Education News: MI Reading And Math Scores Drop

Alternative Title: Race To The Bottom
An Open Letter To The Public-

Good Morning Parents, Teachers, Family, Friends, and Constituents.

Please forward this email to others that have children in Michigan schools, LSCO and PTA parent groups. If you have a school age child or children that are in General Education classes or Special Ed students included in General Ed Classes (find out if they took reading and math tests), I urge you to seriously think about what I am writing about and what you are going to do about it.

Last year, I was one of the members from the Community that served on the Detroit Public Schools' Education Transition Team that analyzed the Detroit Public Schools' District Plan ( by Ms T. Guyser ) and Robert Bobb ( Emergency Manager) Charter Reform plan.

Two of my concerns were: How will new, higher Reform standards and test score demands in English and Math affect future annual yearly progress and student testing, and, 2. What will be the social, emotional or psychological impact on students that a. Cannot meet the standards and b.  made improvements or received A or B grades that would be considered C D E or F (failing or failed) according to charter reform standards?

For over one year, I spoke to many parents, students and educators about my concerns and received very little feedback.    

At 6:08 a.m this morning, Nov 4, 2011, WDIV Channel 4 News announced that the new test scores for Reading and Math dropped.

"Students that formerly receieved a 95% score are now at 35%... students will have to score at 55% or better" on reading and math tests.

In other words, an "Honors" student is now considered a "Failed" student according to charter reform education "test" calculations. What is confusing to me and other educators and parents are the news sources that reported the story on November 3, 2011. Are the new cut scores the result of an experiment that reconfigured scores under reform standards and measurements that are going to be implemented in the future or not? Some news reports made statements as if the method used is actual, not experimental. In either case, whether it will take ten years for Michigan students to "catch up" in order to meet new test scores, the question remains the same: When and how will teachers, parents, and students that never had enough educational resources in failing or failed urban and rural areas obtain resources be able to move into 21st Century high technology related education and jobs?

As of this morning, it is clear to me that for many minority parents and students ( mostly poor, working poor, and what's left of the middle class) that worked or struggled to meet the old standards and test score requirements, today is the day that you discover that overnight you have "Raced To The Bottom."

So your Challenge for the day, week or month is how to sit your child or children down for the "Baby, I have something real important to tell you. Remember how you got all those A's and B's and they said you you were an honor's student? Well, as of Nov. 5, you are now considered a failed student" conversation, AND, be prepared to deal with your child's ability or inability to accept this truth, AND, be ready to have that hard conversation with teachers, principals, the State Board of Education, Arne Duncan in D.C, President Obama, and school social workers or psychologists on how you are supposed to deal with a depressed child whose self esteem got hit by a freight train and raise scores when most schools and over crowded classrooms are not equipped like charter schools with smaller student headcount, like 15 to 20 students in a class.

If you are a parent or educator, you need to find out if the Michigan Department of Ed is going to keep the higher grades or test scores from last year or reconfigure them to reflect failure as of today. What will appear on your child's high school transcript in the future may affect their chances to attend community college, university or trade school, or obtain a job. If I were an employer, I certainly would be asking: What happened? How did you go from being an honors or A or B student one year, then failed the next year?

Now I'm going to change the subject. While writing this, I just received a DPS call at 8:15 am informing me that city busses are not running. So what happens to the students that have been waiting at bus stops to get to schools and they don't show up in school? If they are at the "you have one more chance to be tardy or absent, or we will suspend you" stage, will their tardiness or absence be excused today or next week? It's not their fault that people chose to attack a bus driver yesterday because most city buses have a 2 to 3 hour delay. Thank God today is not a "test day."

Thanks for your time. Please feel free to call or write me, or contact WDIV Ch 4 in Detroit. They only mentioned the test score story once. Find out where they got their info. It wasn't as important as the repeated news that "Detroit has no buses this morning"

Aurora Harris.

