Monday, September 13, 2010

A bungle to Chamblee's charter?

Re: Thursday 8/19/2010, at Chamblee Charter High School's Curriculum Night and PTSA meeting

Robert Moseley of DCSS announced that of the 212 students scheduled to be placed at CCHS on Aug. 30, 2010, 108 were confirmed and would be sent to the Chamblee Charter High School Annex to be opened at the former Elizabeth Andrews High School, which also served as the Open School Campus on Mtn. Ind. Pkwy. These students will have an assistant principal who will report to CCHS principal, Rochelle Lowery, and a staff of teachers. They are to be assigned eight currently empty classrooms. They will have the option to receive transportation to CCHS main campus for extra-curricular activites in the afternoons. They are to be considered de facto CCHS students, taught by CCHS teachers.

CCHS is a charter school. Its charter establishes qualifying factors to allow for a student to attend CCHS. Resident high school students living in the CCHS school district may attend CCHS. To attend the DCSS Magnet Program for High Achievers consisting of Kittredge, Chamblee Middle School and CCHS, students are subject to qualifying GPAs, must submit applications on a timely basis as required by DCSS, and are then drawn from a lottery, which is held annually.

There is also a waiting list for seats distributed by this lottery. Students interested in attending the CCHS Magnet School for High Achievers who are not selected in lottery, must reapply annually. The CCHS Charter requires students who are DeKalb County residents and wish to attend CCHS to also be drawn by an annual lottery for any available spots.

The 212 students slated to be placed at CCHS's newly-formed Annex are not CCHS school district residents, are not Magnet school lottery participants, and have not been chosen in the CCHS lottery for DCSS wishing to attend CCHS.

One unfortunate effect of this decision by DCSS officials is that this is in direct violation of CCHS's Charter, and as such, may serve to disqualify CCHS's ability to qualify for grant money as a charter school. In addition, by not following the charter as approved by the State Board of Education, DCSS is, in effect, forcing CCHS to violate the terms of its charter.

===

Sent to the blog by Anonymous

61 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't be the first massive Bob Moseley screw up.

And he'll wiggle out of assuming any responsibility or blame. Dude would make for an awesome snake oil salaesman.

Anonymous said...

Obviously, according to Robert Moseley, the anonymous poster is just "background noise". Big Bob can't be bothered by Chamblee's "background noise!"

Didn't Sandy Spruill have something to do with writing the charter? What does she think? Plus, I remember someone talking about this the day after curriculum night.

If this is the case, couldn't administrators all over the country do the same thing? Most of DCSS leadership is obviously against charters since it takes funds away from the district. Am I right on this? Can someone sue Robert Moseley personally for being a detriment to the school system?

Can Ms. Tyson finally ask Bob for his resignation?

What's up with this news?

Anonymous said...

DCSS "Officials" ... Keep digging your hole ... pretty soon it will be hard to climb out of without major consequences.

Anonymous said...

There are other charter schools in DCSS that have been deemed "Receiving" Schools - Peachtree Charter Middle School comes to mind.

Paula Caldarella said...

From the DOE updated July, 2004:

Charter Schools and the Title I Public School Choice Provisions
B-1. May an eligible charter school that is part of an LEA be listed as a choice option for parents who wish to transfer their child to a higher-performing school?
Yes. LEAs may list charter schools under their jurisdiction that have not been identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring as choice options.


http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/charterguidance03.doc

Anonymous said...

Could these students by "AYP" students? Charter or not, Chamblee has always had a lot of transfers coming to the school (back when I was in school, it was in the "M to M" program).

BTW, the SAT scores are out today. Chamblee had a 1628 overall, #11 overall and tops in DeKalb County over #13 Lakeside (1617). Back when I was in school there about 10 years ago, I think Chamblee was closer to the top (#3 or #4) statewide. We gotta catch back up...

Anonymous said...

CCHS has been a receiving school for most years. It is unfortunate, but conversion charter schools have to work really hard to retain their charter characteristics.

In the early years of NCLB/AYP, it was legal for charters to be receiving schools. I believe the law has changed, but the school council really has to pay attention and be its own best advocate.

