More details on APP splits

A presentation for today's Board work session on capacity has some tentative plans for what will happen to APP over the next few years on pages 17-27.

Briefly, the tentative plan contemplates splitting south APP (putting new APP in West Seattle) and multiple splits in the north (2-3 elementary and middle school locations). It largely leaves Spectrum and ALO unchanged ("continue" Spectrum and ALO, slide 27), definitely not a strong push to attract people to Spectrum (as a way of restraining APP growth).

Please discuss.

Update: Some more details on the presentation and work session.

Open thread

School's out for summer. What's on your mind?

Advocating for APP

The APP AC sent out an an e-mail asking parents to "e-mail the Superintendent, District staff, and School Board Directors as well as the feedback email for the Growth Boundaries", adding "now is the time to let the District staff and Board Directors know how you feel about the current model of APP and the future of the program."

The e-mail goes on to request that your letters say "why the current APP delivery model is appropriate for highly capable students by explaining how and why it works for your student and family" as well as mention that "90% APP families responded [in a recent survey] that they are highly satisfied or satisfied with the current model." They also ask parents to request that any changes maintain a self-contained program at least in elementary and a minimum cohort size of 2-3 classrooms per grade in all locations.

The full e-mail is here. You can view the Google Group for the APP AC and sign up for e-mails from the APP AC here.

Please see also the earlier thread, "APP services will be offered at additional sites", and the discussion there of the possible changes coming to APP.

Open thread

School is almost over, summer is here, the time is right. What's on your mind?

School board candidates

By popular demand, a new thread to discuss the candidates for school board, especially the impact they might have, if any, on advanced learning in Seattle Public Schools. To get us starting, quoting from KUOW:

Six candidates are vying for two Seattle School Board seats in the August 6 primary election.

In Director District 5, which includes Capitol Hill, the Central Area, Beacon Hill and downtown, Kay Smith-Blum is stepping down from her board seat after one term.

The candidates for her seat are Stephan Blanford, an educational policy consultant; LaCrese Green, a retired state worker who also ran for the board eight years ago; and Olu Thomas, an unemployed social worker.

In District 4, which spans Phinney Ridge, Ballard, Magnolia and Queen Anne, Michael DeBell is leaving his seat after eight years on the board.

The contenders in that district are Suzanne Dale Estey, an economic development consultant; Dean McColgan, a former Federal Way mayor and city council member; and Sue Peters, a writer and education activist.

Update: Seattle Schools Community Forum has interviews and thoughts on the candidates.

June Surprise at Hamilton

Still no firm information, but there is a rumor that APP may get partially or fully moved out of Hamilton starting this year (as in at the end of summer). By request, starting a new thread to discuss.

Please see also the April 2013 thread, "Capacity at Hamilton", and the discussion there.

Update: In the comments, a letter apparently just sent to Hamilton parents from Superintendent Banda saying, "We are not planning to relocate any 6-8th grade students to other schools for the upcoming school year."

APP services will be offered at additional sites

On the last open thread, a parent quotes a letter just sent out by Superintendent Jose Banda which says:

We recommend increasing the number of highly capable (APP) elementary and middle school pathways, with guaranteed assignment, to increase access and bring services closer to where students live. If approved, this means APP services will be offered at additional sites – beyond Hamilton and Washington Middle School.

Full letter is here. Please discuss.

Update: Here is the presentation for the May 29 meeting mentioned in the letter.

Update: There is a post, "Preliminary Boundary Presentation", about this over on the Seattle Schools Community Blog that discusses the broader changes.

Update: Melissa Westbrook writes, "AL is being revamped, without input or information." Another parent writes, "The cohorts are likely to be awfully small at some of the locations, and I think the words 'self-contained' will quietly disappear for APP classes. APP will be treated like Spectrum has lately and classes will be filled with school-chosen kids. As a veteran of the last two splits, I don't have hope that the district will make this work, or that they even care to."

Update: Melissa Westbrook live blogs the meeting where the presentation was given. Later, she posted a summary of the meeting.

