That' what High Speed Universities is all about, to further the education of students. They need more than a high school degree today, they need at least 2 years of college, preferrably 4, and then we're going to work with communities so they can grow economically and create more jobs for our young people

So if I challenge the status quo I get less points? Isn't that what school is ll about?

I think it's a great program.

How is it "radical"? We used to get our names on the chaulkboard with check marks after it. The more checks, the more in trouble you are. How is that different than steps? What is wrong with one student being able to tell another student that he or she is interfering with their learning?

This program teaches responsibiltiy of actions. I think we need more of that.

I think anyone that is against it doesnt understand it fully as the program is great and I think has done a wonderful job at 2nd hill lane, i suggest people try to fully understand the program before they down it, remember 1st and foremost our kids are at school to learn

To Ms. Daponte....MYD does not cost the taxpayers a dime.
It is not a "teaching style" as mentioned by Mr. Sullivan but a response to out of control behavior among middle school students who are testing the waters of adolescence and personality development. It puts the responsibility for behavior squarely on the student and demands they make good choices - which is a life lesson that will serve them well in the future. Any parent who had a child who left Wooster before the MYD program began, knows what issues the administration and faculty were dealing with.
What is truly ""demeaning and radical" is failing to address a discipline issue that undermines the teacher's ability to teach in the classroom and the right of students who "play by the rules" to get the quality education they deserve.

It takes time away from teaching in the classroom. Every time a student is assigned points, the teacher and student have a dialog. That is followed up at the end of the class with more dialog discussing what points were assessed. At least that is how is being done in my Daughter's classes. Perhaps the teachers are doing it wrong?

Nothing wrong with sending a disruptive student down to the office. It has worked for years and years.

Be a better parent and teach your kids not to act up in school and there will be no issues.

I never understood all the negativity that was associated with the MYD Program. I believe that it teaches the students that there are consequences for their actions. If a student behaves as they should in class - coming to class prepared, not being disruptive to the rest of the class, and doing their work - then they will not be put on "Step". Isn't this better than to have a disruptive student taking time away for all the others in the class? I listened to the teachers during a presentation and heard that the principals office became like a hang-out for kids - they purposely tried to get sent there - you take that away by making them stay in the classroom - then maybe their behavior will change. They are not getting out of class to "go hang" with their friends. Disruptions for misbehaved students causes time away from teaching and hurts the all the other students who are there to learn.

The MYD program is nothing compared to the trouble my kid will be in at home if I find out he disrupted the class and did not respect his teacher. He would be begging to be put in MYD vs the rath he would get from me.

Maybe it is time to stop giving everyone a "trophy" for just doing things they are required to do becasue that is not how it works in the real world. There are winners and losers in life. Stop coddling these kids

Did I read correctly...52 suspensions in an ELEMENTARY school? Parenting starts in the home..Like the saying goes "You need to straighten the tree while its growing"! To many parents look to the schools to "fix" there children. This should be done by the parents

I agree with you Rich. That is not the goal of this program however. I suggest that all people willing to put their name to this thing at least go to the Make Yer Day or Make Your Day site and read the keynote speach that was given in 2005. Know what the goal is first and see why it is that the hard working students are being humbled. At least people are talking about the Program though.. As for the 52 suspensions that were reported, there is nothing suggesting that the behaviors that resulted in the suspensions will stop -- the issue will not make it to the front office to be recorded.

I appreciate your positions regardless of whether we agree or not. I am sure we might agree on the fact that Stratford’s behavioral issues in the classrooms are extremely complicated by internal and external factors and mandates. Such is life and, as with most well intended communities, we will continue to support our schools as they do the best they can with what they are given to work. However, I will close with this: my understanding of this program suggests that it is a coercive behavioral modification program. I base this on the extensive reading I have done in order to prepare myself for debate regarding it. Again I ask, has anyone commenting on this subject bothered to go to the Program’s website and read the keynote speech related to the goal of the Program? We have to be careful not to paint the people who comment in these forums with such broad brushes, as some do. I am not advocating allowing disorder and wilding in our classrooms. I am not advocating some form of free-willed expressionism that would usurp structure, authority, and learning. If I honestly believed that this Program was effectively creating or even restoring the desire to learn without damaging the psychological makeup of the “self” I would be all for it. I cannot be all for it because those elements do not exist in the MYD. If you’re given an order that no child is to be left behind and you can’t get all of them to catch up – what is your only alternative?

God bless our Middle School Teachers. God bless them all. Most people have NO IDEA of what they are put through every day. God bless them!

My oldest daughter went to Wooster at the beginning of the program and for the next 2 years. It did not stop the children, it may have slowed them down a bit. Some days it took 10 mins or more per period for the class to rate one another. And this really helps the shy kids to speak up againist the bad children. NOT! How is that going to help, it just makes the children scared to open up, especially if the child is a bully. But Stratford dosen't have any of those in this town so we don't have to worry about that. You can not expect children who have had no displine program in place by 7th grade to expect them now to follow the rules. The town should have a program that requires everyone to be respectful from kindergarden on to high school. We as parents should take nothing less. My second daughter is now at Wooster and she was put on a Step 1 for saying hello to a teacher, how is that teaching our children respect. Alot of time is taken away from teaching and the teachers now have to deal with the problem children instead of the adminstration. The teachers should be able to control the class without MYD, if they can't, then they shouldn't be teaching. It is tough to be a teacher, and we as parents need to hold our children responsible for their own actions. To many parents cover for the children. Putting any child in the corner facing the wall is just unacceptable. How would you feel you did something wrong and you had to sit in the corner?

