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 Joan Gray speaks out about ways to improve Bedford County test scores at the school board meeting last Thursday. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo] |
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"Students with disabilities is where we fall short," said Gray Thursday night, in his superintendent's report to the Bedford County Board of Education.
Under No Child Left Behind, students with disabilities are required to take the same tests as students in the regular classroom. Because of this, Gray said it is essential for students with disabilities to be included in regular classrooms, with additional attention from special education teachers. This way, they'll be better prepared to take state tests.
Harris Middle School and Shelbyville Central High School failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two years in a row, and now they must meet goals for two years before they can be taken off that list. Gray said there are 37 ways in which a school can fail to make AYP, and Bedford County primarily fell short in the "students with disabilities" cell.
In an earlier interview, Gray said Harris Middle School failed to make goals in math and reading for students with disabilities and Central failed to make goals in reading for economically disadvantaged students for the second year in a row.
According to the 2008 System Performance Profile of Bedford County Schools prepared by the Tenn. Department of Education, elementary and middle schools did not meet goal for reading/language proficiency in the "students with disabilities" category, and at the high school level, students with disabilities did not meet goals in mathematics or reading/language arts proficiency. Economically disadvantaged students did not meet goal in reading/language arts proficiency.
"We are really missing the mark in secondary schools," Gray said, stating that he was "embarrassed" by the poor report card from the state. "We've got to get to work."
Gray said the key to improving these scores is catching those who are having trouble in the classroom early on -- in elementary school -- and holding teachers accountable for evaluating students based on assessment tests that will be given throughout the year.
The key is getting the teachers of the younger students to really gauge which students are in trouble early on and to correct those problems.
"I want it down to (them) giving me the names of the first grade students who failed (an assessment test)," Gray said.
Gray said while schools have been giving students assessment tests for many years, the problem is that they have not adequately used the results of those tests to determine which students need extra help.
Gray also said that teacher turnover hurts the system as well. Last year, he said they turned over 82 teachers and this year, 74 were replaced.
"Our teachers work hard," said Joan Gray. "We have excellent teachers, but I don't think we've been working smart."
The school system is also bringing in instructional coaches that will provide teachers with strategies in dealing with individual instruction, evaluating test scores and making sure children who are having trouble get all the help they need.
Gray also said that he's pushing principals to be hands-on instructional leaders, getting teachers help whenever it is needed, as opposed to treating them as "building managers," as one board member put it.
Technology conference
Joan Gray gave a report on the 2008 Bedford County Technology Conference. Gray said this conference, while not required, is one of the most popular in-services by the teachers.
"The purpose of the conference is to encourage teachers to integrate technology into the classroom," she said. She continued by stating in order for technology to be effective in the classroom, it needs to be used.
More than 400 people attended the conference, which featured 29 exhibitors and 41 sessions.
Thank goodness for these subgroups or we wouldn't have anyone to blame. The NCLB everyone seems to agree needs to go, but in the mean time we're stuck with it. Someone mentioned pushing kids into resource. It is actually quite difficult to qualify for these services--with an initial wait time of 100+ days before any evaluations begin. I do agree that it is quite unfair to give modified lessons to students with leaning disabilities that are getting services and then at the end of the year give them a on grade level test and expect good results. I also agree that it is unfair to place blame on the elementary schools. There is no evidence that this is the cause of the problem--just an easy way to answer a complicated question. And on another issue, exactly how do you get teachers to use technology that doesn't exist. Do any of you have children in the system. Often there is 1 or 2 classroom computers for over 20 students. It is this type of nonsense that leads to teachers opting to go to other counties where there's just as much nonsense but more money in their pockets. In the meantime our kids test test test...when are they taught anything? When do they get to find out that the weed they pull up out of the ground and wish on is a dandelion that has gone to seed? or learn the national anthem?
What our kids lack in education, they can make up for by being well dressed. Is that what the school board is saying?
Expectations!!! If you'll read the board policies you will see educators are well advised that they are enlisted to a public trust.
Honestly, how many of us know of or witnessed the low socio-economic children being treated like they do not have the Ability to perform in school. They are "expected" to test lower than middle class families, the children do not receive as much support and "cheering" from their families as others may have. They are treated as if they are diseased by school officials, they are greeted with snarls instead of sweet smiles like the well thought of families' children are. It's reality, you've all seen it or done it. They look a little less well maintained than kids who win favor. Well maintained families have higher expectations from school staff than those whose parents may drive an old used car, do not present themselves well, or just don't participate in their childrens education, they have little to none and some just don't seem to care, school is their babysitter. These children make up the Majority of our system. Someone has to say "stop the madness" our future depends on providing ourselves with the most responsible and educated citizens that we want to call neighbor. Not a child who was forgotten and knew nothing But Low Expectations.
