Student Reassignment; 2009-2010

[Wuptdo]

The annual student reassignment nightmare is about to start again in Wake County.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1289932.html?addcomment=true;#recent_comm

RALEIGH - Wake County school administrators announced Monday that the draft multiyear student assignment plan will be released 9 a.m. Saturday.

Parents will be able to access the plan at the school district's Web site, www.wcpss.net. For the first time, the school district will list where students may be assigned to attend schools for more than one year at a time.

With annual test score being so pathetic again this year, look for more mass busing to equalize the "F&R" population out into the county. They got a mandate to do whatever they want this election cycle, and it has been my experience that there is nothing more vindicative than the Wake County BoE(eR) and their minions.

[Brent]

Let's touch this baby up just a little...


ITB RALEIGH - Wake County school administrators announced Monday that the draft multiyear student assignment plan will be released 9 a.m. Saturday, which is also when administrators and the BoE(eR) will take their phones off the hook and wear dark glasses when going out in public.

Parents will be able to access the plan at the school district's Web site, www.wcpss.net probably by some time on Monday after the servers recover from the outage caused by overloading the site with attemped accesses. For the first time, the school district will list where students may be assigned to attend schools for more than one year at a time. This implies that WCPSS can accurately forecast several years into the future, presumably based on their outstanding track record of spot-on 1-year estimates and their highly effective, wildly popular student assignment plan.

;) :)

[JoeCiulla]

Let's touch this baby up just a little...


ITB RALEIGH - Wake County school administrators announced Monday that the draft multiyear student assignment plan will be released 9 a.m. Saturday, which is also when administrators and the BoE(eR) will take their phones off the hook and wear dark glasses when going out in public.

Parents will be able to access the plan at the school district's Web site, www.wcpss.net probably by some time on Monday after the servers recover from the outage caused by overloading the site with attemped accesses. For the first time, the school district will list where students may be assigned to attend schools for more than one year at a time. This implies that WCPSS can accurately forecast several years into the future, presumably based on their outstanding track record of spot-on 1-year estimates and their highly effective, wildly popular student assignment plan.

;) :)

Here's what their simplified plan will look like:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t243/kid4rock/flowchart.gif

[Brent]

Let's touch this baby up just a little...


ITB RALEIGH - Wake County school administrators announced Monday that the draft multiyear student assignment plan will be released 9 a.m. Saturday, which is also when administrators and the BoE(eR) will take their phones off the hook and wear dark glasses when going out in public.

Parents will be able to access the plan at the school district's Web site, www.wcpss.net probably by some time on Monday after the servers recover from the outage caused by overloading the site with attemped accesses. For the first time, the school district will list where students may be assigned to attend schools for more than one year at a time. This implies that WCPSS can accurately forecast several years into the future, presumably based on their outstanding track record of spot-on 1-year estimates and their highly effective, wildly popular student assignment plan.

;) :)

Here's what their simplified plan will look like:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t243/kid4rock/flowchart.gif

That's the 1-year reassignment plan. Remember, this year it's a multi-year plan, and the document was leaked:

http://carypolitics.org/images/stories/SchoolAssignment1-small.jpg

[JoeCiulla]

That's the 1-year reassignment plan. Remember, this year it's a multi-year plan, and the document was leaked:

http://carypolitics.org/images/stories/SchoolAssignment1-small.jpg

A masterpiece :cheese:

[Belle]

Okay all - the new plan is up.
I have started my review with Cary High and here are some initial thoughts:

1) I really like the ease of use getting to the information
2) If they really did set up the input groups they mentioned in the overview, I think it shows a step in the right direction as far as getting more parent involvement.

3) There is still a clear desire on their part to "balance" F&R kids and once again they are bussing kids clear across town instead of letting them walk to school. The nodes right on Maynard near the middle school (trailers and apartments) move to Green Hope high.

The apartments near Briarcliff are also singled out for moving to Apex, leaving a donut hole.

Especially in the case of those on Maynard Road at Chatham, this imposes an unfair burden on the parents of those kids, many with only one car or no car, and the little parental involvement from those nodes will become none at all. If they miss the bus, for many of them, they just won't go to school that day. (insert your own thoughts on bussing here)

4)Node 383.4 is indicated as moving out of Cary, but is not on the master map of nodes dated Nov. 15, 2008

Looks like the shell game again, just trying to move high/low income people around instead of using resources to turn low performers INTO high performers. I'd rather see that gas money go to teacher pay myself . . .

[DarylB]

Might as well make the bus driver a teacher, add a video projector to the bus and a camp stove for lunch, and just call it a classroom..... What the heck, as long as the education of our students is a road show, why not just knock down the buildings and buy a fleet of Winnebago's?