Conversion charters have governance councils, but especially in middle and high school there is such a constant turnover of parents as their children move through the school, that a tremendous amount of institutional memory is lost.

Sandy Spruill said...

Good morning, Dunwoody Mom! (6:58 AM)

The NCLB rules for public school choice have been updated. I am referencing NCLB Public School Choice Non-regulatory Guidance, January 14, 2009.

Paula Caldarella said...

Thank, Sandy, I'll take a look.

Paula Caldarella said...

Sandy, this is from the 2009 document:

Except in the situations described in E-10 and E-12, students must be given the option to transfer to other public schools, which may be charter schools, within the LEA

Of course, it does not let schools for performing arts off either:

May specialty schools, such as schools for the performing arts, be offered to students as transfer options?

Yes. However, LEAs do not need to disregard entrance requirements when identifying transfer options for students. For example, an LEA may require students wishing to transfer to a fine arts magnet school or to a school for gifted students to meet the normal eligibility requirements for those schools, even if there are no other choices available to eligible students in the LEA.


So, DSA could become a receiving school as long as the students applying meet the entrance requirements.

Anonymous said...

Dunwoody Mom

You missed this part

In order to be eligible for funding under the Department’s Charter Schools Program (CSP), a charter school must admit students on the basis of a lottery if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated [Section 5210(1)(H)]. The Department’s program guidance for charter schools (available at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/cspguidance03.doc) allows only limited exceptions to the general rule that lotteries must give all students an equal chance to gain admission to a charter school. (See Section C of that guidance.) However, for the limited purpose of providing greater choice to students seeking to transfer under the public school choice provisions, a charter school may weight its lottery in favor of those students and still remain in compliance with CSP requirements. For example, a school could provide each student seeking a transfer under the public school choice provisions with two or more chances to win the lottery, while all other students would have one chance to win.

Chamblee has already received its monies from the CSP, but I still think the same rules applied.

Lynn

Anonymous said...

That should say the same rules still apply.

Lynn

Paula Caldarella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I was under the impression that Charter School grant monies were only available during the first few years of the life of the Charter School? How is it that CCHS still thinks this is an issue for them?

Anonymous said...

I interpret this to mean that charter schools that are receiving monies from the federal charter schools program must have a lottery and the integrity of the lottery cannot be messed with. However, if a charter school chooses to give priority to students from schools that must offer AYP choice, they can do so in their lottery. (Giving those students two chances vs 1 for everyone else.)

The federal definition of a charter school is as follows:

(1) CHARTER SCHOOL- The term charter school' means a public school that —

(H) is a school to which parents choose to send their children, and that admits students on the basis of a lottery, if more students apply for admission than can be accommodated

A problem is that conversion schools, as we know them in GA, are really not what the charter movement is about anymore. So the legislation and rules about and for charters aren't always particularly applicable. Obviously, our conversions in GA have attendance zones, something the federal regs don't acknowledge very much anymore.

Lynn

Paula Caldarella said...

Well, this is all as clear as mud, isn't it? I know Peachtree Charter MS has been/is a receiving school and I don't recall there was much "conversation" surrounding this.

Sandy Spruill said...

@ Anonymous 1:11 AM

Actually, charter schools are public schools within the school district that approved the charter. (The exception to this in Georgia is when a school district BOE digs in its heels and refuses to approve a well-thought-out charter and the state approves the charter through what is basically an appeals process.)

And, no, charter schools do not take money away from DCSS. "Per-pupil" funds follow the student. That is all. If the students who enroll in a charter school left the district entirely to go to private school, then those per-pupil funds are lost to the school district. (Just so there is no confusion, per-pupil funds do NOT follow the student to private school. But they are lost to DCSS whenever a student chooses private school over a DCSS school, charter or traditional.)

I have never understood why DCSS opposes charters and makes life difficult for charters when they often provide the choice that parents want and would pay for private school to get. When students choose private school over DCSS, per-pupil funds are lost.

Per-pupil funds are based on the FTE count in October and, again in March or April, I think, of each year. Per-pupil funds are NOT based on the number of school-age children in the DCSS attendance area. Per-pupil funds are based on the number of students enrolled -- the FTE count -- in each DCSS school.