Thanks Ann. I am happy to see that people are becoming more vocal with their opinions of this program. There has been a lot of effort made to silence true criticism regarding MYD. Here's a link to a petition in case you are interested in signing: http://www.petitiononline.com/10997/petition.html

Do you want to play a game? Is there any contributors to this thread who are employed by and/or has been collecting data for the Board of Education? If so, do you care to identify yourself/yourselves? After all, you know who I am (even if I'm not so bright) and what my interests are. I tend to read a lot with all of the time on my hands.

I spent time with this guys. I toiled with it. It is a gift to my fellow Stratphonians. Maybe one of you would be kind enough to appoint me to the position of Poet Laureate of Stratford and then I could in return self perpetuate one of you by using my poetic muse to get you recognized for something. If anyone can find a way to sell this thing, I give them permission to use any and all proceeds to do something with the Shakespeare Theater. I liked his work, but to tell you the truth, I’m pretty tired of hearing about the place right now. We can’t even save or establish a common culture for our own children and yet we’re going to distract ourselves worrying about Shakespeare’s.

All kidding aside, to those that it applies to happy Veteran’s Day. To my Marine Corp fellow veterans and actively serving, happy birthday to the Corp – Semper Fi… After 236 years you have good reason to be proud.

The Queen of Fluff

The Queen of Fluff wasn’t much of
A queen at all;
however,
the Lords of the land in which she lived
mused at her ambition and willingness to
report all things nice.

You see,
The Queen of Fluff was kind-hearted to her friends and
avoided allowing them to be exposed
at all cost –
things serious were things that were
unpleasant,
controversial,
and
made the Queen feel
uncomfortable so
she chose to avoid them.

The Queen of Fluff sometimes played with numbers.
You see,
she found that if she flipped a nine upside down,
it became a six and
if she flipped it again,
it became a nine.

The Queen of Fluff chose
to focus on
the good things
like
self-perpetuating awards and
influential accolades .

Her use of
Hyperbole and
anecdotal song
had a calming effect on
the town –
reminding them of
childhood memories of
lullabies and
fabled stories before bed.
It reminded them of
the safety and warmth of
being tucked in by
a
parent.

The Queen of Fluff,
medicated the
masses with
trivial
superficialities and
number magic.

So the disruptive students are taking MORE instructional time away from students who are behaving? Geez! Remind me to move before my children enter the school here. Get the disruption out of the classroom and focus on the kids who are behaving appropriately! Can you imagine how the school would flourish if they put this much time and energy into the children who are actually doing well, both academically and behavior wise?

Sarah,

You have nailed it down. It is comforting to see other people are seeing things in a more rational light.

Have any of you nay sayers visited your child's classroom? It does appear so seeing as no one is speaking about specifics of the program. I have and was very impressed.

The teachers have a very difficult job...even more so now than in the past with the problems children face at home beginning at such a young age. Lets face it. These teachers spend more time with our children than we do. If they are all advocating the program why would you not trust them? They must be asking themselves the very same questions reading through these posts.

Discipline was always practiced in the classroom. The "steps" are only one part to the many facets of this program. You should educate yourselves before passing judgement on the administrators and teachers who felt they needed this program for the bettering of our children's education.

Do yourself a favor and go to your child's classroom then report back with your observations. If you truly are that concerned for your child then go there and show them you care. Our teachers and administrators have our children's best interest in mind. It is their job and it takes a very special person to do what they do.

I do not have a child.
Parents have conflicting perpectives on this school program.
Yet Mr. Sullivan is not alone in protestations and observations.
-
Superficially the program appears to have merit.
Yet Mr. Sullivan explained he is against what he perceives as intent.
We agree on the concept of a rising tide, raising all boats.
Ergo, Mr Sulivan is not against improving the lowest achievers.
-
Mr Sullivan explained that he believes the intent is to lower the highest
achievers to bring them back to the pack of average achievers.
-
There are logistical nuances which take time from instruction and there
are remarkable numbers of discipline in at least one elementary school.
-
Mrs. Cann explained to me she had resistance from the Board of Education
about what she perceived violated rights of certain children, which is the
reason she ran for office.
-
If I understand Mrs. Cann and Mr. Sullivan...
And if I did NOT misrepresent their positions ...
then it appears to me
1) Someone in the BoE is not listening to, nor investigating, nor adjusting
programs is ways that might be in everyone's best interest?
2) Some people either don't care or put their ego above their purview?
-
I appreciate that Bill lumped me in with Mr. Sullivan.
I respect intelligent and passionate people.
I respect people willing to act, speak, and write for their family and others.
-
Sheep aren't remembered.
However the good shepard is revered.

Tom and Sarah,

You are both wrong and do not understand the program, i have 2 children in the school system and have observed it working inside the school and at home, the program works and works great, maybe you should go observe and try the same techniques at home and i think others commenting that have no experience with this program or with child at all shouldnt comment at all as the program does work and works well - i think most that are against have reasons not to be but not because the program doesnt work

Mark,
Are you inferring that because I do NOT have children, I should be silent?
-
Or that because I do not have direct experience with the program, but because
I spoke to Mr. Sullivan and Mrs Cann who have sincere concerns, I should NOT
CONVEY what my impression is of their concerns?
-
Is that open minded of you?
Are you looking to solve problems or are you looking at shutting down opposing positions, to your point of view?
-
As Tax Payers, don't we have vested interest in how money is spent?
As Civic Minded people who care about children, adults, & seniors, am I
and others to be arbitrarily SHUT OUT from the DEBATE?
-
Mark, in your view & your experience they program is working great.
-
Mark would you content with ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that EVERY CHILD
and EVERY ADULT is TREATED EXACTLY the SAME and has derived
the EXACT SAME LEVEL of SATISFACTION that you BELIEVE exists?
-
You can not answer YES, because Mr. Sullivan and others have written
their objections, so you would not look honest if you tried to pose that way,
and I believe you are HONEST and WELL MEANING?
-
Mark, what's the harm in DEBATING ISSUES to improve situations?
-
Your statement:
"i think most that are against have reasons not to be
but not because the program doesnt work"

Mark, is it possible that you have reasons to close your mind
to a possibility that the program is improveable?
-
Superficially, I like the program's concept?
Mr Sullivan has nuance & logistic issues.

