BOE Meeting at 7pm, Elm School Tonight 1/27; The Real Status of HMS and Other District Program Changes Continues to Slowly Drip Out, If At All

(Taken from Wikipedia dripping faucet images)

As we reviewed the agenda (Click to open meeting agenda.) we were shocked to see a lack of detail, yet again, on the status of district changes and the ongoing repairs that are occurring at HMS. Since the last BOE emergency meeting, there was a contradiction from Dr. Schuster regarding the possible return start date for HMS students and other concerns that we hope the board will raise this evening. The BOE parents and community members might also want to consider the following important issues:

1. Why were teachers told last Thursday 1/23 that HMS would not reopen until Monday Feb 3 and parents not told simultaneously? Shouldn’t Schuster communicate the same information to parents as she does teachers?
2. How much more mold was actually discovered and where?
3. Why is there no mention of the additional costs that the district will incur as a result of this additional mold remediation work? No advance statements of additional costs have been mentioned. Will this be given as a surprise tactic at tonight’s meeting?
4. We continue to see a lack of updates by Schuster and her administrators who have   been sitting silently for weeks while children and teachers struggle with automatic math acceleration. Why are there no updates?
5. How are middle school students who have “opted in” performing in math this year? How are the new programs of Reading Fundamentals, Writer’s Workshop and Words Their Way working for students and teachers? Where are the presentations Kevin Russell and Dawn Benaitis should be making regarding student performance?
6. What is the status of our Special Education students who, according to MAP and ISAT test results, are not performing in acceptable ranges? Why isn’t Kurt Schneider presenting updates?

Our administrators are being paid way too much to sit idly in front of computer screens, surfing the Internet or reading during board meetings. We have not seen updates in months all the while there are serious issues, as we have documented previously, concerning curriculum and student performance. Mark our words: Schuster will try to use her spin and downplay the time lines and amount of mold discovered at HMS while expecting very little from her administrators. Heck, we wouldn't be surprised if shel tries to “celebrate” herself and the assistant superintendents, even though it was mainly due to the hard work exhibited by Principal Pena, Martha Hendrickson, Rocky May, Gary Frisch, Doug Eccarius and Board Member Clarin that allowed students to begin their split schedule at CHMS. Were it not for these individuals, there is no telling what HMS students and families would be contending with at this point.

Bottom line: like our home faucets continue a slow drip to offset freezing in this extreme weather, so too does the information Schuster chooses to communicate continue to be watered down, scrubbed, and cleansed.

Drip, drip, drip…the lack of accountability continues….

D181 Administration Trots Out "Interactive" Dog and Pony Show on Common Core Math

Source of Photo: BARCROFT Media, 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5295607/Dog-rides-horse.html
"A 'dog and pony show' as a term used in the modern sense has lost its original meaning altogether. It is frequently used to mean a lamely contrived visual presentation, photo opportunity, political speech, or sales pitch, mostly for promotional purposes." www.wisegeek.com

After we bloggers began to receive comments regarding the D181 Common Core Math "Event" that was held at Elm School on November 20, we thought we would verify the format and context of what approximately 55 parents attended. By the administration's own description listed on the D181 website, this event was designed to be "interactive” thus, parents were placed into groups wherein they were assigned a Common Core Standard and then had to review a typical related lesson:


Common Core Math - November 20 Event
Posted October 30, 2013
On Wednesday, November 20, we invite all community members to attend an event in the Learning for All Family Education Series - Common Core: Math. District leaders will present an interactive session that includes an overview of the new Common Core State Standards for mathematics and their impact on teaching and learning. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. and takes place at Elm School. No pre-registration is required. For more information about the series, visit www.d181.org > Academics > Learning for All.
Source: http://www.d181.org/news/detail.aspx?pageaction=ViewSinglePublic&LinkID=1523&ModuleID=37&NEWSPID=1


A couple of You Tube videos were played showing children supposedly working on Common Core math lessons. But what is striking to us is that no time was allocated for parents to ask questions about this topic or related topics to the administrators who were present: Kurt Schneider, Kevin Russell, Dawn Benaitis and Christine Igoe. These administrators basically served as facilitators, much in the same way as they envision our teachers as facilitators in the near future. They walked about, listened in on parent communication in small groups, and offered no presentation or structured information for parents. How disappointing for those who attended, as this seems to be the new norm from the administration in our district.


We thought the format of this meeting was suspect, just as in the Community Engagement Meetings the administration sought to control the messaging. Two-way discussion does not exist, nor is it encouraged. Is this typical of school districts, especially with the new demands of the Common Core? Answer: NO


Here is a recent Common Core parent presentation that was conducted by the
Curriculum and Instruction Department at top rated Lincolnshire-PrairieView District 103. Notice the slides are in depth and there is actually a final slide that encourages "Questions."

More Smoke and Mirrors Set for D181 BOE Monday, 11/4 Meeting

If there were ever an opportunity to witness Dr. Schuster’s spin on a grand scale, residents of D181 will have the chance on Monday, 11/4 starting at 7pm at Madison School when Schuster’s outside special education “expert” presenters, including one with political affiliation, will provide the BOE and community with their thoughts on the philosophy of Learning for All. These three presenters, who are currently affiliated with the Regional Office of Education (ROE), will give their insight as to the benefits of inclusion while highlighting the mantra of Learning for All. We find the timing of this presentation curious as the ISAT results have just been released, and the majority of D181 schools have fallen, some drastically, in state rankings. In typical Board and administration fashion, they have structured this Committee of the Whole meeting to include these so-called special education experts in order to control the discussion and limit comments from concerned parents.  We hope parents recognize this continuing strategy and are able to see through the smoke as the spin begins.

Common Core ≠ Learning For All. Fact or Fiction?

Today we begin our second series focusing on Common Core and Acceleration under the Learning for All Plan in District 181.   Part 1 of this series will explain that the D181 Administration’s crusade for classroom heterogeneity and unnecessary acceleration-- currently called the Learning for All Plan -- has resulted in an inaccurate perception that this plan is part of Common Core. Instead, we will demonstrate that the two are not related and that there are serious concerns about the origins of D181’s Learning for All philosophy and the impact it will have on our students. (Don't worry -- we haven't forgotten about our series on D181 Administrators and will publish the next post in that series very soon.)

Common Core (click to open link to Common Core) is required by many states and is now highlighted in discussions during board meetings and communications with teachers and parents.  All Illinois districts are required by law to implement grade level Common Core learning standards in math and language arts. The belief is that the Common Core standards will increase the grade level rigor and performance expectations for all students.

D181 appears to be using this Common Core mandate for its own agenda – implementation of an accelerated inverted Learning for All instructional model.  What is troubling about the concurrent promotion of the Learning for All Plan and Common Core by the District Administration and the Board of Education is that the messaging has become so confused that many parents believe the Learning for All Plan = Common Core.  Nothing could be further from the truth.