halts-common-core-implementation/

Numerous states are reconsidering whether to adopt the Common Core.  You can read the progress of the state level efforts here.

So - Montgomery County - will we be innovative or has the Pearson Punch taken over?

Stay tuned.

Truth? or Fantasy?

By now, parents in most Montgomery County Public Schools have attended back to school night.

Did you have fun?  Did your school ask for money?

The answer to both questions for most parents is yes.

BUT - did you know that you don't have to pay for your education?  Amazing, but true.

And, did you know that even if your school wants to ask for fees to provide your child an education, the fees are supposed to be approved by the school system>

Now, here is a question for middle school parents.  Look over the list of fees "approved" by middle school.  Were you asked for money for something that does not appear on this list?

If the answer is yes, please let us know, by leaving a comment at the bottom of this message.  You don't need to leave your name, just the school, class, and teacher.

2013 Middle School Fees 5

Why Wootton High School Really Isn't Turf Smart

The alternate title for this post could also have been Dr. Doran on how to install an artificial turf field Part 2. Do the parents at Wootton High School really think they are smarter than the average parent by getting their school to the top of the artificial turf list by handing over their own cash?

Aside from the ethics of supplementing the county coffers and the equity argument about jumping to the head of the line just because certain members of your community have more cash, does Wootton High School really know what it means to get into a partnership with a private organization?

Perhaps Dr. Doran should take a lesson from Moreno Carrasco, the former principal at Richard Montgomery High School.  Mr. C negotiated a partnership with Real Maryland, a "professional soccer team," that helped pay for the first artificial turf field at a Montgomery County High School.

So - how's that working for Richard Montgomery?

Real Maryland, owned by Maryland Soccer Enterprises, LLC. is having some problems.  Most notably, the entity forfeited their corporate charter in the state of Maryland.  You can check that out here or see the information below.  This doesn't seem like a good deal now - who is picking up Real Maryland's share of the field now?

The question for Dr. Doran and the Wootton Boosters is - how well do you know your business partner?  What happens if your partner decides to forfeit its license?  Who will pick up the pieces?


Scan 0005

Dr. Doran on How to Install an Artificial Turf Field at your School

Wootton Booster Club

Dr. Doran, the principal of Wootton HS, is so creative.


We are so lucky to have him as principal.  He has kids who score well on standardized tests, and, as a reward, he is able to get perks that simply aren't available in other schools in the county.

Last spring, this blogger wrote about Third Eye Blind concert at Wootton.  At that time, this blooger joked that it seemed the ulterior motive was to ultimately get an artificial turf field at Wootton High School.

This blogger was correct.  Artificial turf is coming to Wootton.

All parents need to do is come up with $200,000 to meet their end of the "partnership" with Bethesda Soccer League, the same folks who brought artificial turf to Walter Johnson High School.

Did I hear that the fundraising needs to be completed by December?

Funny, I don't recall that Gaithersburg or Paint Branch High Schools needed to raise a similar amount, and I know that Richard Montgomery and Montgomery Blair High Schools did not need to dig into their pockets to support a field.

What gives?  Is this a thank you for those test scores?

Pay up folks.  After all, its only $50 per student.  And you get to say that you went to the top nonmagnet high school in Mo Co.




Scan 0004

Come on out . . .

and show that the word "Planning" is not an oxymoron in Montgomery County.

Do you think that the rest of MoCo should look like Bethesda or Chevy Chase?

Here is a list of upcoming planning board meetings.  Come find out what is planned in your neighborhood!

And who knows whether, as an added bonus, you get to meet Rollin Stanley too!

From: Montgomery County Planning Department, Zoning Code Rewrite Team <pamela.dunn@mncppc-mc.org>
Date: Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 3:35 PM
Subject: Zoning Rewrite Project Open Houses


Attend one of six open houses scheduled around Montgomery County in April and early May to learn more about the project. At the open house meetings, attendees can view graphics and other materials that explain what's being considered, such as potentially reducing the number of zones and how new zones might apply in communities.