Sarah? Zepora? I'm talking to you! Instead of whining about keeping your under-enrolled schools open "for the children" -- and thereby losing state funds -- you should be inviting charters in to your schools, working with parents to create conversion charters that will attract more students. Charter schools are the real "theme schools"!

I think the opposition to charter schools -- and their second-class treatment by school districts -- is based in ignorance and jealousy. And one more thing -- hard work. When done right, it's hard work starting a charter and keeping it going. Some people would rather snipe and complain than do the hard work to achieve excellence in education.

Paula Caldarella said...

Makes one wonder how DCSS is going to react to the Charter clusters that will most likely be coming their way.

Anonymous said...

Dunwoody Mom, I can guarantee you that DCSS will fight the Charter Clusters as much as possible.

Another question, is Moseley trying to mess up CCGS Charter status? The story I heard was that Ms. Tyson had a plan to allow 50 AYP transfers into CCHS. However, Beasley and Moseley, conspired and changed her directive and allowed all the transfers first choice, creating the issue we have now with the wonderful CCHS annex at Open Campus(Eliz. Andrews at the Palace)

Anonymous said...

My understanding of the situation is slightly different. For freshmen, which is the grade level with the most demand for AYP choice, there were three choices originally. Annex at Arabia, CCHS, and a DOLA annex at McNair High.

Each student wanting choice, must indicate a first and second choice. They don't have to be given their first choice .

The problems began when Beasley decided that the DOLA annex at McNair was a bad idea. I happen to agree with this. Expecting scores of 9th graders to take only online courses and to be successful was not a sound idea. However, the plane had left the gate and if parents were willing to accept that option for their children for this year, then so be it.

When the third choice went away, I think Beasley and Moseley basically split the difference and said give everyone their first choice.

Now is the time for them to plan for next year. If you read the guidance document that Sandy linked, there are lots of different options.

In my opinion, it is time to start closing schools that hare in NI 5 and higher and reopening as them as something new and vibrant and with some possibility of success. In addition, Tyson must follow through on her commitment to open at least one new school to be a receiving school next year in an already vacant building.

Lynn

Anonymous said...

The board had been told 50 transfers as had the school. Last year, when nearly the same number of high schools had to offer choice there were actually very few takers and I suspect that the system used those numbers to project for this year. Of course, the choices weren't perceived to be good options. Through in Chamblee and Arabia Mt. and thinks picked right back up.

Lynn

Anonymous said...

IMO a conversion charter is very different animal that from a start-up charter school. From working in many conversion charters in DCSS, I would say that the "chain of command" is VERY much in place in the conversion charter. That is to say, the conversion charter administrators will follow all Central Office directives just like any other school in DCSS. The principal is the principal in that school at the grace of the superintendent.

I have never worked in one of the Startup Charter Schools (locally approved schools created by petitions brought forth by parents, organizations or local public entities), but it seems those are the ones that the DCSS administration and the BOE really are worried about. The problems they may have with these schools are:
1. Loss of control from the standpoint of the Central Office not being able to hire and fire the staff. DCSS micromanages to the point of employing 1 Central Office person to every 5 teachers and routinely implements "scripted" learning programs for teachers. This is a system that is serious about power and control.

2. Loss of funding from Title 1 funds for those Title 1 students who leave the DCSS and go to independent charter schools. Do not underestimate the importance of Title 1 funds. Title 1 funds are used to fund "pet programs" such as America's Choice ($8,000,000), and Springboard ($1,400,000), a cadre of non-teaching positions such as Instructional Coaches and Literacy Coaches ($9,000,000), the Family Services coordinators ($4,000,000+) the Office of School Improvement personnel (?millions), and learning conferences (Hollywood trip $400,000?). This cottage industry takes up the lions share of Title 1 funding (which totals around $34,000,000 a year).

3. Loss of support and administrative positions. Less students will place greater pressure to reduce the numbers of admin and support. Teachers are pretty fluid in that charter schools can absorb teachers while they really can't absorb the admin and support overhead of the DCSS non-teaching group.