Tom,

No I dont thing my children need behavioral modification program, they are actually quite well behaved and good role models, but i have seen it be a huge help in the school with children that have had issues, which i have witnissed myself, so again i ask have you even been to one of the schools to witness the program and sat in on a class? Or do you just not like the ideal and idea of the program with out any factual statement behind your allegations.

George - glad you like the program, i am saying you shouldnt judge a book by its cover and only people that have experienced the program and witnessed how it has actually helped should comment.

Also this program has nothing to do with medication it is just teaching the children how there actions affect other people in society and they dont have the right to interfere with others happiness etc, i believe we have something like that stated in the constitution

Mark, the close of my last thread was not intended as an attack on your children nor was it to suggest that medication is part of this program. Out of all that I have written here since, I am dumbfounded by your suggestion that I believe this program has anything to do with medication. Much as with regular speech, we can be cynical in written form as well. I also noticed that you left out eyeglasses when correcting me. My point has been consistent since the first day. I do not agree with the program based on the extensive research I have done regarding it. I am in touch with a number of families from Washington State. They have been dealing with this program for the last fourteen years or so there and have been helpful in confirming many of the concerns that I have. So we’re clear on another issue as well: their children are not miscreants or social deviants; they are over-achievers. In addition, they have provided statements to me of teachers that have decided to leave the district rather than work in the schools, as they believed their actions were unethical and hindered previously successful students.

Despite my inquiries, I have yet to get a definitive answer as to how we are going to fund training and any retraining that may be necessary for this thing as well. Constitutionally, civil liberties still exist beyond the thresholds of the schools. Mark, the reason for me not choosing to observe this monstrosity should be obvious. I believe it violates ethical behavior, it lacks any scientific validity, it is potentially harmful in that it is demeaning, haphazardly enforced by design, and works to confuse and game by elevating some and humbling others. Besides, scientific observation is usually performed discretely. Mark, I respect the fact that you identified what your interest in the program is, as well as the fact that you are in favor of its use. I certainly wish I could convince you otherwise but...

I've witnessed this behavior plan in action for about a month now. I think it is very demeaning. I would like to know who researched this behavioral program and the data demonstrating its effectiveness at reducinng unwanted behaviors. In my opinion, the behaviors seem to increase because of the attention the students who are misbehaving receive during each points and concerns session. The points and concerns sessions cumulatively take an hour or more of teaching time away from the students.

The only people that seem to be "for" this program are those with no children in the schools where Make Your Day was implemented or those that have likely made an arrangement with the school that reassured them that their children would not be affected by the program. I tend to look at the big picture when considering issues such as this. Like you, I consider data, science and logic before emotion.

“Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others.”
― Socrates

..Even if they are young people.

Any new people that wish to sign the petition?

Says "Yes" to Make Your Day.

I told you i was posting this morning. Well here it is. I wrote this a few years ago and kind of keep in the top ten of my favorite poems. I'd love to get some feedback because I chose it with the BOE in mind. I hope you all enjoy

AND ATLAS GETS FALT FEET

Down the rickety bridge of
my spine,
I carry the weight of
an empty existence
which tends to be heavier
than a full one.

Tom -- please feel free to leave comments and I will try to get more out to you.

This is to all the mealy-mouthed parents who collect like lint on the sidelines of the school and complained to me about the Make Your Day program and the shock-and-awe treatment of the kids of Second Hill: grow up and stop hiding behind the parents who aren’t intimidated. This is to the teachers who have gone out of their way to whisper about how bad the program is and that they wouldn’t want their own kids schooled under it: you are cowards – you may even be lower than that, as you so willingly expose other children to something you feel would be harmful for your own. News for you, if you know or even suspect that something may be harmful to children in the State, as mandated reporters you are obligated to file a report. “Oh, I had to follow the rules. It was my job if I said anything.” doesn’t cut it when you get paid to work with children. Good job.

Renowned philosopher Bertrand Russell braggingly lamented in his 1958 book The Impact of Science on Society that social engineers during a time of scientific dictatorship would be able to persuade anybody of anything as long as the “patient” is caught young and the State was willing to provide money and equipment to do so. (Russell, 1958)
Regarding an example he provides in this book of brainwashing and thoroughly changing perception, he reported that, under the scientific dictatorship, “Psychologists of the future will have a number of classes of school children on whom they will try different methods of producing an unshakable conviction that snow is black.” (Russell, 1958)

Reference
Russell, B. (1958), The Impact of Science on Society.

Chairman Moa said he wants that “Gap” closed so if it takes the proficient students having to be humbled in order to build the self-esteems of the non-proficient, so be it. We all have to do our collective part in this Tom. I’m sure some of us Sweathogs were smarter than others, but Woodman was a good leader and helped us work through our bourgeois exceptionality. We have to design tests that allow all to achieve, we have to create environments that are non-competitive, and we certainly could use a behavioral modification program that will deconstruct the peskiness of individualism so that they can be rebuilt as collective units of unquestioning laborers – prepared for endless hours of menial tasks.

