Agenda for Curriculum Committee Meeting with
Dr. Prendergast - December 19, 2011 - 10:00am-12:00pm
Student Achievement Report Questions/Comments
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- Could it be available 24 hours ahead of time so that community members have time to review and formulate questions in advance?
- This might encourage more people to come if they feel there will be plenty of time for questions.
The Student Achievement Report is put out one hour before the presentation is set to begin so if people would like to review it ahead of time there is time to do so. There is concern as to the context in which data will be reviewed. If people are not able to attend the presentation the report is always posted the next day on the district website and the curriculum coordinators, principals and Dr. Prendergast are always willing to answer questions via e-mail or phone call at any time after the presentation.
- Would it be possible to simply review the highlights of the report rather than reading each chart and graph and focus more on questions by topic/section?
Dr. Prendergast has worked hard to keep the presentation itself to a reasonable amount of time to allow for questions and comments from parents.
- AP Latin scores don’t reflect the number of students enrolled in the class.
Latin scores on page 36 of SAR should read as follows: Passing 86%, score of 5 is 43%, score of 4 is 43%, score of 3 is 0%, score of 2 is 0% and score of 1 is 14%.
- 8th grade math assessment scores in comparison to 7th grade scores show a significant decline.
The 8th grade state math assessment has always served as a gatekeeper and therefore been extremely difficult. All 8th graders take the state math assessment (accelerated and non-accelerated students). When compared to other high performing districts our scores are excellent.
2. Co-teaching class in Spanish at the middle school
a. Why doesn’t the middle school offer a co-teaching class in Spanish?
1. This would benefit students by allowing them to remain in
electives and lessen the need for support classes.
Most special education students need one credit in a foreign
language to graduate. We offer support in Spanish (this is
unique to our district) but this often decreases
the opportunity for special education students to
participate in elective classes. It is difficult to find a special
education teacher who is certified in foreign languages, it
is costly to add an additional teacher to serve as a co-
teacher in another subject area especially with the current
budget constraints and this could make scheduling more
challenging because many special education students would
have to be fit into one co-teaching class in Spanish.
3. Teacher webpages
a. Why can’t the school district require that teachers update
webpages?
` `This is a contractual issue that could be addressed with the
Garden City Teacher’s Association.
b. Could there be a minimum criteria of what should be on
teacher webpages?
If the GCTA agrees then this criteria could be established. The
school district has worked very hard at improving
communication between school and home. The primary schools
have newsletters that are frequently sent home to parents. The
middle school and elementary schools have a monthly
newsletter that is e-mailed to parents. The parent portal
provides middle school and high school parents with running
averages, grades and other important information. All of the
schools have more information on home pages.
4. Standardized Tests
a. In these difficult budget times does the district gain enough
valuable information from standardized tests that are not
required to continue giving them so frequently?
With the new APPR regulations mandated by New York State,
school district will be required to give more standardized
assessments. State test scores will be worth 20% of a teacher’s
assessment score while a local assessment will be worth an
additional 20%. The state is mandating that we use a 3rd party
assessment as a local test (grades 4-8 starting this year in ELA and
Math). The district is currently reviewing other standardized
assessments to find one to use this spring. Due to the increase in
mandated standardized tests, the district will be scrutinizing
every single non-mandated standardized test to determine if it is
absolutely necessary. Each test given takes away valuable
instructional class time.
- CogAT test is given in 3rd and 5th grade to determine eligibility for the Quest program
- In the absence of a Quest program in middle school is it necessary to test the entire 5th grade for a handful of students to gain admittance to a program for 5 months?
This will be reviewed this year for the reasons given above.
- ERB Wrap test is given in 3rd, 7th and 9th grade
- Scores on this test appear to be constant year after year. Is it necessary to give it three times during the career of a student
This will be reviewed this year for the reasons given above. We
have also added other assessments within the curriculum that
assist the district in determining where we need to make
curriculum changes (grammar series, writing benchmarks in
grades 6-12).
Agenda for Curriculum Committee Meeting with
Dr. Prendergast - October 24, 2011
- FLES Program at the elementary schools
- Has there ever been a formal evaluation of the FLES program to see if there are concrete benefits from the program? Students are evaluated daily in the FLES program. There is great articulation between the middle school and the elementary school. Middle school teachers have seen great improvement in spoken language, writing, even math skills and feel it is a result of FLES program. Even the teachers of other foreign languages have seen a positive difference in students as a result of the FLES program. There is a formal 5th grade assessment of Spanish skills but the results are for internal use only (a check of the program). There is talk at the middle school of an assessment but students now take the FLACS (replaced the state proficiency exam which was cut by the state last year) at the end of 8th grade and our students did very well on it. Mr. Giacalone, curriculum coordinator for world languages, said that student scores on state assessments have risen as a result of language skills gained through the FLES program.