Others know the funding issues better than I, but I believe the DCSS taxpayer sees a decrease in tax obligations with respect to independent charter schools. This is my understanding. An independent charter school only receives the state's allocation of per pupil funding (actually much and that's being contested in the courts). DCSS spends substantially more than the state allotment. To get this additional per pupil money DeKalb taxpayers pay more in taxes. Therefore, if thousands of students moved off our rolls, taxpayers would save money on the difference in the state allotment and the extra money we are taxed for per pupil spending above what the state allows.

I think most of the noise the DCSS administration and the BOE make have more to do with funding and control than concerns with student achievement.

Cerebration said...

Exactly, and I think they are underestimating the toll these charters are taking on enrollment. For more info, read this post on the subject -

North vs Central vs South - what's the deal?

The standard "go-to" answer to the transfers out of neighborhood schools is "our children have to ride a bus to the north end"... while that was certainly true years ago, today it is not. Today, the south end has a network of theme, choice and charter schools from which to choose to send their children. In fact, three new charters opened this year (Museum, Leadership and Peachtree Hope) and none of them are in the north end of the county.

Anonymous said...

Title I funds follow the student to a charter school or to a private school.

Anonymous said...

Title 1 funds do not follow the students to either a charter school or a private school. Title 1 funds are tied to a school not the student.

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous 3:42
"Title 1 funds do not follow the students to either a charter school or a private school. Title 1 funds are tied to a school not the student."

It really depends on what type of charter you have before you can make that statement.
http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/fs/title1_allocation.htm

Title 1 schools get aid based on the percent of students that qualify for reduced or free lunch. The greater percentage of students that qualify, the greater your aid will be. The terms of the aid change as well. If you decrease the number eligible students, then your aid allocation changes as well. That's what I meant about loss of Title 1 funding if charter schools become too great in number (see Anonymous 3:16 pm).
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html

Anonymous said...

I think parents all over the county are looking at every option for their children. That's the inherent fear on the part of the DCSS administration and BOE.

Anonymous said...

This blog is great for misinformation, wishful thinking, and a general negativity. Conversion charters may by both state and federal law be receiving schools for NCLB mandated transfers. The school system get to pick the recieving schools. Probelm being that a receiving school must have made AYP. That narrows the choice somewhat. There is little information as to whether students who need help in a non AYP school are the ones to transfer or if it is the students whose famiiles care the most. What can we do to make things better rather than grouse about Moseley?

Anonymous said...

Here is a more up to date link about charter schools and Title 1 funding:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget10/summary/edlite-section1.html

Be True to Your School said...

@ Anonymous 3:59 PM

I wouldn't mind so much that you are giving out misinformation in your post -- if only you had not started out by criticizing others who, you say, give out misinformation.

Please document where you have gotten the information you posted. Please include the URL(s) and/or document title(s), document date(s) and the page(s) on which the information you cite in your post is found.

Anonymous said...

Yes Title I funds do follow the student whether to a private or charter school. Each school district is also assigned private schools to which they provide services for Title I eligible students who attend that school. All of the private Catholic schools receive Title I assistance from their assigned district as do many of the"elite" private schools...check with you Title I office to find out which schools Dekalb provides services.

Cerebration said...

I read the Leadership Academy's charter -- their cash flow budget had a line item for Title 1 income. $75,000 was the estimate for year 1, increasing to $125,000 year 5. They also included income from the federal meal plan - $175,000 year 1 to 292,000 year 5. They even have a $25,000 line item for federal grants.

Here are their notations about these items -

Title 1 - $250 per student [59 or 71% of the 93 Elem Schools are Title I schools. 93 of all the DCSS Schools and centers qualified for Title I funding in 2008-09 - DSCC Website]

Lunch - 75% FRL @ $4.10/day [66% of students identifed as ecomoniciall disadvantaged in 2007-08 school year - GADOE-District Profile]

Grant - Federal Charter School Program (Title Vb)

(All of this can be downloaded at the state DOE website)

Anonymous said...

In terms of conversion charter schools, the title 1 monies absolutely do not follow a child unless the school is title 1.

Start up charters must also qualify under to receive Title 1 monies. I believe the threshold in DCSS right now is about 55 percent free and reduced lunch.

