If you need improvement now, you are a priority school under Georgia’s new, kinder accountability rankings
The state’s newly sanctioned accountability system is coming into public view with the release of 78 “priority” schools that are under performing and will see a concerted effort to improve.
Apparently, putting a school in the “priority” category has a less offensive ring than putting it in “needs improvement,” the discarded parlance from No Child Left Behind. The other new categories in Georgia are “focus” schools and “reward” schools. The reward designation goes to high-achieving schools.
When you look at the priority list, there are a large number of alternative high schools, which are designed to serve troubled students or kids who have not been doing well.
There are 14 schools in the Atlanta Public Schools, 10 in DeKalb County, three in Gwinnett (Meadowcreek High School and Gwinnett InterVention Education Center East and West) and one each in Cobb (Devereux Ackerman Academy) and Fulton (McClaren Alternative School). Schools are placed on the list because of low graduation rates and test scores.
The DeKalb list includes DeKalb/Rockdale PsychoEducation Center, DeKalb Alternative School, DeKalb Transition School, International Student Center, Indian Creek and Toney elementaries and Towers, McNair, Elizabeth Andrews and Clarkston high schools.
The APS list includes several of the small themed schools within Booker T. Washington and Therrell, Jackson, Douglass and Crim high schools, South Atlanta School of Health and Medical Science, Hillside Conant School, School of Technology and School of Health Science and Research at Carver, APS-Forrest Hills Academy and South Atlanta School of Animation and Design.
Schools will carry the priority designation for three years and will be offered state assistance for the duration of that time period. They will be able to have the designation removed early, but the department has not yet finalized the targets schools will have to hit to get off the list.
Priority schools is one of three new designations that will be used in Georgia and other states that requested and were granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind school accountability system.
In its application for a waiver from NCLB mandates, Georgia promised that it would offer a fourth designation, “alert schools,” so the state could focus on struggling schools that do not have a high percentage of low-income students. The other three designations all focus on so-called “Title I” schools that do have a high percentage of low-income students.
The state Department of Education is still setting up the accountability system it will use instead of the one mandated by NCLB. It won’t have focus or alert designations until this spring, and it won’t have reward designations ready until this fall.
Districts with priority schools must submit an effectiveness plan to the state identifying areas of need. The state will then designate a specialist to monitor the implementation of that plan. State officials also will meet with district officials, review data and go over specific areas of need. Professional learning and support will be provided.
APS said it will continue offering its own assistance to schools that are struggling. “APS has traditionally allocated additional resources in terms of targeted instruction and curriculum to improve the academic performance of this category of schools, and that emphasis continues under the current administration,” said Keith Bromery, the district’s director of media relations.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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94 comments Add your comment
Dunwoody Mom
March 14th, 2012
9:16 am
The GADOE has a good chart that outlines the new categories:
http://www.gadoe.org/Lists/GaDOE%20Press%20Releases/Attachments/19/Waiver%20for%20ESEA%20Requirements%2002.08.12.docx
With all of the emphasis on Title 1 schools, what about those non-Title 1 Schools that have struggling “subgroups”? Will they receive assistance or be left alone on their own to try and assist these students, as is currently the case?
Dr. Craig Spinks/ Georgians for Educational Excellence
March 14th, 2012
9:21 am
How might I obtain the listing of these 78 priority schools?
HS Public Teacher
March 14th, 2012
9:21 am
Is there a “priority” parent list?
Just askin’….
Tonya C.
March 14th, 2012
9:23 am
The ones in Gwinnett are a joke. GIVE East and West are alternative schools. The chances of substantial progression for those students is slim-to-none. These are kids who have already been kicked out of ‘regular’ school. This, at least to me, is pouring good money after bad.
As for Meadowcreek…bless their hearts. The makeup of that school (high illegal immigrant and transient population) dooms them more than anything. There are some great teachers and students there, but it is well known amongst those who reside in Gwinnet what the deal is there. I am glad they will be getting extra help because it just might do the job.
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
9:23 am
Dr. Spinks, Just forwarded the list to you.
Maureen
Tonya C.
March 14th, 2012
9:24 am
Dr. Craig Spinks:
They are listed at the end of the article regarding the list.
Lowndes Teacher
March 14th, 2012
9:25 am
I’ve been looking for the complete list and cannot find it. Does anybody have the link?
Don C. Fortson
March 14th, 2012
9:27 am
Is it possible that I could receive a copy of the full list of schools??
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
9:29 am
@Tonya, I am at Meadowcreek one evening a week for my daughter’s volleyball practice and am always impressed with the students I meet. (I sit in the lobby for nearly three hours so I often chat with students waiting there to be picked up by their parents.) I also am impressed with the kids I see practicing music in the performing arts wing. There is always some activity in the school including basketball games, and the students are well behaved. And I can assure you that the school is well kept. The maintenance crew is incredibly hard working. It’s a great little school to hang out at for three hours.
Maureen
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
9:31 am
@Don, Check your email. Just sent it.
Maureen
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
9:32 am
@Lowndes,
Just sent it to you.
Maureen
This SOunds Positive
March 14th, 2012
9:35 am
This sounds positive and I praise it “Districts with priority schools must submit an effectiveness plan to the state identifying areas of need. The state will then designate a specialist to monitor the implementation of that plan. State officials also will meet with district officials, review data and go over specific areas of need. Professional learning and support will be provided.”
