Another Grade We Did Not Make

So...we had 2 schools recognized in 2010-11, but none for 2011-12?

Just wondering....how did all that RTI investment work out?

[Sept. 5, 2012] The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has recognized 132 high-poverty schools for above-average math and reading student achievement, though none in Madison or Dane County.

Eligible schools are among the top quarter in the state for percentage of low-income students as measured by free and reduced-price lunch participation. Last year Madison had 27 schools in the top quarter and Sun Prairie had two.  

Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/extra-credit/extra-credit-no-madison-schools-among-schools-of-recognition/article_ed3f8468-f76f-11e1-946c-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz26e12aRgI

The Proof is in the Pudding

78 seniors in Dane Co. named as National Merit semi-finalists for 2012-13.
Sun Prairie had...wait for it...ONE
Our favorite rival....close in size but smaller Middleton, had THIRTEEN
Madison Memorial had FOURTEEN
Even Mount Horeb had TWO

Semifinalists represent the top 1 percent of the approximately 1.5 million students who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test last year. About 90 percent of semifinalists become finalists who are eligible to receive one of 8,300 college scholarships totaling more than $32 million next spring.
Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/high-school-seniors-in-dane-county-named-national-merit-semifinalists/article_994e97e4-fc6b-11e1-9341-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz26dx1YYGP

We keep talking about Sun Prairie being the cream of the crop, but there's more crop than cream here.

Teachers want to be valued...and recognized with cash.
Ill-informed political groups just want to throw more money (tax dollars) at it.

People....spending more money does not produce National Merit scholarships!  It takes a strong curriculum as a foundation with strong teaching as the framework.  And while we're at it....knock off the Dr. FeelGood grade inflation.

Maybe if we laid off the teaching 100 Chinese characters and instead developed a Latin program that would without question benefits students.  And let's not even talk about how our offering Mandarin Chinese plays in a world in which the Chinese government is involved in some pretty serious human rights issues.

The pudding is here in the National Merit semifinalists list, and it only proves that Sun Prairie is mediocre in terms of educational achievement.
What other conclusion is there other than that the really smart kids do not choose to attend SPHS?

Who REALLY Affects Student Achievement

Ok, so we've pointed out...a couple of times...the absurdity of the little mantra, "How Does This Affect Student Achievement?" that appears on the backside of school board members' nameplates. But we don't want to trivialize the issue, because while it may artificially elevate a school board member's sense of relevance in the grand scheme, it is a valid question. It's just not posited appropriately.

Just look at the hierarchy. How on earth can the board believe that they are really affecting student achievement?

Yes, the school board hires (once in a blue moon) the CEO (district administrator) of the business. And yes, the board approves the budget (although it is generated by district administration and most board members do NOT really look that deeply at it). And we KNOW the board creates policy (although once written said policies are frequently abandoned).

But WHO is actually doing the educating? Who puts the "connect" in "connectedness"? Is the board {No}? Culver{No}, district administrators {No}, the principals{No, not really}. Buried deep down in the chain are the ones in the trenches...the teachers and support staff. These are the people that are making a difference....every day. These are the people that can usually be inevitably identified as the very linchpin that keeps our kids from slipping off the axle.

It's election season. This is typically a time when school board candidates are out gladhanding, kissing babies, and shouting out "The children must come first". Of course this year, you likely will hear not a peep. Jeff Probst has made a special visit back from some remote area of the world untouched by civilization, to declare that all three incumbent school board members (Whalen, Shimek, and Slane....hey, does that sound like a law office for ambulance chasers, or what? ) are "safe" at tribal council. They run unopposed.

At the risk of starting a "chicken before the egg" argument, let's not any of us forget that it REALLY needs to be all about the teachers and support staff that work directly with the students to nurture their minds.

Oh...and since the school board now all regularly tune in to this channel, we can fully anticipate some statements at the board table Monday night designed to tell you to not believe what you read on some nasty blog site... that they really DO appreciate the teachers and support staff. Do they? We don't think that THEY get to be the judge of that. Sure, they hand out "Results Plus" awards on occasion....and that's nice and all. And maybe a $25 plant when a loved one passes on has meaning for a few days. But there are other, better ways to recognize and reward the ones that make or break the business of the school district.

Things that make you go, "Hmmmmm".

THIS is what it's all about...

In the end, folks, this is what it's all about:

Patrick Marsh Middle School reading specialist Sandra Kowalczyk has been named Wisconsin’s Middle School Teacher of the Year. Only 100 Wisconsin teachers received the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Fellowship Award for 2008. But only ONE of those 100, Ms. Kowalczyk ,was named Wisconsin’s Middle School Teacher of the Year. She is indeed the best of the best.

