(Site under intermittent construction. Changes may appear randomly at any time.)

A word or two about this Blog site:

I've resisted creating my own place here in cyberspace for some time. There are many brilliant, articulate people writing about what's going on in public education. Mountains of data and knowledge that expose the "education reform" movement as neither can be found all over the internet. I highly recommend you check out dianeravitch.com or curmudgucation.blogspot.com, for starters.

I would like to use this site as a way to rant a little and to pose my own questions, as issues in my daily teaching life impel me to rant and I do like to ask questions. And my friends and family may have grown weary of me filling their inboxes. I also like to muse about possible answers, and hope I will be heard in cyberspace by at least a few interested readers.

Having said that, I seek communication in writing that moves the conversation forward, even towards actionable results. I know I can't control writers I've never met and never will meet, but if you choose to comment, I encourage you to help us understand your point of view. Snark is welcomed. Rudeness is not.

Thanks for reading!

Monday, March 21, 2016

LETTER TO THE NYSED DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTABILITY

I was taken aback the other day by my principal confiding in me how upset she is that our school didn't make AYP this year. I asked her what exactly that meant, especially with ESSA, but all she could see was that "she" had "failed" at something.  She doesn't accept failure and is taking this very personally.  I'm predicting that her public response to me and my colleagues will be to pressure us to be sure all our students take the State tests that start in two weeks.  I don't often feel I have the opportunity to initiate such a candid conversation with my admin, but she opened a door with her own sharing.  I decided I'd like to engage her in a conversation about her concerns, but need more information.  

So I wrote the NYSED Department of Accountability:

My principal was visibly upset on Friday when she spoke to me about our school report card and not making AYP.  (We've never not made AYP, nor even been close.)  I want to be able to support my principal and make good decisions in response to her concerns. I'm not sure what AYP means, though, since the ESSA was enacted in December and test results have been decoupled from evaluations of students and teachers.

Can you please help me understand what the report card means and what the consequences may be for not making AYP?  

Thank you for your timely response,
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