Participants at each open house will see exactly how what's proposed applies to their neighborhood. Each meeting will provide information on six different master plan areas. To see what master plan area applies to your property, go to
montgomeryplanning.org/gis/interactive/masterplans.shtm
WHEN/WHERE/DETAILS:
5-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 10 Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring
Master plans: Capitol View, East Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Four Corners, North & West Silver Spring, Silver Spring Central Business District, Takoma Park

5-8 p.m. Thursday, April 12
Eastern County Regional Services Center
3300 Briggs Chaney Rd, Silver Spring
Master plans: Cloverly, Fairland, Kemp Mill, Sandy Spring/Ashton, White Oak

5-8 p.m. Monday, April 16Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
Master plans: Bethesda Central Business District, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights Central Business District, North Bethesda/Garrett Park, Potomac Subregion, Westbard, Woodmont Triangle

5-8 p.m. Monday, April 23Upcounty Regional Services Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, Suite 1000, Germantown
Master plans: Agricultural & Rural Open Space, Boyds, Clarksburg, Damascus, Germantown (1989 and 2009)

5-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 24Wheaton Regional Library
11701 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton
Master plans: Aspen Hill, Kensington/Wheaton, Olney, Upper Rock Creek, Wheaton Central Business District

5-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 1
Rockville Memorial Library, 2nd floor
21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville
Master plans: Gaithersburg & Vicinity, Great Seneca Science Corridor, Shady Grove, Twinbrook, White Flint

zoningmontgomery.org

Gifted and Talented Ability Grouping in MCPS

by Frederick Stichnoth

Gifted and Talented Ability Grouping

Invitation to Interview the Superintendent of Schools

Would you like to interview the next Superintendent of Schools?


You can - daily interviews are scheduled now through February 15.


Aren't you lucky to live in Falls Church!!!


Here is the information provided to Falls Church taxpayers on who applied to be their next Superintendent:

Falls Church Press Release, January 28, 2011

In all, 26 completed applications arrived from Virginia to California to New York and include current and former superintendents, central office administrators, principals and others.  The school board has blocked out February 1st through the 15th to conduct the first round of interviews.
SUPERINTENDENT APPLICANTS: By The Numbers
EXPERIENCE

• 6 current former/superintendents

• 11 assistant/deputy superintendents

• 5 central office administrators

• 2 principal/building level administrators

• 2 other

GENDER/RACE

• 20 men – 6 women

• 19 white – 7 non-white

GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION

• 10 Virginia applicants

• 16 out-of-state applications: Maryland (4), Pennsylvania (3), New York (2), and one each from Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Oklahoma, Georgia, Rhode Island and Nevada.

Do you think that we will get this same level of detail concerning the search to replace Dr. Weast?


I wonder how much Falls Church pays for their Public Information Office?  

Clemente Middle School Parents Protest Change to GT Program

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Kudo to the New Governor of NY

Andrew Cuomo has it right.  


NY, like many other jurisdictions in the nation, is facing a budget shortfall.  The Governor of NY has taken a bold step, and called on school districts to look inward before calling for bailouts from the states and the feds.  
Here is a piece of the news coverage from the NYTimes:

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said that school districts had enough means to withstand the decline in state financing, and pointedly suggested that they look at whether they are spending too much on their own bureaucracy.

More than 40 percent of New York State’s superintendents earn at least $200,000 each year in salary and benefits, Mr. Cuomo said.

“I understand that they sometimes have to manage budgets, and sometimes the budgets are difficult,” he said. “But why they get paid more than the governor of the state I really don’t understand.”

. . . 

“We have $500,000 school superintendents,” he told reporters after his appearance in Purchase. “We can’t pay those kinds of salaries.”

Leave it to a[nother] kid from Queens to cut right to the heart of the issue.


Read more about it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/nyregion/07cuomo.html?pagewanted=1&emc=eta1

Should MoCo Adopt the Florida Solution

Here is an interesting article about one school district's approach to a budget crunch.

Virtual learning.

Use those high tech toys, oops, I mean, tools, that we already have, and save some money too.

From my experience teaching in the distance learning program at Montgomery College a few years back, I'd be hesitant to use virtual teaching in the classrooms with students in traditional K-12 classrooms.  Distance learning works best with extremely motivated students, such as those who can only access content through alternative delivery systems.  I had numerous nurses, public safety officials, second career/transitional types who did well, but many students who wanted an easy course were disappointed.

But what about virtual training for our teachers?  Money is tight, why not use technology, web based resources, or other computer based training systems already widely accepted in many other workplaces, to train the adults?     Extend this a bit further - and teleconferences can be used by MoCo staff to attend conferences and network with their peers across the country, all from the comfort of Carver, and without those pesky credit card charges.