- Why has the structure of the program changed?
- Initially a push in program and now a pull out “special”
- Increase in the amount of time for program (two forty minute periods a cycle)
Structure of the FLES program has changed because teachers found they did not have enough time to teach when they were moving from class to class with supplies on a cart (they were given 20 minutes which was reduced to 18 when you take into account time for movement from room to room). When empty rooms became available at the elementary schools then FLES teachers moved into classrooms and expanded time to 40 minutes twice a cycle. This increase in time better allows teachers to prep kids for the middle school.
- Why do students not receive a grade for FLES when they receive one for Phys Ed, Art and Music?
- When the district creates new elementary report cards will a grade for FLES be included?
The goal of FLES is for students to have a positive experience in a foreign language with no fear of a bad grade. Most other FLES programs do not have grades for this reason. Also, the subjects that receive grades on the report card are all state mandated programs (Phys Ed, Art, Music, etc.). However, we pointed out that parents would like to have some communication as to a student’s progress in FLES. There were several suggestions made by curriculum committee members which Mr. Giacalone and Dr. Prendergast will consider for the future such as an insert into the report card with comments about student performance, a checklist sent home monthly with work done in the FLES program that would help parents see how students are doing, better communication about the possibility of parents having conferences with FLES teachers and visiting the FLES classrooms at Back to School Night and Open House. It was also pointed out that at Stratford FLES work comes home monthly and at Stewart it comes home rarely. Mr. Giacalone said he will follow up on this.
- Differentiation at the primary and elementary schools
- “Things my Child Likes to Do” form distributed to parents caused much confusion
- Cover Letter needs to explain to parents that this is a part of the differentiation initiative by the school district
- Purpose of form needs to be clear on cover letter
Dr. Prendergast agreed with this and she is working with the principals to draft a new and improved letter with more information.
- Timing of the letter and form was challenging for parents – perhaps it would be better sent in the summer packets before the beginning of school
Dr. Prendergast agreed that it was too much paperwork the first week of school so the schools will consider sending the letter in the summer packet next year.
- Consistency among schools/classes
- Some classes filled out “Me” chart in school others had it done at home
Dr. Prendergast said that schools are working to be more consistent and will ask that everyone do it in the same way next year.
- Differentiation pamphlet given to parents gave them an idea of district goals in this area
- Could we have a presentation that demonstrates exactly what is done in the classrooms?
The primary and elementary schools are planning presentations on differentiation at future PTA meetings.
- Middle School Library
- Hours of operation – library is not open for any significant time before school, after school or during lunch hours
- When will students have access to library?
Dr. Prendergast said that the library is staffed from 7:30am-8:05am with a school district employee, then Mr. Daniels, the middle school librarian, from 8:05-8:30 and then Mr. Daniels from 3:17-3:30. Mr. Daniels is also in the library several other periods during the day and often the library is covered by a teacher as a duty period. Dr. Osroff has communicated these hours to the parents and students through the middle school newsletter, the middle school website and morning announcements. Dr. Prendergast told the committee that a middle school is very different from a high school or even an elementary school where students have study halls, free periods and flexibility throughout the day to visit the library. In middle school students are scheduled every minute of the day and are only free before school, after school and for the 20 minutes during lunch. Committee members felt that the library should and could be the hub of the school (as it is in some other middle schools on Long Island) and would like to see it more available to students.
- Research at the library – librarian is only available a few periods a day
- Have teachers been trained to assist students with research projects?
Teachers have been trained to assist students with research projects by Mr. Daniels, the librarian. There has been staff development in this area regarding research and plagiarism.
- Could library skills be taught to students in Home Base? Would this be a good time for students to use the library for research on a regular basis?
Home Base is considered a duty period therefore teachers cannot be required to teach during this time. We did suggest the idea of having the Home Base teachers bring the students to the library on a regular basis, perhaps once every other cycle.
- OPAC system still does not work
OPAC system has been fixed.
Superintendent Curriculum Committee Meeting Summary
December 2010
1. Parents are concerned that our SAT results continue to be lower than those of students in comparable districts. In reality:
-our results went up from last year (24 points in reading, 6 points in math and 23 points in writing)
-we outperformed 8 of the 12 districts we compare ourselves to in reading
-we only outperformed one district in math
-in GC 95% of our kids took the SAT (regardless of ability level as we encourage all of our kids to take it and discourage none), this is not always the case in comparable districts
-it is important to look at the scores of the top 25%ile who did well
-we are going to make a bigger push for students to also take the ACT (different kind of test, SAT is an aptitude test while the ACT is content based), in 2006 only 80 students took ACT, in 2010 171 students took ACT (some students perform better on one test or the other)
What can we do to improve SAT scores in district?