Update: Charlie Mas also summarizes the meeting where the presentation was given. On APP, he says, "There will be a new delivery model for APP. The District isn't saying what it will be or how it will work ... The determination of a delivery model for APP - including program size - will come after the decision of how many sites to have and how big the programs will be ... They won't even offer the pretense of engagement on it until next year - after they make all of the decisions." On Spectrum, he says, "There will be a new delivery model for Spectrum. It appears to be nothing. For many families this will be nothing new."

Open thread

School ends in a few weeks. What's on your mind?

Bob Vaughan leaving

The APP AC (which, for those of you who don't know, is a volunteer group that works with Bob Vaughan) writes:

Advanced Learning Manager Dr. Bob Vaughan ... announced that he will be retiring from SPS next month. He has been a tremendous advocate for all advanced learners over the years, and has spent decades working tirelessly on behalf of our students. His role included managing not only APP, but also Spectrum, ALO, IB and AP (Advanced Placement) courses and exams, and identification and testing for all potentially eligible advanced learning students.

The APP-AC would like to thank Dr. Vaughan for all of his efforts and wish him the very best in his retirement.

Since Bob Vaughan presided over the dismantling of Spectrum and the chaotic splits of APP, I suspect others feel his track record is a little more mixed, but I will leave that for discussion. What do you think of Bob Vaughan leaving and what are your hopes for the future?

Major changes for APP coming?

Over at Seattle Schools Community Forum, Charlie Mas has a post, "In Which Michael Tolley Reveals The Plan to Dismantle Advanced Learning".

The post is long with a lot of discussion of the plan. But let me highlight this piece Charlie left in a comment on this blog:

The District staff - Michael Tolley and Shauna Heath - intend to fold Advanced Learning into Multi-Tier Systems of Support (MTSS).

Charlie then describes three tiers of MTSS, tier 1 (which is now called general education), tier 2 (working a year ahead in the classroom), and tier 3 (which would similar to APP).

As far as APP, the difference, Charlie writes, is that:

Instead of being in just two elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools, it will be in at least one elementary school in every middles school service area and possibly in two or more in some of them. It will be in every middle school and every comprehensive high school.

It sounds like this plan may fracture APP across many more schools. And, as discussed over on Seattle Schools Community Forum, the APP entry criteria also may change, in particular no longer being CogAT-based, being tested every year, and possibly being harsher.

I don't want to duplicate the discussion over on Seattle Schools Community Forum, so please go over there to read about and discuss the policy in general. But let's open an APP-specific thread here to talk about what to do about this.

Open thread

What's on your mind?

Board discussion of APP

Posting for more discussion on APP-specific issues here, Melissa Westbrook offered a summary of a board work session that included some statements from the staff and board about advanced learning and APP. Here are extended excepts of Melissa's notes focusing on the APP-specific bits:

Unlike Sped and ELL, there is no "gaps" page for AL. There is only next steps. Those are:
- evaluate the student identification process
- evalute the current service delivery model (current model requires additional funding)
- revise Board policy
- ALO supported by PD for differentiated instruction

I didn't hear any discussion around these items even though what it appears to say is "change the whole thing." And, no, I don't know what "current model requires additional funding" means.

Director Martin-Morris was very unhappy about the map on page 43. He said it showed almost no students in the southern end of the city. He said, "Who can explain this to me?" and got dead silence ... Martin-Morris ... said "How did this happen and what are we going to do about it?" ... He's been on the Board for six years and nothing is any different from when he started (except for larger numbers in APP and the disintegration of Spectrum). I don't know how this is some big surprise to him.

[Director Martin-Morris] claims that families don't know if their child is capable. Well, that really isn't so since they started using MAP. Tolley said something I need to get clarified which was that MAP wasn't a "qualifier" for AL but a "screener." Head of AL, Bob Vaughan, said that the distribution in the city mirrors nationwide and that there aren't that many southend students scoring that high. He said that those who do, their families do get contacted (and they use interpreters if necessary). Martin-Morris seemed, well, to nearly blow a gasket and said his blood pressure had now gone up. He said he couldn't accept that there were so many "smart" kids in the northend and that there are not "bunches" of smart kids in the south end.