Cerebration said...

Check out this charter in Atlanta -

Education from cradle to college curbs poverty, produces Gates scholars

Jeffrey Johnson had better odds of going to prison in handcuffs than to college on scholarship.

et, today, at 19, he is a carefree sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania -- an alternate reality from his childhood in southeast Atlanta. In the hard-scrabble hood where Johnson grew up, high fives swapped cash for crack, gunfire settled gang beefs and poverty was the heirloom passed down to generations.

For Jeff Johnson, not even home offered much refuge.

“I would have to get up at 12 at night to go and walk around the corner with my mother as she tried to get a fix,” he said of his childhood. “My dad and I would go to even worse neighborhoods where he would shake someone’s hand and I would later find out that it was a drug transaction. It’s a life not many people are able to come out of."

But Johnson came out of it, in large part because of the "cradle to college pipeline" at Charles Drew Charter School -- an academic haven where student test scores have zoomed 200 percent in 10 years and circumstance is no predictor of failure.

Anonymous said...

Anon. 3:59.. I grouse about Moseley since the current leadership has done nothing to improve the schools that are NOT making AYP. It seems, I said seems, to me DCSS has fewer schools making AYP each year, which is giving the parents fewer schools to choose from. Moseley had to know by allowing more students into CCHS there would be a problem, especially since CCHS building is in terrible shape.

We grouse about Moseley because he is part of the problem! He had to know what was happening during the reigns of clew and Pope. He also handled the numbers, until Dan Drake arrived.

The current leadership should be looking for work, all you have to do is research the salary increases of our leadership. Cere has spoken about it and linked to Ga. State salary sites frequently. It's disgusting the raises these folks have gotten yet DCSS continues to slide down the slope into the abyss of failure!

Anonymous said...

"It seems, I said seems, to me DCSS has fewer schools making AYP each year, which is giving the parents fewer schools to choose from."

No. It's a fact. DCSS has had more schools who DID NOT MAKE AYP every year until this year we reached the lowest school system in the metro area.

Yes. It's obscene that the DCSS administration including all of the former superintendent's Cabinet (they are all still there minus Gloria Talley), the Director of School Improvement, and the DCSS BOE have not been held responsible for the decline in student achievement. They are directly responsible for student achievement. Instead they have received double digit raises. Until you hold these folks accountable for student performance, we will get what we pay for - and our children will pay the most of all.

Anonymous said...

One point that I do not understand is the total enrollment. As mentioned here, charter schools typically hold lotteries to allocate the open seats. How is the total maximum enrollment established? What about adding more trailers?

Cerebration said...

Below is a list of salary increases from 2003 -

Name 2003 -2009

Moseley, Robert 104,255-165,039
Alexander, Sonja 87,824-108,177
Lewis, Crawford 111,665-287,991
Lewis, Harold 51,276-109,385
Tyson, Ramona 99,960-165,035
Mitchell, Felicia 94,732-125,284
Yvonne Sanders-Butler 85,428-112,956
Berry, Audria 83,008-116,314
Turk, Marcus 74,188-165,035
Thompson, Alice 99,810-124,049
Moody, Cointa 32,773-92,192
Guillory, David 70,574-114,639
Guillory, Philandrea 64,392-114,627
Edwards, Jamal 31,599.68-$58,101.60
Beasley, Morcease 93,919-(???)
Wilson, Jamie L, Jr. 85,902-165,035
Freeman, Timothy 104,973-124,049
Segovis, Terry 94,578-122,195
Dunson, Horace 90,606-122,195
Simpson, Ralph 95,826-122,195

Anonymous said...

To Sandy Spruill 933. last sentence: Amen, sister!

Anonymous said...

Guillory, Philandrea 64,392-114,627
Edwards, Jamal 31,599.68-$58,101.60


Who in this economy has their salaries doubled in a six year period? No one, except, the daughter and son of a former BOE member.

Anonymous said...

Sandy Spruill 9/14 @9:33 a.m.:

How fascinating. Are you a candidate for BOE this election cycle? I'm a bit foggy, so I apologize for the question. If you are, I'm a bit surprised at the tone you take with sitting board members, and how you call them out (complete with exclamation marks!) on this board, and imply "whining", etc.