But our educators are enlisted to a public trust that they will treat all children equal. They will treat parents with respect. They will truly understand what it means to be an educator.
The root word for education is e-ducere. Meaning literally to lead forth, or bring out something which is potentially present.
Your system is supported by Federal, State, and Local funds, something we all have an investment in. Everything we pay taxes on, even groceries, a certain part goes to these funds. Demand that you want your money's worth.
True educators, true parents do not care whose buddies with whom. The good ole boy system doesn't fit into what we are trying to accomplish for our students. Are these good friends going to support and give jobs to these students left behind???
Now, as for disabled students. They have little to no expectation to succeed in the classroom and have been passed through to the point it's catching up. Some may be disruptive, but what about the ones who are repeatily asking, Please educate me. I want to accomplish more than I am Expected!!And get laughed at, parents get laughed at,up until the present it was an inside joke for educators when parents asked for an approbriate education. Lower expectations for them are precisely why we have laws to protect them. You can't group them all together, it would be ignorant to say a physically disabled person doesn't possess the ability to access information. So would we say a blind or deaf person couldn't be educated?? Those children with serious disruptive behaviors are being put on homebound, being filtered out of the way. Soon they may all be out of the way for pristine teachers to only have to deal with acceptable children.
They could well inform these parents whose children do not possess the ability to access curriculem, there is an alternate 2% test, that isn't held against a system as a whole. Yep, an alternate solution. Take the time to inform parents of these and the benefits will be reaped by everyone as a whole.
Hold an educations' feet to the fire, look at your elected school board policies on what is entrusted to our system.
Don't hate NCLB until you are well informed at what opportunities it will provide all of the students. These schools now have the opportunity to provide our students with The best!! Read it, educate yourselves about the great things that could come about because of it. Highly qualified teachers is one of the rights you now have, balk on their buddy system demand, The Best teachers for your children. USE NCLB to provide your child with The Best...yes, those words are in there.
Use the time you spend online to educate yourself, being well informed is one of the powerful tools a parent has whether it's to help our children, or undo the wrong you see in our system.
One problem with our county's "special education" program is that Mr. Gray is allowing some of the most qualified to deal with these students slip thru his fingers to allow each individual school's admnistration to hire their "buddies". A couple of examples of this occurred in one school in the county. One of the most highly qualified teachers, perhaps in the state, was allowed to leave without consequence and their assistant was let go well before their departure to make room for a "friend" with no prior experience. Situations such as this are forcing some of our best teachers to move from the classroom to other positions, whether it be in another school, the central office or simply gone. This instance will add one more school to the list on next year's evaluation, because there is no way to improve upon the current situation now and the die has been cast in this situation for this school year.
COME ON ED!!! WAKE UP!!!
Remember, "Our children are our future." We are not giving them a very good foothold in the world with current strategies.
I am happy that we have so many new educators in our county, but without the value of the experience being lost to other places how we they be able to step up and take care of our childrens' needs. Their (the teachers') education was a great value but the wisdom they could receive from their peers is just as valuable. that wisdom will be depleted if something is not done to help keep the most-qualified in their positions.
Dress code and NCLB aside. In most cases, children are a product of the environment in which thay are raised. Most of the time, you can bet that a troublemaker or terrible student in school most likely is the product of a parent or parents who had the same problems. Inclusion of learning disabled students in regular classrooms is a reality now and teachers must adapt, but honestly it is a mistake. Don't get me wrong, some learning disabled students are some of the hardest working kids in the classroom, but on the other hand, most tend to be disciplinary problems that often are a distraction to the students. It is very dishartening to have a child in the classroom who can barely read but is willing to work hard to overcome their disability and then you have a student who is "labeled" disabled because of disciplinary problems. Every child deserves an education but our govt is so set on making everyone "equal" and its just not possible. No matter what we do, some children ARE going to get left behind.
ALRIGHT!!!!
So, when the school board should have been addressing these issues, OBVIOUSLY for two consecutive years, they were however bogged down with meetings and town hall forums concerning a dress code.
Why in the world were there not meetings and actions being taken to correct REAL problems? Just the typical "slap the band-aid on a gushing wound" mentality.
"I'd have to say being poor only stalls those who wish to remain poor."
Yeah so lets make them pay for clothes that don't want to wear and keep them more poor.
Learning disabled by definition of the AYP is Economically Challenged, which is 57%.
Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, grew up poor in a farm community in rural Missouri during the Great Depression. The poverty he experienced while growing up taught him the value of money and to persevere.
When Walton died in 1992, the family's net worth approached $25 billion.
I'd have to say being poor only stalls those who wish to remain poor.
Economic status isn't a disability, but it does effect learning.
