A parent sent the following to Siva Bala Narayanan, PTSA President.  If you have a student going to High School next year this is of particular interest to you.

Good morning, Siva,

I wasn’t sure if you were aware or not, but the Seattle public schools is attempting to change the curriculum at all high schools that will impact incoming freshmen next year.  8^th grade Eckstein students who are moving to Roosevelt will be affected immediately.  I’m attaching a letter from David Groskopf, the Shakespeare teacher at Roosevelt, who is leading an effort to defend the academic curriculum changes.  Details of the efforts and the reasons behind them are included in his letter.  Additionally, there is a group discussion forum that parents can join, details of which I’ve attached.

Please alert the Eckstein parent and student community of this proposed academic change so that they may act accordingly in their child’s best interest.

Also, thanks for being the PTSA president at Eckstein last year.  We are much appreciative of your efforts.

Mary Hood

——-

Copy of letter:
May 14, 2009

Dear students, former students, and parents,

I am writing to you in defense of the Language Arts program at

Roosevelt High School. Seattle Public Schools is currently working on
aligning-or standardizing-all high school English classes across the
district to fit into year-long, grade level classes each year with a limited
number of selected texts.

While the alignment potentially includes clear and specific
reading and writing standards at every grade level and we at Roosevelt
support such a move, it also includes themed grade level classes, one text
per semester mandated to all Seattle high schools, and eight lists of
permissible books-one for each semester-to which all additional choices must
adhere. Any surviving Language Arts elective, anywhere in the district,
would have to be offered on top of the four year-long classes now being
hastily designed by the district.

Implementing such a plan at Roosevelt would replace our mixed 11
th and 12th grade Language Arts Options. Specifically, the structural change
would look like this:

From this:

LA 9

LA 10

LA Upperclass Options:

Advanced Creative Writing

African American Lit

Asian American Lit

Creative Writing

Early American Lit

Expository Writing

Hands for a Bridge

Journalistic Writing

Living in Place

Modern American

Modern World Lit

Native American Lit

Philosophy and Lit

Poetry

Science Fiction

Shakespeare

Speech

Sports Lit

The Short Story

Women’s Lit

To this:

9th grade: Introduction to Literature and Composition

10th grade: World Literature and Composition

11th grade: American Literature and Composition

12th grade: Comparative Literature and Composition

If you are receiving this letter, then you or your child has
probably taken Philosophy and Literature from me, or Shakespeare, or both.
You may have thoughts or feelings about that event. More importantly, you
have experienced the LA Options program at Roosevelt, and are in a position
to judge its value-to either welcome its end or to despair at it.

I’m writing this letter in case you don’t want to do either, in
case you want to protect the 11th and 12th grade offerings, in case you want
to protect the academic freedom that honors current events, local
communities, and personal passions. If this is the case, or if you more
generally object to the district’s mandate or process; if you want to be on
the contact list I will update from now on; if you want to write a letter or
provide a story or otherwise testify or protest; if you want to contact me,
or the department head, Tom Nolet, or Roosevelt’s principal, Brian Vance; if
you want to write or phone the school board or superintendent, or the person
leading the alignment charge, the literacy coach, Kathleen Vasquez (
kavasquez@seattleschools.org), or her supervisor, Michael Tolley (
mftolley@seattleschools.org); if you know people in the media or have the
ear of a player with sway, I welcome you to the charge. To start, let me
know if you want further contact on this issue and I will put you on my
list.

I hope you are doing well out there in the world. Thank you for
your consideration.

David Grosskopf

———

Addendum:  Here is the Google Groups link:

Group Description:

Seattle Public Schools is currently undergoing major alignment projects across its high schools. This group is intended to provide each other with information and ideas in response.

———————- Google Groups Information ———————-

You can accept this invitation by clicking the following URL:

http://groups.google.com/group/SPSaligning/sub?s=pn4wTQgAAADKx0puPW0BAmTUID_apOrs&hl=en

Date:  Monday, June 1

Time:  7:PM to 8:30 PM

Place:  Performing Arts Center (PAC)

Principal Marni welcomes you to a hard hat tour of Nathan Hale’s new
construction where you will discover incredible technology utilized for
your student’s benefit.

• How will the building renovations make it easier for students to learn and for staff to teach?
• How will a school parking lot help heat and cool the new library/arts/radio station addition?
• What is being done to make the school “greener” and more sustainable?
• Will Nathan Hale pursue getting LEED certification as a green, sustainable building?
• And most important of all, what’s going to happen to the smokestack?

Please RSVP to help us plan for this fascinating event – Hope to see you
there!

Leave a message at 527-6220 or email nhhsannualcampaign@gmail.com.

One million Washington K-12 students are counting on you to pass ESHB 2261 and reform basic education.

Today’s students face unparalleled competition from every corner of the globe. Our state can no longer condone poor math and science achievement, unconscionable achievement gaps, and a 30% drop out rate.  The goal of ESHB 2261 is to ensure that all students have ample opportunity to graduate from high school fully prepared for college, rigorous job training or the workforce.