- Survey senior parents (PTA will help develop questions for this). We want to know what students did to prepare: take classes (which ones), private tutors, students study on their own. Did scores go up after taking classes? (in the past the school district did offer a prep course sponsored by Princeton Review but it was primarily taken by students outside the district so it was eliminated).
- Review performance by sophomores and juniors on PSAT. Parents received detailed printouts of student performance. (PTA will help with this) This is private info, so if parents would be willing to share info we could learn where our weaknesses lie and put elements into curriculum to improve performance. District will look into their ability to get a detailed printout from the College Board of student performance on PSAT.
2.Could the data in the Student Achievement Report be made available to parents ahead of time?
- Numbers alone do not give a full picture, you need to frame questions based on the presentation and the information. Handouts will be available to parents at least 30 minutes prior to the presentation so parents can come early that night to review it. They can also call or e-mail questions after the report is given.
3 .The WrAP test results continue to be low despite an increased emphasis on writing. Is it worth continuing to give it in this time of budgetary concerns?
-It costs the district approximately $3000 to give test. Scores have gone up slowly. We need the longitudinal data to continue to improve writing in the district. Next year will be the first class to take the test in 3rd grade and in 7th grade, then we can really see how writing has improved over time with the same students.
4.Changes in English Regents Exams
-Began as a one day 3 hour exam, then changed to a two day 6 hour exam and now returns to a one day 3 hour exam (perhaps because last year snowstorms caused schools upstate to close on second day of test therefore invalidating exam for those districts).
-Structure is similar to that of exam given in past, same three parts. The real issue is the change in scoring which will not be determined by state until after exam is given in January (Garden City will give exam in June to most juniors and some sophomores).
5. SAT Subject Test Review Courses
-Will offer six: Literature, U.S. History, World History, Math Level 1, Math Level 2, Biology
-Will limit kids able to take review classes to Garden City students
-Will offer classes through continuing education program, four sessions at GCHS from 7-9:30pm Monday through Thursday at a cost of $200 per class (cost is in excess of $500 at other prep programs)
-Classes will run in the month of May so that students will be ready to take subject tests in June
-Have GCHS faculty who will teach classes
-First come, first served – limited number of seats per class
-Want to encourage more kids to take SAT subject tests because even if they are not required for college of choice they can bolster applications if scores are good
-SAT subject test packet being put together by Dr. Prendergast with lots of important info
-Biology – we do not cover two units in our Living Environment class that appear on Biology SAT subject test (plants and genetics) – Dr. Prendergast is asking that if Biology teachers can fit units into school year curriculum they should do so and if not then the teachers will run a class after school to teach those two units (similar to Regents review class, it is held right after school for 2 hours and at no cost to students)
6. BOCES released regional AP data
-This information is now posted on the school district website with the Student Achievement Report.
Summary of Curriculum Committee Meeting
with Dr. Prendergast on October 20, 2010
- Guided Reading in the Primary and Elementary Schools
Guided reading is only one part of our literacy program in the primary and elementary schools. It is used as an instructional support for teachers. We currently follow the guided reading program in grades K-3 and teachers in grades 4-5 are receiving training from our district staff developer Erica Pecorale this year. A Title II grant pays for this training so that our fourth and fifth grades will soon be using the guided reading program as well. Guided reading levels will be shared with parents at the fall and spring conferences. If parents ever have questions or concerns about their child’s progress in reading they can always contact the classroom teacher. Our district follows the Fountas and Pinnell leveled reading program. The text gradient chart will be put on the district website so that parents will be aware of the grade level reading expectations of the program. We do teach to the state standards which require that students be exposed to many different genres of reading throughout the school year. A cap on the students guided reading level is to be viewed as a guideline. It will be up to the classroom teacher to determine whether a child is stopped at a specific level. Students who might exceed the cap level would be the exception. Summer reading lists will be reviewed to better reflect the guided reading levels. The elementary principals will discuss guided reading at their next PTA meetings and their power point presentations will be available on the school district website.