[Brent]

Had my kids attended their "home" high schools for all years, one of them would have been assigned to 2 high schools in 2 years, and one would have been assigned to 3 different high schools in 3 years.

The sheer number of kids reassigned, and the number playing the back-and-forth shuffle, is ridiculous.

The board continues to play their shell game, while thoroughly ignoring the single most important indicator for student success: parental involvement. I doubt that that has even crossed the mind of The Skipper and RoasGilligan "and the rest" (eR). Their numbers are our children.

[JoeCiulla]

Had my kids attended their "home" high schools for all years, one of them would have been assigned to 2 high schools in 2 years, and one would have been assigned to 3 different high schools in 3 years.

The sheer number of kids reassigned, and the number playing the back-and-forth shuffle, is ridiculous.

The board continues to play their shell game, while thoroughly ignoring the single most important indicator for student success: parental involvement. I doubt that that has even crossed the mind of The Skipper and RoasGilligan "and the rest" (eR). Their numbers are our children.

What an incredible goat rodeo. Chuck et al have never met a problem that couldn't be fixed with more money and a good computer assignment model. The three-year assignment tracks are based on assumptions that Wake will be able to continue to fund new school construction (Cue Stan), and that WCPSS prevails in December when the NC Supreme Court rules on the WakeCARES lawsuit.

I would guess that neither assumption will hold up, and this becomes nothing more than another exercise in pain and futility inflicted on the parents of Wake County students.

As Brent points out, they are not "numbers," they are our children.

[johnshaw]

...assumptions that Wake will be able to continue to fund new school construction...

I would guess that neither assumption will hold up, ...

I would guess the same thing. But what happens if Wake will not be able to continue to fund new school construction?

[chaboard]

The three-year assignment tracks are based on assumptions that Wake will be able to continue to fund new school construction (Cue Stan), and that WCPSS prevails in December when the NC Supreme Court rules on the WakeCARES lawsuit.

Well ANY plan would have to make assumptions about those two issues. Seems to me they picked the most likely result for the latter - it is, after all, the holding that is in effect and being appealed.

And as to the former - you're talking about already approved funds and the possibility of the market failures making it impossible to raise those funds, right? If that happens ANY plan they make is toast so I'm not sure I see the point. It's like the way most of us are making family budgets with the idea that we'll still have a paycheck even though there's a chance we could lose our jobs in the crash and have nothing coming in.

What exact assumptions would you have them make on these two points and why? Or are you arguing for the large expense of multiple Plan B's?

[Wuptdo]

Oh goody, my FIFTH High School reassignment in eleven years for my node. I feel so blessed to have a school system that believes in .....(who the heck knows)?

For me, that means that 3 out of 4 sons would be or have graduating from 3 different high schools. I never moved. I guess I should count my blessings that two sons would of graduated from the same high school.

Perhaps this would NOT be a problem if the morons at "Palace of Education" and the School Board would build BIGGER schools in the first place.

[Wuptdo]

Reassignment draft is a hit online (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1296738.html)

Thousands log on to learn their fate as Wake district reveals student shuffling plan

T. Keung Hui, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - Thousands of Wake County parents went online Saturday to see whether their children are among the 26,771 students who could be moved to different schools over the next three years.

The Wake school system had 112,564 page views of the draft reassignment plan in the first seven hours it was online. A total of 346 comments were received during that time period.

"There is no way we're going to Garner High," said Lynn Orrison, a Raleigh father who was upset after learning that his son could be reassigned from Fuquay-Varina High School.

When will the madness stop?

[NewHillBilly]

Wuptdo wrote:
When will the madness stop?
Wake schools seek 100% graduation rate
RALEIGH - The Wake County school board agreed today on a goal of having a 100 percent graduation rate by 2014
School board members and administrators acknowledged that it would be extremely difficult to reach the goal, calling it “aspirational.”
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1298133.html

aspirational (adj): 1.descriptive condition derived from anxiety over failing standards while remaining seated for loooong periods of time on the Wake Co School Board.
2. often associated with asshattery

[JoeCiulla]

Wuptdo wrote:
When will the madness stop?
Wake schools seek 100% graduation rate
RALEIGH - The Wake County school board agreed today on a goal of having a 100 percent graduation rate by 2014
School board members and administrators acknowledged that it would be extremely difficult to reach the goal, calling it “aspirational.”
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1298133.html

aspirational (adj): 1.descriptive condition derived from anxiety over failing standards while remaining seated for loooong periods of time on the Wake Co School Board.
2. often associated with asshattery

Funny how they admit that they do not know the steps to get there, but can readily put a price tag on them.