He's right, of course. What he is failing to understand is that there are many factors to not finding those "bunches." One is MAP. It's a computer-directed test. It might be possible that more students in the south-end, particularly kindergarteners, might not have as high use of computers as do some north-end students. Two, it may be the wrong test. Shauna Health said that they need to look at a "nonverbal" test. She also said that some districts don't evaluate until second grade and use the COGAT test for all second graders (rather than the district using MAP). Patu said that parents don't know how to access the testing. I'm not sure that's entirely true but maybe better outreach could help.

DeBell said "well we are only talking about 2% of our students and the other 98% are still waiting." That would seem to imply that he believes that AL students are getting their needs met and the majority of students are not ... Martin-Morris said that "we need to go back to basics." He said the focus should be on basic education - how we define and compliance. He said the foundational pieces should be in place before we do other things. He said, "we may have to say no to some things until the foundation is solid." ... Carr said the past is an influence. She said they can't be afford of change and that they need to ensure money that is allocated for certain things doesn't get changed because of site-based management. She also said they may have to look at another model for APP ... President Smith-Blum said there are concerns around popular and successful programs ... DeBell said ... they never got all the basics into place.

Pegi McEvoy said that in terms of replicating successful programs and with new boundaries coming, they may have to consider some schools as option schools, not neighborhood schools. Bob Boesche called for an "Assurances 2020" plan. He said that people ask him where they should move in Seattle for good schools and he wants to say "anywhere" because we can provide the academic assurances.

Frankly, very worrying. I'm not sure this is the best framework and it certainly doesn't seem clear which priorities are the most important (to either staff or the Board) ... There seems to be a divide on the Board about how to direct the Superintendent on what staff should concentrate on given needs and resources.

A lot there. Please discuss.

Open thread

Guess I spoke too soon about it starting to feel like summer in Seattle. As usual, please use this open thread to talk about whatever you like.

Capacity at Hamilton

By request, a thread to talk about the rather severe capacity issues at Hamilton and the current status of doing something about it. According to one parent, "There is no space for portables. [Hamilton's] functional capacity is listed at 973 and it's projected to be over that by 73 students next year, 169 in 2014-15, and 316 in 2015-16. APP is at 49% of Hamilton population next year."

Transportation changes coming

Over on the Seattle Schools Community blog, Melissa Westbrook writes that many changes may be coming to transportation.

Let's open a thread here just to discuss the APP-specific changes. As Melissa wrote, one of the proposals is to "End busing and ORCA cards for APP and IB programs" to save $700K. School Board President Kay Smith-Blum objected to that, pointing out that APP and IB students don't really have a choice of where to go to access their programs and that the district gets specific funding from the state for APP transportation, but apparently the proposal is still on the list.

Open thread

Starting to feel like summer here in Seattle. What's on your mind?

Vision and leadership for Advanced Learning

Over at the Seattle Schools Community Forum, there are two posts, "Advanced Learning - It's Time for Change" and "Advanced Learning Policy", that APP parents probably want to see.

Please comment over there to discuss those specific topics -- Bob Vaughan's leadership of the Advanced Learning office and Charlie Mas' vision for advanced learning -- but let's open up a thread here to talk about the broader issues raised. What are the highest priority problems with Advanced Learning in Seattle? Why are those problems persisting? How can APP parents effectively advocate for change, for something better?

Open thread

A new open thread. Have at it!

Input on strategic plan?

APP parents, what would you like to see in the district's new strategic plan? Sue Peters is on the strategic plan community task force and asked for a thread on what should be included. Please discuss in the comments.

Picking between Ingraham and Garfield

By request, since tours are starting, a thread for APP parents to discuss the choice between Ingraham and Garfield for high school.

Update: Let's broaden this thread beyond Garfield and Ingraham to talk about high school choices in general.

Open thread

A new open thread. Discuss what you like!

Helping parents applying to APP

Looks like test scores are coming in the mail and parents new to APP are wondering what the scores mean, whether they should apply, and, in some cases, about the appeals process. Let's open a new thread, and please chime in if you have any questions or can answer any questions.

Latest on capacity and APP

By request, a new thread to discuss last night's board meeting ([1] [2] [3] [4]), the vote not to immediately add a Jane Addams middle school and instead to move Laurelhurst to Eckstein (instead of Hamilton), and the implications for APP.

Opting out of MAP?