Tell me -- what do you think will happen if these incumbents actually manage to get re-elected? In my mind, you have just blown any chance of having a working relationship with them, which you of course will need -- irrespective of what you think of them and their service on this board. I get your passion and animation, but -- um -- and you'll have to trust me on this -- you're digging a hole. Try to dial it back a bit. These things count for more than meets the eye. And that has nothing to do with malfeasance, corruption, weak standards, charter schools or "transfers". It has everything to do with exercising good grace -- even when you don't want to.

Cerebration said...

WSB had a report on the transfer of the transfer students from Chamblee to Mtn Industrial... (ala Moses and crew wandering the desert?)

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/24704690/detail.html

200 Students Forced To School 15 Miles Away

Posted: 4:39 pm EDT August 20, 2010
Updated: 5:05 pm EDT August 20, 2010

CHAMBLEE, Ga. -- Two hundred DeKalb County ninth-graders are now set to attend Chamblee Charter High School at a special annex that’s 15 miles away in Stone Mountain.

The students are transfers from schools that did not meet adequate yearly progress under federal mandates. Under the transfer system, students can apply for admittance into a school that passed AYP, but some Chamblee High School parents and students protested when they heard about the sudden influx of ninth-graders into a building they say is already overcrowded.

"I really didn't want them (transfer students) there because the school is really overcrowded already," said Itzel Rojas, a ninth-grader who lives in the Chamblee district.

Parents were concerned when they saw the county add an additional four classroom trailers outside the school. "They don't have the facilities for all 200 kids," said parent Chitra Madi. "I think they're already over-flooded with kids."

Anonymous said...

I'll bet most of the transfer students live closer to the Chamblee annex location than they do to Chamblee.

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous 11:02 pm

"Tell me -- what do you think will happen if these incumbents actually manage to get re-elected? In my mind, you have just blown any chance of having a working relationship with them, which you of course will need........I get your passion and animation, but -- um -- and you'll have to trust me on this -- you're digging a hole. Try to dial it back a bit. "

It seems you are implying that these if BOE members re-elected, they will be taking their ire out on anyone who criticized them during the election cycle. That's actually why there are opposition candidates and supporters of opposition candidates. Opposition candidates and their supporters are critical of the incumbent. That's the reason they run for office. In the end, we should all come together to support the democratic process.

Judging from Sandy's posts, Jim Redovian is her representative.

I was under the impression that once elected, BOE members served all of the citizens of DeKalb County. Please clarify. It sounds like you are saying BOE members who are re-elected are going to have difficulty working with citizens who oppose their re-election no matter how good their ideas are for DeKalb children.

Cerebration said...

If the board gets reelected as is, I give up on the citizens of DeKalb.

Anonymous said...

RE Chamblee, they know they can pretty much do what they want because Chamblee has a principal who will not ask hard questions, will not buck the system even if she thinks it is wrong, who will go with the county flow. They have counted on this in the past to do their dirty work and they know they can count on it again. Because she is a weak link, the charter basically is worthless. It will not be used to Chamblee's benefit and next time around I predict the charter will not even be renewed.

Anonymous said...

God help Dekalb County - What a mess !

Be True to Your School said...

@ Anonymous 6 PM

RE: Chamblee Charter High School

FIRST -- You are completely right about the CCHS principal. She is on record as saying that she does not like charter schools. (She took the job for more money and to ensure that her niece could go to CCHS.) Actually, the current principal is pretty clueless as a principal in general. For these two reasons, alone -- ineptness and no commitment to the charter concept -- the CCHS Governing Council must tell DCSS that they do not want the current principal's contract renewed. And they must tell DCSS that now.

Don't worry about her. DCSS will find a place for her in the central office -- a haven for failed principals.

SECOND, the CCHS Governance Council must begin a search for an excellent principal who believes in charters. There are a number of contacts who can help CCHS find this person:
(1) Lou Erste, GaDOE's director of charter schools is the first contact. He believes in charters and he will have some outstanding recommendations.

