New Haven Independent: Board of Ed Tackles Grad Requirements

Board of Ed Tackles Grad Requirements

by Allan Appel | November 27, 2007 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

nhi-boe%20nov26%20005.JPG More standardized science and math tests may stand between New Haven high-schoolers and graduation in the future.

Here’s the scenario: Your son or daughter is working to graduate from high school in New Haven. In addition to the algebra and geometry required, there’s now trigonometry, and maybe even fractal geometry — that new field that mixes math, science and art. There’s also a senior demonstration project required, an independent study or research project done under the supervision of a mentor. In science the requirements will now be three years, with chemistry required of everyone and perhaps another physical or life science course with a lab. This is a little more rigorous than current graduation requirements. Oh, and have we mentioned five required new statewide tests that must be passed during high school: algebra one and two, chemistry one, history, and sophomore-level English?

Welcome to the opening salvo of suggestions by a new statewide education task force for future proposed high school graduation requirements, which Board of Education (BOE ) members such as Dr. Ann Levett (pictured above with Dr. Charles Williams, the director of high school curriculum) wrestled with at Monday night’s meeting.

The trigonometry and fractal geometry suggestions were tossed in, but seriously so, by BOE members in a spirited discussion of a new rigor that state officials want to infuse into education in the Nutmeg State. Members such as Levett applauded new rigor, but wondered how kids in an already test-riddled environment would respond to five more, and, moreover, where was the system to find all the new math and chemistry teachers and the resources to make it all work?

Introducing the brief bullet-point document, New Haven schools superintendent Reginald Mayo said state officials are concerned with the level of preparedness demonstrated by state high school graduates as they enter college and the workplace.

“The general feeling,” he said, “is that the rigor has to increase, the requirements get more demanding, but they want our reactions to this across the state as the document develops.” It was the beginning of a process, he said, with the final new regulations not really being implemented for perhaps up to four or five years hence.

Currently the state sets minimum base requirements, which many individual schools systems, including New Haven’s, already exceed in various areas. But in fields such as math and the sciences and the suggested senior mentored project, substantial new demands would be made.

nhi-boe%20nov26%20002.JPG Although it was early in the process, Mayo got an earful from his board members. Michael Nast (pictured between Ann Levett and the mayor) sounded a recurrent alarm in the remarks of his colleagues: “Is this going to be another NCLB [No Child Left Behind] situation? Unfunded mandates. Because even though these are just opening shots, with five tests required — in math and chemistry — does anyone know where the teachers are going to come from? There’s a nationwide crisis to get math and science teachers already. And now we’re requiring all our kids, each one of our high school kids, to take chemistry? I’m all for rigor, but how can we do this?”

The senior demonstration project also elicited concern. Board member Richard Abbatiello (in the picture below, on the far left, with fellow BOE members Carlos Torre and Susan Samuels) said it wasn’t well thought out if the project culminated in a performance or internship or community service. “That’s not rigorous enough, although the creation of a portfolio or research study is. Too many seniors, even with this suggestion, will just float during the last year, especially if they’ve met the requirements. Make the internship an elective.”

BOE member Frances Padilla, along with Torre, praised the idea of a senior project. But they both urged more thoughtfulness about the effect on teachers. “Being a mentor or supervisor for independent study for 25 or 30 students… that’s a whole different skill set,” said Torre, “than teaching a class. Who’s going to train the teachers for this? Their plates are pretty full already. Are they going to feel really put upon?”

“Yes,” Mayo said, “there are a lot of unanswered questions, but over the next six to eight months, the state task force people just want to solicit feedback, just like this. It’s the beginning. But, yes, they need to know we’re living in a world of tests already here in an urban district, and our kids are likely to be more hurt by this if it’s not done right than suburban kids.”

nhi-boe%20nov26%20003.JPG “Think of it this way,” said Levett: “Competing? Yes, we absolutely have to compete, because look at China: in the not too distant future, not only will they be out-producing us in science, they’ll be the largest English-speaking country in the world, since English is required of all their students.

“But if we can’t find the teachers for the math and science, then that means substitutes, who will likely have among them many unprepared. And then the kids don’t do well. And they can’t graduate. It’s a vicious cycle if it’s not done right. There needs to be a real safety net if this is going to be implemented the right way, with real help for kids who enter unprepared, and we have lots of those. Is anyone thinking of these things? Because in the end, it’s the kids that pay the price. Can we have a little more information on these matters, Dr. Mayo, up front?”

It was resolved that the state commissioner of education would come down for the next go-round on these issues. Mayo asked Charles Williams to prepare a comparison between what New Haven requires now for high school graduation and what would be required under the preliminary suggestions, along with some numbers for teachers and other resources to make it work.

The grade for the first New Haven BOE discussion on possible new high school standards? According to one reporter (and former English teacher), B for enthusiastic participation and thoughtfulness. Stay tuned.

Comments

Posted by: Yair | November 27, 2007 8:54 AM

I have 4 comments (sorry for the lengthy post):

1. The problem starts way, way before high school. If we don't fix the problems with education in early childhood, no amount of new requirements can help kids in high school. The problems are many, but I would emphasize (a) poverty and other social problems that destroy kids' ability to cope and to learn from the first moment, (b) the incredibly scandalous American system of funding schools primarily from local and state tax money instead of federally. I don't see why federal education spending can't be increased by a factor of 10, from 25 billion to 250 billion (oh, right, that little war in Iraq).