Failing schools need attention and support. I applaud the plan and the focus on giving these kids what they need to know to succeed.
Good Mother
Tonya C.
March 14th, 2012
9:37 am
Maureen:
I said nothing about upkeep. I am referring to academic achievement and behavior issues (most notably gangs). I have friends who have attended there who said the same thing. A few hours at a school during non-school hours isn’t much to go on.
Always Parent Bashing by Teachers
March 14th, 2012
9:38 am
No matter what the subject on Get Schooled. No matter what the topic or the discussion, some teachers will simply always bash parents. It makes we parents wonder why some teachers don’t just get out of the classroom and do some other line of work because they are so unhappy:
HS Teacher writes “Is there a “priority” parent list? Just askin’….”
GM
36 Years in Education
March 14th, 2012
9:41 am
Maureen, Could you please send me the complete list? I’ve been looking everywhere for it. Thank you for helping all of us help our children.
Tonya C makes a good Point
March 14th, 2012
9:43 am
Tonya C makes a good point about observing a school during non-school hours. She says “A few hours at a school during non-school hours isn’t much to go on.”
It is a known fact that those students who are involved in school are much more likely to have higher grades and better behavior. So, I understand why Maureen might get the impression that a school is good and polite when she is there after-hours for a volleyball game. To participate in sports, one must maintain a decent grade average. To participate in sports, one must have involved parents. To participate in girl’s sports, one must be a girl.
So, Maureen witnessed better students, better behavd students and GIRL students behaving well after school at a volleyball game. Well, of course. Those students are very likely to be some of the best and brightest the school has to offer.
One might get a different impression if one was completely invisible and watching what goes on during the day inside the hallways between classes and inside the student bathrooms by boys.
GM
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
9:50 am
@Tonya, I agree for the most part, but I can tell you that there is something to learn from a school that is buzzing after classes end, where kids are participating in after-school activities, where teachers are holding practices, where parents are coming in for classes, where the parking lot is patrolled so visitors feel safe to park and where the cleaning crew is polishing the halls to a shine. I often see the principal there at night.
Those are all signs of a school where people care.
Maureen
Ron F.
March 14th, 2012
9:52 am
If this is done right, with folks coming from the state who are truly dedicated to honestly looking at numbers and specific strategies for student growth, then let’s do it. I know of a couple of schools who have school improvement specialists already, and it has helped them a lot. It takes time, but this plan sounds much more dedicated to not just stamping a label on schools and then turning away. I wonder how long before the legislature cuts funding for it so they can devote that money to the state charter commission.
Ron F.
March 14th, 2012
9:56 am
From my experience, even a so-called “bad” school can and should offer the after-school, enriching experiences for its kids who qualify. Believe it or not, some of the kids with the worst reputations will try to control themselves when they get interested in a sport or a club. With the diversity at Meadowcreek, I’m sure if you visited intermittently, you might see all sorts of behavior. But I also know that if the administration is involved and you keep a place looking good, it does have at least a small impact on student behavior. You can’t fix them all, but you can’t let the less desirable part of a school population determine the total climate, nor can you fairly judge a school by the negative parts of its population.
Tonya C.
March 14th, 2012
10:02 am
Maureen:
Here’s a tip: that pretty much describes any high school in Gwinnett. No offense, but your base of knowledge on Gwinnett schools seems fairly narrow. Meadowcreek is a Community School, so the after hours buzz is the norm. Again, I hope the best for them. As I stated in my original post, the fact is their achievement stats and behavior issues are well-known in the Gwinnett community. If not the case, they wouldn’t be the ONLY Gwinnett high school on this list. Theory vs. reality here.
I didn’t say they couldn’t improve or the school was horrible. But they face issues most other schools in the county do not, and do he best job they can in the situation. I hope this money helps them improve their status and record with the community.
36 Years in Education
March 14th, 2012
10:02 am
Where can you find the complete list of priority schools?
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
10:04 am
@36 years, If that is your correct email, I will forward it.
Maureen
36 Years in Education
March 14th, 2012
10:09 am
Yes, it is my correct e-mail.
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
10:11 am
@36,
You should have it.
Maureen
Concerned HS Teacher
March 14th, 2012
10:14 am
@Maureen, I think the AJC needs to do a little more investigating about some of the schools on this list. There are two schools that I know of on the list that have only been established since 2009. They have never had a senior class for graduation data. This is their third year of existence and they have not taken the Georgia H.S. Graduation test yet. The qualifications state that schools can be identified based on “a lack of progress on achievement over 3 years”. This is their 3rd year!
So my question is how are they considered “priority” if they haven’t had the three years of test data? Sounds fishy.
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
10:17 am
@concerned, Which schools? It may be that the scores alone at these schools without graduation data were low enough to trigger the “priority” label.
Maureen
Dunwoody Mom
March 14th, 2012
10:18 am
@Concerned, I believe one of the determinations of a Priority School is a 2-year graduation rate of less than 60%.
