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How an obsession with educational 'rigor' is hurting Lodi's students
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 6:03 AM PDT
As tough economic times continue to deplete our educational infrastructure, it's important to remember that effective and cost-neutral educational decisions can still be made.
Approximately five years ago, Lodi Unified embarked on a state-mandated quest to raise test scores and close a large achievement gap among various subgroups of students. According to state and district officials, the preliminary step for closing this "achievement gap" was to provide all students with "grade level standards" every day. Unraveling and understanding this controversial topic is difficult, but if education continues in its current direction we will have successfully taken steps to provide an inadequate education for many.
The well-conceived intentions of No Child Left Behind were to ensure an equal education for all, but the dynamics of this inadequately-funded educational plan have spilled over into our classrooms and assisted with the declines in enrollment and achievement, and continued student failure.
Under intense state pressure, Lodi Unified has encouraged and endorsed an education that appears, based on scores, to be successful, equitable and measurable. Our district has endorsed a program of "fidelity to the text." The assumption is that all children, given the exact same instruction, will ultimately excel at the same rate. This notion of a "grade level," standards-based curriculum excludes developmental ranges, socioeconomic status and language barriers, and has destroyed teacher creativity and inspiration.
This current system lacks meaningful, attainable and reasonable expectations that meet individual needs. A system desperate to raise scores, striving for rigor before mastery, is fostering failure before success. Our top students are not advancing and our average and below performing students are struggling to survive. This process is easily assessed and measured as inadequate and fraudulent in many curricular areas.
In 2007-08, developmentally ready or not, our math pathways required all students to take "grade level," college-prep Algebra 1, a very fast-paced and rigorous curriculum. This enabled us to earn "free" points from the state. API scores showed a jump and we applauded success. Yet 53 percent of our students enrolled in this course failed! Was the achievement gap closed and was rigor the right approach?
We appeared to be gaining some insight, so subsequently a "pre-algebra" course that meets state guidelines for a diploma and earns API points was instituted. Unfortunately, our district didn't see this as a step to closing the achievement gap or a bridge to prepare our students for their future. Lodi Unified states that this class is below "grade level."
Therefore, by taking it, students will not earn math credits toward a high school diploma. Administration believes that if math credits are given toward a high school diploma for a course considered "below grade level," people will guide students into a lower level course to ensure success.
To alleviate this from happening, our district will not allow students to receive math credits for anything lower than Algebra 1, a course that now must be completed in one year. Only a full year of failure will allow them an alternative to a less rigorous and appropriate course. This is counter to all common sense and educational theory. This current pathway makes it extremely difficult for many students to succeed within four years, as measured by the number of students enrolled in adult and summer school.
The concept that well-intended teachers will choose less rigor for success as opposed to rigor and failure brings light to the lack of trust, communication, confidence and insight that our current administration has for teachers. Teachers embrace higher standards and promote mastery of skills. Teachers aspire for students to excel in a rigorous curriculum. But in an attempt to provide an equal education to all, the classroom has changed, negatively impacting the majority of our student's education. The notion of tracking has been perceived as unquotable, therefore all students have been brought together to learn equally and have been placed in all "college prep" classes. This trend to create a very diverse learning environment appears equitable on paper, but in reality has measurable and compounding deficits. A "college prep" classroom of 30 can easily consist of special needs students, some with severe emotional issues, English Language Development students, pregnant teens, a host of behavioral issues and, lastly, a few students actually determined to transfer to college. One teacher, under extremely strict guidelines, is required to meet all these diverse needs simultaneously.
A truly educationally sound and equitable classroom would not only raise test scores but would enhance and embrace the true meaning of education. Beginning with rigor and experiencing failure is not proactive, does not raise scores and is a disservice to the people we serve.
Let's embark on a journey to meet the diverse needs of all our students appropriately and effectively. Let us begin with the basics, experience success and advance to rigor. Let us allow our children to learn developmentally-appropriate skills. Changes can take effect simply and without cost, since all curriculum and teachers are currently available. API can still increase and state mandates can still be met. Minor changes can make major life changes for our future. Let our children enjoy learning. Together we can create a desire for learning and achieving and eradicate our current system of failure.
It is in the best interest of our children for Lodi Unified to reassess our diverse population and allow teachers, counselors and parents to be an integral part of the educational process. It is time to move forward and create a pathway that fosters learning and embodies success. It is time that our administrators and board create an open forum of communication and together with teachers and counselors create a district that has the potential of overflowing with success. Trust, communication and appropriate curriculum can move our students in a direction of success. Scores will soar!
Jane Woznick is a teacher at Lodi High School and a Reese Elementary School parent.
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Gator wrote on Mar 17, 2009 2:25 PM:
bulldog wrote on Mar 17, 2009 12:41 PM:
What is missing is an afterschool support system that allows those students who want help and requires those who need help (see their report cards for the difference) to get the help they need. You could make it a class for upperclass students to tutor those who need help, under the guidance of a few teachers, and yes fatcat administrators.