[JoeCiulla]

Wuptdo wrote:
When will the madness stop?
Wake schools seek 100% graduation rate
RALEIGH - The Wake County school board agreed today on a goal of having a 100 percent graduation rate by 2014
School board members and administrators acknowledged that it would be extremely difficult to reach the goal, calling it “aspirational.”
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1298133.html

aspirational (adj): 1.descriptive condition derived from anxiety over failing standards while remaining seated for loooong periods of time on the Wake Co School Board.
2. often associated with asshattery

Here's a link to their "plan" to achieve a 100% graduation rate. Looks like they just put a bunch of stuff on paper with no meat behind it. And initiatives like increasing the percentages of students in AP courses would seem to help only those students who were on track to graduate anyway.

There is no attempt here to first establish WHY a quarter of our students are dropping out, then fix those specific problems. And without first having that understanding, there is no way to know whether doing all these things will achieve the desired result.

The "Plan" has some notable milestones like increasing skills in science and reading and increasing SAT scores. These are measurements, there is no thought put into HOW they are going to do this.

If I went to my boss with a plan like this I'd get fired. Maybe a few of them will too, next year.

[DarylB]

The problem we've faced for years has been "graduates" who can't read or write, and the guarantee of 100% graduation merely guarantees illiteracy with paperwork. Graduation does not make our students educated. I for one am not impressed with the new "standard". It is foolish to the extreme. The fact that the BoE/WCPSS have to keep re-announcing the "95% of our students will yada yada yada by 20XX", and then moving the XX every three or four years is a waste. What they are doing isn't working, and hasn't worked for a very long time. Normally, when faced with such facts, intelligent people revise what they're doing, and re-examine their basic assumptions. Not so the "educators", who have self-described themselves as too smart to fail.

[Brent]

http://www.newsobserver.com/138/story/1354840.html

Ruth Sheehan writes of a group of refugees being uprooted by the BoE(eR) assignment policies.

Parental involvement is the single most influential predictor of academic success. This group, according to the article, has an extremely high degree of parental involvement. If reassigned according to the WCPSS numbers game, this group will most likely have a very low degree of parental involvement.

Perhaps the BoE(eR) and Mr. Dulaney can explain how this will help these students, since the BoE(eR) has declined to look at any data about how their policies help students.

[JoeCiulla]

http://www.newsobserver.com/138/story/1354840.html

Ruth Sheehan writes of a group of refugees being uprooted by the BoE(eR) assignment policies.

Parental involvement is the single most influential predictor of academic success. This group, according to the article, has an extremely high degree of parental involvement. If reassigned according to the WCPSS numbers game, this group will most likely have a very low degree of parental involvement.

Perhaps the BoE(eR) and Mr. Dulaney can explain how this will help these students, since the BoE(eR) has declined to look at any data about how their policies help students.

I'm not a fan of Ms. Sheehan's column, but as they say "Every once in a while even a blind squirrel finds an acorn." Chuck considers his being charged with execution of policy 6200 to be a "High calling." Our world has know some leaders whose "high calling" for social engineering brought about very bad results.

[CatherineE]

A big round of applause to Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht for saying what needed to be said to the Wake County School board about the destructive impact of annual school reassignment on students and their families actually doing more harm than good in implementing the economic diversity policy.

Cary is lucky to have a mayor who will take a public stance on such a politically charged topic. In case you missed it, here's the N&O's story on the WCPSS public hearing in Apex yesterday. Be sure to check out the N&O's education blog on Mayor Weinbrecht's position re: school reassignment. (http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/weinbrecht-on-reassignment#comment-34067) (FYI...Unfortunately the reporter mischaracterized the mayor's position in the blog article. Mayor W was critical of the reassignment plans as a way of implementing the economic diversity policy. Instead Hui reported the mayor as criticizing the diversity policy itself. That's either careless reporting or intentionally slanting the mayor's position. Lets hope Hui gets it right next time in his blog comments.)

Wake parents seek changes in reassignment plan
T. Keung Hui - Staff Writer
Published: Tue, Jan. 06, 2009 05:13AMModified Tue, Jan. 06, 2009 07:58AM

APEX -- Parents, students and elected officials pleaded with Wake County school board members Monday to change a plan that would move 25,486 students to different schools over the next three years.

It's a scene that will be repeated several times this week and next as the school board holds four more public hearings on the plan to fill new schools while maintaining diversity in the school system. Vocal groups have formed to demand that specific neighborhoods be dropped from the plan.