Support ESHB 2261 as passed by the House, 71 - 26.

ESHB 2261 redefines and expands the definition of basic education to include:

• Raising high school graduation requirements to 24 credits
  • 6 periods in both middle and high schools
• All-day kindergarten, and early learning for at-risk children
• More resources focused on closing the achievement gap
• Fully staffed schools, including librarians, counselors and nurses

Washington schools need ESHB 2261 passed this session.

Proposed budget cuts will drive many districts to the brink of financial crisis. Schools will be forced to lay off several thousand newly recruited teachers. Class sizes will rise. Every special program will be slashed or eliminated. As the state’s economy recovers, ESHB 2261 is the blue print we need to rebuild a stronger K-12 system.

Without new accountability, millions of federal stimulus dollars are at risk.

ESHB 2261 will ensure Washington State is better aligned with federal requirements by:

• Focusing basic education on college and work ready standards
• Directing the State Board to build an accountability/intervention system
• Supporting the development of a data system to track student learning
• Developing performance-based teacher certification and evaluation

If our state is to receive its full share of federal stimulus ARRA dollars, and if we want to compete for millions of innovation dollars, we need to pass ESHB 2261.

ESHB 2261 would phase-in implementation as the economy recovers.

The legislature must make basic education an on-going funding priority. ESHB 2261 would dedicate 50% of revenue growth over 5% to fund basic education. Implementation of the expanded definition of basic education would be phased in 2011 - 2016.

For more information, please contact:

George Scarola

League of Education Voters

George@educationvoters.org

206-409-5096

Kim Howard

Washington State PTA

khoward@wastatepta.org

(253) 241-7187

Jim Kainber

Washington Stand for Children

jim@kainber.com

(360) 292-8074

Seattle Council PTSA Legislative Chair, Heidi Bennett, heidibennett@SeattleCouncilPTSA.org

DID YOU KNOW?

-          Only 17% of our high school graduations get into a 4-year college without remediation

-          That  52% of Washington high school graduates take remedial classes to get into Community Colleges and Technical schools

-          That Washington state only pays for 5 periods a day of high school, while the national average is 7 - which is why our kids don’t have enough credits for higher education

-          That increasing graduation rates by 10% will reduce crime by 20%

-          Our kids shouldn’t have to choose between PE, music and foreign language in middle school, they should be able to have them all

-          Our current education is not working for our kids in this information based economy. To quote Mark Emmert, President of the UW, “We lead the country  in science and engineering jobs, but we are one of the states at the bottom in the production of scientists and engineers”

-          WA State is at risk to lose out on receiving some Federal Economic Stimulus Education dollars

IF YOU WANT:

-          Federal  Stimulus Education dollars to help offset the budget deficit and improve education

-          Smaller class sizes, which means more teachers

-          Graduation requirements that get our kids into colleges and technical schools

-          Six paid periods for high and middle schools

-          More of your child’s friends graduating from high school

-          Our school system to be one of the best in the country

IT’S TIME TO:

-          Redefine basic education and eliminate unfunded mandates

-          Change the way we fund schools

-          Have our legislators make education a priority

-          Contact our legislators  to hear from parents (THEY say WE don’t care because WE don’t write or call)

Support the Basic Ed Bill

The Ed Reform bills (HB 2261) and Senate (SB 6048) are moving through the session but we parents need to ensure these bills are robust and include the Basic Ed Task Force recommendations, that we don’t end up with watered down efforts.

Sign the Petition and Go Viral

We are asking our legislators “to honor their constitutional obligation to prioritize and fund public education so our 1 million public school children and their educators can succeed in the 21^st century”

To sign the petition you do not have to be a legal voter or over 18 but you must live in WA State; encourage your middle and high schoolers to sign.  Please include a comment and distribute this to as many folks as you can.

http://gopetition.com/online/25946.html

Contact your Legislators

Let them know that you support education reform. Let them know what you like and don’t like. Go to: http://capwiz.com/npta2/wa/home/ or call the legislative hotline 800-562-6000.

Thanks for all you do and keep talking about education.

Advocacy starts with a conversation and leads to change.

Gov. Gregoire’s proposed budget includes cuts of more than
$1 billion in early learning, K-12 and higher education funding.

What does a $1 billion cut in education mean for children and families?  Here’s a peek.

• Larger class sizes: As many as 1,400 teachers across the state could lose their jobs. The budget proposes a $178 million cut to Initiative 728, which schools use to lower class sizes by hiring more teachers.

• Support for community partnerships cancelled: Library funding, reading and tutoring programs, after school programs, hands-on science and math opportunities, and numerous other K-12 enhancements are no longer funded; others are reduced to save $48 million.

• Lost wages for teachers: State funded pay increases for educators under Initiative 732 would be suspended to save $350 million.