Aisha
March 14th, 2012
10:19 am
The question is will my daughter who is just starting High school in the fall at a school that has been failing as long as NCLB has been around (well in reality it has been failing longer). This is a school where one of the TEACHERS offered to let me use there address saying “your kids will be eaten alive at Osborne”. So does this mean my daughter will not get a transfer out of this hell hole where cobb county intentionall dumps all its poorest neighborhoods. Back to homeschooling I guess.
Concerned HS Teacher
March 14th, 2012
10:27 am
@Maureen but if they haven’t had data for 3 years, how is that a trigger?
meme's mommy
March 14th, 2012
10:28 am
@maureen- would you send the list to me as well? i want to see what the rest of the state looks like. thx!
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
10:29 am
@meme, Just sent.
Maureen
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
10:31 am
@concerned, Sent your question earlier to DOE and will print response when I get it.
Maureen
More Teacher Lying and Cheating
March 14th, 2012
10:35 am
Aisha admits her child’s teacher is scheming to lie for her “This is a school where one of the TEACHERS offered to let me use there address saying “your kids will be eaten alive at Osborne”. ”
This is exactly why Grady is overcrowded. If we had only those zoned for Grady going to Grady, the school wouldn’t be overcrowded. The worst part about this is the TEACHER, after having heard all the news about the cheating scandal, is still planning to cheat. Bold lying by teachers is disgusting.
GM
Sandra
March 14th, 2012
10:35 am
Please forward me a copy. I’d like to share it with parents in my area
Schools that need improvement now are ‘priority schools’ | The Brantley Enterprise
March 14th, 2012
10:36 am
[...] Get Schooled. About the author [...]
Tonya C.
March 14th, 2012
11:00 am
The list is now on the GA DOE website. Under the 3/14/12 Priority Schools press release on the right-hand side. Scroll to the bottom of the release and it is in PDF format.
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/Pages/Home.aspx
Concerned HS Teacher
March 14th, 2012
11:03 am
@ Maureen Thanks! I really would like to know!
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
11:07 am
@concerned. From DOE:
Below are definitions per your reader question. Do you want an answer in reference to the specific schools your reader indicated? If so we will need the school names. If not below should help. Let me know if you need more. Thanks.
PRIORITY SCHOOLS
Definition:
• A Tier I or Tier II school under the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program that is using SIG funds (1003 (g)) to implement a school intervention model;
• A Title I-participating high school with a graduation rate less than 60 percent over two years; or
• A Title I school in the State based on the lowest achievement of the “all students” group in terms of proficiency on the statewide assessments and has demonstrated a lack of progress on those assessments over three years in the “all students” group.
SIG Schools Definition
State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and School Improvement Grant 1003 (g) Lowest Achieving Schools Definition
Persistently lowest-achieving schools in Georgia means the following:
Tier I schools: any Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring that
(1) is among the lowest-achieving 5% of those schools in the State (or the lowest- achieving five such schools); or
(2) is a high school that has a three-year average graduation rate < 60%.
Calculations to identify Tier I schools will be based on
(1) 2009-10 Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, and restructuring,
(2) lack of progress in academic achievement over a two-year period for all students in reading/language arts and math combined
Tier II Schools: any secondary school that is eligible for, but does not receive, Title I, Part A funds and
(1) is among the lowest-achieving 5% of such secondary schools in the State or the lowest- achieving five such secondary schools) or
(2) is a high school that has a three-year average graduation rate <60%.
Calculations to identify Tier II schools will be based on
(1) Proficiency combined with lack of progress over time for all students
(2) Proficiency based on combined scores for reading/language arts and math for all students
(3) Lowest-achieving schools chosen from lowest to highest proficiency rates stopping at 5%
Tier III Schools: any Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring that is not a Tier I or a Tier II school.
The Single Percentage Method will be used in calculating academic achievement in terms of proficiency, and the Lowest Achieving Over Multiple Years method will be used in determining whether a school has demonstrated a lack of progress over a number of years. Weights will also be applied based on school type (elementary, middle, high).
Academic progress is defined as improving proficiency levels on state assessments in the “all students” group by a significant amount (5-10 percent) over prior year levels.
SIG guidance defines secondary school as “a school that provides „secondary education, as determined under State law, except that the term does not include any education beyond grade 12.” While Georgia law doesn't provide a definition for a secondary school, the operational definition of secondary school has been any school with the combination of grades 9-12.
Concerned HS Teacher
March 14th, 2012
11:11 am
Thank you. This information is different than a sheet that was linked earlier. This does state that its over a 2 year period. Thank you for this information.
HS Public Teacher
March 14th, 2012
11:23 am
GM…. or whatever other name you put (which changes minute by minute)….
If you were unaware, it has already been found – and discussed on these school blogs – that the MOST important variable for a child’s success in education really are is the PARENTS.
Do you think that maybe, just maybe, that is why it comes up? Do you think that maybe, just maybe, that is why at least some minimal attention SHOULD be given to it by our State leaders (and not jerking around schools all of the time)?
I would ask for you to think about it, but that would be assumming that you have a brain….
catlady
March 14th, 2012
11:37 am
Ms. Downey, could a link be posted for everybody, so that you would not have to send it out individually? (OR would you send me the info, too?)
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
11:39 am
@Catlady, Just sent it to you but here is the link that DOE just put up: (Thanks Tonya for spotting the page.)
