Blackboard Wars episodes 5 and 6
So the first season of Blackboard Wars has ended and, as I expected, it reached the conclusion it was created to. Yes, ‘reform’ isn’t easy. The community resists radical change, even when it is what is best for it. The early ‘success’ of this school and its teachers validates the idea that all you need to accomplish a ‘turnaround’ is a $1.5 million dollar SIG grant to use, in part, on a charismatic leader and some new teachers who, despite their inexperience, have high expectations for all kids.
In the last episode, we get our first inklings of ‘early success’ at this school. At one of the board meetings, open to the community, Dr. T says that 63% of their 9th graders have scored above basic on the Read 180 test. Read 180 is a program which may very well be a good one. Students take three tests throughout the year and as this is only four months into the school year, we’re not sure if this was how they did on the first or second test. This is not an ‘official’ state test, but a diagnostic, and since we don’t know what those incoming students’ levels were, it is hard to interpret whether this is good or not.
I don’t see how a school can take much credit for students they have only known for four months, though. I know that this school has a somewhat unusual demographic because when they started the turnaround, they did not give the school any new 9th graders last year. So the current 9th graders are generally all first time 9th graders. As the years progress, however, that won’t be the case in this school and it will be interesting to see
In the last episode, we get our first inklings of ‘early success’ at this school. At one of the board meetings, open to the community, Dr. T says that 63% of their 9th graders have scored above basic on the Read 180 test. Read 180 is a program which may very well be a good one. Students take three tests throughout the year and as this is only four months into the school year, we’re not sure if this was how they did on the first or second test. This is not an ‘official’ state test, but a diagnostic, and since we don’t know what those incoming students’ levels were, it is hard to interpret whether this is good or not.
I don’t see how a school can take much credit for students they have only known for four months, though. I know that this school has a somewhat unusual demographic because when they started the turnaround, they did not give the school any new 9th graders last year. So the current 9th graders are generally all first time 9th graders. As the years progress, however, that won’t be the case in this school and it will be interesting to see