Say No to Make Your Day it is likely part of the problem and not the solution.. Also, stop taking outside money from hedge funds -- you think you have trouble with the school system now? Try dealing with them once they are fully purchased.

Mr. Mayor Sir -- Your Honor: would you be kind enough to tell all of us how much money our schools have been given by the Foundations please (to date)?

Seems only a 157 schools are using this program nationwide. Why woul any of us allow this thing to continue in our schools. Someone please give me an answer. Read the latest article I came up with:

http://www.chacha.com/question/how-many-schools-in-the-united-states-use-the-make-your-day-program

I also think its a very demeaning program, thank goodness its not in my school, however since this story came out I had a chance to sit in and experience it. Maybe we should be allowed to rate Cornish and her crew, principals and teachers? Do you think they would "Make their Day"? I have no problem with having disruptive kids get sent to the office and have the principal deal with it....Isnt that what we pay them for?

Remember, the reason they don't want the troubled kids down in the office is so academic work can be done without the distraction it was causing. Can you imagine? How about the other students who have to deal with the distraction in the class?

The concept of professional ethics relates to the authority that is afforded professionals of a given society and suggests that they should be bound by definable codes of conduct that can be applied to ensure that the people that they are dealing with are treated equally, effectively, and humanely. Professional ethics are more universal than personal ethics, in that they are standards of behavior that are mandated and that are adhered to (usually) by professionals of all races, ethnicities, sexes.

Ref. Au/T

From a regulatory perspective, the practice of psychology is governed by four major mechanisms: “professional ethics committees, state licensing boards, civil (for example,
malpractice) courts, and criminal courts”(Pope & Vasquez, 2007, p. 77). In essence, a psychologist may maintain licensing despite being sanctioned on ethics violations; may be sued in the absence of issues that may affect their licensing; may be arrested and found criminally negligent for violations of law that they chose to ignore for the sake of their client; and that all four of these mechanisms may operate together or independent of one another. (the client being the one paying not the one being treated)

Ref. Au/T

I wonder who will be running these charter schools?

I loved this part: "Sixty-four percent of Washington voters rejected an initiative to the Legislature calling for charter schools in 1996. Over the next seven years, five charter bills were proposed and then rejected by the Legislature. Then in 2004, a charter bill narrowly passed the Legislature and was signed by the governor, but that November voters rejected that idea again."

The PTA makes up how many of the new seats picked-up in the state houses?

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/10/21/1873631/state-pta-add-charter-schools.html#storylink=cpy

"HARTFORD, Conn.—Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says he's confident that new Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor faces no conflicts of interest by participating in discussions about charter schools."

"Pryor co-founded a New Haven charter school and sat on the board of a management company that runs that school and several others."

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2012/01/12/malloy_no_conflicts_for_pryor_on_charter_schools/

Are you suggesting that the MYD program is basically a cover for preparing some of the schools for charter takeovers and the hedge funds would then manage the schools and reap hefty returns as well as tax shelters? Is that what you’re suggesting? Are you also suggesting that the schools may then become a commodity and that the “stakeholders” may cease being the people in the community and will instead be investors or some board? Are you thinking that charter schools were the antithesis of the NCLB laws – create a problem and then get corporate interests in to fix it? If you’re thinking what I’m thinking – man that’s ugly. The parents think they have a hard time controlling the schools now, just wait until they see how tough it will be with special interests.

Not sure what he's saying, but I do know that a lot of the cats who came out swinging when this was first posted are connected with the Town -- in a lot of ways. Didn't one of them work at Central?

Here’s the law. Charter school teachers won’t even require certification or licensing. So much for those dedicated teachers who played by the rules and proves their worthiness for the positions they now hold. I guess they will have to compete with this double standard. In addition, charter schools have the right to drop anyone from their program; whereas, public can’t, so as one is favored the other will continue to strain under the burden of social issues that are already destroying our schools. Keep your blinders on -- this is going to hurt us in the long run.

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/FC/2011SB-01104-R000508-FC.htm

They have ignored my concerns regarding our children, who are being exposed to this experiment:
"In attempting to explain the concept of self how an individual develops a self-concept, the relationship between self and emotion and the relationship between self and behavior, and how these relationships affect self-esteem and self presentation can be effected by external forces which create adverse consditions. The self can be explained as one’s identity and is primarily focused on the ways in which people comprehend their knowledge of themselves and their beliefs about themselves. Three categories that is relevant to research relating to the self are; self and cognition, self and emotion and self and behavior. Formulation of self-concept is dependent upon how individuals perceive their interaction with others and in their surroundings and requires a realistic understanding of strengths, weaknesses, talents, and potential. Self-concept is developed through appraisals that are provided by others. Positive views of the self are an integral part of the development of a positive self-esteem. Self presentation and representation is the behavioral act of saving face – maintaining the positive perception that others may have of them. The quest to explore self-concept is simplistically a question of whom we are."

Who are they to take risks such as this with our children when the teachers I have talked with said they wouldn't expose their children to it?

Ref: T/zU

Say No to Make Your Day: SAY NO TO WUNDTIAN EXPERIMENTATION AND OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION!"

What every parent should know about PBS and who is working it.