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/Pages/Home.aspx
You can find the priority schools link on the right side of this page.
Ivan Cohen
March 14th, 2012
11:40 am
As Joan Rivers would say, can we talk? Who is kidding who here? The factor of the state taking over the schools will still loom large as the “elephant in the room” even with a “priority” category. There was a term used in the previous century which fits the state’s new accountability system, the term is “sugar coating”. Needs Improvement classification is castor-oil like the type grandma would give for what ails you. Priority classification is castor-oil lite with no guarantee that it will be as effective.
Tonya C.
March 14th, 2012
11:42 am
Maureen:
NP. It wasn’t posted for a awhile so I figured most couldn’t locate it.
To HS Teacher
March 14th, 2012
11:56 am
Whatever the topic, you immediately attack parents and kids. If it really is that bad (and it seems as though you hate parents and kids) then why are you still teaching? If you have a real education, you can get another job.
If you can’t get another job, then please stop the constant unprovoked attacks on parents and kids on these blogs and in the classroom. Please concentrate, instead, on doing what you can to improve what goes on in your classroom.
Also, I use GM, an acronym that means the same thing no matter how you look at it:
GM
Good Mother
Good Ma
Beverly Fraud
March 14th, 2012
12:06 pm
The DATA must be wrong. It is simply UNFATHOMABLE that an APS school is on the list. They had over a decade’s worth of “research-based best practices” with one of the, if not THE most preeminent educator in the nation leading the way.
How could any APS school be on this list after the BEST in “research based best practices” guided children through their ENTIRE educational career.
Gotta doubt the data on this one.
HS Public Teacher
March 14th, 2012
12:17 pm
To GM, or which name you use this minute….
Why do you chose words such as “attack’? There is no “attack”.
Why do you think that I have ever mentioned general “kids”? I have never.
You have this delusional mind that really needs help.
I don’t need someone with such a warped mind giving me advice on anything. Thanks, but no thanks. My comments and even my opinions do not impact my ability to do my job and I do my job very well. You do not seem to understand this – maybe because you could not do it.
Regarding my comments – they are constructive…. at least for rational people (this doesn’t seem to include you).
Stream of logic:
Truth – Parents are the largest factor impacting student education. (by far). By impacting, this includes NEGATIVE impact on student education.
Truth – Schools are restricted in many ways. This includes restrictions by the community on what to teach and how to teach. This includes restrictions on how to discipline kids. And, so on.
Truth – Politicans and many/most in society seem to think that schools can overcome the first truth mentioned here. This is not reality.
Truth – Politicans and many/most in society jerk schools from one “program” to another “program” thinking that they can overcome the first truth mentioned here. This is not reality.
Truth – A lot of our tax dollars are spent jerking around schools from one “program” to another “program” thinking that they can overcome the first truth mentioned here. This is not reality.
Ergo – No matter what “program” there is or how much jerking you do on schools, there is a very small impact that schools can make. The MAIN thing that will help is improved parenting.
This line of logic has NOTHING to do with my job or my effort in helping kids.
Get it?????
Excellent Question Need Answer
March 14th, 2012
12:22 pm
Dunwoody Mom asks an oustanding question “With all of the emphasis on Title 1 schools, what about those non-Title 1 Schools that have struggling “subgroups”? Will they receive assistance or be left alone on their own to try and assist these students, as is currently the case?”
…or simply what about non-Title 1 schools which are failing? Do they get assistance too or or is assistance and help only allowed for the failing schools that are full of free-lunch students?
GM
skipper
March 14th, 2012
12:24 pm
@H S Public Teacher;
Very very well said………..
Chaos
March 14th, 2012
12:31 pm
GM is a troll…Kind of like the “trip trap, trip trap, who’s that walking on my bridge” troll. Most of us on this blog care about education. GM cares about provoking people. She has never taught. She has no clue.
Maureen Downey
March 14th, 2012
12:37 pm
@Excellent, Sent both Dunwoody Mom’s and your question to DOE.
Maureen
Inman Park Boy
March 14th, 2012
12:38 pm
Our very “worst” schools do an outstanding job with kids who come from families that care. Young people at risk are those whose homes are bereft of books, whose parents sneer about education as if it were a disease, who never get a loving embrace from any adult, and who model their parent’s behavior: drugs, excessive alcohol and gambling, and who blame evryone but themselves for their sorry plight. The best school in the “highest” performing system can do little for these kids.
Constructive isn't Sarcasm
March 14th, 2012
12:39 pm
HS Teacher, constructive criticism is not sarcam. In a piece dedicated to listing low-performing schools, you immediately ignore the facts and immediately attack the parents with sarcasm:
You wrote “Is there a “priority” parent list? Just askin’….”
Instead of offering insight or instead of offering information, you made a snide, sarcastic remark.
In no way is sarcasm and in no way is a snide remark constructive. The fact that you claim it is is also ignorant.
I feel sorry for the parents and kids in your classroom.
GM
mountain man
March 14th, 2012
12:41 pm
“No matter what the topic or the discussion, some teachers will simply always bash parents”
So what if their “effectiveness plan” singles out tardiness, attendance, and parental involvement (i. e. HOMEWORK) as the areas in need of focus? Teachers don’t get students to class on time. Teachers don’t keep students from playing hookey. Teachers don’t make students do their homework AT HOME (hence the term). These are all PARENTAL duties.