Here's the beginning of the article:

January 17, 2011

Florida Has Classes Without Teachers

By LAURA HERRERA

MIAMI — On the first day of her senior year at North Miami Beach Senior High School, Naomi Baptiste expected to be greeted by a teacher when she walked into her precalculus class.

“All there were were computers in the class,” said Naomi, who walked into a room of confused students. “We found out that over the summer they signed us up for these courses.”

Naomi is one of over 7,000 students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools enrolled in a program in which core subjects are taken using computers in a classroom with no teacher. A “facilitator” is in the room to make sure students progress. That person also deals with any technical problems.

These virtual classrooms, called e-learning labs, were put in place last August as a result of Florida’s Class Size Reduction Amendment, passed in 2002. The amendment limits the number of students allowed in classrooms, but not in virtual labs.

continues at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/education/18classrooms.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Dr. Weast and Kojo

Today on The Politics Hour, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jerry Weast talked about the challenges of student assessment and the county's approach to teacher evaluation:

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-12-17/politics-hour

All videos from the Kojo Nnamdi Show are available on the KNS You Tube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/KojoNnamdiShow885



Its a radio broadcast, so we won't be able to tell whether or not Dr. Weast is crying on the inside - or the outside.

Thank you Mr. Madaleno

Thank you Mr. Madelano, for graciously withdrawing MC 10-11 (Montgomery County - Transportation of Students - Repeal of Prohibition Fee).

This proposal has been summarized on this blog.

The proposed legislation was poorly drafted, poorly researched, and likely contrary to the Maryland Constitutional guarantee of a free public education. What was the intent? Don't educators want students to attend school and one way to ensure that kids get to school is to offer free transportation. So - was Mr. Madaleno proposing to charge bus fees for all, some, or only those programs that he didn't support? A stealth tax increase to raise capital for the school system in a tight budget year?

We don't know, because as written, the proposal left much of the language open to interpretation.

Yes, MoCo, like many other jurisdictions across the nation, is in troubling financial times. But legislators have other options - lets try some real fiscal oversight of the Montgomery County Board of Education. Another quick fix would be to preserve public school resources for public school kids, and not give away land and other financial resources to private interests. If a legislative solution is the answer to finding more revenue, then propose well researched and sound legislation - not just a top of the head "lets throw it out there and see what happens" proposal.

Montgomery County residents expect more from their legislators. Obviously, some one took Mr. Madaleno out to the woodshed. Thanks to that courageous person who has saved countless Montgomery County residents from having to advocate against a silly piece of legislation. Lets hope that the head of the Montgomery County delegation learns a lesson from this legislative folly.

So - what do you think?

Dr. W's in trouble again.

This am, the Washington Post ran a puff piece about AP tests in MoCo and Fairfax.

But - was Jerry just being a good advocate or was he putting down his Fairfax counterparts?

Below is the take from WTOP.

The real question is why does this matter? A "passing" score on the AP test is 3 - but that doesn't necessarily translate into college credits or mastery of the material. Students can take AP exams without even taking the course. Many schools give credit for only some courses - for example, local school Johns Hopkins doesn't award any credit for English or History AP exams. Other schools only award credit for scores of 4 or 5.

So why is this even a contest? Beats me.

WTOP - Weast: Memo was not criticizing Fairfax schools

December 5, 2010

WASHINGTON - There's a bit of a stir over a memo sent out by Montgomery County's school superintendent that could be creating some ripples across the Potomac.

In the memo, Superintendent Jerry Weast is praising his school district for having more African-American and Hispanic students who passed the AP exams than the total number of students who took the tests in Fairfax County.

Weast says he was not criticizing Fairfax County.

"What I was trying to point out is the fact that we are doing so well with the African-American population," he tells WTOP.

He says that they were comparing to the two districts.

"We do a lot of benchmarking and Fairfax County is one of the best systems in the country to benchmark against."

Paul Regnier, a spokesman for Fairfax County Public Schools, says they don't want to get involved in such comparisons, but did note that the system has made significant progress in closing the gap among minority students taking AP exams.

Fairfax County has a larger school district, but Montgomery County has a larger minority population. The two school systems were compared in Comparing Counties: Fairfax vs. Montgomery series.

