I don’t have the graphs and figures referred to in this document, but I do have the main text. This is the document that was given to the District 150 school board to support the administration’s recommendation to convert Woodruff High School to a grade school:
Narrative Summary on
High School Repurposing AnalysisStaff of PSA-Dewberry were asked to do an analysis of the feasibility of repurposing either the Woodruff High School or Peoria High School facilities as B-8 Community Learning Centers. That analysis involved the Educational Consultant for the B-8 new schools (Best Practices Inc.) and is summarized in this narrative. This summary also includes district-provided data and analyses of financial considerations and attendance boundaries.
This narrative summarizes the presentation by Ken Hinton, Superintendent, and Paul Kouri, Architect, PSA-Dewberry, to the board on July 20, 2009.
Status of the district.
Financial Considerations
The school district is currently facing financial challenges which necessitate reconsideration of the use of high school facilities. Improvement of the district’s financial condition is the primary reason for making changes. This also provides an opportunity to improve the educational services to all students. A reduction in the number of schools will result in savings in the number of staff needed to operate the school (administrative, custodial, teaching and support staff). An analysis by district staff shows that closing a high school saves money by reducing the district payroll by approximately 45 total staff members.Another financial consideration is the use of Public Building Commission funds as a source for building construction and updating school facilities. There is a time limit on the utilization of Public Building Commission funding; construction must be substantially completed by June 30, 2011.
Educational Benefits
There are additional educational benefits in consolidating the district’s four high schools into three. Reduction in the number of high schools will reduce duplication of staff and enable a more focused and effective use of staff. Reducing the number of high schools will increase enrollment in courses with less demand. This will enable these courses to continue to be offered and will keep all high schools comprehensive. With a wider array of courses offered, the high schools are more likely to retain and attract students and families to the district.Current Status of the District
Figure A shows the current status of the district and locations of the school facilities.Previous Decisions
There are a number of previous decisions which provide guidelines for repurposing a high school. These include the following decisions made by the school board.
- To close one high school
- To close primary schools Kingman and Irving
- To build new schools following the B-8 or K-8 model.
- To utilize the remaining funds from the PBC for the Math, Science and Technology Academy, Career Vocational Center and a non-traditional school.
The requirements for the Peoria Public Schools B-8 Community Learning Centers (CLC) were developed through a community charette process in 2006 and accepted by the board in 2007. The approved CLC program includes access to and utilization of outdoor areas and green space, a village concept to encourage continuity and professional learning community development, space for project work and in-depth 21st century learning, space for extended day and week programs for students with community involvement, space for community use for adult education, neighborhood and community organizations, and child care support programming. In addition, the CLC design includes zoning of the building to enable community use during non-school times.
Decisions to be Made
The next decision which needs to be made is which high school can be repurposed most effectively. To assist in making that decision a financial analysis was done by district staff to see if there would be a financial advantage in repurposing one high school over the other. A utilization analysis was also completed to see which building could be used most effectively to meet the educational vision of the B-8 schools. The location of students in Kingman and Irving attendance area were also analyzed.
Financial Analysis Results
Financial scenarios were developed and then analyzed. These are summarized in graph 1.
Scenario 1: Current Status with all four high schools open. What will happen financially if a high school is not closed?
Scenario 2: What will happen financially if Woodruff remains the High School and Peoria High is repurposed as B-8 Community Learning Center?
Scenario 3: What will happen financially if Peoria High remains the High School and Woodruff becomes the B-8 Community Learning Center?
The Graph shows a slight financial advantage to having Woodruff repurposed as a B-8 (Scenario 3). A busing analysis shows approximately $45,000 less in busing costs if Woodruff is repurposed. However most of the $45,000 is reimbursed with a final impact on the budget of approximately $10,000.
Under the Woodruff B-8 Scenario, the busing analysis also showed that students attending from the Irving and Kingman attendance areas will spend less time riding buses.
Educational Analysis as a High School.
Both facilities are currently functioning well as high schools.
Utilization Analysis
The following questions were used to guide the process of analyzing how best to use the repurposed high school.
Question 1: Could the Kingman and Irving primary students all be placed together in one of the high school facilities (either Woodruff or Peoria High)?