"Positive behavioral support refers to the broad process of assisting individuals to acquire adaptive, socially meaningful behaviors and to overcome patterns of destructive, maladaptive and stigmatizing behaviors (Koegel, Koegel, and Dunlap, 1996). Positive behavioral support methodologies are used to increase appropriate prosocial behavior and to concomitantly decrease maladaptive behaviors. A primary goal of positive behavioral supports is to teach functional skills as a replacement for problem behavior."

Sounds great, right? What if the child is not emotionally disturbed and still is exposed to this?

Reference: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/cq267posbehsup.aspx

Positive Behavior Support (PBS)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that a child's Individualized Education Planning (IEP) Team consider to the child's behavior if it interferes with his or her education or the education of others. IDEA is explicit in what it requires the IEP team to do when a child with a disability has behavior problems:
•If a child's behavior impairs the child's learning or that of others, the IEP team shall consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports (20 U.S.C. Section 1414(d)(3)(B)(i)) (Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, page 103);
•If school personnel decide to change the child's placement because of a violation of a code of student conduct, the school district, parent, and relevant members of the IEP team shall review all relevant information including the IEP, to determine if the conduct was caused by or had a relationship to the child's disability (20 U.S.C. Section 1415(k)(1)(E) (Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, page 119);
•If the team determines that the child's conduct was a manifestation of the disability, the IEP shall conduct a functional behavioral assessment, and implement a behavior intervention plan (20 U.S.C. 1415(k)(i)(F);(Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, page 120);

Make note of the use of the word "experimental" and "control"

"A Functional Analysis is an experimental analysis of behavior that is used to empirically validate hypothesized functions of problem behavior. This involves the observation of behavior and the direct manipulation of antecedent and consequence variables. The results of the functional analysis are used to empirically identify the maintaining conditions of a behavior and match the recommended treatment with the identified maintaining condition. This results in a match between motivational functions of behavior and the proposed treatment. The components of a functional analysis involve constructing at least one experimental condition in which the variable of interest is manipulated (e. g., social attention contingent upon aberrant behavior; escape from demands contingent upon occurrences of aberrant behavior, etc.), and another control condition in which the variable is absent (e.g., no attention, no escape from demands). Observation of the target behavior proceeds while the experimental and control conditions are alternated, usually within alternating treatments or reversal/withdrawal designs."

Reference: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/cq267posbehsup.aspx

hey knew no one would look into this any further than the time they were paid to attend the training.

"As state and local education agencies begin to interpret these regulations, school psychologists need to actively participate in the efforts to describe the procedures involved in providing positive behavioral supports. We need to emphasize the importance of linking functional assessment with proactive interventions. We need to emphasize the role of the school psychologist as not only evaluator (i.e., “Chester the tester” or “The WISC Jockey”), but also as a member of the IEP team who utilizes collaborative problem solving processes that result in tailored interventions that effect positive and meaningful changes in the lives of students and their families."

Reference: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/cq267posbehsup.aspx

Look at this list of PBS rules and somewhere in all of this mess, the teachers still have to manage to teach basic reading, writing, and math. I assure all of you, grades may go up due to number magic; however, knowledge will be lost.

http://www.nasponline.org/conventions/2012/workshops.aspx

Assessment Reports From Powerful RTI Tool Offer Teachers Widely Adopted Reading Measure for Personalized Learning



BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Nov. 10, 2011 – Pearson announced today that it is adding Lexile® measures to AIMSweb®, the company's universal screening, progress monitoring and data management system that serves as a framework for Response to Intervention (RTI). The company collaborated with MetaMetrics®, developer of The Lexile Framework for Reading, to add Lexile measures to select AIMSweb benchmark reports.
The Lexile Framework accurately matches readers with books and instructional resources by measuring both reading ability and text complexity on the same developmental scale. Unlike other systems, the Lexile Framework evaluates reading ability based on actual assessments, rather than generalized age or grade levels. The Lexile Framework is based on more than 20 years of research funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Its distinct approach to measuring readers and texts has resulted in adoptions by departments of education in nearly half the states and school districts in all 50 states.
With this latest enhancement, select AIMSweb reading reports now provide a Lexile measure that is also a direct hyperlink to MetaMetrics’ free "Find a Book" search tool. Users can then search through a specific list of fiction and nonfiction titles that match each student’s unique reading ability and interests.

“Part of the power of an RTI assessment tool is its ability to connect learners with appropriate resources,” said Carol Watson, president, Pearson’s Clinical Assessment business. The addition of Lexile measures to AIMSweb reports will allow teachers to more effectively target reading instruction for students, putting them on the path to build the skills necessary for success in school, college and careers."
"By using Lexile measures from AIMSweb reports, districts and schools will be better able to implement an effective RTI framework that prepares students for the next grade and, ultimately, their postsecondary academic and professional pursuits," added MetaMetrics President and co-founder Malbert Smith III, Ph.D.



The AIMSweb research team worked closely with MetaMetrics to link AIMSweb Reading-CBM and Maze scores with Lexile measures through a national study conducted in May 2011.



To learn more about Lexile reporting for AIMSweb and view sample reports, visit http://www.aimsweb.com.

How would you feel about your child being tracked by a third party software company, the information being sent through the internet, and the fact that the software company supplying it may have a relationship with a big-time foundation in your area?

Dom - Charter schools track student data in the same way. They get results! I think you need to give up on this issue unless you can provide a better solution with proven results. Make your day has positive data. Tracking students is the future ... it's 2012. You are acting like the school system is an evil institution. In fact, go visit a school one day and you will see that not much has changed.

Direct me to the positive data. Post a link. Thanks.

