The Observation Deck

The Adobe pdf. Version
http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/media/docs_1419087553.pdf

Synopsis
The first fifteen pages of this report shows a breakdown of respondents, summary statistics for each question, and a breakdown of statistics for three of the questions for elementary, middle, and high school respondents. Finally, all of the open responses are detailed.

In general, respondents are aware more that testing is becoming more frequent and complex, that students will benefit from increased instructional time not quite that students will benefit if more of the school year occurs prior to testing just over. In all cases the mean is indicated on a range between strongly agree and strongly disagree. The count and proportion of each response are detailed.

There was not a strong preference among calendar options. A lower rank sum or rank equivalent indicates a higher more preferred ranking. There was a slight preference for increased instructional time and extra help for students over the other three. There is no substantial difference in ranking between the first two, and among the trailing three. There is evidence in the open responses that the ranking survey question either did not work properly or was misunderstood by respondents; and many could not indicate their preferences completely.

Breaking down the responses to three questions by school level does not show substantial differences between the three, for the most part. There is a distinctly stronger agreement by high school stakeholders that more of the school year should occur prior to testing, and very slightly greater support for the other two by elementary and middle school stakeholders.

Most interesting, but difficult to summarize, are the open responses. They reflect a variety of opinion— and also some confusion about the requirement to test, the new learning standards, and the new assessments. That these three are by and large distinct and separate does not seem to be well known. They all seem to be conflated as “common core.”

Please send any statistical questions or comments regarding this report to emailto:peter.petto@lakewoodcityschools.org .

The Adobe pdf. Version
http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/media/docs_1419087553.pdf

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More time doing the same things we already do won't move us forward as a district. We don't need more, we need different.

Keep banging that drum Sean!! Remember about 7 years ago when I wanted to edit those "cell phones interrupt learning" posters to read "cell phones can enhance learning"? Seems as if the district is finally considering the manner in which personal technology can be integrated into the classroom. To everything there is a season; just sad that we have to wait so long for the leaves to turn. Keep the faith, my friend.

I was very disappointed reviewing these results - the questions that were posed and the way they were presented meant that yes, people recognize that increased instruction can help with testing. However, if you read the comments it becomes glaringly obvious that just because someone realizes this does not mean they want a longer school day or school year or their summer to be infringed upon. Yet the reasonable answer to the question "students will benefit from increased instructional time" is yes - but longer school days certainly wont give those benefits. All in all, it seems to have been a waste, but the results are so ambiguous it is easy enough for the school board to interpret them in whichever way lines up with their own goals.

Amanda Tabor wrote:. Yet the reasonable answer to the question "students will benefit from increased instructional time" is yes - but longer school days certainly wont give those benefits. All in all, it seems to have been a waste, but the results are so ambiguous it is easy enough for the school board to interpret them in whichever way lines up with their own goals.

That's why we elect people to make decisions. We are all full of contradictions.

I want more instructional time but I don't want my kids to spend more time in school.
I want more discipline but don't expel anyone.
I want better results but measure those results by testing the students.
I want Lakewood to be one of the top ten school districts but don't compare my district to that other district.

I guess the board has to take the public pulse but at some point they have to:

set a goal
set standards to meet that goal
adjust policies on length of school day and school year and curriculum
test the results
and make changes needed to meet the goal.

Along the way a lot of people will be upset. If the plan is sound so what?

In New York City it's an uphill battle but they show it can be done:

http://successacademies.org/

The dirty little secret of education and education reform is that just about any system will work if the students are motivated. Take all off the students from a "bad" district and transfer them to a "good" district and the results won't change. You have to challenge and change the student.