The answer to this question is No. Research supports the district’s movement to a K-8 or B-8 model instead of separate primary and middle schools. Keeping Lincoln as a separate middle school would continue the separation of the primary and middle school. This is an opportunity to continue the positive B-8 initiative in the district.
Question 2: If we combined Lincoln middle school students with Kingman and Irving students, could this new B-8 school be placed in one high school?
The answer to this question is No. Two “schools” would be required to accommodate the approximately 1000 student population which would result from combining the two primary schools with the reconfigured Lincoln middle school. One thousand children in one elementary school program is not recommended.
Question 3: Could a closed high school and Lincoln school be combined to create the complete B-8 model?
Yes. The analysis of the spaces available in the two high school buildings revealed that either high school facility could be repurposed to create one B-8 Community Learning Center. Additional space will be required for either high school facility to meet the guidelines of the Community Learning Center previously accepted by the school board. Two B-8 schools would be required to provide the approved CLC program. The addition of Lincoln school is required to have adequate, efficient and effective space for the two new schools.
PSA then analyzed the differences between these two options: Peoria High plus Lincoln repurposed; and Woodruff plus Lincoln repurposed. (see figures b-l)
The primary differences in these two alternatives are as follows:
- Location of student population from the school
- Length of time students are riding on the bus
- Accessibility of shared community resources to both B-8 Centers
- Access to outdoors and green space
III. Recommendation
After reviewing the previous decisions and the analyses of student distribution, financial scenarios and facility utilization, the recommendation is to repurpose Lincoln and Woodruff schools as two new B-8. (See figure M.) Lincoln School would house all components of the B-8 model except for early childhood and the community components. The early childhood and community components at the Woodruff facility will be available for use by the Lincoln Community Learning Center children and families. Air conditioning already in the Lincoln facility will enable this B-8 CLC to be a year-round school.
The second B-8 CLC will be located in the Woodruff facility. Additional upper floor spaces not fully utilized by the B-8 components will enable this CLC to serve as a special focus school with the focus yet to be determined.
The last recommendation is to develop a task force to review the vision of high school education in the district and determine how to best meet needs of all students.
PC: I understand your literacy skills are probably the result of public schools, but did I write minimum wage for McDonald’s workers? I was referring specifically to PUBLIC SERVICE employees… those who wish to dedicate their lives to serving the betterment of humanity. (I hardly think McDonald’s qualifies.) In my economy McDonald’s would priced out of business by regulations on sugar, fat and artificial additives that they would be required to adhere to. If they were an over the counter drug they couldn’t pass the FDA regulations, now.
…then why shouldn’t you be paid $30.00 an hour, if you have a graduate degree and a desire to serve the public?
Sharon, Sharon, Sharon… it isn’t the teachers’ fault, it isn’t the system’s fault, it isn’t society’s fault… it is just the way it is. Some kids (rich, white) seem to do just fine in school and others (poor or minorities) just aren’t suited for the rigors of life in our society. I understand. Dr. Gates is a GREAT example… the cops should have tased him and beat him for daring to be a black man standing up for his rights against a white policeman. Blacks and other minorities should never get so uppity.
Yes, I am qualified to teach ANYONE to read; and more over to be literate… in literature, math, the media, politics and the economy.
I don’t think many students in 150 are ‘allowed’ to be held back. From my experiences a student had to have an overall F average for the school year to be held back. So if a student received all F’s in Math, Reading, Writing, Spelling, BUT got a D in Science they were passed on to the next grade.
Kcdad: Your services are much needed in District 150–get into the trenches, please, instead of wasting your time in the “ivory” tower. I do agree with you about Dr. Gates–I hope people view this as the human issue that it is–instead of using it as a political football. Lest anyone misunderstand, I believe Obama raises it as a human issue while his opponents will make it a political issue. I hope all of you know someone personally who has been a victim of racial profiling. Sometimes it could be so trivial–but, nevertheless, hurtful as when a church member’s first thought at seeing a young black man jumps automatically to the conclusion that he is the janitor–and meant no harm. Similar judgments happen all the time. A black college-graduate that I know has finally been able to enjoy being “underestimated.”
Kcdad said “Anyone who wants to serve humanity… for the greater good… teaching, counseling, medicine, civil employment, politics, etc…”
The etc is a VERY big classification. You can drive a truck thru it.