You didn't finish the sentence -- tracking data is the future of what? deciding which kids get to take calculus and go on to the better schools? Deciding who fits the pattern for potential criminal behavior? I am not trying to be sarcastic here and greatly appreciate your debate in this matter, it is more than most school officials are willing to do. However, when you ask one, they say there is not data and when you ask another, they say there may be. Now you are suggesting that data is being collected on the students. Wouldn’t you agree that parents should have access to this data and should have final say in PBS involvement, especially when they do not have a child that is classified as behavioral? Also, so that I may be clear on this -- I am not an advocate of charter schools. Thanks for the dialogue.

"In business, in politics, in journalism, in the military---in any organization large or small---there seem to be few incentives to stand on principle today. Doing so, speaking up for what I believed was right, I learned, can be a profoundly isolating experience, which may be why, whether at Abu Ghraib or in the spate of corporate scandals, leaders try to pass the buck rather than accept responsibility for their actions and those of their subordinates. The act of thrusting oneself into a kind of professional purgatory can feel like self-immolation." ---David Brock

"We live in a country where the collective lack of courage has infected the language itself. We don't demand honesty and accountability from our leaders; not surprisingly, our leaders conclude that we can't handle the truth. Today, more than ever, we need people with the courage to tell the plain truth. We need brave men and women who refuse to trumpet the platitudes, or take stale ideas off the rack. . . Telling the truth of course, can carry heavy penalties: condemnation, ostracism, slander, the end of careers. Telling the truth often requires as much courage as that of the foot soldier, the police officer, the firefighter. . . . That's why we must cherish these people who have the guts to speak the truth: mavericks, whistle blowers, disturbers of the public peace." ---Pete Hamill

http://www.physicianleadership.com/articles/physician_courage.htm

Dom - one response at a time. ok?

The sentence was ended. It is the future. Charter schools are getting tons of funding from large corporations and in return the corporations want to see data. With the funding they are actually closing achievement gaps here in CT. Reality is that parents of lower income districts have less time or give less effort in teaching their kids once school is over. Charter schools stay open 6 days a week until 5:30 and give Saturday tutoring to the children. Without the funds, this would not be possible. Public schools have less funding. They are doing the best they can. No matter if you went to school in the 70's, 80's, 90's, etc. we all knew students that did not fit the mold and missed out an education. If you see your child is falling behind it's up to you to go to the school and get a plan together. It's your tax dollars, so you should start using them more in your favor.

When have you last visited a school? My sister (teacher) has students that are on reading and math levels 2 to 3 grades above their current grade. These children are given the support to continue their growth. But from what I hear, it's also the parents of the students that help their children out. Time for parents to get off Facebook and start hounding their teachers about a structured learning plan for their child. It's not make your day. It's about choosing to use your tax dollars more wisely to benefit your kid.

I am not offering debate as to her innocence or guilt and merely presenting the “what if” factor of any assessments, determinations, and data input that she may have contributed to. Would someone of this caliber be fit to make such determinations? In addition, the program is a failure – another altercation just today in the bathroom of the school. The term disability has been so diluted that it is being applied to potentially dangerous children who, under the IDEA, cannot be removed from classes without their parents’ consent. My understanding is that the “anti-seclusion” part of this legislation prohibits volatile students from even being segregated. For instance, volatile children are being removed from one class and held in another. Where is the protection for the non-behavioral students as well as our staff? Obviously, this is somewhat of a rant. You seem to have more knowledge of the school programs than I do and would appreciate anything further you wish to provide me with. Thanks again Stratford Resident. DD

Keep us posted in Connecticut. The MYD in our schools are being packaged as part of the PBIS. I have been looking into this as well and have my concerns regarding it too. My understanding is that PBIS is designed for behavioral students as well as those with LD -- the school is classified as a "Framework" in order to meet the needs of those students. It may be useful if you research Dr. Suguai and consider listening to the many podcasts on the Net regarding it. I feel a lot of the problems regarding this issue have to do with how the phrase "disability" is being applied these days.

Thanks for sharing...

You see what's going on Dom? I spoke to that other person and she suggested this would be coming from out West...

Are children safe when the schools use ridiculous policies to do the impossible?

“SEATTLE — An 8-year-old girl was in critical condition Wednesday after she was shot in the abdomen at her elementary school near Seattle, and one of her classmates was detained, authorities said Wednesday.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/22/police-say-wash-school-sh_n_1294984.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmyaol%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D137738

“Behavioral concerns are also being addressed through a combination of hiring a new Interventionist, revamping the existing PBIS system to encourage good behavior and acquiring and utilizing the SWIS software to manage the data generated by discipline referrals.”
 This is your PBIS for you, right from the district’s own website.
http://www.bremertonschools.org/domain/847

Some of you might ask, "Dom, why you put-a-this in here a-like-a-dis? What-does-a-dis hav-a-ta-do-a with BIG-A-EDUCATION Dom?"

Who knows! BIG EDUCATION = BIG MONEY
http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2012/snowe/

http://www.foundationmediahelp.org/PressReleaseView.cfm?Type=1&RegionID=3&PressReleaseID=340&hide=0&showheader=yes

His is a great article I found having to do with an increase in the report of job dissatisfaction amongst teachers. I believe they may have left some key factors out during their sampling; such as religious and moral beliefs running contrary to that of their school requirements, as well as the fact that an increased number of educators are losing confidence in the political direction and ideology of their unions. Nonetheless, it was an informative read and I suggest that all of you read it and consider the opportunity you may still have, even if it is only for a short time, of changing the course of education in our country and “doing the right thing” for your students and the students that will come after them. Open your mouths!

