Schools and Education ETHS Observes ‘Moment' in Compliance With New State Law

By Jennie Berkson
   
On October 17 Evanston Township High School began to observe the moment of silence recently mandated by the Illinois legislature after an override of a gubernatorial veto.
   
"We are having a brief period of silence each day following the Pledge of Allegiance," Superintendent Eric Witherspoon told the RoundTable.  The Pledge is said during fourth period.

"Since the State Board of Education has not yet sent us specific guidelines for implementing the period of silence," Dr. Witherspoon continued, "we were advised by our attorneys that a period of silence should be no less than 10 seconds."

The Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act, which previously allowed, but did not require, a moment of silence, was amended on Oct. 11, overriding Governor Rod Blagojevich's veto. 

District 202 Board members contacted by the RoundTable differed in their response to the school's compliance with the law. 

"I do not support this ‘moment' of silence, because it bridges the line that separates church and state, no matter what our legislators tell us," said Board member Margaret Lurie. "Requiring children to engage in what is essentially a religious practice in public schools is totally opposed to my understanding of the separation of church and state. ETHS is holding a 10-second moment, which is probably the most innocuous and palatable way of following the law."

President Martha Burns had another perspective.

"Our children live in such a fast-paced society, a moment of silence might help many to reflect on their day, or some other situation they are experiencing," she said.  "I don't think it's a bad idea." 

"We must follow the state mandate," said Board member Mary Wilkerson.

Although Student Activities Director Bruce Munro explained over the public address system why the moment of silence was being included, student Board member Aon Hussain said students may not fully understand the reason for the change.

"I don't believe that the administration has thoroughly explained to the student body as to why the moment of silence has been facilitated," Mr. Hussain said.

"Furthermore, I believe many students don't give any care to the situation, primarily because they don't understand what is going on."

Local elected officials Jeffrey Schoenberg, Julie Hamos and Elizabeth Coulson all originally opposed the measure. Senator Schoenberg and Representative Coulson voted against the veto override; Representative Hamos was absent for that vote.

D65 Board to Consider Options Under Reflection and Prayer Act

By Larry Gavin

District 65 has not yet formally implemented recent amendments to the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act, Patricia Markham, the District's communications manager, told the RoundTable. The administration is waiting for a discussion at the Board level to see what direction the Board wants to pursue, she said.

The Act, as amended, requires the teacher in charge of every public school classroom "to observe a brief period of silence with the participation of all pupils therein assembled at the opening of every school day."

The Act goes on to say, "This period shall not be conducted as a religious exercise but shall be an opportunity for silent prayer or for silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day."

Before the amendment, the period of silence was permissive, rather than mandatory. Governor Rod Blagojevich vetoed the amendment, but the legislature overrode the veto. The amendment became effective Oct. 17.

Board president Mary Erickson told the RoundTable that she asked the administration to determine whether the District can obtain a waiver from the Illinois State Board of Education and what would be required to do so. She said she would also like to see what other school districts around the State were doing, and she would like to obtain community input on the issue.

In a letter dated Oct. 18 State Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg urged District 65 to immediately initiate the process of seeking a mandate waiver from the State of Illinois. He said the Act provided no guidance on how long the moment of silence should be or whether or how it should be explained to students.

"The argument that the mandatory moment of silence is not an endorsement of prayer or religion, but is instead merely a time for personal reflection, is indeed questionable," Sen. Schoenberg said.

"It is not difficult to see how, in some classrooms across the state, the moment of silence will cross the threshold and be interpreted as a state-sanctioned opportunity to offer a prayer at the beginning of the school day.

"For those students who do not share the religious beliefs of those imposing or enacting the requirement, this is particularly troubling," the Senator added.

The Board is scheduled to consider the issue at its Nov. 5 meeting.

The amendment is being challenged in federal court, but a motion to temporarily restrain enforcement of the Act pending the outcome of litigation was denied on Monday.