All your areas of service are also in the private sector. Will you turn your back on them?
I have been at 150 as a sub… no way would I work for them again in any capacity. When they tear down the mess and rebuild it from the ground up.. then I will get involved.
They don’t want me in 150, and they don’t want me where I am. I am interested in teaching and they are interested in making a profit; a BIIIIIIIIIG profit, and then a BIGGER profit next year, and then even BIGGER the next. They aren’t schools, they are businesses.
When Steve Ptasek, Dave Barnwell, or someone else I respect applies for the Superintendent position and offers to do it for his last year’s wage as a teacher… THEN I’ll consider it.
BOO: I mentioned that when I was Roosevelt in 2003 they promoted all the kids to their age appropriate grades…so if they were 13 and been held back twice (as one kid was), they still got promoted to the appropriate grade, 8 or 9.
Just a few comments about students and poverty:
I agree what we are doing isn’t exactly working, but we are using an educational model that has been around since the end of World War II. In the US we educate the masses. There are many differences in the way students learn, but when there are 30+ students in a room it makes it difficult to put into use many techniques that many teachers know will work. There is tons of information on brain research. I suggest Marian Diamond from Berkely. These are 2 links about the brains of children(people) of poverty. I hope I was able to cut and paste correctly. (if not google -Marian Diamond poverty brain – and you will get many hits)
http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/rich-brains-poor-brains/
Rich Brains, Poor Brain?
http://www.theapple.com/topics/2391-effects-of-poverty-on-learning/posts
Poor Children’s Brain Activity Resembles That Of Stroke Victims, EEG Shows
I think if more people(even teachers) understood some of these theories, we may see more success with our poor population. There are reasons for low test scores.
Thanks for the link, JV. It’s a rather sad read. 🙁
I wonder if children that grew up during the depression exhibited these same deficiencies in cognitive thinking?
It also has to do with poverty of spirit–which quite often is much more devastating than just financial poverty.
Sharon – I think you are right. I doubt that depression-age children exhibited those syptoms because their family unit and traditional values were still intact.
Part of the problem too is the segment of this community that likes to hold the District down by constantly referring the way things were as if it’s the current reality. There are some great initiatives being implemented and if people (retirees, community, realtors, etc) could focus on supporting these positive changes, maybe the changes could happen a lot faster. Anyone who had the benefit of attending the 21 Keys trainings would fully understand this concept. And please don’t take the word of people who have their own agendas or who aren’t currently working and are a part of the new culture, as gospel truth. I don’t know much about Manual, but for the detractors out there please look at how long it takes other new programs to show results. Dieting alone takes several months or years depending on how far you have to go.
Lastly, if people spent as much time volunteering in the community as they do protesting and complaining, we probably wouldn’t even be having this discussion.
Oh and one more, we’re talking about generational poverty here in Peoria. To me there is a big differnce when compared to situational poverty. And for even more information check out the document Mr Hinton talked about Monday on the Out of School Factors. I briefly looked at it but it looks really good. I don’t have the link on my phone though.
“There are reasons for low test scores.” Yes, there are, and few of the reasons have anything to do with poverty. If the elitists would get their head out of their **@# and start peddling responsibililty instead of excuses, things would start to change. The vast majority of these kids are not stupid, they have just learned how to “game” the system.
I would also like to add that part of the problem is that parents in District 150 are not adequately informed that their children read below grade level. For years, reading level scores were a “secret” from high school teachers–I’m not sure about teachers at lower levels. Besides, why should parents believe that their children are reading below grade level when they are passed on to the next grade year after year. A statement by Brian Chumbley at the June 16 BOE meeting proves my point. When discussing the reading assessment test given to students, Chumbley stated, “Challenges include…the limited way the data is reported to parents and how to engage students in goal setting using the information.” There are many, many reasons why students have developmental problems that keep them from learning to read and to comprehend what they read. I would suggest that high on my list would be television. In my youth, I had to read when I was bored–kids never have to be that bored. Reading constantly is the only way to learn to read–our society and our schools do not demand that kind of commitment to reading. On the other hand, the District 150 8th grader in my life (soon to be a freshman) is never without a book in her hand. Just the other day, she was going through books on my shelves–and she was remembering all the short stories she has read–many of which will be in the sophomore text when she gets to high school. She has already read and understood much of the literature with which many of my own sophomore students struggled–and juniors and seniors.
