Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, May 12, 2013

UPDATE: Mayor Looking for Student Quotes + Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week:


Seattle Schools MAP Plan for 2013-2014

From Superintendent Banda via SPS Communications (red highlight mine):

In February we formed a Task Force on Assessments and Measuring Progress to review our testing policies and explore concerns about the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. This group, comprised of principal, teacher, student, family and community representatives, met eight times and developed a list of recommendations for the 2013-14 school year.

I want to thank this group for their time and efforts. This proved to be an effective and productive opportunity to work together to develop constructive solutions that put students first while addressing the concerns raised by 


Mayor Looking for Student Quotes - Words to Weapons Contest

From the City of Seattle:

Weapons to Words is a program for students in Seattle sponsored by the Office of the Mayor and Office of Arts & Culture in cooperation with Chihuly Studio and Schnitzer Steel that encourages a violence free future for Seattle. Metal upcycled from guns recovered from future Seattle gun buyback programs will be tuned into plaques featuring quotes from Seattle students.

Students are asked to submit quotes that signify what gun violence in their community means to them, and what we can do to stop it. This program encourages kids to think about clear, simple actions and attitudes that they can take to contribute to the elimination of violence in schools and in our city. A panel convened by the Office of 


Items of Note

Roosevelt High School's Jazz Band placed third at this weekend's Essentially Ellington competition in NYC.  Congrats to all!

Ballard High students in their video program won two major prizes at the Dominique Dunne Film Competition in Colorado Springs.  The competition only awards four prizes and the judges are a who's who in Hollywood  so this 


Seattle Schools This Week

Monday, May 13th
Curriculum & Instruction Committee meeting, 4-5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 14th
Special Education Advocacy & Advisory Meeting from 6:30-9:30 p.m at JSCEE, Room 2700


Wednesday, May 15th
Special Education PTSA meeting from 7-9 pm in room 2700.


School Board Meeting, starting at 4:15 pm.  Agenda.  This looks to be a fairly easy agenda and the meeting will probably adjourn on time.

Items of Note:
- hey, a "student presentation" by the John Muir 4th grade Spectrum class.  Probably the first of its kind and, as we watch AL unravel, probably the last.
- the Green Lake lunchroom at about $4M.  I mentioned this before and even after looking at this item in detail - I don't get it.  The allowable construction cost is about $2.8M.  This is to build:

The scope of work for the Green Lake Elementary Lunch Room Addition project will, or
may include:
- A lunch room facility per current education specifications
- A warming kitchen
-A stage or platform for assemblies and activities
- Chair/table storage to accommodate multiple uses such as