D65 Math Teachers Protest Negative Comments

By Larry Gavin

Forty math teachers turned out at the District 65 School Board meeting on Oct. 15 to protest the negative comments made about math teachers at the Board's Oct. 1 meeting and the Board's failure to defend the teachers. Nine teachers spoke at the meeting.

Dorothy Millard, president of the District Educator's Council, said, "Recently District 65 math teachers came under attack. We are deeply distressed that this occurred and even more dismayed that the School Board did not immediately and passionately advocate for the teachers. Teachers feel disrespected and under-appreciated."

At the Board's Oct. 1 meeting, a handful of parents raised concerns about the District's math program. In addition, the School Board rejected the administration's recommendation to offer geometry for eighth-graders at the middle schools rather than at Evanston Township High School.

One District 65 parent said that the everyday math program at the sixth-grade level can meet the needs of every child only through successful differentiation of instruction. "I am here to tell you that from the perspective of a parent of a sixth-grader last year and two sixth-graders this year, that whatever nice words that you might have been given in the papers, that differentiation is not happening on the ground," she said. "Seasoned math teachers will tell you that it is virtually impossible to differentiate in a classroom of students whose math proficiencies range from third grade to pre-algebra."

She said that one of her children's teachers had just finished reading a book on differentiation, and the teacher told her child to bring a novel to read during math class.

Another parent, whose children are now attending Evanston Township High School, said, "I feel both of them were failed by the math program at District 65, particularly at the middle school level...I hate to say this, but part of the problem is bad teachers."

In urging that the geometry program be kept at the high school, veteran teacher John Benson said ETHS teachers could do a better job because they were more conversant with the math program at ETHS and knew how geometry fit into the overall program.

Several other parents expressed concerns about the process used to place children in the math program, and the failure to provide parents with all of the information used in making the placement decisions and the refusal to allow parents to participate in the process.

Ruth Janusz, a math coach for the District, said, "We were all discouraged that although many comments were clearly anecdotal, they were then globalized unfairly... We welcome comments made in a respectful manner and in an appropriate setting, but too often we feel the current culture created by this School Board and community is not always supportive of teachers or completely informed of all that teachers have accomplished or are working towards improving." Ms. Janusz added, "We must all be wary of excessive criticism, harassment and public humiliation in the guise of transparency."

Paula Zelinski, a math teacher at Haven Middle School, said, "I am here to ask that my employer, the School Board, consistently acknowledge the wealth of talent and the wealth of good that we do in the math department."

Gordon Hood, principal at Nichols Middle School, said, "Evanston Township High School would not have the levels of success with their students if it were not for the foundation that we provide in District 65 in our math program, a program taught by our teachers." He added, "We have teachers who are capable and fully qualified to teach geometry in the middle school."

Many Board members said they did not mean to offend the teachers and that they recognized that the math program has been very successful. Katie Bailey said,

"We don't stop and think about how far we have come and who we have to thank for that-the administration, principals and the teachers who have to work at it every day."

Superintendent Hardy Murphy said, "The engine, the heart of the District is in the classroom and the teachers who are delivering instruction and putting their arms around the children."

Dr. Murphy added, "For too long now the podium has become a bully-pulpit. I think we obviously want to hear from people, but I think how you say things and what you say is very important for achieving consensus and resolution of some very difficult issues."

Dr. Murphy said the administration was continuing to explore the idea of offering geometry at the middle schools and offering parents a choice of having their children take geometry at their middle school or at the high school. The concept will be brought back before the Board, he said.

D65 Committee Begins Work Toward Board Goal to Improve Differentiation and Enrichment

By Larry Gavin

The Differentiated and Enrichment Study Committee, chaired by Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Schultz, held the first of its seven scheduled meetings on Oct. 24. The Committee's charge is "to conduct a comprehensive study of the District's differentiation and enrichment activities and to provide the Board with recommendations that will ensure that all students are challenged to the full extent of their potential."

The Board's goal is to implement the recommendations beginning with the 2008-09 school year.