Champion of Change – exactly what initiatives are you wanting the community to support? Would it be the shortened day for primary students initiative? Or might it be the increased class size initiative? Is it the closing neighborhood schools without a plan inititative, or the layoff teachers and instead hire consultants initiative? Maybe it’s the hire all of Ken’s friends and family instead of the most qualified person initiative? Or perhaps its the “lot of other admins to make the tough decisions to keep the heat off Ken initiative”? That one didn’t work out so well, they all either quit or were fired.
Obviously, this is tounge-in-cheek, and I’m sorry to make fun of what would ordinarily be a great suggestion. This community would like nothing more than to support logical sound initiatives that are in the best interests of students, but unfortunately, we don’t see too much of that come down the pipe.
Wow, it has been a while since I did 21 Keys but doesn’t it teach that one cannot control others but only oneself and one’s perception? I don’t think it teaches calling people detractors and the problem. Perhaps, you can write an affirmation to see the “detractors” as a positive and work on making positive changes together and working toward improved communication because then the kids would win and everyone’s stress levels would be reduced.
As I went thru the State report .obvious was that if you look at scores etc for 3 years
. You do not pass someone who is failing! parents will see that
! if report cards show failing ,then parents are informed!
If the majority of a grade is failing then Put the blame where it belongs! Administration is where the Blame stops. STOP THE BS ABOUT “POVERTY ,RACE ETC.
You put kids in uniforms{ for a form of personal discipline} And then teachers come looking less than what they looked like years ago when we did not have this situation and they made a hellava lot less!Do they know what a DRESS is? Set an example. Men teachers wore a suit ! If you act causal and as “their friend” you get what you have now. School can be hard ,and it is for the majority.It is not meant to be easy.
Time{minutes in a day} in classes for English,math,reading ?
if that is all you are try to accomplish is not enough!
What do they do the rest of the day? someone said “bored” that can not be in their vocabulary Too BAD= TS Just do it mentality.
Popijw: Do you really believe that how teachers dress will make all the difference? Frankly, I was of the old school–that teachers should dress appropriately–and probably did feel that recently some teachers dressed too casually, but not the majority; however, I don’t believe that the way I dressed affected students’ reading level.
To state there is inept management and some less than stellar teachers within the District is an understatement. The District could do better by students. However, to discount the population of students that the District is charged with educating and continue the blame game is fruitless.
There are no more “underperforming” students in public education then there was 20 years ago, it’s just that it has become politically incorrect to discount their existence. Because the demographics of District 150 have changed so dramatically over the last 30 years it is impossible to ignore.
No one who blogs about the District on this site ever discusses the limitations and parameters that natural aptitude play in student achievement. Instead it is all about the teacher, the larger class size, the poor leadership, etc.. It is all well and good to cry that no child should be passed on if they are failing. BUT . . . the reality is that my 1st grader at Kellar (a girl) was housed next to a room with boys that looked to be 11 or 12 years old. They were not “getting it,” they likely may never get it. So . . . what is the answer? As Sharon eluded to in a previous post, it is not about hiding the ball. It is not about establishing standardized expectations for students that are incapable of achieving such academic goals. It is about establishing realistic goals that students can reasonably achieve.
I think Frustrated and I might be on the same page–we often are (with some minor differences). For example, a high teacher is given materials appropriate to the grade level of the course. For sophomore English, the texts, tests, etc., were all written for students who have a reading and comprehension level. Expectations from these texts of literature usually tend to the high end. While it is true (See the book “Dumbing Down Our Kids”) that the texts for social studies courses and others have been watered down to a lower reading level over the years. For the most part, that is not true of English literature or grammar texts. Then the teacher discovers that the majority of students in the class read below the 7th grade level (not an uncommon situation). Now what is the teacher to do? Either teach to the walls, give assignments and tests that no one can pass, and fail the majority in the class. Or do everything possible to water the material down to the level of the majority of students. In my case, that often meant reading literature aloud to students and trying to get them to some level of understanding stories much too difficult for them (vocabulary way beyond their bank of vocabulary words). Grades, of course, are inflated–but the administrators would not stand for anything else.
