School Technical Ideas

State schools Superintendent Mike Flanangan is calling out Kent County school chiefs, saying they are whining about plans to raise standards on MEAP tests.

Flanagan told the Lansing news service MIRS that he was proud of Lansing-area superintendents for accepting the changes in the Michigan Educational Assessment Program exams, which will likely prompt scores to drop significantly in the first years.

But Flanagan then pointed to a Press story quoting several Kent County superintendents, particularly Godfrey-Lee’s David Britten, who where critical of the changes and the standardized test as a whole.

“As usual, they’re whining,” Flanagan told MIRS, with the remarks confirmed Tuesday by a state Education Department spokesman.

That brought sharp words from Rockford Superintendent Michael Shibler, one of the educators quoted in the story.

We’re supposed to be working on behalf of our districts, he said. We’re supposed to be able to challenge what the state does. What does the state superintendent want us to do, get in line and follow like sheep?

State Board of Education members this month voted 7-1 to increase the cut scores the percentage of questions students must answer correctly to be deemed proficient on Michigan Educational Assessment Program and Michigan Merit Exam tests.

Students can get as few as 40 percent correct on some tests and still be deemed proficient on the exams, which are used, in part, to meet federal No Child Left Behind requirements.

State board members said the changes would better compare the achievement of Michigan students to those in other states and continue a drive to score higher and compete on a worldwide stage.

But the vote came after an educational advocacy issued a report saying the schools were lying to parents about the scores because the standards were too low.

Britten, after the vote, asked, What has the MEAP done, anything good? It’s lost most of its credibility with staff.

He said there are problems associated with the test, such as the months between when students take the exam and when teachers get the results.

What our teachers need is to be able to assess students today and make changes tomorrow. A once a year test doesn’t make significant changes in your district.
Flanagan told MIRS he believes the majority of the state’s superintendents support the change.
He said scores might look bad for a year,” but will soon head in the right direction.

The Palm Beach County School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to reinstate a teacher who was arrested last year for trafficking pain pills.

The state’s Division of Administrative Hearings recommended that the board give Jill Shadoff her job back after she appealed her termination. Shadoff, who is on a three-year probation, returned to her job at the beginning of the school year and will receive about $40,000 in back pay, according to district staff.

She is a special education teacher at Tradewinds Middle School.

Board members also voted to suspend without pay and fire Albert Thomas, a bus driver who failed to stop at a railroad crossing. Thomas, whose bus was hit by the railroad crossing gate, was cited by a police officer who witnessed the incident.

His firing is effective Oct. 15.

The School Board also:

Fired language facilitator Jean Cineus, 36. A board report notes that Cineus, who worked at Glades Central High, took a drug test on June 2. The test results were positive for an illegal controlled substance. It was a second offense and violation for Cineus.

Suspended cafeteria worker Sheron Brown, 43, for five days without pay. According to an employee relations investigation, Brown faced misconduct allegations, including the misuse of district funds.

Officials conducted a two-day surveillance of Brown’s cash register transactions and found a high number of purchases in which the student pin number was entered but the transaction was voided “as if the purchase never occurred,” a report showed.

An exact amount of money involved could not be determined, district Police Chief Jim Kelly told the board.

Brown, who had a prior incident reported to police in 2005, must improve or face more discipline.

“The behavior needs to be corrected,” said Kelly, “and if it isn’t it will be acted on.”

The Sun-Sentinel contributed to this report.

For the past decade, the District 7 seat on the Palm Beach County School Board has been held by Debra Robinson.

But Thomas Hawkins, a teacher at S.D. Spady Elementary in Delray Beach, and William Abrams, an unemployed social studies teacher from Lake Worth, hope to change that.

The nonpartisan contest is open to all voters in District 7, which covers coastal communities from Riviera Beach to Delray Beach.

Of the two challengers, Hawkins has run an aggressive campaign, attending most candidate forums and promising, among other things, that he would start a weekly blog to keep parents and teachers informed and visit one school every week.

Hawkins also believes his experience working as a teacher – he’s taught math and science – and as a county school district administrator will make him a strong board member. As an administrator, Hawkins helped evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs for schools that failed to meet goals for “adequate yearly progress” under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

“I have a much better understanding of education and educational programs than any of the current board members do,” Hawkins said.

Abrams, who taught civics at Lantana Middle School for nine weeks and taught infirm students at Hospital Homebound School in West Palm Beach for two years, is a third-generation teacher.

But Abrams said he can have more impact outside the classroom than in it.

“My skills set is better suited for the school board,” Abrams said. “I have a different viewpoint, problem-solving skills and I’m able to listen to people’s problems.”

At 30, Abrams would be the board’s youngest member. But he said his youth and lack of experience aren’t a factor.

“I never really thought about it,” he said. “I think it gives me a bit of an advantage. I won’t have the same boring education ideas.”

Robinson, a physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs in West Palm Beach, said she decided to run for another term because her work on the board isn’t complete. Robinson, who has endorsements from Riviera Beach Mayor Thomas Masters and several city council members, has long fought to close the academic achievement gap between black and white students.

Robinson said she’s concerned that too much change on the board will hurt the district.

“I’m afraid the pendulum will swing too fast and too far,” she said. “We need to find some balance.”

As for the Jeffrey Hernandez debacle, Robinson was the lone board member who voted against Hernandez being hired as the district’s chief academic officer. Hernandez was eventually removed from that position – though he kept the title and salary – and was assigned to work with low-performing schools. He’s no longer with the school district.

Robinson said she remains in favor of step increases, which are automatic raises based on years of experience. Robinson was one of three board members who in 2004 voted against Superintendent Art Johnson’s plan to eliminate step increases.

Abrams said one of his top priorities would be to return step increases. Although the district has said it can’t afford them right now, Abrams said he would advocate reducing the amount of money the district spends on new textbooks and use that money for step increases.

“Students don’t need new books every four years,” Abrams said. “There aren’t many changes in elementary and middle school math.”

Hawkins, who has been co-endorsed by the county’s teachers’ union along with Robinson, also favors step raises and said that “teachers’ pay in Palm Beach County should match that of other urban districts.”

According to campaign finance reports, Robinson has raised $15,205, while Hawkins has netted $3,625 and Abrams has amassed $3,300.

Both challengers said they would make sure the board communicates better with parents and teachers. Last year, Johnson attempted to implement a rigid new curriculum crafted by Hernandez without soliciting much community input.

“You don’t surprise your employees with huge changes,” Hawkins said. “The major problem with this board is that it didn’t communicate with the people who elected them. We should start a bi-weekly or monthly newsletter to keep everybody up to date.”

Abrams, who has no endorsements, said Johnson may work better with a new board.

“With new opinions and new blood, maybe it will change the way he does his job,” Abrams said.