The differentiation/enrichment study takes on more import as the District has increasingly emphasized educating all children, to the maximum extent possible, in the general classrooms - including children with individual education programs (IEPs) and children receiving reading-intervention support.
Ms. Schultz told members of the Committee that their specific goals are

• To obtain consensus on the definition and the goals of differentiation and enrichment

• To assess the District's current efforts to differentiate instruction and provide enrichment

• To identify the strengths and weaknesses of the District's current programs and strategies

• To make recommendations to strengthen the current program.

• To develop a proposed budget and timeline to implement new programs and strategies.

The Committee will look at research on best practices and look at what other school districts are doing, said Ms. Schultz. The Committee may also bring in experts to discuss selected issues, she said.

Audrey Soglin, executive director of the Consortium for Educational Change, will act as the facilitator. She told committee members, "We're going to have honest dialogue; and we're going to be hitting on the issues you care about." Ms. Soglin taught at District 65 for 25 years before joining the Consortium.

The Committee is composed of three administrators, four principals, one assistant principal, 13 teachers and 13 parents. Ms. Schultz told the RoundTable that the administration selected the teachers and parents on the committee from a pool of persons who volunteered. Administrators attempted to obtain a diverse group of people from many different schools to serve on the committee, she said.

The committee's next meetings are scheduled for Nov. 14 and 28, Dec. 12, Jan. 23, and Feb. 13 and 27. Ms. Schultz said the public is welcome to attend and observe.

Information concerning the committee and its progress will be available on the District 65 website, www.district65.net, in the section on committees.

District 202  Drafting NCLB Position Paper

by Jennie Berkson

With the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act being considered for reauthorization by the U.S. Congress, the District 202 School Board is preparing a position paper that challenges some of the assumptions and measurements used by the Act to evaluate student academic progress.

"When [Representative] Jan Schakowsky visited ETHS last month, she asked for some input on the reauthorization," said Board President Martha Burns.  "We want to make a statement from the local level to present to her and to the State, which is preparing its own position paper."

A preliminary draft, prepared by Judith Levinson, director of Research,
Evaluation and Assessment at the request of the Board, was presented to the Board at its meeting on Oct. 22.  Board members will meet at 6:30 p.m. in public session on Nov. 5 (an hour earlier than normal) to discuss the position paper before the regular Board meeting.

"Although we support the underlying purpose and goals of NCLB," Dr. Levinson wrote, "we have serious concerns about the rules and procedures that have been developed and implemented to address the goals of the Act.  The rules and procedures are burdensome and punitive and hurt the public structure and, ultimately, our children." 

Dr. Levinson went on to point out that experts in educational measurement and policy have suggested that the way in which the law is structured makes it impossible for schools to meet the 100 percent proficiency targets by 2013-14.

"Schools need more time, better tests and consistent standards across states," she continued.

The draft outlined eight areas of concern (bulleted points) and made recommendations for improvement (which follow each point).

• The scaling and content of the Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) and the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) are not aligned.  The ISAT is used to determine if elementary students are making AYP, and the PSAE is used to determine if high school students are making AYP.  As a result, students may meet standards on the ISAT and at the same time be unprepared to meet standards on the PSAE.

Align the ISAT and the PSAE so standards and proficiency levels are consistent across elementary, middle and high school. Cut scores should be reviewed as well as the equal weighting of the components of the PSAE.

• A school must meet all standards for all groups or be classified as not meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP).  Even if some subgroups show progress and others do not, the school is labeled "failing".   It is an all or nothing proposition.
Schools should receive credit for subgroups that improve.

• The provision for 100 percent of all students meeting standards by 2013-14 is unrealistic because certain groups of students with particular challenges may need more time to make up for disabilities, limited English proficiency or basic deficiencies in literacy or numeracy with which they enter school.
The goals of NCLB should be adjusted to allow schools to improve at rates that can be supported by educational measurement specialists.  In doing so, schools/districts can have the time to achieve proficiency goals while standards remain high.

