Suzala, can you start a new thread for this posting?
Should teachers be held solely responsible for student achievement? More specifically, should teacher pay be connected to student test scores?
Let's consider a few scenarios with three fictitious students named Pierre, Wilma and Egbert.
Pierre is a little first grade boy. Although his attendance is good, he consistently arrives with something missing. Whether it's his lunch/lunch money, pencils or homework, he never seems to come to school ready to learn. His 15 minute a day at home reading log is seldom returned on time if at all. His teacher has contacted the parent on numerous occasions to discuss the gap in Pierre's home-school connection but to no avail. The mother will agree with the teacher's concerns, promise to make a better effort but for whatever the reason (legitimate or otherwise) will rarely follow through. Despite Pierre's high potential, his progress is severly hindered by that fact that he does not read on a daily basis and has minimal, if any value placed on homework and learning in his home.
Wilma is a seventh grade student. She is a well behaved girl with average grades in all subjects except for math. She is given the opportunity to come for extra help ninth period on a daily basis but rarely shows up. When her teacher contacts her mother about arranging a mutually agreeable time to have extra help (time that goes beyond the teacher's contractual obligations), the response is that extra help will interfere with Wilma's other activities including her social life, shopping responsibilities and cosmetic appointments (manicures, haircuts, etc). Neither Wilma nor her parents have concerns over Wilma's C average in math or her low standardized test scores.
Egbert is a tenth grade student who really doesn't care about doing well in school. As his parents are going through a messy divorce right now, he gets little support from home. His homework is rarely done. He fails some classes, barely passes others. How he does on his regents exams is simply not a priority for his parents.
Now, consider that there are at least one or two Pierres, Wilmas and Egberts in any given class. Who is really responsible for the gaps in their learning?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
iPads in Roslyn instead of textbooks. - In Plainview? Not likely
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "HAPPY NEW YEAR!":
ROSLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. — As students returned to class this week, some were carrying brand-new Apple iPads in their backpacks, given not by their parents but by their schools.
Related
Roslyn High School on Long Island recently started a pilot program using iPads in some classrooms. Michelle Mahepath teaches her students with the device.
A growing number of schools across the nation are embracing the iPad as the latest tool to teach Kafka in multimedia, history through “Jeopardy”-like games and math with step-by-step animation of complex problems.
As part of a pilot program, Roslyn High School on Long Island handed out 47 iPads on Dec. 20 to the students and teachers in two humanities classes. The school district hopes to provide iPads eventually to all 1,100 of its students.
The iPads cost $750 apiece, and they are to be used in class and at home during the school year to replace textbooks, allow students to correspond with teachers and turn in papers and homework assignments, and preserve a record of student work in digital portfolios.
“It allows us to extend the classroom beyond these four walls,” said Larry Reiff, an English teacher at Roslyn who now posts all his course materials online. ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?nl=nyregion&emc=ura1
***Plainview teachers would actually have to embrace the idea of communicating with students outside the parameters of the classroom, and using email. Forget whether our budget could withstand the costs..
ROSLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. — As students returned to class this week, some were carrying brand-new Apple iPads in their backpacks, given not by their parents but by their schools.
Related
Roslyn High School on Long Island recently started a pilot program using iPads in some classrooms. Michelle Mahepath teaches her students with the device.
A growing number of schools across the nation are embracing the iPad as the latest tool to teach Kafka in multimedia, history through “Jeopardy”-like games and math with step-by-step animation of complex problems.
As part of a pilot program, Roslyn High School on Long Island handed out 47 iPads on Dec. 20 to the students and teachers in two humanities classes. The school district hopes to provide iPads eventually to all 1,100 of its students.
The iPads cost $750 apiece, and they are to be used in class and at home during the school year to replace textbooks, allow students to correspond with teachers and turn in papers and homework assignments, and preserve a record of student work in digital portfolios.
“It allows us to extend the classroom beyond these four walls,” said Larry Reiff, an English teacher at Roslyn who now posts all his course materials online. ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?nl=nyregion&emc=ura1
***Plainview teachers would actually have to embrace the idea of communicating with students outside the parameters of the classroom, and using email. Forget whether our budget could withstand the costs..
Monday, January 3, 2011
Cuomo Plans One-Year Freeze on State Workers’ Pay
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "HAPPY NEW YEAR!":
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/nyregion/03cuomo.html?nl=nyregion&emc=ura1
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will seek a one-year salary freeze for state workers as part of an emergency financial plan he will lay out in his State of the State address on Wednesday, senior administration officials said.
The move will signal the opening of what is expected to be a grueling fight between the new governor and the public-sector unions that have traditionally dominated the state’s political establishment.
It will also come days after the New Year’s Eve layoffs of more than 900 state workers, an event that union representatives marked with a candlelight vigil on the steps of the Capitol and outside government offices in five other cities.
....“The governor said during his campaign that the difficult financial times call for shared sacrifice,” said a senior administration official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the governor’s address. “A salary freeze is obviously a difficult thing for many government workers, but it’s necessary if the state is going to live within its means.”
Perhaps it's time for the board to mirror the governor in recognizing that the community cannot afford additional school taxes either.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/nyregion/03cuomo.html?nl=nyregion&emc=ura1
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will seek a one-year salary freeze for state workers as part of an emergency financial plan he will lay out in his State of the State address on Wednesday, senior administration officials said.
The move will signal the opening of what is expected to be a grueling fight between the new governor and the public-sector unions that have traditionally dominated the state’s political establishment.
It will also come days after the New Year’s Eve layoffs of more than 900 state workers, an event that union representatives marked with a candlelight vigil on the steps of the Capitol and outside government offices in five other cities.
....“The governor said during his campaign that the difficult financial times call for shared sacrifice,” said a senior administration official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the governor’s address. “A salary freeze is obviously a difficult thing for many government workers, but it’s necessary if the state is going to live within its means.”
Perhaps it's time for the board to mirror the governor in recognizing that the community cannot afford additional school taxes either.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Burglaries Plague POB Area-Leave on Your LIghts and Be a Good Neighbor
This was passed along by an m.o.s. From the 8th. An attempt was made last night on a cops house in the bethpage side of plainview. Ok, confirmed burglary pattern here, plainview(bethpage area off floral) and hicksville(east side). Watching houses in evening for people leaving ( sports etc,) 5 confirmed, 2 attempts. Same m.o. Homeowner goes out, all spot lights unscrewed..most entries through sliders..in and out, often exited through a neighbors yard. On one, a neighbor remembered a white van, but was unsure if it was involved and last night, a suspicious, silver jeep laredo, what appeared to be up and down eileen off floral and making numerous slow passes. After civilian followed it, it split fast... Help the 8th, if you see any thing out of sorts, get a plate or call 911. If going out, leave lights, switch up cars etc..watch neighbors house. Pass this along to others, maybe we'll get lucky.
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