Georgetown, Longwood -Choose which school to go to

[EagleDad]

beaconnews.suntimes.com/13971768-417/two-indian-prairie-buildings-face-school-choice-status.html

Two Indian Prairie buildings face school ‘choice’ status
BY ERIKA WURST [e-mail] July 25, 2012

AURORA — Two Indian Prairie schools are in jeopardy of entering federal school improvement status if Illinois doesn’t receive a sought-after No Child Left Behind waiver. That status could mean parents will be allowed to transfer their children to other schools.

No official adequate yearly progress (AYP) results have been given yet, but administrators expect that both Longwood and Georgetown elementary schools are in line to fail to meet the No Child Left Behind standards for the third year in a row, putting them in federal school improvement status.

Should the state get a waiver, the schools would all restart in terms of AYP, and more freedom will be placed on the state and districts to determine what constitutes growth and success.

If the state doesn’t get a waiver, Longwood and Georgetown will become “choice” schools. This means parents have the option of removing their children from the failing school into a school that has met the No Child Left Behind standards.

The district will select which schools the children will attend, and transportation will be provided with funds set aside for supplemental education services and “choice” transportation.

Last year, both schools had the option of offering supplemental education services instead of becoming “choice” schools. Because they failed to meet AYP for a third year, they will have to offer both, and split up the Title I funds.

Board member Susan Rasmus said that because the schools failed to meet the federal mandates, it doesn’t mean they are behind. Any subgroup, including students with developmental disabilities or English as a Second Language students, that fails to meet the 92.5 percent mark will put the school in jeopardy of not meeting the mandate.

She said staff, administrators and students at both schools are working as hard as any other.

The district plans to notify parents of their “choice” option on Aug. 1. They will be notified by letters already approved by the state board of education.

---

well now, isn't that interesting.

[casey]

Very interesting. Why didn't this get covered in the other papers? I didn't see anything about it in the Sun. "Yeah, just run it in the Beacon News so no one really sees it." I can't help but feel everything is manipulated. I'll be looking for the article in Friday's Sun.

Pretty scary though to think that we have 2 schools in the district that have not made AYP for 3 years. I think many of the AYP standards are BS anyway as they put a crazy burden on the district. I wonder if Georgetown and Longwood did become "choice" schools how many parents would want to pack it up and find another school in the district? That would be pretty ugly for sure.

[southsidesignmaker]

Study: Some DuPage minority teens feel unwelcomed.

By Susan Frick Carlman [e-mail] July 26, 2012 9:52AM

Steve Garlington of the COD Regional Office of Education talks with area Black and Hispanic high school students during the first annual "Black and Tan Student Summit" focusing on college readiness, academic achievement and personal development in 2008.| Sun-Times Media File

Read it

The newly released report on attitudes toward ongoing differences in school performance that show correlation to race and ethnicity in DuPage County is titled “Voices: African-American and Hispanic students’ perceptions regarding the academic achievement gap.” Written by Lourdes Ferrer, Ed.D., and Stephen Garlington, MSW/LSCW, the book is available through amazon.com.

Head counts up

The proportion of African-American and Hispanic students in Districts 203 and 204 has increased over the past five years. Here are the 2011 figures, with the percentage for 2006 in parentheses.

District 203

African American
students: 4.9 (3.8) percent

Hispanic students:
7.6 (4.0) percent

District 204

African-American s
tudents: 9.4 (8.6) percent

Hispanic students:
9.6 (6.1) percent

Statewide

African-American students:
18.3 (19.9) percent

Hispanic students:
23.0 (18.7) percent

Source: Illinois State Board
of Education

Updated: July 27, 2012 5:58PM


Stephen Garlington sees it as a matter of cultural competence.

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The educational consultant and social worker partnered recently with fellow scholar Lourdes Ferrer to take a fresh look at the chronic differences in academic performance between African-American and Hispanic students and their classroom contemporaries.

Dubbed the “academic achievement gap,” the phenomenon is targeted in a new book published by the DuPage County Regional Office of Education, that culminated five years of study in which the region’s unique socioeconomic environment repeatedly came to the fore.

“Students who come into DuPage County many times are in cultural shock,” Garlington said in an appearance before the County Board Tuesday.

Measured through the standardized tests required under the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, the achievement levels are determined by scores on state assessments such as the Illinois Standard Achievement Test and the Prairie State Achievement Examination.

“The problem with that is, especially in 11th grade, with the PSAE, students have one more grade to complete, and then they get their diploma,” Garlington said in a phone interview. “If you’re not proficient in science and language and math, what kind of future do you have?”
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Changing the game

As the county’s population grows increasingly diverse, education officials want to know more about why the two groups of learners are consistently outperformed. So they went straight to the source, hiring Garlington and Ferrer to ask black and Hispanic teens themselves.

“We asked them a basic question: ‘Why do Caucasian and Asian-American students do better than you?’” said regional Superintendent Darlene Ruscitti.

Among the recurring themes in the responses they heard, many African-American and Hispanic students reported negative attitudes about standardized tests, and said they place low value on high-quality education and — along with their parents, teachers and administrators — have low expectations for their academic achievement.