"It's not all right to steam ahead with a flawed plan," Cary parent Tracy Lowder said at the hearing at Apex High School, which drew about 200 people. Wake annually reassigns students to fill new schools, ease crowding at existing schools and promote diversity.

School officials try to balance the percentages of low-income students, special-education students and students with limited English language skills at individual schools. For the first time, the state's largest school district is also trying to keep elementary students bundled together in middle school and middle school students together in high school.

This is the first time Wake has tried to inform parents more than one year ahead of time where their children could go to school.

Among the most vocal opponents of the new plan are four neighborhoods along the Cary/Apex border that are scheduled to be switched from Apex High School to Athens Drive High School, a school inside the Beltline. The move is intended to relieve crowding at Apex, fill empty seats at Athens Drive and boost diversity at both schools. Athens Drive has a higher percentage of low-income students than Apex.

Before the hearing, about 30 Apex students rallied in front of the school to urge that they be allowed to stay. They chanted, "Apex is our home."

"I hope they'll listen to us because we're the ones who will be affected," Said Catherine Smith, 15, a sophomore facing reassignment who organized the rally.

Speakers at the hearing argued that Apex is no longer overcrowded because new classroom trailers were installed this month. They contended that Athens Drive's percentage of low-income students is acceptable compared with other schools inside the Beltline.

These speakers urged the school board to change the assignments so students could go to middle schools closer to where they live, then on to Apex High. They now attend Dillard Drive Middle School in Raleigh near the Cary border.

"Please keep us at Apex High and leave us the semblance of community we have," said Rob Bromley, an Apex High School parent.

The Apex High School parents were backed by several elected officials who spoke on their behalf, including Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, usually a strong supporter of the school system. Weinbrecht said the economic diversity policy is a good goal, but the way it's being implemented has become "destructive" and is pushing Cary parents past the "tipping point."

"Reviewing a policy is a good thing, especially when your policy is causing harm, Weinbrecht said.
Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly, a critic of the diversity policy, said it's time to change the priorities used in reassignment and send children to schools close to where they live. The school district uses distance to school as one factor but weighs it against other priorities, such as diversity.

"Students should go to the closest school or the next closest school," Weatherly said. "Siblings should never be separated."

Several speakers also urged the school board to drop the reassignment of year-round application students from Turner Creek Elementary School in Cary to Laurel Park Elementary School.
The school board will continue to collect public comments before voting on the plan Feb. 3.
keung.hui@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4534

[Karen]

And and even bigger round of applause for Councilman Don Frantz who has been saying the same thing all along. He has worked tirelessly with the parents of Cary, with the BOE, and has spoken out numerous times on this issue, including this most recent reassignment meeting. He dove into this issue head first when he was elected and has been outspoken and deeply involved ever since. Thank you Mr. Frantz. =D>

I'm very glad Mayor Weinbrecht spoke out, and thank him for that. The mayor taking a more public stance has been a long time coming IMHO. Not that he has not been involved as well because he has.

~karen


:angel5:

[JoeCiulla]

Gale Adcock also spoke, and did a great job. Her closing remarks were excellent, as she reminded the school board that they were elected to serve the people, not rule them.

[Brent]

Major kudos to Don, Keith, Harold & Gale!

The ball is now in WCPSS's court.

Will the BoE(eR) FINALLY recognize that we are past the tipping point, and that they were elected to serve, not rule? Will they re-examine, reconsider and revamp their harmful policies?

Or will they revert to business as usual (tweak the current assignment plan, mollify a small portion of those who protest and continue bulldozing their same old unsubstianted-by-data, harmful policies)?

Will the BoE(eR) give us the Change We Need, or More of the Same?

Sadly, I predict the latter, but still hope for the former.

[Belle]

Were there any councilpersons from Cary or Apex who were seen at the meeting but did not speak?

[CatherineE]

Gale Adcock also spoke, and did a great job. Her closing remarks were excellent, as she reminded the school board that they were elected to serve the people, not rule them.

Mea culpa! I did not mean to overlook these stellar council members contributions! Kudos to Gale and Don and Harold for their public comments. I particularly like Gale's comment about being elected to serve, not rule! Our CTC rocks! Great teamwork!

[CatherineE]

Gale Adcock also spoke, and did a great job. Her closing remarks were excellent, as she reminded the school board that they were elected to serve the people, not rule them.

Mea culpa! I did not mean to overlook these stellar council members contributions! Kudos to Gale and Don and Harold for their public comments. I particularly like Gale's comment to the school board members being elected to serve, not rule! Our CTC rocks! Great teamwork!

[JoeCiulla]

As Brent points out, the big question now is how will the School Board react? Can we expect leadership and maturity out of these people, or the petty vindictiveness we have seen in the past?