You could also require every principal to teach one class for one semester per year. Like condom use - oops, I mean health. I think Lodi has 5 or 6 principals, they should be able to find their way around a textbook. "
yabajobu wrote on Mar 17, 2009 8:59 AM:
www.vouchersystem.org "
Jerry wrote on Mar 16, 2009 4:25 PM:
If you took your kid to swimming lessons...185 days a year/7 hours per day for twelve years and they still could not swim, who would you blame?
The system is the problem and the system is the solution. Right now, we have built our entire school system around the bus schedule. We try and stuff 220 days worth of information into their little heads in something less than 185 days. We have parents who expect us to raise their children because they can't or won't. Some of these kids go home to one parent who is in and out of jail and the other is in and out of the bottle (or drugs take your pick).
We need a system where they spend more time with professional educators than with their own families. Give me a good system and these kids for 12 hours a day and I'll give you a system that works.
We need an expanded year and an expanded day. Yeh, we must feed them, give them values and create a sence of pride for doing something well. What say you? "
Jerry wrote on Mar 16, 2009 4:09 PM:
I am spending my time over explaining myself as I believe that the folks who have posted here are capable of coming up with a few answers to our "system" that's not really a system yet. God knows, if we wait for our fatcat administrators it will never happen.
If you believe me, and I think most of you do. You know some of our more marginal students are products of a marginal homelife. So, what's the answer? I say we take more control over the time any student spends trying to cram down all that needs cramming.
We need to require "some students" to stay after school and do their so-called homework at school under the supervision of a tutor or teacher. Can you imagine if all these kids spent another two hours preparing for their classes? No kid should go home with a book, a paper, or even a pencil. For many, no for most, it is a waste of time anyway; they never crack a book and their parents are unwilling or unable to help. These kids need our help. So lets help. "
Jerry wrote on Mar 16, 2009 3:56 PM:
By the way, all though all the comments located below are understandable and defensible I would argue that L.U.S.D. is not an educational system at all. A system is a phenomenon "where something goes in and something comes out" yes?
Well as all you educators know, about 25% go in but never come out. Twenty-five percent never get a diploma. My guess is, another 25% did not acquire the abilities to deserve one.
So, who do we blame? The students? The parents? The teachers? Our moron administrators? Certainly, there is enough blame to go around. The point is this, the system is very badly broken and needs fixing now. If we are being honest with ourselves some of these kids don't have a chance; never did. Some of these kids come from such dire "circumstance" at home it's a wonder they can function "in our system" at all. Wait...I have more.. "
Lodian wrote on Mar 16, 2009 12:29 PM:
Lodian wrote on Mar 16, 2009 12:28 PM:
" Social promotion is the Political Correct term to move them on so you dont damage the Childs Self esteem. "
I AGREE!
Hits to ones self esteem builds character. God forbid a kid becomes an adult before he/she feels the sting of failing or has to struggle and/or work hard at something. With that said it is a crying shame to force a student into a class where he/she and the teacher both know he/she will fail. Setting one up to fail is not the answer either. "
Gator wrote on Mar 12, 2009 7:19 PM:
Captain Inferno wrote on Mar 12, 2009 9:58 AM:
Leave the teaching to the teachers. Giving a test to schools so half the school can waste their time pumping out useless information while the others make pretty patterns on the answer sheet isn't the answer. "
Audi 5000 wrote on Mar 12, 2009 9:36 AM:
Giovanina wrote on Mar 11, 2009 9:44 PM:
" Truly, you make some good points. The children who receive failing grades in middle school schould not be socially promoted to high school. I don't know why this happens!"
I don't understand it either. In the Philippines, you take tests at the end of the year and if you don't pass, you don't promote. What would be the use of taking a test if there is no consequence for failing? Oh I see, it is so some educrat can get paid for making and analyzing the failed test. "
Contrapasso wrote on Mar 11, 2009 1:57 PM:
Truly, you make some good points. The children who receive failing grades in middle school schould not be socially promoted to high school. I don't know why this happens! "
Bulldog wrote on Mar 11, 2009 12:53 PM:
Yet, wasn't it the CTA that spent all that money on Prop 8? Where do the teacher's priorities lie?
I am sorry Ms. Woznick, but your well written letter does not convice me that the teachers of this state have a better method of imparting knowledge. I have been burned out by the salary demands and political posturing of the CTA and its members, to the point that I have no faith their proposals.
If we left education to the CTA teachers, the CTA would destroy what little value there is in a HS diploma. As it is, the only real skill that is "taught" is how to use a condom and how not to offend homosexuals. "
Yabajobu wrote on Mar 11, 2009 10:06 AM:
Comments on this story are now closed.