Just for the record, I am not a teacher.
Ron F.
March 14th, 2012
12:42 pm
GM- as I read it, the qualifications Maureen posted above should also cover non-title I schools. Title I or SIG schools get first attention because they’re already receiving funds for school improvement, so they should be implementing changes. Non-title I schools will also receive a grade from the state and you can be sure there will be measures in place to deal with schools needing attention.
As I posted on another thread, please keep in mind that there are 100,000+ teachers in the state, a vast majority of whom are doing the job. We don’t hear about them because good news isn’t newsworthy. We hear about the <1% who do break the law because their actions stir up more interest. In larger systems, it's easier to fly under the radar for a while, but eventually test scores or other actions bring them attention. Perspective is important, even on an opinion blog.
mountain man
March 14th, 2012
12:45 pm
“The best school in the “highest” performing system can do little for these kids.”
Inman Park Boy – you are so right. If you took these low-performing students and transferred them to Walton High School in Cobb County, they still would be failing because it is the STUDENT that makes the most difference, not the teacher. They might have a better CHANCE, but that would be the STUDENT”S decision, not the effect of the teacher.
The Complete Priority List is Here
March 14th, 2012
12:46 pm
Here is the link to the complete priority list. Meadowcreek is listed as well as one charter school.
Here is the link to it. You will have to copy and paste it into your browser:
http://www.gadoe.org/Lists/GaDOE%20Press%20Releases/Attachments/27/FINAL%20-%20Priority%20Schools%2003.13.12.pdf
GM
Happy Kine and The Mirth Makers
March 14th, 2012
12:53 pm
“There are 14 schools in the Atlanta Public Schools”
Are you surprised? Im not. Let give APS more money to fix it.
To Ron F
March 14th, 2012
12:53 pm
I almost always appreciate your comments. Thank you. Regarding your comment that “As I posted on another thread… there are 100,000+ teachers in the state, a vast majority of whom are doing the job. We don’t hear about them because good news isn’t newsworthy. We hear about the <1% who do break the law because their actions stir up more interest."
I know how you feel. Never on these blogs do teachers ever acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice we parents provide directly to the teachers and when Maureen posts outstanding articles about teachers going way above and beyond teh call of duty (the one who drove 70 miles to get a book for an at risk kid comes to mind) the TEACHERS on this blog scoff at the story.
Just like all teachers aren't bad, parents aren't bad either. As a matter of fact, one teacher even criticized Fernbank parents for buying the teachers in their schools brand new Ipads.
Parents — dam7ned if we do and dam7ed when we don't.
GM
Tonya C.
March 14th, 2012
1:11 pm
GM:
This is about perspective. Too many people want their schools to be like Brookwood Or Walton, but far too many won;t acknowledge that parental involvement is LARGELY what makes those schools great. Look at Mary Lin as an example, stuck in a poor performing school district but beating the brakes of many of its counterparts. Why? Because of parent involvement and a culture of achievement.
Again, just offering MY perspective.
Old Physics Teacher
March 14th, 2012
1:12 pm
In ancient days, children of leaders would still act like children and need to be disciplined, but… you CAN’T discipline a child of royalty! Therefore, they brought in a poor kid to get the whipping the rich kid deserved. Hence, the term: WHIPPING BOY – someone who’s punished for the faults of someone else.
I have mixed feeling about the new distinctions. I am thrilled my school is not on the list, and I am extremely sad for the teachers of the schools that are. They’re going to get whipped even worse.
GM, et al:
You could – in general – swap the teachers of MOST of the failing schools with the teachers in the best schools in the state and get a marked difference in student scores… just not what you think. The best schools student’s score would not change, BUT the “failing” school’s students would score worse. Simply because it’s rarely about the teachers – it’s about the school (or sub-school) climate, parents, and community.
If you could talk to the top kids at the top schools they would tell you that their “group” moves through the halls like antelopes moving through tall grass hoping to avoid predators. The bigger boys are on the outside and the smaller ones are on the inside. Some of their jokes go: (Q) What does it feel like to walk down a hall and raise the general GPA and IQ status 10 points? (A) Lonely The top schools have poor learners, average learners, and top learners. The failing schools just have more of the poor learners than the top schools.
Moving “losing teachers” from “losing schools” to “top” schools would have almost no effect on the top students’ scores. In fact, the steps we have gone through to learn how to teach better would probably improve their scores — or make the perfect scores easier to make. These kids are self- or parent- motivated.
On the other hand, moving the “top” teachers to “losing schools” would force the teachers, who discipline with a harsh look, to have to try to connect with kids who live in a different environment. Most of the “top” teachers would run away screaming, or more likely, they would dig in and try — but never achieve as much as a “losing teacher.”
I don’t expect you to understand – or care – but I do. That’s why I stay in such a poor environment. I care about the kids of our state. At some point the depth of this unpleasantness will drive us away. The state will call that “bad luck.”
To Tonya C
March 14th, 2012
1:20 pm
I hear ya. Parent involvement is a key to success. What my observation is: Teachers on this blog constantly criticize and browbeat parents. I never hear of a teacher on this blog EVER say a kind word about parents nor do they ever acknowledge the hard work and real sacrifice we parents make to directly help the teachers.