(2) Contact Martha Reichrath, deputy superintendent of GaDOE, for recommendations. She was CCHS's first principal -- and she is the person that every applicant for CCHS principal should be measured against.

THIRD -- CCHS needs to take the lead and be proactive in working with Chamblee Middle School and its feeder schools to develop a charter cluster. There is a lot of experienced help for this task. Just ask!

This just in! Chamblee Charter High School ranks #20 in the state in the SAT (out of 438 high schools) and it ranks #1 in DCSS in the SAT!

Anonymous 6 PM -- you don't think CCHS's charter will be renewed in 2014? Just watch!

Anonymous said...

"It seems, I said seems, to me DCSS has fewer schools making AYP each year, which is giving the parents fewer schools to choose from."


It is important to keep in mind that the number of students who need to meet or exceed on the CRCT to make AYP goes up every year. So, at some point in the future we will need a 100% pass rate for a school to make AYP. While this goal is highly desirable, I think it is unrealistic. We can get and keep our failure rates down and that is realistic. The way this law was written, every school has been set up to fail at some point. Let's not write off entire schools without finding out why they didn't make AYP. It only takes one subgroup.

Anonymous said...

Please realize that about 400 of the students at CCHS are in the magnet program. Once the magnet students leave CCHS - those test scores will drop dramatically.

Anonymous said...

Each year the state raises the bar on how autonomous charters need to be. DCSS' conversion schools barely made the cut this past year. Chamblee's renewal was the year before that.

With a new superintendent, perhaps more autonomy will be given to the conversion charters, but if not, do not presume that renewal is a sure thing at the state level. Both Kingsley and Peachtree struggled through this year.

M G said...

2014 (just three years from now) is the magical year when the miracle happens and 100% of students must meet or exceed the standard for the school to make AYP.

themommy said...

And all of American is going to turn into Lake Wobegon where "all children are above average!"

Anonymous said...

Somewhere on the blog there is a discussion about the best teachers not wanting to work for DCSS.

The best principals really don't want to work for DCSS.

No way, no how.

As someone who has served on several interview panels in the last 7 years, I can tell you that the quality of the out of DeKalb and out of state candidates for principals and assistant principals have generally been an unimpressive lot.

On one occasion, one of the parents got very disgusted with the HR folks and kept asking "We paid to fly her/him in?!?" Total disbelief, on the parent's part.

Anonymous said...

I had a DCSS principal tell me her teachers were not motivated. She said if they had any ambitions, they would have moved into a better position like she and I did. When your principals think like this, you know you are in trouble.

Cerebration said...

It's not about the competition to achieve "principalship" -- people should be paid a salary that is respectable with consideration of the job they do. There is now research to back up the fact that $75,000 marks the point at which people are happy with the way their life is going. More than than equals even more "happiness". I'd like to make sure that our teachers at least make this "happiness" money. Money can go a long way toward attracting the best teachers and keeping them "happy".

Money can help buy happiness -- at least if you're bringing in about $75,000 a year, new research shows.

While happiness increases along with annual household incomes up to about $75,000, beyond that, earning more money has no effect on day-to-day contentment, according to the study.

Cerebration said...

For more - read on -

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/642850.html

Anonymous said...

A principal really said that. Wow.

I actually know very few teaches who want to be administrators. However, I think I know very few school house administrators in DCSS who believe that being a principal is the be all and the end all. I have yet, in the last decade or so, to meet very many who are content to retire as a principal. It doesn't mean that it hasn't happened, but I don't think that was their plan.

Anonymous said...

There will be fewer schools next year making AYP because every year the number of students passing goes up until it reachs 100% when all our children should be above average. It is possible therefore to improve your school and student test scores and still not make AYP. Since more students have to pass certain high stakes tests each years we are like Alice, we have to run faster to stay in place.

Anonymous said...

we ought to pay good teachers more than the principals and then we wouldn't have this problem. It is counter productive to tell someone if you want to advance yourself stop doing what is most important and what you are good at so you can move up the economic and career ladder.

Anonymous said...

Also, in terms of AYP, the high schools are only judged on the academic performance of the junior class. Some high schools in DeKalb have real differences in the caliber of students in each class.