This dishonesty has to stop. It is dishonest to put these kids in a sophomore class–automatically putting the teacher and the students in an impossible situation. I don’t know the answer–but Frustrated is right “the limitations and parameters that natural aptitude play in student achievement” have to be acknowledged–and courses developed on that basis.
Popijw… gotta control those kids, eh? Don’t let em think… control their behaviors, control their thoughts… good plan. It is what they have been trying to do for 40 years.
It is probably true that we can not trust the youth to look after their own needs… certainly school is not the place to let them try and figure that out. If keep a tight enough rein on them, they will turn out exactly the way we want them to.
Men teachers wore a suit… Women wore dresses… that’s great. That’ll really solve all the problems.
Go to PJS to read the latest 150 story–nobody is paying the architect for the Woodruff and PHS plans–the architect thought the district was paying. Apparently, the district thought the PBC was paying–they say, “no.” Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.
They will need to hire a consultant to assess the situation.
Will they need to hire a firm to round up the candidates in order to select the appropriate consultant?
First, they will have to “pretend” to let community members and parents think they are making the best decision of what firm to hire to round up candidate consultants…..spinning wheels—-got to go round……help, I’m getting dizzy…
In other news we just got a letter from D150. It seems that we owe them a 75 cent late fee over something. Not sure what. If we don’t pay by October they will turn us over to a collection agency. I find this humorous for some reason… especially when you realize that it cost them .42 cents to mail out the letter. If we pay up, they will have a net gain of 33 cents. 😉
I find it especially amusing or disgusting since students can lose textbooks that cost $40 and they never have to pay.
We got a letter today about textbooks from 2 years ago. These were books that my children told their teacher they were in bad shape when they got them but the teacher forgot so now we have to pay $50 for each one. Also included in this bill was inclusion of charges for classes they didn’t take.
When I said students didn’t have to pay for lost books, I meant to say that many of them never do–the conscientious students do pay. At least, it used to be that no one was forced to pay until graduation time–to get diplomas. But many of the books that were lost belonged to kids that didn’t graduate. Besides, I don’t think that transcripts can be denied, not matter what.
Maybe they can use the Grant money to pay for the books.
My husband ran into an old co-worker today at work that just moved back to the area. My husband asked where his kids were going to school — Dunlap, because the co-worker heard this was the best school system in the area. This must be the 6th or 7th family we know of that moved back to the area this Summer and did not even give a glance in the direction of 150 – – – but the Administration has time to track Diane down to get their .33 cent gain.
The math on that is kind of interesting. From what I understand the average administrative consultant is paid about $500 per day or $62.50 per hour. That would be $1.04 per minute. My 33 cents would pay a consultant for about 20 seconds. 😉
Did anyone else hear that Jeannie Williamson is being brought back as a consultant to help close Woodruff? I like Jeannie and she is highly regarded, but honestly, aren’t there any current employees that are capable of this? Why do we need another consultant?
Williamson–that would be outrageous. What kind of genius does it take to close Woodruff? Figuring out where to put Woodruff students will be the greatest challenge.
Frustrated, I thought I’d share our situation since we seem to have similar thoughts. We moved back to the Peoria area 6 years ago and researched the schools ad nauseam. The first four years we lived in Morton – good schools if you want 99% white Christians – good town if you grew up and stayed there. Really, it is a very nice town, but just not our style.
Once we made the decision to leave, it was for us a choice between 1. Dunlap schools (living in either Dunlap or Peoria), 2. Peoria with Kellar, Lindbergh and Richwoods or 3. Peoria with private schools. It wasn’t an easy decision and we still struggle with it today (it would be better if we would just accept our decisions and move on, but that is part of our generation, I guess). Initially we really wanted #2, but just couldn’t find a house that suited us. We settled on #3.
Especially in today’s economic environment, we think often of option 1 and not having to pay for private school. That said, we could not have the type of house, at the price we paid or otherwise, in the Dunlap district. So option 3 is still better than #1.
As far as comparing #3 (Peoria with private schoole) to #2 (Kellar, Lindbergh), we’ve had our reservations. But in just these past 2 years, with all the stupidity within D150, we feel assured, at least at this time, that we made the right choice. We’d love to send our kids to Washington Gifted, but cannot without having sent them to a D150 school in the 4th grade.