Do we know how many different subgroups there are? I'm not sure if disabilites, economic status, social back ground of how many different categories are there in subgroups?
I don't think they're all being lumbed into one..I'm thinking there all different. BUT still subgroups.
It seems to me that putting kids into subgroups according to economic status can not produce factual results. Just because a child is poor or his/her family is poor should not put them into a learning disability category. My family is poor and my child is one of the smartest in her class. High school class. I have another child that was in Resource class all of his life but not because of money or social standing. After a certain point it seems that some teachers just stop trying. Maybe they think they are banging their heads against a wall because that's how my child felt. AND no matter how you dress them, as long as they are seperated the way they are now, children will never be treated equally by the school system or their reports.
jtjustice30, The way I understand it, the disabled groups (making up 14% of our children) do take the same test, but are apparently graded more on a curve based on previous performance and expectations of the state. It is fairly complicated and I do not know all the intricacies of how the groups are actually scored, but have studied the results pretty well and will post that link so you can see for yourself and judge. I do agree with you about the system having to teach to the test, but before NCLB what exactly did they teach? I would personally rather have some sort of measure of school performance than none at all.
http://edu.reportcard.state.tn.us/pls/ap...
ED AND JOAN GRAY YOU ARE DOING A GREAT AND OFTEN THANKLESS SERVICE TO US.THE PROBLEM OF SUBGROUP SCORES SUCH AS LD POPULATION SCORES ADDED TO THE AVERAGE OF NON-LD SCHOOL SCHOOL POPULATION IS UNFAIR TO EACH SCHOOL.SOME SCHOOLS HAVE LOW NUMBERS OF LD STUDENTS SO SCORES FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN THOSE SCHOOLS ARE PASSING.THE GREATER THE LD POPULATION IN A SCHOOL THE MORE LIKELY THE AVERAGE OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT SCORES WILL APPEAR TO FAIL.THE BAD SCORES DRIVE OUT THE GOOD SCORES.THERE IS A PROBLEM IN AVERAGING THE LD SCORES WITH REGULAR STUDENT SCORES.UNTIL THIS PRACTICE ENDS VIA A CHANGE IN NCLB LAW,SCHOOLS WITH A LARGE POPULATION OF LD STUDENTS WILL APPEAR TO BE FAILING.IT'S NOT THE FAULT OF OUR SCHOOL TEACHERS,PRINCIPALS,OR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION/SCOOL BOARD,IT'S THE NCLB LAW.
"Gray said the key to improving these scores is catching those who are having trouble in the classroom early on -- in elementary school -- and holding teachers accountable for evaluating students based on assessment tests that will be given throughout the year.".....
Finally, someone figured out what most of the problem is. I give praises to the teachers for what they deal with, but when dealing with learning disabilities, teachers are not educated on how to teach or how to detect. Unless it has changed, a teacher is only required to take one class in college for learning disabilities. Too many kids are being pushed into resource classes or passed along thru the grades without getting the necessary education they deserve.
Mrs. Gray, you can have all the 'conferences' you want, but until the teachers are educated on learning disabilities, the different types and how to detect them, the problem will not go away.
http://janebluestein.com/articles/footba...
Here's a read for you.
I still haven't figured out the logic behind giving disabled students the same tests as non-disabled students. If these kids could do well on those tests, they wouldn't be classified as "disabled" now would they? NCLB is a joke. Now all kids get taught is what is on all these stupid tests instead of learning useful information like Civics, American History, and Personal Finance...maybe if we stopped teaching tests and started focusing on real life knowledge, these kids might stand a chance in the real world.
The subgroups are not exactly set up that way and the Hispanic students have their own subgroup, which in fact passed according to the report. "Economically disadvantaged students" represent about half of our students, not just foreigners.
"Gray said the key to improving these scores is catching those who are having trouble in the classroom early on -- in elementary school -- and holding teachers accountable for evaluating students based on assessment tests that will be given throughout the year."
Mr. Gray must not understand that every elementary school is sending these schools students scoring passing marks in every subgroup, if they were not, the elementary schools would not be passing either, which they are. What a joke. Assign the blame to its deserving recipient, the 2 schools in question.
we should not have to spend our tax dollars to cater to the hispanics or somalis. some of these students try hard that have learning disorders but some of them attend school and try hard each and every day and the teachers are good but some of them will never be able to pass the gateway and assessment tests.
Bill H, I'm (not sure) but this "Economically disadvantage student" may be referring to ethnic children of different cultures like hispanics or somalis, they would probably struggle in reading/language arts proficiency. What is going to have to happen is they are going to need to hire teachers that speak these two different languages to either teach or help assist to get this turned around and back on track.
"Economically disadvantaged students",
Since when did someones economic status become a disability in the public school system?