By request, a new thread to talk about "the MAP opt out forms that Freshman are bring home from Garfield in support of the teachers boycott."

Please feel free also to use this for a broader discussion of the reasons APP students, in an organized way or just individually, might or might not want to opt out of MAP testing.

Open thread

What's on your mind, APP parents?

Please use the dedicated thread below for discussion of capacity in the north, the possible reopening of Jane Addams, and how that impacts APP. I know that's on everyone's mind, there's a lot of comments on that thread already, so let's keep that discussion together over there.

How to partially home school in APP

In another thread, a few parents were asking about home schooling just for a subject or two, especially math and science. Another parent offered this:

Let the registrar know in the Spring that you intend to part time homeschool for the upcoming school year. It makes it easier to schedule a late start or early realease. Note your intention on the class choice sheet. Prior to the beginning of the school year, get a "Declaration of Intent to Provide Home Based Instruction" form from the homeschool center (now called Cascade Parent Partnership Program). Submit the completed form to CPPP and a copy to the registrar at your school. You can also do it right before the semester.

That's about the extent of it. Your child will need to be dropped off late or picked up early. Another alternative is taking more electives to maintain a full 6 period schedule and transportation.

I'd contact the CPPP for the paperwork details and the school for scheduling details and other info.

I thought that was useful information and worth a new thread. So, here you go, a thread to discuss partially home schooling, how to make that happen with the district and teachers, how to make it work well for the kids and parents, and whether it's a good idea.

APP in the NE and capacity planning

Big changes in the works to deal with capacity issues in the NE. Seattle Schools Community Forum just put up a good post on it, "No Clear Answer for the NE".

By request, let's open a thread to discuss APP specific issues with the plans for the NE. In particular, as a couple parents point out, some of the plans would start a new middle school in the NE and likely lead to a split at the middle school level for APP, but let's also open this up broadly to discussion of all the capacity plans in the NE and what they may mean for APP.

Open thread

A new open thread. Talk about whatever you like!

This also is a good spot for parents new to APP or considering APP to ask questions of other parents.

Demand for an APP private school?

In an earlier thread, a parent wrote:

This city could support one more private school that focuses on highly capable kids. If I didn't already have a full time job...

Another parent added, "It is time. I hope it is not only a dream."

That seems like a nicely controversial topic likely to generate some good discussion, so here's a new thread for it. Go to it!

Plan for Hamilton?

An e-mail to Hamilton students from the Hamilton PTSA said:

Last night Seattle Public Schools introduced its short-term capacity management ... The specifics of the plan can be found in the District's presentation.

All incoming sixth graders and new students from the Laurelhurst Attendance Area would be shifted to Eckstein Middle School ... Current fifth grade APP students at Lincoln would continue on to Hamilton.

Please discuss.

Leaving APP?

A parent writes:

This is our 5th year in APP with our two kids. Like many of you we lived through the Lowell/TM split and closure scare, last year's move to Lincoln, this year's emergency fund-drive at Lincoln, and now the question of where the 5th graders will go. I have to say, the district has finally worn us down. Uncle! We're hoping that our older one can finish at Hamilton without any drama, and we're working furiously on private school apps for our 5th grader. It's really unfortunate- we love our APP teachers and community... but we are at the point where the obscene price of private for 3 years actually seems worth it for some stability (that is, IF we get in & get some aid).

Please discuss.

Open thread

Almost a new year. Thoughts on APP in Seattle Public Schools in 2013?

What will happen to Lincoln APP 5th grade?

A watchful parent points to slide 29 of a recent SPS capacity planning presentation (PDF) which says that the solution to overcapacity at Hamilton is to either keep current 5th graders at Lincoln APP for another year (so, 6th grade would be at Lincoln APP) or move them to John Marshall (instead of having them go to Hamilton).

Either way, looks like APP 5th graders in the north might be getting some disruption, and not sure this has been discussed much publicly yet.

Open thread

What's on your mind, APP parents?

Science in APP

Lots of discussion about problems at Hamilton middle school with how science is taught in APP.

We've talked a lot about math here on this blog, but not much about science. Let's broaden the discussion beyond Hamilton APP too.

How do you like how science is taught in APP? Are there grades in which it is done particularly well? Others where it is done poorly? Where it is done well or poorly, do you think what is responsible is the curriculum, principal, or teachers?