What we didn’t know when we first moved here was that we could apply to go to Northmoor Edison. However, the past 2 years we’ve been on the waiting list and have never been able to get both kids in.
Fixing D150 is at least a two pronged approach. Flight to Dunlap is killing the district financially. Lack of discipline (which can be corrected) and high rates of mobility (which the district can do little about) are killing the “inner city” schools.
This may not be a popular notion, but I truly believe that D150 needs to take a “desegregated” approach to educating its children – NOT by race, but by educational desire and/or ability. Northmoor Edison does well with both whites and blacks because, for the most part, the parents choose to have their children go there – it’s not because of race or even economic background.
Places like Dunlap and Morton do well in large part because they already have a homogenous group of students (and very few are “poor”).
We want diversity for our kids (and granted, we don’t see that in private schools, for the most part), but not at the expense of their formal education. For those with the ability and desire, Washington Gifted (as well as Northmoor Edison) seems to be perfect, regardless of race or economic background. For those schools with, for lack of a better descipription, less involved parents or less academically able children, there is no better example of success than Garfield. I don’t understand why those two schools aren’t the models for success for what are essentially different student bodies. Washington Gifted 2 anyone?
I am hopeful for the charter school, but I feel that it again will try to be all things to all persons. That just doesn’t work unless you live in a place like Morton or Dunlap where everyone is basically the same.
Jon – thank you for your thoughts. Sometimes I feel all alone in my thinking about school reform, but apparently we are on the same page. I totally agree that the District should open things up in order to allow Peoria to survive and possibily thrive. I have advocated on this blog that with the likely downsizing to 3 high schools that Richwoods should be made a “selective enrollment” college prep high school. The “selectivity” would be the requirement that the student have some min. GPS and/or entrance test scores. This selectivity would not be that harsh — just that the student be serious about preparation for college — which may simply be jr. college not an ivy league school.
More choice should further be made available in primary and middle school. The proposed math and science academy is a step in the right direction. Although, I am opposed to the expansion of this school beyond 8th grade.
I simply do not buy the argument advanced by many that specialized schools rob neighborhood schools of bright student. Look around, how many neighborhoods schools in the District have retained such students. Most families, like yours, have already made the choice to exit. And in any case, this is not about a competition pitting one school’s performance against that of another. It is about providing an appropriate education for each child. Based on the descriptions offered by District 150 teachers that blog on this site, I do not believe that some of the neighborhoods schools would be able to offer an average to above average student an appropriate education due the overwhelming number of underperforming students in particular schools. This is not necessarily anyone’s fault, it is just the reality of the situation.
Regarding Washington Gifted — my children attended the school and it was an outstanding experience. If you live within District 150 and your children are academically eligible to attend, I would push to get them considered, even if they do not currently attend a District school. I know of others that have been successful in your same situation. It is not that costly (and the process is painless for the child) to have your child tested at Bradley University to see if they are a candidate.
I currently live away from the Peoria area but was back visiting this Summer investigating school options, and I am presently on fence as to the 3 options that you described. I am waiting to see how the elimination of a high school plays out in terms of Richwoods.
Frustrated and Jon: I am really not in disagreement with you–both of you have made me think about the “grouping” of students. First of all, if 150 would establish a vocational/alternative school, many of the high school problems could be fixed in quick order. I’m just doing a FOIAd study of the reading level of Manual students (if you can believe tests results). Clearly, there are Manual students at the very top. However, the majority have a reading level below their grade level. Students who are truly academically inclined and prepared should not be in classes with kids who are considerably less than ready–that is not good for either group. What I have decided–at Manual, at least, but I believe there are similar problems at all the high schools–is that the watered-down academics which teachers are forced to offer is not good for either group of students. Throughout the history of American public education there have been those that are truly not academically-inclined–for whatever reason, (someone might try to figure out why and search for a real solution), but until then we have to deal with the problem before us. Kids who are in over their heads are not well served by sitting in classes where they cannot comprehend the material. My solution to the current problem is to “repurpose” (the new educational jargon) Manual to be a vocational/alternative/non-traditional school. I know that so many fear (and I understand the fear and even share it) that black kids will once again be dumped into the non-academic schools. I really believe we have come farther than that but not far enough. Also, NCLB has played its role in destroying education all over the country. Ironically, it has forced schools to teach only to the test–which means that much of the creativity has been taken away from teachers. High school teachers–I just heard–are asked to create all tests to conform to the NCLB test format. I will continue to contend that you can’t teach to this test–that it is accumlative knowledge. The Prairie State test now includes the ACT test–a test which only the top students once took (and paid for); now everyone takes the test. Why would anyone wonder why the scores are so low? Even Dunlap (if you look at the Illinois report card) has students that didn’t meet AYP–so they haven’t found a way to bring the scores of those students up. At one time 150’s scores would have looked more like Dunlap’s–that was before the more academically inclined move to Dunlap, private schools, etc.
