Post by refbasics on Feb 28, 2009 12:52:59 GMT -6
Personally, I find it a nice goal to put enough resources into place to eventually get more kids UP to that level...
I find it very counter-productive to bring the AP level DOWN just to be able to put the bullet point on a Power Point somewhere that now X% more kids are in AP and then tout that as some sort of 'success'.
Especially when 70% plus of them are failing the tests right now - that doesn't nothing for student or school. Some other local schools have an 85% + success rate - is that due to better instruction - or more likely better identification of who can and cannot do that work.
As it stands now the student gets and inflated grade for taking the AP but did they learn the material? Maybe the Dr. would not be so happy with it if they did not 'weight' the grades as again another local school does not. If you get an F , it's an F - not a C A D is not a B etc.
If we can prepare more kids for AP and they truly are ready - that would be a great thing - enrolling them in a class is different than preparing them.
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just got this email this Sat (2/28/09) a.m.
"Greetings!
The Indian Prairie Project Arrow PTA wants to make you aware of a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document that the school district has created to answer many questions about changes to the Project Arrow program at our middle schools beginning with the 2009-10 school year. A copy of this FAQ document will soon be accessible on the IPPA PTA web site (http://ipsdweb.ipsd.org/IPPC/Default.aspx/ProjectArrowPTA), but is also attached below.
If you have any questions about the FAQ document, please contact:
Kathy Birkett, Deputy Superintendent, kathryn_birkett@ipsd.org
Jay Strang, Asst. Superintendent, Instructional Services, jay_strang@ipsd.org
If you have specific questions about your children’s middle school, please contact the middle school principal directly:
Crone: Stanley Gorbatkin, stan_gorbatkin@ipsd.org
Fischer: Jennifer Nonnemacher (2009-10), jennifer_nonnemacher@ipsd.org
Granger: Mary Kelly, mary_kelly@ipsd.org
Gregory: Stephen Severson, steve_severson@ipsd.org
Hill: Allan Davenport, allan_davenport@ipsd.org
Scullen: Kathleen Kosteck, kathy_kosteck@ipsd.org
Still: Jennifer Nonnemacher (2008-09), jennifer_nonnemacher@ipsd.org
Thank you!
attached file below:
FAQ on the delivery and structure of the Project Arrow program at the Middle School level
2/17/09
1. Will all of the middle schools offer Project Arrow next year?
• Yes, all middle schools will continue to provide a Project Arrow Program next
year.
2. How soon will I know if my student will participate in the Project Arrow Curriculum or
Accelerated Math Curriculum?
• The process for identifying students to participate in these courses begins in early
spring.
• Parents/Guardians are notified of their child’s program status by the school which
the student currently attends.
• Current 6th and 7th grade students will continue in the program next year.
3. Will there be a change to the Project Arrow Curriculum?
• No, the adopted curriculum, goals, and objectives of the PA program will remain
the same.
4. Will the options for PA participation change?
• No, students will continue to participate in the Project Arrow program in either
the Reading Strand, Math Strand or Full Strand.
• Reading Strand includes a Language Arts Block, Science, and Social Studies.
• Math Strand is the Project Arrow Math Class only.
• Full Strand includes both the Reading and Math Strands.
5. How will Project Arrow change?
• Project Arrow may change in the way in which it is scheduled but not in its
curriculum, goals, and objectives.
6. Will students remain with the same PA team for grades 6-8?
• Not necessarily, the students may be assigned to a different team of teachers at
each grade level just as the students in our regular curriculum are.
7. Will there be one PA team for the school serving all three grade levels?
• Not necessarily, as the new schedule increases Core Academic time there is
overlap in core instructional time among 6th, 7th, & 8th grade. Refer to number 8
for possible reasons.
8. What factors determine the scheduling of PA classes?
• The number of sections of PA needed at a grade level influences how PA classes
are scheduled.
• The certification of the teachers also influences how PA classes are scheduled.
(All teachers are certified in the subject area to which they are assigned.)
• Building schedules may vary due to some of the factors listed above.
• Scheduling configurations may change from year to year or semester to semester