2. There's a pass/fail nature to all these requirements which I think is counterproductive -- either they have to be dumbed down enough to be meaningless, or they will produce a disastrous failure rate. I think a better approach is along the line of the NY regents exams, or European graduation exams: a high school degree could come in many gradations, depending on how well a student did on various (mandatory as well as elective) exams. You can still allow the same number of people to graduate, but have a merit-based evaluation that, for motivated students, allows them to succeed according to their abilities.

3. It's really true that, without huge investment in teachers, there is no way to make these requirements work. This goes back to the funding point above, as well as to the general failure to make teaching an attractive profession.

4. This doesn't get discussed much but it should: in addition to helping our most disadvantaged students, we MUST put serious resources behind our most gifted students. Is it widely known that Connecticut has NO state resources for gifted education? People think that gifted kids will just somehow cope, but it is not true; and in addition, our ability to be competitive and to thrive as a society, to really flourish, attract new people and industries, depends to a large extent on how much we support our strongest students.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | November 27, 2007 9:33 AM

If You Want The Public Schools To Work Take Out The Corporate Plutocracy And political Patronage
Elect School Board Members.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | November 27, 2007 9:54 AM

EDUCATION JEOPARDY:

Answer: The one person in New Haven who can deliver all of the needed new science and math teachers to the district.

Question: Who is Emily Barton?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | November 27, 2007 11:01 AM

I second that THREEFIFTHS! take the politics out of education and lets see if that fixes things...my guess is the budget will be cheaper and the quality of education will be better!

Posted by: JMAC | November 27, 2007 4:29 PM

Dear FIX THE SCHOOLS,

Why are you proposing Emily Barton as our savior? She is the Executive Director of Teach For America in New Haven.

She may be able to deliver new math and science teachers to New Haven schools - but TFA can't be expected to or relied on to solve the flaws in our education system.

Posted by: Fedupwithliberals | November 27, 2007 4:40 PM

I asked this question last June and received no response. Let's try again.

What percentage of the class of 2007 graduated?

Posted by: Shirley Ugest | November 27, 2007 5:18 PM

How does New Haven Public Schools Plan to create the illusion that they are graduating students prepared to go on to college and professional careers - from their highschools:

1) Redefine the graduation rate to only encompass the time period of the students senior year.

2) Increase the requirements for graduation to raise the bar (not performance).

3) Then weed out students that aren't expected to meet those requirements by their junior year in highschool.

4) Provide 'adolescent day care' for those students shunted off into other programs specifically defined as 'not high school' but as a graduate equivalency program.

This is the genius of the Board of Ed. Hands clean.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | November 28, 2007 12:33 PM

(Forgive me if this response is delivered twice, my server conked out on me when I wrote this!)

JMAC,

I never said that Emily is the savior. Of course Emily and TFA can't fix all the flaws in the system. But, since teacher quality (NOT class size) is the single most important factor in determining the quality of an educational experience, Emily is vital to the discussion right now.

It went under-reported, but last year under Emily's direction, TFA delivered 50 energetic, promising, idealistic young teachers to the district last year. By most accounts, these teachers have been a great addition to some of the lowest performing schools in New Haven. Dr. Mayo and the BOE should be congratulated for allowing TFA to come into New Haven.

But in light of the challenge before them to increase rigor and performance, the Mayor, The Supt.,and the Board of Ed. need to be even bolder still. They should appoint a special commission made up of largely non-BOE members with the task of of preparing recommendations to respond to the State's proper march towards increased rigor.

The commission should include people like Emily Barton who is experienced at delivering the kinds of solutions that really work. And while they're at it, they should invite a guy named John Schnur to town to share his thoughts. John runs a group called New Leaders for New Schools which is the principal recruitment equivalent to TFA.

I hope that there is someone on the Board (maybe it's Ann Levett) who recognizes that there are real solutions out there that can work to transform a district of New Haven's size. For the most part, TFA and NLNS and their philanthropic partners (Gates, Walton, Fisher)operate in larger districts where the potential impact from a successful reform strategy is far greater. You will find TFA, NLNS, and folks like KIPP in New York City and New Orleans, but rarely in a town of the size of New Haven. But the down side to this strategy is that larger district takes much longer to transform.

This is New Haven's opportunity: With the right vision and the right partners, New Haven could actually close the achievement gap far more quickly than an LA or a Philadelphia could. And by doing so the district could be a shining example for the rest of the country.

Posted by: Ali | November 29, 2007 7:59 AM

Let's be real....TFA teachers and Ms. Barton, who I have yet to meet and I mentor a TFA teacher, cannot be responsible for fixing NH's problems in education. Yes, TFA teachers are both young and enthusiastic, but most of them have difficulty with classroom management. They may have a lot of knowledge but w/o the managment it cannot be taught. Todays' children are unique in many ways and come from many different families. Some kids come in very well disciplined and respectful and some kids wild, undisciplined, and disrespectful. The numbers are increasing on the latter end and many seasoned teacher feels at a loss when trying to teach the content that we are being told students must get.

That being said, Ann Levitt, has wonderful ideas in that area. In New Haven we must focus first on the social development of the child before we try to teach students the academics. If kids can't follow simple, one step directions, sit in a circle, listed to a story, keep their hands to themselves, and learn how to be a good citizen in kindergarten then these skills need to modeled and practiced again and again until the majority can. This may take away from academics but in the long run it will improve the social skills students bring into the classroom and develop caring classroom communities where all children can learn and thrive.

New Haven Independent

Board of Ed Tackles Grad Requirements

Comments

Sections

Neighborhood News

Special Sections

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

Legal Notices

Flyerboard

Sponsors

N.H.I. Site Design & Development

NHI Store

News Feed