...and she did it by teaching.
Congratulations to Ms. Kowalczyk for just doing it.

Some of the highlights of her work:

• Her inclusion of international experiences in the curriculum has excited and engaged students in reading as well as in global literacy.
• Her “Wear in the World,” program , combining art, reading, writing, and geography, received a Bridge to Understanding Award from the United States Board on Books for Young People.
• Her “Breakfast with Books” program, supported by the Sun Prairie Education Foundation focused on reading achievement of at-risk students and students of color by involving them in book talks and other literature-related activities while enjoying nutritious breakfasts.

How Does This Affect Student Achievement?

...is on the back of each school board member's nameplate at each school board meeting. They like to think that it is THEIR actions that affect student outcomes. But they're wrong. Quietly, without fanfare, Ms. Kowalczyk delivered. She didn't pontificate. She did it without a soapbox. She used her own creativity to inspire kids to read and learn. We are correct to focus on reading, because reading opens so many doors to learning. But talking about it and doing it are quite different things. While others "talked the talk", Sandra Kowalczyk has been walking the walk.

Our hats are off to Ms. Kowalczyk. Many schools and schools districts produce educational "buds", but Ms. Kowalczyk nurtured her "buds" until they blossomed brilliantly. And for that she has earned this most distinctive honor. Her efforts are a shining bright light on Sun Prairie, and serve as a model for what can be achieved.

School board members....get your pens and pencils out and take note. THIS is how you affect student achievement. In the trenches. Working directly with the students. In a classroom, not a board room. Using innovation, creativity, and thinking outside the box. You could learn a lesson here.

Its not about constructing palatial buildings, or arranging administrative meetings over lunch so you can buy pizza on the taxpayer's dime. It's not about boondoggle retreats. It's not about boneheaded boundary decisions. It's not about $400 steak dinners (although Dr. Culver should use some of his $425/month "miscellaneous income" and buy Ms. Kowalczyk a $50 steak dinner--this one is worth it).

It's about good teachers. And this one is a gem.

Sun Prairie Today.com article

On the Sun Prairie Area School District website

Sun Prairie High Makes "The List"

...unfortunately it's not a list we WANT to be on.

It's one of the lists required as part of the "No Child Left Behind" Act (NCLB) . Whether you agree with NCLB or disagree...it is part of the rules by which schools must play.

This is certainly not a red alert...but it's definitely time to sound some sort of alarm and take some sort of corrective action. Where SPHS "failed" was in the category of "Adequate Yearly Progress", or AYP. The subject area affected was Reading. Recent media reports have indicated that SPHS's first appearance on the list is a result of the reading scores of special education students.

District Administrator Tim Culver is quoted as follows regarding this announcement:

"By no means do I think this is a failing school..."

"It's sad to put the 'F' word on a school when there's a lot more to it than the one test score."

"This is an issue we have to face up to and own."

Culver noted that the high school's overall scores were well above the state's minimum standard and honors are flowing in for the school's jazz bands, academic decathlon team and cheerleading squads.

SP-EYE: Does anyone ever get tired of the re-direction that comes with spin doctoring bad news? Does anyone ever wonder how our students are ever going to face adversity when they see leaders continually focusing away from a problem and highlighting only the good things?

What Culver really said was, "never mind the bad scores...we're working on that. Instead , focus on the successes of the music program, the academic decathlon students, and the cheer team." That philosophy flies in the face of the school board and district's own vision statement which states,

Our Vision: Working together to provide the best education for every student by building a community of learners.

Our #1 priority goal is to "improve reading achievement". Since SPHS has never been on "the list" before, that mean we're not improving....we're falling behind the pace. To simply remark that the failure is due to our special education students is not only insulting, it's borderline discriminatory. Let's not place blame at all. Instead why don't we buck up and make some changes to effect the necessary improvements. All of these kids are OUR kids, and singling out one group or another as the reason for not achieving goals is not unlike blaming and humiliating the child who strikes out at the plate in the 9th inning with the two outs , the bases loaded, and a one-run deficit.

There is no intent here of taking away from any of the students or programs that did meet with success during the year. But we also can't negate a real problem just because we have successes elsewhere.

Finally, we can't just thumb our noses at the NCLB requirements; because they ARE requirements. Certainly, these issues need to be revisited at the national level, but the rules are what they are. Do we want our kids to ignore rules just because they don't like or agree with them? How is THAT attitude affecting student achievement?