Drew Transition Center News

On October 11, 2011, Drew parents completed their LSCO election and joined the PTA. Parents also received information on the community chapter of the Special Education PTA.

On October 13th, parents and students received their first school newsletter with much needed info for parents. Kudos to the parents and staff for creating the newsletter! Also, parents who are members of the Wayne RESA PAC attended the meeting "Special Education Funding 101" that explained how funding is allocated to special education in Wayne County. Ms Harris (Drew parent) requested that the presenter come to Drew and explain how the projected decrease in Act 18 funds will affect the school in 2013 and 2014. Since the Detroit district is now divided into a three tiered system with an emergency manager, parents are concerned about special education funds and federally mandated supports and resources being reduced or cancelled due to "inclusion" in general ed classrooms. Parents are advised by this blogger to learn about the differences between "inclusion" and "mainstreaming" and how shifting students into general ed classes without proper supports may create a lack of or reduction in Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE in federal IDEA and 504 mandates).

From September 30th to October 5th, Drew sponsored a voter registration drive. The Honorable Janice Winfrey, City Clerk made it possible for students and parents to practice voting on a touch screen voting machine.

The kitchen at Drew is still not up and running. Equipment has been moved in but fans and ducts need to installed. The projected time for completion of the kitchen is by the end of October (in a couple of weeks).

Detroit Public Schools Special Olympics Update

I have just confirmed with a Special Olympics worker that the Detroit Public Schools will retain it's Special Olympics program.

The PDF information below concerns transition services for special needs adults age 20-26 in the State of Michigan and a link to a blog for developmentally disabled persons. Copy and paste links into a search engine to see or download the info:


http://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/Spring_11_352310_7.pdf

https://www.oaisd.org/downloads/_acct_/00/00/01/59/maase_concept_paper_20110217_103950_8.pdf

http://theddnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/michigan-special-education-for-students.html

Detroit Public Schools Board Meeting Tonight

The Detroit Public Schools is having a Board meeting with the new Emergency Manager at the Welcome Center tonight.

Special Ed Legal News: Philadelphia African American families sue re: special ed

8 African American families sue Merion school district for disproportionately placing African American students in special ed classes. See link below

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/black-children-wrongfully_n_804411.html

Case 2: Parents sue Merion District for webcam spying on students through laptops:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbins_v._Lower_Merion_School_District

Common Core Standards: What Special Educators Need Know

In Michigan, the MI Department of Ed has adopted common core standards for K-12 English Language Arts and Math. Due to teachers and parents asking me: "What's going to happen with our special ed students?" I am hoping this link provides an answers from the Council For Exceptional Children:

http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CEC_Today1&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=15269

Detroit Public Schools: Judge Wendy Baxter Decision Overturned

From Aurora Harris:

Dear Readers,


The following message from Friday March 18th is about Judge Wendy Baxter's decision on academic control of DPS by the Detroit Board of Education. Judge Baxter's earlier decision has been overturned. The message is from a Detroit Community group:

Judge Wendy Baxter was asked today by Special Assistant Attorney General John Clark to stay her order that granted the Board specific powers under the court's interpretation of the old PA 72 of 1990 that created the basis for emergency financial managers. With the new law, the old language that the judge based her decision on was eliminated. BY STAYING HER ORDER, THE E.M. NOW HAS TOTAL POWER OVER THE DISTRICT. HENCE STUDENTS, PARENTS AND TAXPAYERS NO LONGER HAVE A VOICE THROUGH AN ELECTED BODY. Board Attorney George Washington and Board President Anthony Adams say that, given the change in the law, the judge had no choice. The total responsibility for this reversal is due to Lansing. "No one should blame the judge one bit," says Washington. "She was bound by the new law." He added that people are going have to engage in direct actions to affect the conditions that we now face. Anthony Adams said that "its unfortunate that the Legislature changed the law to disempower the people of Detroit to participate in the education of their children."

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"Detroiters for Dignity and Democracy" subscribers: