Members of the school administration were not the only ones who came prepared.
WW-P Superintendent David Aderhold’s December 7 Town Hall meeting at High School South was organized to address questions from the community and provide clarification on the intent of various curriculum changes, and more than 500 residents registered to attend.
In a preview of the December 15 school board meeting (see story at right), the day of the Accelerated & Enriched (A&E) math program redesign vote, members of the community opposing the proposal raised a banner reading “Slow down change, review change.” In addition, residents unaffiliated with the district set up a tripod video camera near the presenters and taped the entire proceeding, which lasted about 2.5 hours.
The administration’s presentation was based on recurring questions submitted by parents when they registered for the event online. After each segment of the presentation, the administration fielded several questions from the audience. Audience response to questions underscored the divisions that have emerged in the community. Questions on private testing and high stress environment drew applause from one section of the audience, while questions by those skeptical of the administration drew applause from another. At times, those questioning the administration made statements as opposed to questions.
The mission of the district is to develop passionate, confident, lifelong learners, said Aderhold. “Not every change that’s been put forward is about stress. Much of it is about instructional practice. Many of the changes have been discussed over time.”
All parents want their children to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged, he added, but the difference lies in the “steps we take to get there, academics in particular.”
Testing. The administration first addressed this year’s removal of midterm and final exams. Aderhold said the exams are essentially shifted into the marking periods, instead of being administered after the end of the second and fourth marking periods. Midterms and finals are replaced by common assessments during the second and fourth marking periods that also test for cumulative knowledge. He said the curriculum change was not in response to student stress, but because students derived little learning from the high stake assessments.
Martin Smith, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, added that the midterm and finals exam structure was “broken,” with little opportunity for staff to teach, administer exams, and provide feedback. Previously, each midterm and final also counted toward 10 percent of a course’s final grade, while the four marking periods were each weighted 20 percent. The curriculum change results in each marking period being weighted 25 percent.
“The systems we had in place were not facilitating the learning goals. A lot of this is about weighting,” Smith said. “For finals in the last days of school, students were figuring out what test score they needed to maintain or attain a certain grade. By incorporating assessments into the marking period, which gives time for feedback, this gets rid of gaming the system.”
Acknowledging parent concern that the curriculum change under-prepares students for the midterm and finals structure in college, the administration said cumulative exams are still in place, and that AP exams and SAT scores are better indicators of college readiness.
“I’m more concerned with how many students take a highly rigorous curriculum,” Aderhold said. “Quite frankly high quality instruction is what prepares your children.”
In the Q&A session after the first presentation, several parents remained concerned. One parent noted how the curriculum change caused a lot of commotion among her daughter, an alumna, and her friends who are currently preparing for finals in college. Another parent noted the change “isolates kids from the reality of life.”
A&E Redesign. Aderhold said the intent of the curriculum changes to grades four and five A&E is to provide better instruction to high ability students who are currently underserved, particularly students who fall short of testing into the A&E program.
“This was not an A&E program review, this was a G&T review,” Aderhold said. “We don’t micromanage the internal and external reports. Maybe we should. I would not have used the word ‘eliminate.’”
Currently fewer than 10 percent of upper elementary students are enrolled in A&E classes, which are for extremely gifted students. Aderhold said upwards of 30 percent of students could qualify for higher-level mathematics, and the differentiated instruction is intended to provide enrichment for more kids in fourth and fifth grade. Aderhold added it is not appropriate to test students in third grade, and that all fifth graders will be screened for middle school A&E math.
The administration emphasized its confidence in the upper elementary school teachers to provide differentiated instruction, though several parents sought more specifics.
“How are teachers going to differentiate four levels of math?” one parent asked. “Trust is an expensive word. We want to understand: How this is going to be done?”
Another parent asked whether the administration considered expanding A&E in the fourth and fifth grade. “Our students are ready for a much more rigorous program,” math K-5 supervisor Susan Totaro said. “Our students need more and that’s what we’re giving them.”
Smith said differentiated instruction means flexible grouping of all grade four and five math students, similar to the “workshop” model already in place for K-8 language arts classes. Smith said a few math teachers already provide more advanced students with different material, and the new math teacher resource specialist will provide professional development. There will be mini-lessons at the start of class and the classroom will be grouped into different levels with different sets of worksheets.
Ethnic Concerns. An African-American parent asked how the administration plans to address the gross under-representation of students of color. Aderhold reiterated the goal is to have more students in upper level math and that the current two-part screening exam would be replaced by a multiple-measure indicator administered in fifth grade. He also added the A&E program’s “ethnic and gender imbalance” cited in the internal report was “never about limiting those in the program, but more representation of students capable of A&E.”
Andrea Bean, the supervisor of mathematics in grades 6-12, added the new screening measures — to be implemented in the 2017-’18 academic year — aim to get rid of the gender and ethnic bias of the current A&E application process, which relies on parent nomination.
“Some parents are shyer, a little nervous,” Bean said, about pursuing the A&E program.
Of the 1,541 students in fourth and fifth grade in 2014, 442 earned perfect math scores on state standardized tests, while only 129 were in the A&E program. “The goal is having more students in upper level math,” Aderhold said. “We should be very proud. Our students are doing very well.”
Several parents expressed concern about the private tutoring and outside math supplementation some students receive. “How do you compete with that if you have a gifted child?” a parent asked.
Totaro said she’s been seeing this for 26 years and said the A&E resign aims to “provide rigor for all students,” offering a curriculum challenging enough to make outside tutoring unnecessary.
Stress. The final topic of discussion at the town hall was stress. “There is evidence of high rates of stress. I lose a lot of sleep worrying about your children,” Aderhold said, emphasizing this does not mean the administration does not value academic rigor.
He added: “This is not an indictment of anyone or a demographic group. We have to be mindful of structures and systems that put stress on our students. If we don’t build good coping strategies when they’re with us, what happens when they move on?”
Echoing earlier concerns, a parent asked how parents who send their kids to academic camps affects the district.
Smith said: “Teachers have curriculum that is not impacted. What’s the appropriate balance to academic preparation and additional assistance? It is not to encourage parents to enroll kids in courses prior to taking the class.”
Smith also added a previous recommendation in response to stress is to limit the number of AP classes a student can take.
“There is a qualitative way of looking at rigor. What is qualitatively appropriate?” Smith said. “A lot of it is driven by pressure to get into college.”
At the beginning of the Town Hall meeting, Aderhold said the proposed A&E program changes followed the same process as past curriculum changes. In light of the response by some members of the community, Aderhold said, “I’ll own that, that we could do things differently.”
In an E-mail to the News, Aderhold wrote: “Throughout the feedback received, it is clear that there are many areas of agreement; however, there were also areas that required clarification and further explanation.”
Through meetings with various groups, he wrote, “I addressed concerns that were raised, and hoped that people became better informed and that misconceptions were cleared up.”
Aderhold also asked the community to “be mindful in how we treat one another in disagreement.”
“What has happened these past few weeks in the letters to the editor, in the paper, in petitions, and in face-to-face arguments does not represent us well as a community. We are better than that. Our children are watching; let us lead forward together in a different path. It is my hope that we can unite around a vision for the success of ALL students.”