None of these budget cuts are set in stone yet; the Washington State Legislature convened January 12, 2009 and will be in session for 105 days to pass the next state budget.  Washington State already underfunds our schools - we are 45th in the nation in spending per student, and 46th in the nation in class size.  Contact your state representatives and senator today — know that we cannot afford cuts to an already underfunded public education system.  If you don’t know your legislators’ names you can easily find them on http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx.

ADD RIGOR TO OUR SCHOOLS.  Two pending bills, House bill HB 1410 and Senate bill SB 5444, would greatly improve our public schools by reforming the way public education is funded in our state and redefining “basic education” as a moderate college prep course load that would prepare kids for technical or community college and help them meet requirements of most universities. They would require a six-period day and more teachers for advanced math, science and language.  In 2006-07, only 17% of Seattle Public Schools graduates met entrance requirements for four-year college, in part because most, maybe all, four year universities require applicants to have taken six academic classes per day, but our state only funds five classes per day.  You can learn more about HB 1410 at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1410&year=2009, and more about SB5444 at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5444&year=2009.  In addition to information about the bills, these websites will tell you which legislators are sponsoring the bills; by following the links to a legislator you can email them directly and let them know your support these bills.

MODIFY OR ELIMINATE UNFUNDED STATE MANDATES.  There are dozens of education mandates that the state requires, and in the bill SB 5890 the state Senate education committee is looking at modifying or cutting some of these requirements - this would give schools some flexibility in how to spend the (limited) money that they get.  One of the topics the committee discussed last week was cutting the requirement for PE classes, which will have a direct impact on the schedule changes that Eckstein is discussing.  Learn more about bill SB 5890/let legislators know your thoughts at http://dlr.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/default.aspx?Bill=5890&year=2009

Discussion of Schedules: Feedback and questions raised via email and conversations are included below.

A/B +C SCHEDULE

Feedback:

• • Need for more concrete information on what activity looks like
  • Missing one A or B day is like missing double classes
  • Kids do need HR; maybe it could be shorter
  • Make sure that literacy is taught across the board
  • Activity could rotate within teams
  • Homeroom was important for 6^th grade
  • Math and Science could be teamed in a A/B schedule
  • Boredom in longer class periods
  • Not as routine as seeing students every day; could be difficult for students
  • Longer classes could mitigate a need for HR
  • Professional development needed for teachers for longer periods
  • Strong support for PE waivers
  • Look for creative ways to fulfill the PE requirement

Questions Raised:

• • How will Activity classes be accountable so that they are meaningful and effective?
  • How do students choose Activity?
  • How will all students get an Activity that they want?
  • How or is Spectrum affected in this schedule?
  • If we lose HR, will we notice the loss of it more than we think?
  • How would non-standard week schedules be handled?
  • How do endorsements of certificated staff affect this schedule?
  • Could the Activity time rotate quarterly?

Social Studies/PE Semester Schedule

Feedback:

• • Multiple stakeholders noted that this required least amount of change
  • Concern that Social Studies is not being valued as a school
  • Parent feedback more focused on need for full-year Music and World Language
  • Strong support for PE waivers
  • Would not be good to lose the alignment work between SS and LA

Questions Raised:

• • If you have a PE waiver, could you take an additional half year of SS?
  • How can we incorporate World Geography curriculum into other classes?
  • How clearly do people understand that SS is a placeholder in that schedule? How realistic is it to interchange SS with another subject?
  • Was the familiarity of this schedule an appeal versus making larger scale change?
  • Is simpler better? Is routine better?

7 Period Schedule

Feedback:

• • 45 minute classes seem too short
  • Strong support for PE waivers
  • Too many transitions in the school day
  • Could be better suited to the mindset of student attention span
  • Routine and repetition could be helpful
  • Loss of HR for 6^th grade would be difficult
  • Loss of prep time could be tough for teachers (5 minutes per day)

Questions Raised:

• • Number of preps? Minutes? For a teaching day

General Thoughts (italics show comments from last week)

Information we need to continue on all schedules:
·       How will the staffing be affected in each schedule? Will we need more staff? Less staff? Different staffing assignments?

1 What data should be used to make this decision?
2 What set of principles will be used to guide this schedule?
3 What percentage of staff need to vote to agree to necessary waivers?
4       What preparation/communication is needed for parents/guardians, teachers, and students in order to make the transition to a new schedule?

5 How many TAs are there in every current class period? Is there enough room in the schedule to eliminate the option of having TAs?

Constraints that may affect schedule decision:
·       Budget
1 Staffing
2 School enrollment
Eckstein Policy for P.E. waivers for the 2009-2010 school-year:
·       P.E. waivers will be available at 7^th/8^th grade (religious, health, or directed physical activity) if students are taking 2 of the year-long electives listed below

1       Year-long electives are: Band, Orchestra, Choir, World Language, Art
2       A year-long TA position does not allow a student to get a PE waiver
3       Specific information will follow in terms of how students can obtain this paperwork