WTOP's Hank Silverberg contributed to this report. Follow him on Twitter.

(Copyright 2010 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

SIPPI isn't GT

Elementary school pilot program can aid black and Hispanic students, officials say
Program better tracks student placement in math and reading groups
by Jeanette Der Bedrosian | Staff Writer

A new pilot program in Montgomery County elementary schools allows teachers to track students' reading and math scores at a glance and has increased the number of blacks and Hispanics tackling tougher course work, school officials said.

The Student Instructional Program Planning and Implementation — commonly referred to by school officials as SIPPI — is a computer program that highlights a student's name in red if there is a discrepancy between where a child is recommended to be placed and where he or she actually is placed. The program also creates a streamlined spreadsheet of data so information can be easily shared between schools, and it will likely spread to all the county's schools next year...

...But while increasing access to challenging schoolwork is a worthy goal, SIPPI doesn't address the lack of genuine and consistent enriched curriculum for children now identified as Gifted and Talented, said Frederick Stichnoth, president of the Gifted and Talented Association of Montgomery County and a member of the Accelerated and Enriched Instruction Committee in the school system. The move appears to be part of the school system's transition to a one-size-fits-all education model, he said.

"I'm just against pretending, as I think MCPS and the board is, that somehow SIPPI is integral to [Gifted and Talented] or solves GT problems," he said...

Third Annual Parents Coalition Survey on School Fees

Welcome back to school.


Here is the much anticipated third annual list of high school curricular fees for Montgomery County Public School students.  


I'd like to credit Montgomery County Public School staff who compiled this list.  All I did was file a request under the Maryland Public Information Act.  This is a prime example of your tax dollars at work.


If you thought MoCo students are entitled to a free public education under the Maryland Constitution and state laws, you are right.  Dr. Weast and the folks at Carver somehow missed that class, and continue to charge to attend MoCo schools.


The good news is that compared to the 2008-2009 list, MCPS is now charging less to attend public high schools. 


More good news - If you student attends Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, your student will receive a terrific education AND attend the school with the shortest list of school fees.  Thank you Mr. Williams and staff!  Quince Orchard and Seneca Valley also deserve recognition for coming in close behind Blair HS in limiting the number of classes with fees.


As you read the list, I am including the following from Mr. Dana Tofig, ever the faithful MCPS employee, who is the final gatekeeper of all public documents and who graciously handled my request for corrected documents last night at 5 pm.  From Mr. Tofig's cover letter accompanying the MPIA:

. . . the inability of a student to pay for materials and other expenses does not prevent a student from taking a particular class.

What does this mean? 

As this writer has stated before, these fees are not mandatory. Maryland law guarantees a free public education. Should your family elect to pay, go ahead and make a contribution to the school. Keep in mind - this is a contribution, not a mandatory assessment. You child will not have his/her report card withheld. Your child will still have his/her transcripts prepared, and be able to attend graduation.


And now get your checkbooks out - here is the list.


MCPS 2010 2011_fees High School  

MCPS Fundraiser - School Supplies

Here is an interesting news tidbit sent to me from a PTSA listserve.

Apparently, MCPS is doing its own fundraising to help provide school supplies to MCPS.

If you are sorry that you missed this opportunity, I am quite sure that MCPS will be planning other opportunities for you to contribute.



***********************************************



Dear Community Member:

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is pleased to announce that we have
partnered with Borders at White Flint Mall for its Benefits Day on August 7,
2010.

Using the attached voucher for your purchases will ensure that part of
the proceeds earned that day will be donated to our MCPS Educational
Foundation. These funds are earmarked for the MCPS Back-to-School Fair
backpack and school supplies drive to help our students start the new school
year with the school supplies they need.

Our ASK MCPS staff will be at White Flint Mall in the Center Court on August
7, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to answer questions and to receive
donations of backpacks and school supplies. We also will be collecting these
donations at the Department of Family and Community Partnerships, 850
Hungerford Drive, Room 50, Rockville, Maryland 20850, until August 13, 2010.
For further information, please call our office at 301-279-3100 or visit our
website:http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/familycommunity/fair/
.
Thank you for your support of our students' education and the programs
within Montgomery County Public Schools.
Sincerely,

Eric A. Davis
Director
Department of Family and Community Partnerships

Help Turn the Tide Around at Richard Montgomery HS

Financially, that is.  

