Visit one of the feeder schools for your school.

08/11/2010

My student-teaching supervisor recommended for me to attend the district meeting.  Faculty typically meets to discuss and interpret test scores to the best of their ability; however, often leave with contempt and dissatisfaction.  Lovely!

The feeder school to the 7-12 campus is 16 miles apart.  That’s many more miles than the 1.5 miles in the Elk Grove Unified School District.  The middle school on campus was a former elementary school.  Due to low performance, it was restructured into a middle school to avoid state intervention.  Many parents weren’t happy busing their young children out of the neighborhood, but it was a decision that appeared to benefit the students.  It has been suggested that successful transitions yield better student performance.

I spoke with the superintendent in person.  He hired a consultant for the year to raise test scores.  It was related to me that the firm is reputable and guarantees success.  The firm’s methodology appears to be sound, but I’m not certain how much time each teacher will have to incorporate this into the curriculum.  I found comfort that the firm’s approach is heavily dependent on data; however, other teachers appeared to be uncertain how to go about interpreting or reorganizing the date to their benefit.  Considering how much data there is, and missing data elsewhere; I think it’s completely warranted.

I’ll have to reflect upon this methodology and conclude if it continues to prove worthwhile in the end.