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/12/to-many-teachers-career-has-failed/?page=1

Just like I said so long ago -- follow the money:

Wait, What? Blog

If you are going to do one thing today to better understand what is happening around us - please use that moment to read this post and forward it on to those who also care about the future of our children, our schools and our state. It is truly that important.

Don’t Read It – Just Pass It! (Where things stand as of March 19, 2012)

http://jonathanpelto.com/

http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2012/03/19/page_one/doc4f675d1707af1106658022.txt#blogcomments

Wow! You guys were all played. Great plan. Get the schools hooked on all that state and federal money. More programs -- more services -- more DSM/Disability mandates that fall under IDEA. When the money stops, have your BIG MONEY backers buy-up the schools and force software and other technologies on to the tax payers. I wonder if the CEA will bring that up..?

I started this venture after a radical behavioral modification program was forced onto my children. I learned about it on the first day of school for them, after receiving a number of phone calls from parents of other students who used to be friends of my family. Strange how such a short amount of time can change so much. Since then, some of these parents have seemingly been quelled by promises that their little Johnnie or Billy wouldn’t be affected too harshly by the warped program that was implemented in what was once a very tranquil school on a little known avenue of our Town.

All I can say to this is shame on them. Reflecting back on the endless time and effort that I have spent in researching the game that was being played, I now regret to report that my suspicion is that the Make Your Day Program was implemented more as a distraction – to keep the parents focused on one issue while an even larger plan was unfolding. Speak such as IPBS, IDEA, and Common Core have become routine areas of independent study for me and my wife. From what we can gather, the amount of money to be gained from this new framework that is being restructured is staggering. In my own way, I blame the teachers union for saying very little when the impossible mandates were being placed on the schools – political correctness neutered common sense and flooded the schools with incorrigible students simply by redefining their behavior as being due to a disability.

The money came in though so not much was said. Besides, under the new left and political correctness, who would dare jeopardize their job by suggesting that some disabled students were actually criminals and were dangerous in the classrooms? So the payoff money kept coming and not a word was said. The schools took the money, flooded the classes with dopes and implemented PBIS – moving the discipline of psychology and school resource officers into schools in order to deal with the inevitable blow-back of packing the rooms with delinquents. Of course some of the parents chime in and say they love all the new programs – it works for them. It gets Johnny the psychopath back into a “regular” school. So now the money is getting tight but the academic mandates – ie. Having to do the impossible with maladaptive students, continue. The state now suggests that the bottom 25% schools should be taken over and possibly places under the management of a charter system. Follow the damned money people – please visit some websites and then find out who the board members of these foundations are – then see if those members participate on any other boards. If you’re a teacher who is fearful of speaking out, I’m not hard to find. If you’re another parent, I would love to talk to you and hear your concerns.

If this succeeds, my concern is that we will lose dedicated teachers due to nepotism and cronyism. We would be placing what has otherwise been a local institution into the hands of hedge fund capital board members and mayors.

Support for Good Teachers:

Stop taking the ridiculous awards from the very people who are undoing your esteemed profession. Sure, it may help you get that much desired promotion that YOU may be looking for, but it is ruining your profession and ultimately deconstructing it -- reducing it to nothing more than a job. If you want the truly informed and supportive public behind you, you will have to make the tough decisions and stop showing up or excepting "fluff" awards that do nothing but perpetuate a growing fraud. There are some in our district who have bitten into this apple and are now part of the machine that is advancing its agenda – an actual quid pro quo that has unfolded that I believe, by my standards, to have been highly unethical. Have any of you noticed all the negative press that the MSM has been spreading that is directed at teachers? The only positive press has to do with some unknowing teacher being presented with one of the “Fluff” awards. This is by design – it is to condition teachers to respond to their new masters. This process is nothing new – Pavlov gave it to us so long ago. Eventually, you will learn to respond accordingly. Open your mouths! Do the right thing, not the thing that is right for you!

Headline: Bridgeport takeover try a cautionary tale

"The behind-the-scenes dealings resulting in the takeover of Bridgeport's Board of Education were revealed in a chain of emails circulated over the weekend. These emails tell a chilling tale of exploiting close relationships with those in power to trample the will of the people."

http://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/Wendy-Lecker-Bridgeport-takeover-try-a-3389358.php#ixzz1pp1ljn00

I know I have probably taxed many of you out by expecting that you may be able to invest the synaptic energy in order to decipher the Hegelian Dialectic. I understand that there are much more important things to do in life – scamming Yankee or Met tickets from a crony in the office, bragging about Morton’s dinners, or even keeping abreast of what weirdo host of Americans Are Dumb will be airing this week. I know and I apologize. To my teacher friends: nice job playing the mums-the-word game – you have been a real asset to your profession. It would be a distortion however, something the Progressives are good at, to try and compare your behaviors with the likes of Plato. We certainly know that you guys can never walk in the footsteps of great men such as Socrates and Cicero because, despite the fact that they most definitely knew they would pay for their oppositions, they had conviction and feared silence more than death; that is, when given the choice of permanent exile or Hemlock, this honorable intellectual chose the hemlock.

So now they present the red flag – the battle which is being triangulated by problem-reaction-solution. Don’t get lost yet people; try to avoid switching over to your Facebook-Farmville algorithm therapy just yet. You see, it was never about the students or even the professional teachers – it was about the union bosses and the politicians or votes and contributions if it makes it any easier for you. The unions took care of the votes and the corporate oligarchs contributed the money. Now the In-The-Tank-Media is behaving in true lemming fashion by taking pot shots at you guys – a nibble hear and a nibble there in order to erode public support of the local educators. At the same time, the bottom feeding administrators that most of you are working for have been padding their exit strategy through advancements within the district or even going so far to arrange for advisory positions with some of the capital groups that are soon going to “transform” education as we know it.