They also displayed a sense of being outsiders.

“According to these students, it is very difficult to excel in a school environment in which they do not feel included or welcomed,” the researchers wrote.

The authors devised 27 recommendations, including placement of greater value on education, beginning in kindergarten. They also advise educators to realize students from the two minorities sometimes have to “code switch,” or shift their style of speaking when they move from school to the cultural context of homes and neighborhoods. In addition, school teachers need to bear in mind that there may be racial and ethnic tensions at work in the classroom, cafeteria and hallways.

The report also calls for greater diversity among school faculty and staff.

“I think one of the biggest issues for schools to look at is inclusion,” Garlington said. “If you walk through school and you don’t see teachers and counselors and administrators who are of the same ethnicity ... it kind of rings hollow.”

In their words

The book doesn’t analyze data or examine testing instruments, which long have been criticized as unfair to minority students.

“This is 100 percent what the students believe is why they don’t achieve the same academic success as their peers,” Ferrer said. The two groups studied are distinct, the researchers emphasized. For both, however, attitudes and perceptions play key roles.

Neither group of respondents named racial discrimination as a primary barrier to their success. Instead, the authors found long-entrenched cultural elements are often at play.

“Things that were a higher priority, for the African-American kids, was that there seemed to be a disconnect between home and what they’re learning at school,” said Garlington, who is black.

Expectations in the two settings are notably different.

“I think it has to do with the primary form of socialization, which is the family,” he said. “Families need to recognize that, here in America especially, education is the key to a good future.”

It’s not always a message that resonates for teens. High-achieving African-American and Hispanic kids are often derided by their peers who aren’t performing at the same level and accuse them of “acting white” or “acting guero,” Garlington said.

“It’s almost like there’s a price to pay for academic rigor,” he said.

Entrenched views

Old perspectives die hard, the consultants found. Ferrer was surprised at the satisfaction expressed by newly arrived Hispanic teens.

“Many of them just feel successful,” she said. “Being in America is a blessing, and learning English is a blessing. And then graduating from high school is a third blessing. Three blessings.”

Garlington also found many of the students aim lower than their peers do, once commencement has come and gone.

“When they cross the stage, everybody applauds,” he said.

In some cases the only members of the household who speak English fluently, Hispanic teens often shift a segment of their focus and energy from school to work, feeling obliged to help support their families, the authors said.

“When they work, many times it’s not to buy a new pair of sneakers,” Ferrer said. “It’s to pay the electric bill.”

Immigration issues can further hinder the will to excel, when students or their parents lack papers proving their legal status. Puerto Rican by birth, Ferrer said she and her three children didn’t have that challenge when they arrived on the U.S. mainland in 1990. Teens from Mexico and Central America have told her a much different story, relating how it has limited their capacity for hope.

“I heard not one or two or three, but hundreds of students telling of how they crossed the border,” she said. “Some of them were born here, but their parents are undocumented — so they live in the shadows.”

Letting go

Compounding the struggle is that many Hispanic parents are unfamiliar with the American educational system.

“Not only that they don’t know, they don’t know how to know,” said Ferrer, noting that parental involvement is a feature of the American education system not found in most other countries.

Garlington said the past has a hand in the achievement gap for black students as well.

“We have to begin to understand that the school is not our enemy, that to become acculturated is not to become assimilated,” he said, adding that being smart and punctual and speaking standard English doesn’t translate to being white. “Standard English is what’s used, whether you like it or not. At times I think there’s such anger and resentment about past injustices ... that we aren’t able to move forward.”

Systemic change, the researchers say, is what will begin that forward momentum.

“The only way that we can get more minorities to achieve is to get them to change the way they think about themselves,” Ferrer said.

According to Garlington, that needs to start now.

“It’s a moral imperative at this point,” he said. “We need to do more than talk about it, it’s time to do something about it.”

[southsidesignmaker]

Coming from a family that relied on all family members to "chip in with paying the bills" by age 12, I would strongly suggest that these researchers look at how generations of immigrants "ASSIMILATED" INTO AMERICAN SOCIETY TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL... PROSPEROUS... TAX PAYING AMERICANS.

I can only hope that this research was not paid for by a government grant !

[treehugger]

That is a shame. These are two great schools with great teachers. SSDM, these issues are not that simple and it is a much different world now than it was back when you were a kid.

[doctorwho]

Jul 25, 2012 19:14:55 GMT -6 EagleDad said:

beaconnews.suntimes.com/13971768-417/two-indian-prairie-buildings-face-school-choice-status.html

Two Indian Prairie buildings face school ‘choice’ status
BY ERIKA WURST [e-mail] July 25, 2012

AURORA — Two Indian Prairie schools are in jeopardy of entering federal school improvement status if Illinois doesn’t receive a sought-after No Child Left Behind waiver. That status could mean parents will be allowed to transfer their children to other schools.

No official adequate yearly progress (AYP) results have been given yet, but administrators expect that both Longwood and Georgetown elementary schools are in line to fail to meet the No Child Left Behind standards for the third year in a row, putting them in federal school improvement status.