Read the Wisconsin State Journal article

Check out the list from the DPI website.
Select 2007-08 for school year and then "Only Districts and Schools that Missed AYP "

Read the news article online

WKCE test results - spin not included.

Reader note: If you prefer your school information to be served sunny side up, you should probably not read any further. We subscribe to reality here. We're happy to point out sunshine and roses along the way, but we also believe you deserve the complete picture. We don't crop the not-so-good news out of the camera shot.

District administrator Tim Culver has issued a press release on the subject of the annual test scores (WKCE = Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam). He specifically identifies 4 areas of success and 3 areas of concern. Dr. Culver's job understandably is to point out any shimmer in such data to focus on the positives. As residents and parents, however, most of us want the straight scoop....an unbiased view of how are kids are doing relative to state standards as well as to area schools.

Some use the "not-so-positives" to point fingers at the teachers. We have to be realistic and understand that teachers teach to a curriculum. While certainly some teachers are better than others at enhancing the learning process, they all sing from the same song sheet, so to speak. Therefore, a better focus for areas of concern is the curriculum content itself. Additionally, some like to "spin" lower scores by pointing out the disparity in ethnic or socioeconomic demographics of one school district or another--or even v=between schools within a district. Again, we need to "keep it real". ALL of Sun Prairie's students are OUR collective students. The job of the school district administration is to find ways to enable all children to learn and grow equally.

With that as a preface, let's take a look at the scores. The state DPI focuses more heavily on scores of 4th, 8th, and 10th grade students. In the figures below, percentage scores represent the percent of students district-wide that scored as "proficient" or "advanced" on the WKCE tests. The District goal is for 90% of all students to score "proficient" or "advanced" in both reading and math. Decide for yourselves...how are our kids REALLY doing?

High School - 10th grade
As the table shows, when all 5 subject areas are considered, relative to the other 15 local school districts, Sun Prairie ranked 8th out of 16 (subjects ranged from 4th to 11th). Last year we ranked 6th. Last year 4 of the 5 subject areas had scores 12-13 %age point above the statewide average. This year only 1 subject ranked as high as 10%age points above the statewide average. The great news is that that subject was Language Arts (grammar/writing skills). The even better news is that, relative to the other 15 schools, our 10th grade Language Arts score ranked 4th of 16. Language Arts skills have been identified as a weakness by both state colleges and employers. The math score fell below 80% this year. Last year, all 5 subject areas scored above 80%. Considering only Reading and Math, 10th graders ranked 14 out of the 16 area districts. Considering the big "3" (which adds Language Arts), our 10th graders ranked 8 of 16.

Middle School - 8th grade
As the table shows, when all 5 subject areas are considered, relative to the other 15 local school districts, Sun Prairie ranked 11th (subjects ranged from 9th to 12th). Last year we also ranked 11th. Both this year and last year all 5 subjects ranked 4 to 8 %age points above the statewide average. Even though the Language Arts score ranked only 9th, last year we ranked 13th. This year 8th graders increased their Language Arts percentage by 2 points over last year. This is of note in light of the fact that half of the area school districts' Language Arts scores dropped by 4 or more percentage points.

Considering only Reading and Math, 8th graders ranked 9th out of the 16 area districts. Considering the big "3" (which adds Language Arts), our 8th graders ranked 11 of 16. Of interesting note is that of the 16 area districts, only Middleton-Cross Plains scored at least 80% (80%) proficient or advanced in Language Arts.


Elementary School - 4th grade
As the table shows, when all 5 subject areas are considered, relative to the other 15 local school districts, Sun Prairie ranked 9th (subjects ranged from 3rd to 10th). Last year we ranked 12th. Both this year and last year all 5 subjects ranked 4 to 9%age points above the statewide average.

Even though the Language Arts score ranked only 9th, last year we ranked 13th. This year 8th graders increased their Language Arts percentage by 2 points over last year. This is of note in light of the fact that half of the area school districts' Language Arts scores dropped by 4 or more percentage points.

Considering only Reading and Math, 8th graders ranked 10th out of the 16 area districts. Considering the big "3" (which adds Language Arts), our 8th graders ranked 10 of 16. Of interesting note is that of the 16 area districts, only Madison scored LESS THAN 90% proficient or advanced in Social Studies. Only Waunakee scored at least 90% proficient or advanced in all 5 subject areas. Cambridge was close with subject scores ranging from 89% to 100% proficient or advanced.

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For more information:

Read the 5-30-08 Wisconsin State Journal article comparing WKCE scores of area schools

Read District Administrator Tim Culver's Press Release appearing in the STAR

Read the 99 page Sun Prairie school district 2007 Monitoring Report