More financial woes reported at yet another Montgomery County Public School.

This time its Richard Montgomery, and now its the school's acclaimed newspaper, The Tide, that is subject to a shortfall of cash.

What happened this year?  Why now, at the end of the school year?  Did the school forget to pay some other bill?

And a better question, why take it out on the kids?

Note: This message is redacted to remove the last name and phone number of the student.

RM Tide Obituary

Montgomery Blair High School Admits Overcharge to Students on Graduation Fees

Today, Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, rolled back its mandatory senior fees.

Although the school has yet to provide a budget or other cost basis for its imposition of its $35 surcharge for its seniors to attend graduation at DAR Constitution Hall on June 4, today Principal Intern Myriam Rogers announced that the school would not be asking its students to pay the $500 honorarium for its commencement speaker, Dr. Leonard Haynes III, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The refund calculates to $0.83 cents per student, but the school graciously decided to round to the nearest dollar, and will now only assess $34 for each attendee.

Another success on the graduation front - Blair HS alums have donated 24 used graduation gowns!   This will allow 24 additional students to attend the ceremonies who could otherwise not afford the cost of attendance.

The ESOL coordinator made a pitch to parents for extra donations to permit all 59 ESOL students to attend the ceremonies.  

The initial graduation fee sheet indicated that 100 students needed full or partial assistance to attend the ceremonies - does this mean that Blair has already covered their costs or that they are not going to DAR?

The bigger question is why a school like Blair needs to supplement public funds to hold a ceremony that isn't within the budget provided by taxpayer dollars.

Is this fee consistent with the Maryland Constitutional guarantee of a free public education?    

One dollar down, $34 more to go before Blair HS students get their constitutional rights restored.

Blair HS Lessons on Deficit Spending

Below is the text from the Blair PTSA of their Senior Class Graduation Package.

Note - this package includes a MANDATORY fee of $35 for commencement speakers, flowers, senior bags, and floral arrangements.

Mandatory fees?  Isn't that against the Maryland Constitution?

Read further and you will see that approximately 100 of Blair's 625 graduating class need full or partial assistance or otherwise cannot pay the fees.  The rest of the community is asked to to contribute to "support these students."

Does this mean that only students who are sponsored attend the ceremonies?  That's not legal either.

Note to Blair Administration:  Instead of seeking handouts, how about skipping the flowers and the graduation bags.  The buses too - why have everyone drive to Silver Spring when the families will be going down to DC anyway?  Plan a ceremony within the means of the student body.

I guess another item missing from the MCPS curriculum is economics.   Logic too - its common sense to only spend what you know you can afford.

****************************


Senior Package Information
Montgomery Blair High School
Class of 2010




PLEASE SELECT FROM THE ITEMS BELOW. TURN IN THIS SHEET, ALONG WITH YOUR TOTAL PAYMENT TO Ms. Fus in the attendance office during 5A and 5B. All money orders and checks should be made out to Montgomery Blair High School. Please print your name and ID number on all checks and money orders. No checks will be accepted after 4/29.


Your Name ______________________________ ID Number ____________




CAP & GOWN + TASSEL - $35.00
TASSEL ONLY (required for graduation) - $10.00
SILVER QUILL - $6.00
PANORAMIC CLASS PICTURE $25.00
SENIOR DUES (MANDATORY) - $35.00

Dues cover the expenses of:
The venue balance of DAR, Honorarium for Commencement Speaker, Programs, Senior
bags, and Floral arrangements

I WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR A STUDENT:


CAP & GOWN +TASSEL - $35.00
SENIOR DUES $35.00
CAP & GOWN +TASSEL and SENIOR DUES - $70.00


TOTAL



*Please note that Blair's senior class has approximately 60 ESOL students and around 40 non-ESOL students who will need full or partial financial assistance to pay for graduation. If you or you know a community member who is willing to sponsor a student with dues or fees, please let Ms. Smith know. It is absolutely paramount to support these students and their families in reaching this important milestone.


If you have any questions please see Ms. Claudette Smith, senior class sponsor, in room 120.

Don't take away our school buses, Mr. Weast...

Gazette: Letter to Editor

...It is not right for the Board of Education to eliminate services that taxpayers pay good money for. Also, this is an extremely ill-advised move that would put our county in jeopardy in two serious ways...

Full letter to editor here.