It could be that mostly only unhappy teachers blog here. I can think of a few wonderful exceptions (mary elizabether comes to mind) but mostly Get Schooled and the teachers constantly belittle and scoff at parents and students. It makes me wonder why they are in teaching at all.
What also surprises me is that when Maureen posts an article about a teacher who goes above and beyond, the teachers on this blog scoff at the story. That’s strange…unless, some teachers on this blog don’t want to be compared to those outstanding teachers.
What is also a fact, Tonya, is although parent involvement is an indicator of success, it is not an absolute. I grew up in a home with crappy parents who were never involved in my school. I succeeded anyway and I credit two teachers and a nurse with helping me become successful. The fact that teachers “give up” on students is heartbreaking. gm
Ron F.
March 14th, 2012
1:26 pm
GM- being a parent and a teacher helps me keep a reasonable perspective. I want the best for my kids and want to bust down the doors when I think there’s a problem. I also understand teachers’ frustration with the ever-oppressive demands of highly packed curricula, ridiculously fast pacing charts, and the omnipresent spectre of test scores, with the feeling that someone is just waiting to yank the Activboard pen out of your hand if the kids don’t perform well. A lot of our venting about parents comes from dealing with all the demands with little encouragement from anyone above us or in the general public until there’s a problem- and then WHAM, suddenly we’re the center of attention. Since I spend my day with just about all at-risk kids, I find myself often frustrated when I can’t get anyone on the phone, even to brag about a kid’s work. Just as it’s easy to say the school system as a whole is broken when you read some of the bad news, it’s easy for us to vent at parents as part of the blame. We know the good ones are out there- we just wish there were more of them!
Dr. Craig Spinks/Georgians for Educational Excellence
March 14th, 2012
3:06 pm
Thanks, Maureen and Tonya C.
Beverly Fraud
March 14th, 2012
3:26 pm
This cannot POSSIBLY be true of Atlanta Public Schools. They were IMMERSED in “researched based best practices.” There upper management had advanced degrees/certification from Harvard. HARVARD!
They were endorsed by no less than the Broad Academy. The BROAD ACADEMY!
Either the data is suspect, or those who led APS are suspect, and given that they are HARVARD trained, and BROAD certified, that is NOT plausible.
Ed Johnson
March 14th, 2012
4:30 pm
“APS said it will continue offering its own assistance to schools that are struggling. ‘APS has traditionally allocated additional resources in terms of targeted instruction and curriculum to improve the academic performance of this category of schools, and that emphasis continues under the current administration,’ said Keith Bromery, the district’s director of media relations.”
What!?
Traditionally = Beverly Hall.
Continues under current administration = continues Beverly Hall’s systems of mess.
teacher
March 14th, 2012
4:51 pm
A student will get only as much as he/she puts into it.
teacher
March 14th, 2012
4:56 pm
Why not kill all high schools and make digital education a reality, i would not mind teaching online if I were compensated fairly. save money by not running school building costs by subsidizing laptops and internet service for the poor.
nytransplant
March 14th, 2012
5:03 pm
I think it’s a great system. It reeks of federal meddling, but hey, we need those federal dollars. Race to the bottom will be out of the question under these new rankings, as I predict that 92% of Georgia’s schools will be “c” schools. This is due to the fact that we divide neighborhoods in half that are affluent and ship them to one school, while dividing a trailer park in half to supplant in another. What you get is mediocrity and NCLB conformity. While we can’t change that fact that neighborhoods are self-segregated, we can bus kids halfway across the county to try to fool the state.
Ac2
March 14th, 2012
5:10 pm
Maureen, more New Yorkers are coming to GA, witch is a good thing, because most are educated. New York ran itself broke with liberal agendas, and now no one can afford their taxes. The unions are strong, but expensive. The South is about to be hit with A LOT of progressive Northerners. This is good, because a lot of Georgia doesn’t even recycle.
I love teaching. I hate what it is becoming...
March 14th, 2012
5:14 pm
@GM “I never hear of a teacher on this blog EVER say a kind word about parents nor do they ever acknowledge the hard work and real sacrifice we parents make to directly help the teachers.”
I am calling you on this one again. I personally have mentioned my great parents and how much I appreciate them several times. Amazing how you have managed to miss those comments every time. So here it is again. The majority of my parents are very supportive and concerned about their children. They don’t always know the best way to help, but they are willing to try. I find I am most effective when I can work with parents as a team to best meet the needs of their child. Supportive, invested parents are the ones whose children will likely find success in school and in life.
Now… perhaps I will “never” again have to read that you have “never” seen a positive comment about parents on this blog.
Earnestly
March 14th, 2012
6:32 pm
GM and other teacher bashers are unaware that teachers are the only reason most schools function at all. Unfortunately they have fallen for the rhetoric of blaming teachers for the failure of our public education system. Teachers have been scapegoated by politicians who have to promise education reform with out having any idea what needs to be done. Often school administrations go along with the blaming of teachers because it keeps the heat off of them. A perfect example of politics blindly leading school reform is the notion that our schools would improve if only we spent more time on math and science. If you study schools in countries that out perform us, the time spent on math and science is not what you notice. Instead you see a culture of respect for teachers and students who wish to do their best.