They won’t send any (or many) Woodruff or Manual kids to Richwoods… the rest of affluent whites, who can, will flee.
Sorry, Steve, but that would be the end of Richwoods’ elite status in Peoria.
Frustrated said:
“If you live within District 150 and your children are academically eligible to attend, I would push to get them considered, even if they do not currently attend a District school. I know of others that have been successful in your same situation.”
I too know of others who went to Washington Gifted without going to a District 150 School. Yes, Jon, I agree with Frustrated, your children should get the opportunity as well. While you may tend to play by the rules and think the regulation is what it is – there are ways around the “requirement” for attending Washington Gifted.
Sorry Kcdad: I believe there are plenty of talented students at Woodruff, Central, & Manual that would be a “good fit” for a college prep high school, if that is what the District decides for Richwoods. I think there are many students on the bubble at Central, Manual, and Woodruff that would benefit from being part of an environment in which there is a critical mass of students that wish to excel in academics, social activities, and life in general. I know when I am around people that are “on the ball” it motivates me to work harder and put my best foot forward.
Sharon – one of your best posts!!! I believe that there must be a multi-pronged approach to solving the District’s “issues.” Obviously, the District must continue to address improving the performance of its’ academically challenged students. I believe the District is, to some degree, on the right path by building new schools (who on earth could do their best academically in nasty old buldings like Harrison), extending the school day and year, and taking early childhood education under their wing. But these are endeavors that will take years to bear fruit.
The District at the same time must continue to offer choice and enhance their offerings to attract and retain folks like Jon. It sounds to me that Jon might be sending his children to a District 150 school if he could have purchased a home ANYWHERE in Peoria but then had the option to send his chidlren to a school of his choice. Currently, the opportunity to do this within the District is almost non-existent. Why should this be so difficult??? Such a radical concept???
Frustrated: I really believe that Peoria High, Woodruff, and Richwoods could have good, solid enriched programs (as they–and Manual–did for many years) if the non-academic students would be assigned to Manual as an alternative/vocational/non-traditional school. If that could be done–and then if the central administration would “put all its eggs” into two baskets–attendance and discipline–I think we could see major improvements in the quality of education offered in District 150. Also, I think they should pay as little attention to NCLB as possible. Doing rain dances would do as much good as everything 150 has tried so far to raise scores. Wacky Wednesdays, benchmarks, common planning, 21 Keys, blaming teachers, demanding that teachers do better and on and on–none of that is going to raise scores significantly. A point (or even 10 points) here or there will be gained one year and lost the next–a constant yoyo effect with no real gains.
Oh. Are there college prep kids at Woodruff and Manual? I thought they were all stupid and useless, violent and drug users. (insert sarcasm smilie here)
“non-academic students” … I like that, Sharon.
Kcdad: I’m not fond of the non-academic label. When did anybody–least of all me–say that all (or even any) students at Woodruff and Manual were useless? I did err in using the past tense “did”–all the high schools do still have college prep students and courses. Not all students are or should be college-bound. At least, there has never been a time during my career or during my own school years (or in this country’s history) when everyone’s interests and/or talents were geared to the college classroom. It is NCLB that is making the assumption that all students should be college-bound and that if they aren’t they are useless. Also, junior colleges–like ICC–do offer the opportunity for the “late bloomers” to change the course of their lives and return to the classroom where they frequently excel. In fact, when I was in high school at Woodruff my only goal in life was to be a secretary, and no one ever questioned my choice–until my senior year when my co-op teacher asked me why I had never considered going to college. I had not taken any college prep classes.(That was in the era before high school counselors, etc.) I worked two years at Caterpillar and one year at LeTourneau’s–then suddenly had a desire to go to college. My parents thought it was a stupid idea since I had what they considered to be a good, secure job, etc. I have never felt that a person’s worth is determined by whether or not he/she has a college education. There are, at least, five people in my own family that didn’t get an education past high school until they had spent some time in the work force and then changed course. For some people there are some detours before college becomes an option.