School start times and teenagers

By request, a thread to discuss whether school start times should be later, especially in high school. Not an APP-specific topic, but let's do a thread on it anyway.

To get the discussion started, let me point to an article, "Do Later School Start Times Really Help High School Students?". The article summarizes several studies that showed higher grades, better test scores, and fewer traffic accidents when teens had later start times, and also summarizes the negatives (impact on after school sports and work schedules).

Open thread

Looks like we might need a new open thread. Have at it!

Lincoln APP budget cut

By request, a thread to discuss a new development at elementary APP at Lincoln (Lowell@Lincoln), a letter from Principal Rina Geoghagan that says "enrollment was lower than ... projected" so "Lincoln will be losing a classroom teacher and reducing teachers Preparation, Conference, and Planning (PCP) by 0.5 FTE ... This will necessitate the reassignment of some students into different classrooms."

A letter from the PTA for Lincoln (SNAPP PTA) responds, "We intend to fight this decision ... We believe that this staffing cut is being driven by a budget shortfall, and it appears that schools across the district are not sharing in the burden equally. We currently have an average student:teacher ratio of nearly 25:1, equal to or higher than other elementary schools."

What is APP for and who should be in it

By request, and because an earlier thread was largely taken over by it, here is an opportunity to discuss the entry criteria to APP, whether it has been weakened, and what it should be.

As several parents have pointed out, this may need to be a broader discussion of the purpose of APP and the decline of Spectrum. It may need to get into whether there should be multiple programs for students working one, two, or more grade levels ahead, and what the purpose and entry criteria should be for each of the programs.

Have at it!

Open thread

About a month into school. How's it going?

APP at Lincoln for next five years?

According to a couple parents, Superintendent Banda sent out a letter indicating that APP elementary in the north will be staying at Lincoln for the next five years.

From one of the parents, quoting from the letter from Banda:

Specifically regarding the APP program, I want to provide the following updates:

-APP students will remain at Lincoln for the next five school years, including this year.
-If BEX IV is approved, staff recommend moving the current north end APP elementary students to a new Wilson-Pacific building (tentatively scheduled to open for the 2017-18 school year).
-Beyond the 2017-18 school year, in addition to Wilson-Pacific we might consider additional locations for APP if enrollment continues to increase or if recommendations to provide additional regional programs are made. That’s why it is important that we build flexibility into our BEX IV plan.
-I have also asked the capital planning staff to review options at the interim site to address concerns with the play area and lunchroom facilities.

Another parent read this and said:

We got a letter on Friday from Jose Banda saying:
1. Lincoln is it for the next five years
2. IF BEXIV passes, a single school at Wilson-Pacific is the plan, beginning 2017-18. Regional options are possible later.

So:
1. the debate between the ALL APP Academy and regional schools is over.
2. there is no sibling co-attendance option for North.
3. No kindergarten at APP North.
4. We're talking 900-1000 students in a single elementary school at current course and speed.

Give credit for decisiveness, but this is a pretty profound decision with no process, and there are many, many unanswered questions.

Full text of the letter doesn't appear to be available easily but, if anyone finds it, please post it in the comments.

Update: The full letter. (thanks, SNAPP PTA!)

Update: Charlie Mas posts about this too over on Save Seattle Schools.

Another open thread

What else would you like to talk about?

Open thread

A lot of new topics on this blog lately. What else is on your mind?

Update: This thread appears to have mostly turned into a discussion of the APP AC. Let's go ahead and make it about that. I'll open a new open thread for other topics.

Boycott MSP/HSPE?

By request, a threat to discuss an APP boycott of MSP/HSPE tests (those scores are important in the state's measures of the performance of Seattle Public Schools, so an organized boycott would get attention). This topic has come up a number of times, but there has never been an organized effort to get a significant percentage of APP students to opt out of those tests. Should there be?

Too many early release days?

By request, a new thread to discuss the very high number of early release days at some schools this year (Hamilton apparently has 20).

New York Times: "Young, Gifted and Neglected"

By request, a new thread to discuss the New York Times editorial today, "Young, Gifted and Neglected".