• Larger and more diverse institutions are more likely to have target group populations that are sufficiently large enough to trigger NCLB scrutiny, whereas smaller or less diverse schools are not held to the same standards, even if they have target populations who are not achieving at required levels.  Illinois specifies that a school must have 40 or more students in a target group.
The draft did not make a suggestion for this area of concern.  Some have recommended that the number of students in a required in a target group be reduced to 30 to increase accountability, but according to Dr. Levinson, statistical significance in results would be problematic with such a small group. 

• Two of the sanctions for not making AYP, school choice and supplemental educational services are either extremely difficult to implement or not utilized by many students.  The sanctions cost money to implement, even if they are not used and place an unreasonable financial demand on schools already strapped for funds.
Eliminate sanctions that include public school choice and supplemental educational services, and redirect Title I monies allocated for such purposes towards supports that will more directly help students.

• AYP at the high school level is essentially determined by student performance on one test given to one grade as opposed to the multiple grade tests given to elementary students.
Evaluate high schools at more than one grade level

• The present NCLB testing system evaluates schools based on scores from a single testing rather than looking at student growth over time.
Institute a growth model for school improvement that would track academic growth of student cohorts over time.

• Most of the needed or promised NCLB funds never materialized.
Provide more federal and state money to fund the federal mandates of NCLB
Superintendent Eric Witherspoon strongly supported the Board's desire to develop a position paper on NCLB, but at the same time cautioned the Board that having an impact on the reauthorization discussion might be challenging.

"Even some of the largest voices in the nation like the NEA (National Education Association) and the AASA (American Association of School Administrators) are having a very, very difficult time having a voice at the table on the reauthorization. One of the things (I've heard) those organizations are saying is that the (Congressional) committee hasn't even asked teachers ... what their views on NCLB would be."

D202 Enrollment Decline Part of National Trend

By Jennie Berkson

The District 202 Opening of Schools Report for 2007-2008 presented at the Oct. 22 Board meeting contains the following statistics:

Enrollment:  2,970 students are enrolled in the District, down from 3,041 in 2006-07 and down from 3,164 in 2005-06.
"We have actually been predicting about five years of a downward trend in population," Superintendent Eric Witherspoon told the Board.  "There are fewer school - age children across the nation as a function of population."

Ethnicity: 47 percent of the students are white, 36 percent are Black, 11 percent are Hispanic, 3 percent are Asian and 3 percent are multi-racial. The percentage of Hispanic students has been increasing over the past five years; the percentage of Black students has decreased slightly.

Program: 2,888 students attend the day school; 82 attend the Academy, an ETHS program which, according to the Program Planning Handbook, serves students "who have experienced challenges in traditional mainstreamed programs, largely due to motivation, academic under-preparedness and attendance."  In 2006-07 the numbers were 2,953 and 88, respectively; 2005-06 had 3,064 in day school and 100 in the Academy.  The Academy's population is much more heavily weighted to minority students than the overall ETHS population: 68 percent of Academy students are black; 23 percent are Hispanic.

Grade level: Total ninth-grade enrollment is 786, compared to 862 in 2006-07. 10th-grade enrollment is 746, compared to 781; 11th-grade enrollment is 735, compared to773; and 12th-grade enrollment is 703, compared to 625 in 2006-07.

The administration is now reporting the number of reclassified students in each grade.  "Reclassified" refers to students who do not have enough credits to be promoted to the next grade and who are retained in their current grade.  School officials work with students and their families to help ensure that these students can move ahead in a timely fashion.

There were a total of 126 ninth-graders who had been reclassified, 112 sophomores and 87 juniors.  Although not included in the report this year, there are 18 12th-grade students who lacked sufficient credits to graduate with their class but are not considered "reclassified" since there is no further grade for them to be assigned to, said Dr. Judith Levinson director of Research Evaluation and Assessment.

Special Education: 101 students attend special education programs off-campus this year, compared to 89 last year.  Park Students are now included in the total, which, according to administrators, accounts for most of the increase this year.

The number of District 202 residents reported as attending private or parochial schools decreased this year to a total of 245, compared to 304 in 2006-07.  The number of students going to Loyola Academy fell from 192 to 132, accounting for almost all of the decrease.