- Middle School and High School Special Education Programs
It would be hard to create a course booklet for special education students as the needs change every year based on the students individualized education program (IEP). The regular high school course catalog always says that courses will only run if there is sufficient enrollment. It is difficult to determine which elective courses will actually run as the printing of the high school course description catalog takes place prior to the students scheduling process. . If special education parents have questions regarding elective course selection for students they should speak with their guidance counselor first and then if necessary the special education curriculum coordinator. It is hard to determine what courses will run in advance. The special education course curriculum is developed by a combination of general education teachers and special education teachers because the goal is always for special education students to sit for Regents exams first and if that is not possible or they fail then they sit for RCT exams (if it is offered by the state). Co-taught classes always follow a Regents level curriculum. Special education students generally have three options for graduation requirements:
- Regents Diploma (must pass a minimum of 5 Regents exams)
- Local Diploma (must pass RCT exams which are not always offered by the state education department)
- IEP Diploma
There are no Regents classes offered that extend the length of the course to assist slower learners as that has been very unsuccessful in other districts because students lose a lot over the summer. Instead we offer support classes to go along with individual classes to help students keep up with the Regents level pace. There are many extra help options for special education and regular education students to help them to be successful with Regents level classes including Home Base (middle school only), support classes, after school homework programs (middle school) and before and after school regularly scheduled extra help classes. Transition between schools has always been a concern for all students but can be a real concern for special education students. The district is considering organizing a meeting for parents of special education students in 8th grade before the spring CSE meetings to address parent questions and concerns with the transition to the high school
Summary of October 22, 2009 Curriculum Committee Meeting
Student Illness During Final Exams
It is the Board of Education that sets district policies. There are several policies that discuss final exams and absences. Basically they say that final exams should be given at the end of a school year. Students should attend school regularly and be absent only for excused reasons such as illness, death in the family, religious holidays, etc. There is a BOE policy that says that students who are legally absent should be given reasonable time to make up work that was missed. This is why we have makeup days for final exams. Regents exam dates and tests are determined by the state and are given only one day per regular school year (can be made up in August or January if missed in June) so they are deemed as most important. Other exams are given at the discretion of the school district. No students missed Regents exams due to illness. Approximately 30 (out of 1100) students missed regular final exams at the middle school. The decision as to exempt a student from finals is done on a case by case basis and is made by the principal. At the middle school the final exam is worth 2 test grades or approximately 10% of a student’s grade. Students who did not take the final exam simply got their 4th quarter average. Dr. Prendergast said that some students did take final exams on the makeup days. The school does follow up with the parents of students who are ill during finals.
Research Papers
There is a district-wide initiative to improve research and writing skills across the curriculum. The process is more important than the product. The goal is for the research process to be consistent and progressive throughout the grades with steps and deadlines imposed to aid the students in the process and with time management. Every child in each of these grades will do a research paper.
6th grade – Science
7th grade - English and Social Studies joint project
8th grade – English and Social Studies joint project
9th grade - Poetry and Living Environment (if accelerated in Science in MS)
10th grade – Living Environment (if not accelerated in MS) and/or benchmarks through literature
11th grade – literary criticisms (English)
12th grade – post AP exam research paper
Other curriculum areas are looking into the possibility of implementing research papers as well including foreign language, art, electives. The 6th grade Study Skills curriculum was rewritten for this year. They added many research based skills. The elementary principals support research projects at the elementary level and will work with librarians/media specialists in collaboration with elementary teachers on this project. At this point every 5th grader does a research paper. It is very important that there be consistency between Stewart and Stratford and so the principals will work together with librarians on this. We will also begin looking into technology as a tool for research.
FLES Program
The purpose of the FLES program is for students to have a positive, fun experience with foreign language. The program is based on oral communication. After a four year FLES experience in the elementary school, the numbers of students at the middle school in foreign language changed only slightly with a slight increase in German and French and a slight decrease in Spanish and Italian. The middle school language teachers, FLES teachers and Mr. Giacalone (world language curriculum coordinator) met and revised the middle school Spanish curriculum. They looked at language proficiency and Regents exams and brought all of the main topics (listening, speaking, reading and writing) into the sixth grade Spanish program which used to be primarily a spoken program. They also revamped the program to include topics covered on Regents and proficiency exams. They added written assignments. The program is based on a spiraling model where previously taught topics are reviewed and built upon. The midterm and final exams were also changed to reflect these curriculum changes.
ERB WrAP Test
The purpose of the ERB WrAP test is to inform writing instruction district-wide and not to evaluate the individual student. It is not a “perfect” test, but none are. We have no other standardized test to accurately assess writing and that with our new district-wide writing initiative we need to assess our strengths and weaknesses and then change instruction accordingly. The ERB WrAP test mirrors our Write Traits writing program in method of assessment. 3rd grade was selected as the first testing grade because the district wanted to get an assessment at the lowest possible grade so we have time to improve things and because 4th grade is overloaded with state tests. 7th grade was selected so that the middle school has another year to work on writing based on results, 8th grade is too full of standardized tests and now Regents exams for many students. 9th grade is an appropriate grade level at the high school before kids are overwhelmed with AP exams and provides the best opportunity for HS teachers to support curriculum and instruction expectations. Our results were average to slightly above average. We are testing students at the bottom of the grade eligibility (for example, 3rd grade on a 4th grade rubric). The district will try to do a better job educating parents about the purpose of the test and how it is scored. Longitudinal data means the most to us and our scores did improve from the first to the second year. One result of the test is that grammar textbooks and workbooks have been added to the middle school.