Having been a middle school teacher for 29 years, I have first hand knowledge of the fact that low performing schools are not filled with bad teachers. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. I worked in a low performing middle school that did not meet AYP. Teachers in that school worked very hard to provide students every chance to succeed. While many had great success, it did not measure well in standardized tests. Later I moved to a school that at that time was second in achievement in the state. Suddenly, I was super teacher! My students performed to a high level, I had very few discipline problems and did not have to work nearly as hard. Same teacher, different results.
The real story that politicians and others are afraid to acknowledge is that In almost every case, poor performing schools are in economically disadvantaged areas, while the top schools are in more wealthy neighborhoods. If we ever admitted that economic back ground is the biggest indicator of educational success, we would have to quit blaming teachers and figure out something else.
As to those educational “experts” that will disagree. I say spend a year or two in a public school, any public school and then, I’ll be interested in your opinion.
bilbo799
March 14th, 2012
7:43 pm
@ Maureen.
I have noticed a trend in some of your blog posts (although this one only tangentially is part of the trend). Many of your posts seem to decry the lack of uniformity/equality in test/achievement results: many of your posts concern disparities in results between white/Asian vs. black students, rich vs. poor students.
At the same time, many of your posts deal with restrictive policies and how and what teachers are allowed to teach.
It seems to me that if uniform/equal results are important (I don’t think they are but that’s a different matter), then policies requiring uniformity in teaching are all but inevitable. I’m not saying you necessarily agree with the viewpoints expressed by others in your posts, but can we reconcile the desire for uniform results versus the desire for freedom in method?
bilbo799
March 14th, 2012
7:52 pm
@ Earnestly.
“The real story that politicians and others are afraid to acknowledge is that In almost every case, poor performing schools are in economically disadvantaged areas, while the top schools are in more wealthy neighborhoods.”
What world are you living in? Politicians don’t recognize that rich kids perform better in school than poor kids? Politicians talk about this fact CONSTANTLY, and most recognize this fact. The point of dispute is not whether there’s a correlation between wealth and performance, but whether there’s a causal relationship. I think it’s pretty clear from the performance of poor immigrants (esp from Asia) makes clear that values and culture are more important than income.
If you need improvement now, you are a priority school under Georgia’s new, kinder accountability rankings – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Frederick Douglass Family Foundation | End Human Trafficking and Slavery
March 14th, 2012
8:20 pm
[...] to improve. Apparently, putting a school in the “priority …Read the entire story here:If you need improvement now, you are a priority school under Georgia’s new, kinder accountability … Filed Under: News and Events Tagged With: accountability, accountability system, atlanta journal [...]
To I love teaching
March 14th, 2012
9:33 pm
To I Love teaching, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Your comments are like a cool breeze on a horribly hot day in a horribly hot month. It is so nice to hear a teacher recognize that some parents are good and you went beyond that and recognized that most of your parents are good. It’s so nice to hear a teacher who gets it.
My sincere appreciation,
Good Mother
So what else is news? Hemy Neuman trial developments, Georgia prioritizes schools | Reporter Newspapers
March 14th, 2012
10:00 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Georgia Department of Education is putting schools on a priority list after the state was [...]
Jennifer
March 14th, 2012
10:19 pm
Do not give alternative schools a pass for being on this list. For too long district officials turned a blind eye on these facilities and it has hurt both kids and taxpayers. It is appropriate and necessary that the Georgia DOE monitor these facilities for the next 3 years.
TimeOut
March 14th, 2012
10:23 pm
My child was in care at Devereux in Kennesaw for thirteen months. No other treatment program had the beneficial impact of the one at Devereux. It did not solve all of her problems, but as an adopted child who suffered much prior to coming to us at age 4, her progress under their care during her 12fth year was nothing short of miraculous. It is beyond stupid to apply the moronic rules of AYP and NCLB to a the educational program in such a facility. We waste so much money via the politically-motivated decisions of legislators who know so little about how to educate or raise children. I don’t have much faith in the quality of the education represented by most ED.S. and ED.D. degrees. It would make much more sense for a group of medical, behavioral, and business management professionals to evaluate our schools. Their joint feedback would be so much more useful. Psychiatrists understand behavioral challenges and their treatment. Businessmen understand organizational psychology, management, etc. Instead, we allow those whose motives are often so very self-serving to make decisions about how we run the most expensive enterprise in any community……….its schools.
Brandy
March 14th, 2012
11:45 pm
@Maureen (or anyone who knows),
Is there any available analysis as to why the Georgia Schools for the Deaf are on the list? At one time they were not required to hire certified teachers, is this still true? Are schools for the Deaf across the country similarly under-performing? I am very confused as to what is behind this problem and would love to learn more.
