http://www.newsday.com/number-of-li-schools-on-needs-improvement-list-triples-1.3311270?cmpid=Breaking
The number of Long Island public schools listed by the state as needing academic improvement has more than tripled this year to 106, prompting Long Island
educators to call for speedier overhaul of the federal No Child Left
Behind law that has governed academic ratings the past nine years.
Only 28 Island schools were identified last year as needing improvement.
The new additions extend to such well-regarded school systems as Elwood, Half Hollow Hills, Massapequa, Oceanside, Plainview-Old Bethpage, Smithtown and West Islip.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Really? Really? Not the famous POB district that administrators keep telling us, "that's why your taxes are so high".. Really!
ReplyDeleteLooks like the administration needs to step it up and focus more on curriculum without the political circus. Maybe the children getting 2-3 hrs of homework is not the answer either.
ReplyDeleteWe deserve far better and should insist on it!!! It appears that our fairly new assistant superintendent for curriculum is intent on turning us into lowly sachem, her old district. ENOUGH ALREADY!!
ReplyDeleteThe Newsday article saves the real explanation for the small print. The designation applies ONLY to Stratford Road, and indicates that students in **special education** failed to meet academic targets for *language arts*. It is unclear how it was even measured. While the designation may be cause for concern, it does not in any way suggest that other Stratford students, other POB schools, or the District as whole are not performing well.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the list. All schools except for Stratford Elementary are in good standing. And for Stratford is states "Basic Elementary-Middle Level English Language Arts". It should be noted that Stratford's Special Education classes/student scores are included in the evaluation.
ReplyDeleteNice going to the people who commented on this Blog with not READING or KNOWING all the facts of the article!!! You should be ashamed of yourselves... You did a "Ashton Kucher"...
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the "homework" comment... too much indeed.
I've seen numerous comments on this blog about the literacy program at Stratford particularly how the program varies from class to class. As a parent at the school of non-special ed children, I have to say that it's a problem for everyone there. Sadly, the special ed population has it worst because of the poor quality of literacy instruction there but all the students there are getting the short end of the stick.
ReplyDeleteThe administration definitely plays a big part in this problem. I agree with whoever made the comment that the associate superintendent for curriculum is leading us down a very bad path.
To the person that posted the "Ashton Kucher" comment, you may be correct that some people didn't fully understand the article. However, the underlying cause of the reactions you speak of is probably the fact that many people are concerned about where our district is heading, and whether our current group of district administrators are the right fit for us...particularly those who are responsible for curriculum. First it was the test scores, now this, what is next?
ReplyDeleteI am not defending the assistant superintendent , but I do notice the lack of accountibility spoken about for the BOE. I have been in this district a number of years and we have been through a number of problems and it has always been the lack of response from the Board Of Education. Some may have forgotten how we had a screwed up math program that the former superintendent was pushing for years . Why? because he wrote and sold books about "constructivist math" . Several years had to pass by before the Board of Education did anything about it. Fequently they ignore the will of the residents , do what they want , and ignore the facts presented to them (even when the schools own attorney presents them)for their own agenda. That is why we need TERM LIMITS on all board members . Some members have been in there too long and are difficult to vote out due to their friends voting for them and the lack of voter participation . So you can blame the problems on the administration which I believe are justified . It is time for the Plainview residents to wake up and hold the BOE accountable
ReplyDeleteThis is disturbing but the end result might not be so bad. The root of the problem probably does lie with the administration particularly those in charge of curriculum. If this is what it takes to hire competent professionals to make this district what it should be, then so be it. What's unfortunate is that as a community we couldn't have done this ourselves without the intervention of the state but if that's what it takes, fine.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge remains , How do you hire a competent administrator when you do not have a fully competent BOE??
ReplyDeleteTo 11/13 @12:10,
ReplyDeleteWell, the board hired the associate superintendent and will ultimately be responsible for giving her tenure, if they so choose so yes, there is accountability there too. I would say there are multiple contributing factors at play here including many of the branches of our educational tree.
The board is truly to blame here, and this includes the hiring mistakes they have made. When you hire someone with a murky, questionable, and limited background to supervise and lead the people who educate our children, this is the likely outcome. Did they even bother to look at her resume or talk to anyone she worked with? We deserve better!
ReplyDeleteYes we deserve better. A better Board of Education. One that is fiscally responsible, competent enough to listen to the will of the residents without the political ignorance and arrogance that is obvious among some of our Board members and strong enough to make the right decisions without caving in to any one groups political agenda for the best interest of the chidren and residents of Plainview
ReplyDelete