Let’s make up a fake name for a local philanthropic charity foundation – let’s call it Stepping Bones – not to be confused with Skull and Bones. Stepping Bones has a panel of board members and registers as a foundation – a great way of sheltering all of their taxes from their capital investment fund they run. Their board members interlock and are members independently on other boards of other foundations also interested in tax sheltering foundations as well as an extremely radical agenda of bringing about a true scientific corporate dictatorship. The way these groups interlock is so complex that if one were to graph all of it, it looks more like a spider web. This group gives to this fund and then that one returns to another – all the while with a “common purpose” or “common cause.” At the same time, similar networks are located throughout our country and beyond. Let’s say one of the capital funds had stock holding having to do with technology software that tracked students in their academics, intelligence, behavior, the performance of the teachers, as well as social issues such as parental political opinions.

Let’s say that technology is expensive but is required in order to implement the mandated programs that come with the grants that they reward to the schools. Well that would be financially convenient wouldn’t it?
Trust me. The people working on this “transformation” have been planning this for a long time. If accomplished, your profession will be reduced to a miserable job at best. You will be forced to endure having to work with less than qualified colleagues, as the decrease in pay will attract lower standards of teachers. This will further the result in reduced satisfaction and the new performance based assessments will quickly become a political and ideological tool that will leave you to finish the rest of your time Machiavellian style. Open your mouth. If you want, arrange to meet with me and let me do the hard stuff. It has to be done here.

Let me give you an inside peak into how it works:

"The way it works is this: The money the state uses to build public schools can also be used to build charter schools. The hedge fund folks build schools for less money than the government would. For example, a public school might cost $5 million to build, while a charter school could take that same amount of money and only use $3 million to build. What's left over, according to the source, goes into the hedge funds and their investors."

http://www.indypressny.org/nycma/voices/482/news/news_5/

In case ABC or CBS didn't burn your brains out last night with the packed line-up. Try reading this:

"Clinton administration in 2000, Congress passed a new kind of tax credit called a New Markets tax credit. What this allows is it gives enormous federal tax
credit to banks and equity funds that invest in community projects in underserved communities and it's been used heavily now for the last several years for
charter schools."

http://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2010/05/hedge-funds-and-charter-schools.html

Remember, when reading make sure to place yourself in a well lit area. Have plenty of rest the night before. and remember to take brief rests in between paragraphs. The average American has been so stupefied by these banker/schools that reading a Bazooka Joe is like reading Socrates. Good luck with giving away your control of private schools.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/nyregion/10charter.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2

At least this union had the guts to say something about the financial bum-rush that is going on in their state.

http://www.uft.org/news-stories/attack-hedge-fund-managers

While some put their hides on the line in order to speak out against what they perceived to be dangerous policy implementations within some of our schools, all but a few teachers played it safe and said nothing. While some tried to expose the eventual overthrow of local schooling as we have known it and its eventual transformation from what a free country would expect to what it will soon become, a degeneration of corporate despotism, most teachers and parents shied away from the possible retaliation of BIG CAPITAL and said nothing. When students were being desensitized by a ridiculous behavioral modification program that was designed NOT for them but for the antisocial students that have been mandated into the classrooms; again, teachers said NOTHING. It was all good with them; they were just doing what they were told. Isn’t it immoral to follow any order that is wrong or does a paycheck and benefits act as a disclaimer to such responsibilities of decency? The IDEA legislation has packed the schools with emotionally unstable children and, in my opinion, has placed children and staff across this nation in danger. But the teachers said very little. After all, more troubled students meant more assistants, right? Now they are instructing the socially functional students, forced to endure the doldrums of dumbed-down class, that if they are attacked, they will be just as guilty should they defend themselves. Oh really, where does it say that in State Statute?

This perpetrated fraud has forced schools across this nation to defend themselves with armed police officers through the pleasantly sounding “resource officer” program. What prey tell would be the resource that a professional police officer would have to offer any of our children inside a REAL facility of education? But that is NOT what they have been turned into. We may rue the day when our police officers stop being only police officers, when our teachers stop being only teachers, when social scientists (school psychologists) become the management of our protectors of freedom and government becomes merely an amalgamation of a scientifically controlled corporate dictatorship – an oligarchy of privatized foundations who will call all the shots from above as well as bellow. Keep taking that free money folks – see where it gets you.

http://jonathanpelto.com/

Houston, we have a problem...

"Turns out GNEPSA stands for the Great New England Public Schools Alliance."

http://jonathanpelto.com/

"The family's lawsuit alleged school officials knew or should have known the boy's attacker had violent tendencies and failed to comply with a state anti-bullying law, said the Rosensteins' attorney, Jeffrey Youngman. The boy had punched another student in the face on a school bus a year earlier, but the school kept no record of it or other attacks and the attacker was not subjected to escalating discipline, the suit said."

http://start.toshiba.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9U7EIF80%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=931

Judicial Watch covers the issue of hiding crime in schools pretty well in this article. Any school official who engages in this behavior should be fired and brought up on charges of risk of injury to the other minors they are responsible for supervising.

http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2012/04/nearly-1-mil-public-school-crimes-not-reported-to-police/

So they used the MYD thing in order to hide the real numbers of incidents that would have resulted in criminal charges or at least removal from the schools? In the end, they will report that the data suggests that suspensions and expulsions declined when all that happened was the criminal students was moved to another class or something?