@TimeOut, I completely agree with you. Many people (parents and legislatures, alike) are unaware as to how disturbed a student must be before being sent to a program like Deveraux. My mother is a 30+ year veteran special educator who has spent most of her career teaching (and excelling with) self-contained Emotional-Behavioral Disorder students. Her students often suffer from schizophrenia, PTSD, anxiety disorders, severe autism (this is in fact an inaccurate placement, but true), and other severe psychiatric and behavioral issues. Her students are within the regular school environment and many are able to return to a non-self contained classroom environment. She has an impressive track record for getting her disturbed students out of self-contained and into on-level or advanced courses where they actually succeed. However, every year she has one or two students (out of a possible total of 12) whose emotional-behavioral issues are so severe they require a more restrictive environment. These students are, generally, sent to psycho-educational schools that focus more on controlling and diminishing the problems that have made learning within a regular school environment impossible over focusing on excelling at the curriculum. The most severely disabled of these students will often end up at Deveraux or similar programs in response to legal action after they have committed a crime, due to DFACS actions, or due to hospitalization for psychological disorders. The students at Deveraux are often the element of our society that at one point in time would have been institutionalized, would have been committed to a psychiatric hospital, or would have spent most of their lives in prison. Programs like Deveraux serve a dual purpose: therapeutic treatment and containment until adulthood.
These programs face a multitude of hurdles to AYP or similar success. The four most glaring are the following: inadequate funding and materials, few qualified educators trained to work with students this severe, even fewer educators (both qualified and unqualified) willing to work with them and accept the state’s low pay, and students who are the most severe of the severe.
Brandy
March 14th, 2012
11:48 pm
@Jennifer, You do realize that some of these alternative schools are actually already run by the state, right? The state run programs seem to me, at least, to be doing no better (if not worse) than the local district run programs.
Jennifer
March 15th, 2012
12:09 am
Brandy,
Please share the names & the districts of alternative schools designed for students who attended disciplinary tribunals. And specifically, can you clarify “run” by the state for me? (no need to include metro facilities or any alternative schools monitored under “school improvement plans” under AYP) Thanks!
Brandy
March 15th, 2012
12:41 am
I don’t have any data on disciplinary tribunals, sorry. Not something I’ve ever spoken about, as far as I know.
I think I may have misinterpreted your earlier post as referring to all alternative programs, not just alternative schools for students with egregious behavior. I am very sorry to have done so.
I completely agree that the alternative schools you referred are not doing their jobs, I am just not sure that the state could do any better as two state-run schools are on the list. Only one state-run school (the school for the blind) is not.
I have a feeling that you have more experience in this arena and thus yield to your expertise.
Economics Teacher
March 15th, 2012
8:54 am
I work at one of the alternative schools on the list. I have a serious question. If the students come to us already passed their graduation date then what are we supposed to do about the graduation rate?
Jennifer
March 15th, 2012
8:57 am
Brandy,
Nothing would ever surprise me anymore about alternative schools for discipline run by a district or a state, so your information very well could have been valid. I just had never heard of any – but that does not mean anything when it comes to schools that run under the radar! As you clearly sense when it comes to these special schools, we all have to be watchful for kids. Thanks for clarifying. I thought I had more work to do!
To Earnestly
March 15th, 2012
1:45 pm
Your comment is odd. You wrote “GM and other teacher bashers are unaware that teachers are the only reason most schools function at all.”
Well, isn’t that what a teacher is supposed to do? They are supposed to make a school function. That’s what they’re paid to do.
Your comment is like saying “Most people don’t understand that nurses and doctors are the ones who make hospitals function.
Yes, of course. Good teachers make schools function well and when a school does not have good teachers, the school fails. See how that works?
GM
Brandy
March 15th, 2012
3:41 pm
@Earnestly,
That is a very astute point. I have to wonder if the NCLB waiver provisions will allow Georgia to (again) reconsider and reconfigure its calculation of graduation rate. There are serious issues with how Georgia calculates graduation rates that need to be addressed. Perhaps, addressing them would help some of these schools? Also, I would love to see some analysis as to how states that are considered more successful under NCLB are handling the same issue.
catlady
March 15th, 2012
8:13 pm
I note only one school north of Atlanta–a school in Walker County, near Chattanooga.
Brandy
March 15th, 2012
9:11 pm
Oops, my post should have been @Economics Teacher, sorry. We really need an edit function.
Economics Teacher
March 16th, 2012
8:39 am
We get students who have very few credits even though they are at or almost at their graduation date. In other words, once they come to us, it is impossible, no matter how hard the students and teachers work to get them out in time for them not to be considered a drop out.
I’m curious to see what we will be required to do within these 3 years that is going to help our graduation rate.
Economics Teacher
March 16th, 2012
12:29 pm
Also, you guys do know that the feeder schools to the alternative schools use the alternative schools to get rid of the students that would bring there own numbers down don’t you? They can send them to the alternative schools before the March GHSGT or before their graduation date, then the number is reflected for the alternative school rather than for the feeder school. It makes the feeder schools numbers look better and the alternative school numbers look worse.
DOE releases list of 157 schools on its new “focus” list | Get Schooled
March 20th, 2012
3:56 pm
[...] Earlier this month, DOE released the names of the 78 schools on the priority list, a label that brings the greatest level of intervention to address chronic under performance. [...]
Mark
March 21st, 2012
11:59 am
Maureen, Would you send me the complete list too. I live in south Georgia and the Atlanta list does not do us much good I looked for it on the site and could not find it.
Maureen Downey
March 21st, 2012
12:50 pm
@Mark, Just sent it.
Maureen