BEX IV and APP

A draft of the BEX IV plan came out recently, and it sounds like parents are getting concerned.

One parent wrote:

it shows APP@Lincoln through 2016-17. The modernized Lincoln high school is shown as opening 2019-20 (a current 5th grader would be a HS senior). The interim site for Lincoln HS would be the John Marshall building, beginning in 2017-2018 (a current 5th grader would be a HS sophomore). Beginning in 2014-15, John Marshall is scheduled to be an interim site for the new middle school at Wilson Pacific (a current 5th grader would be in 7th grade). John Marshall is shown as an interim site beginning in the 2013-14 school year, but with no indication of who would be there. Will APP@HIMS be split, and/or moved to John Marshall for next year, when JM becomes an interim site? Is the interim site for APP@Lincoln just for elementary?

Another quoted a SNAPP (the north-end PTA) e-mail saying:

If approved, the BEX IV levy will provide capital funding for 6 years (2014-2019) to help with building remodeling, replacement, and new facility projects district-wide.

We are very troubled by the lack of a clearly defined plan for APP@Lincoln and the uncertain future of north-end elementary APP. We are therefore asking families to attend the first BEX IV community meeting, this Thursday, September 20th from 6:30-8PM at Whitman Middle School (9201 15th Ave NW).

We have 3 major concerns at this time:
1: APP@ Lincoln has no clearly designated building assignment in this latest iteration of BEX IV projects. Because the district considers APP@Lincoln to be a program, not a school, they can "slice and dice" us as they see fit to meet capacity needs rather than to meet advanced learners' needs.
2: As a program, our placement is decided by the Teaching and Learning department, which is currently lacking a director and interim director due to recent personnel changes within the district. Without decision-makers who understand the academic, social, and emotional needs of highly capable learners, our school remains an easy target for displacement and disbandment.
3: The district is not utilizing student roll-up data (ie, projecting which middle schools current elementary students will attend based on current elementary assignment patterns rather than home addresses) to assess needs for middle-school capacity. As a result, the district is not building sufficient middle-school seats in our region.

BEX IV will determine capacity for the next several years. Certainly looks like it doesn't do much to address the poor temporary location of APP elementary in the north-end at Lincoln nor the severe overcrowding at Hamilton. And I'm not sure if the BEX IV plan has much in it to address likely overcrowding at Thurgood Marshall, Washington, and Garfield either.

Update: Charlie Mas just put up a post, "BEX IV Re-order", that has some thoughts on BEX IV.

Open thread

How are things going, APP parents? These first weeks of school are always hectic. What's on your mind?

Keeping north and south together

By request, and based on a lot of discussion in the last thread, let's talk about what parents can do to keep the north and south APP working together.

The core issue is that, with all the splits, we are getting close to having separate APP programs in Seattle for the north and for the south. The south/central APP would do Thurgood Marshall -> Washington -> Garfield. The north currently can do Lincoln -> Hamilton -> Ingraham (though capacity is an issue there, many come to Washington or Garfield at at the transitions, and north APP will probably have to move out of at least two of those schools -- and may even split NE and NW for elementary -- in the near future). We are heading down a path where parents and students in the north APP could never see students in the south APP and visa-versa. They almost would be separate programs in everything but name. Is that a good thing?

Other issues mentioned include the math curriculum differences (especially the different textbooks used at Thurgood Marshall this year compare to the older ones at Lincoln, but also the lack of algebra for 6th graders at Hamilton and the lack of AP classes at Ingraham). Lack of cooperation between the north and south PTAs has come up multiple times. And inequity in PTA funds (which tend to be much greater in the north) has been mentioned in previous threads.

The first question might be, what do parents want? Should APP be the north and south separate? Should it even be each school on its own? Do you want APP to be a city-wide program, region-specific program, or school-specific program?

The second question might be, what can APP parents do? Are there things we, as parents, can ask our PTAs to do? Can we work for specific things that might help? To take one example, parents could work for funding for teacher training city-wide across all schools, for math training or instruction on gifted education, that gets teachers in the north and south working together and sharing knowledge? In general, what can we do that might help?

First day of school

How was your first day of school?

What are you happy about? What problems are you hitting? And what questions do you have for other APP parents? Please discuss!