Kcdad: I am a bit dense. “Non-academic student” is a bit of an oxymoron.
Sharon – for all the reasons you setforth above, a vocational high school is such an excellent idea for the District. The difficulty these days, as compared to when you graduated, is that so many jobs require at least some specialized training to be considered a candidate for. A vocational program would offer inner city students an opportunity to gain some of the pratical mechanical skills that employers are looking for.
I agree that Woodruff and Central still offer advanced curriculums. The question is should they? If the District is looking for economies of scale, I think combining the honors and AP classes into one school, just as the vocational program would be centralized in one facility, makes sense in terms of personnel and for creating an “academic community” that students can flourish in.
I disagree on that issue–I believe all three “regular” high schools should have opportunities for enriched classes–and AP, as has always been the case. The District shouldn’t make transportation–too much busing already–a problem for kids who want to be in advanced classes. Besides I think there should be a choice–that kids who are strong in math could be in enriched math classes but not necessarily in advanced English. This isn’t a big city. I can understand why schools might specialize in Chicago, etc., but we have only 4 high schools. Teachers qualfied to teach basic classes should also be qualifed to teach enriched.
Frustrated: I’ve had a little more thinking time. I would object to one school being designated as the college prep facility for several reasons. First of all, freshmen students are not always “labeled” accurately. Sometimes kids placed in enriched courses find they can’t handle the work. Just as often teachers discover that students in basic classes are qualified for and want enriched classes. Kids should not have to switch schools when these differences are discovered. Also, school loyalty is an important factor in high school (sports, academic competitions, etc.)–school loyalty is just as important at the college level, so I see no reason to destroy what often is a positive factor. At a whole different level, I think it is a good idea for kids (non-college prep and college prep) to mingle in non-academic classes, lunch, etc. Those who want complete elitism probably should go to private schools.
You are correct Sharon. There are some gaps in my proposed reorg. BUT. . . by junior the truly advanced courses kick in. Maybe you can FOIA this . . . because it is my belief that a very small percentage of the student population at Central and Woodruff are taking honors and/or AP classes. Perhaps I am totally off base.
My vision of a college prep program would not be that competitive. Student could be very average . . . no honors classes, etc. . . but no watered down, remedial classes either.
The reality is that Dist. 150 is competing with Dunlap which is considered by many as a college prep school. Peoria has to kick it up a notch to compete.
You are probably right about AP courses–in fact, I think District 150 erred in discontinuing AP classes–I know that happened at Manual. One of the last year’s that Manual had AP (maybe 2001 or so–guessing), the students had very, very high scores on the English portion of the ACT. Of course, the Richwoods Bac… Program is available to students at the top all over the district–at least, those who wish to work that hard. I just don’t like the idea of one college prep school. Also, that would eliminate much of the competition for speech, drama events, etc.
Sharon – I think in reality, whether it is identified as such, or not, the vocational education school will be just that . . . I would imagine it would offer all the basic requirements to achieve a high school diploma, along with the specialized vocational classes that would provide some edge to students in securing work opportunities or apprenticeships in the area. I would think the vocational high school would offer some minimal college prep classes which allow a student to graduate with an adequate academic background to begin junior college.
If curriculums such as vocational ed., college prep, remedial education, and alternative education are not developed as centralized programs, then I fail to see how reducing from 4 high schools to 3 is going to offer that much savings and/or efficiencies.
Of course, I am just supposing here. It would be great to understand what the thinking of the Board and Administration is related to the reorg of the high schools. The unrest of the District over the last year is as damning to it as any failing test scores. The Board needs to act with thought, but also with some speed, before it scarces more families away with fears of what is yet to come. Matters need to be settled once and for all so that the Administation and the Community can begin working toward improvement of Peoria’s schools.