Should the state get a waiver, the schools would all restart in terms of AYP, and more freedom will be placed on the state and districts to determine what constitutes growth and success.

If the state doesn’t get a waiver, Longwood and Georgetown will become “choice” schools. This means parents have the option of removing their children from the failing school into a school that has met the No Child Left Behind standards.

The district will select which schools the children will attend, and transportation will be provided with funds set aside for supplemental education services and “choice” transportation.

Last year, both schools had the option of offering supplemental education services instead of becoming “choice” schools. Because they failed to meet AYP for a third year, they will have to offer both, and split up the Title I funds.

Board member Susan Rasmus said that because the schools failed to meet the federal mandates, it doesn’t mean they are behind. Any subgroup, including students with developmental disabilities or English as a Second Language students, that fails to meet the 92.5 percent mark will put the school in jeopardy of not meeting the mandate.

She said staff, administrators and students at both schools are working as hard as any other.

The district plans to notify parents of their “choice” option on Aug. 1. They will be notified by letters already approved by the state board of education.

---

well now, isn't that interesting.

Will someone please tell our cheerleading SB member- trying and results are two different things ? Sometimes the subgroup can be so small the results are very skewed--other times there is an issue and maybe some new things have to be tried. What an embarassment of a response !

Ok-- I know no one is going to want to hear this but let's lay out all the facts here and understand some of what is going to go on. Longwood isone of the oldest physical plants and one of the schools that actually had overcrowding issues for long periods of time. Both these schools underperform when standing next to other schools in the district - so isn't it a perfect time to 'save' under utilized May Watts and Owen by 'bussing' kids there, thereby still needing the buildings and not having to justify the low capacity rates there. ?

there's going to be so many damn kids being bussed in this district for long distances they need to look at teaching ON the bus.

[doctorwho]

Jul 25, 2012 21:30:19 GMT -6 casey said:

Very interesting. Why didn't this get covered in the other papers? I didn't see anything about it in the Sun. "Yeah, just run it in the Beacon News so no one really sees it." I can't help but feel everything is manipulated. I'll be looking for the article in Friday's Sun.

Pretty scary though to think that we have 2 schools in the district that have not made AYP for 3 years. I think many of the AYP standards are BS anyway as they put a crazy burden on the district. I wonder if Georgetown and Longwood did become "choice" schools how many parents would want to pack it up and find another school in the district? That would be pretty ugly for sure.

because 204 controls what hits the press here and what doesn't - this is no new news. Finally something important and it's suppressed- gee what a surprise.

some local pols who protect the ruling party in 204 need to start realizing the incompetence is starting to make their areas look bad also...

[EagleDad]

Looks like the Georgetown/Longwood kids who choose are being re-directed to Kendall/Clow:

www.dailyherald.com/article/20120814/news/708149756/

Just as officials at two Naperville-area school districts predicted, few families, when offered the choice to move from a “failing” school, took the districts up on the offer.

Naperville Unit District 203 alerted families at Mill Street Elementary School earlier this month that they were allowed to transfer to other district schools. Indian Prairie Unit District 204 offered parents at Georgetown and Longwood elementary schools the choice to transfer because the schools failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress for the third consecutive year.

Related articles
Dist. 203, 204 offering choice for families at struggling schools
Related files
Mill Street Choice FAQ

Last year, both districts were required to offer supplemental services to students at each school that fell short of federal No Child Left Behind standards for the second straight year.

Under No Child Left Behind, 85 percent of students in every subgroup needed to meet standards in 2011 and 2012.

Kitty Ryan, assistant superintendent for elementary education in District 203, said only two students of the estimated 700 enrolled at Mill Street took advantage of the opportunity to move to River Woods Elementary School. Ryan said River Woods was chosen as the alternate because it is a “high-achieving school” with the capacity to take in the students.

“We fielded a handful of calls but ultimately only two families opted to move a total of two students to River Woods,” Ryan said after Tuesday’s deadline. “The process worked well because (Mill Street Principal) Mary Baum has done a very good job communicating with parents and letting them know that we are focused on preparing all of our kids to exceed at Mill.”

District 204 officials won’t know for sure until Thursday but they are estimating a total of 40 of the roughly 1,000 students attending Georgetown and Longwood will choose to move to Kendall or Clow elementary schools.

Janet Buglio, spokeswoman for District 204, which covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook, said parents were given a Wednesday deadline. Parents who expressed the desire to move will be given a follow-up telephone call on Thursday.

“Parent information meetings were held at both schools. Approximately 20 parents at each school expressed interest in moving their child for the coming school year,” Buglio said Tuesday afternoon. “We will have more definitive numbers once our deadline passes.”

The state board of education has submitted a request for a waiver from many mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act to the U.S. Department of Education.

If the state receives that waiver before school begins Wednesday in District 203 or Aug. 23 in District 204, the districts will rescind the choice offering. If a waiver is granted once school starts, the students can stay in their new school for one year or return to their home schools. The districts are required to pay transportation costs for those students for only one year.