Thursday, May 30, 2013

UPDATE: Boundaries Work Session Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revelations

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revelations:

Boundaries Work Session

I'll try to hit the major points I heard along with quotes (and color commentary).

Just upfront, it was discouraging.  It's now 2013 and so many questions - Special Ed, Advanced Learning, K-8s and others - lack clarity and definition.  What was troubling is the number of "exceptions" to current policies thatare out there.  

There was also the issue of the so-called Program Placement Framework?  Where is this and should this be guiding the decisions made?

As well, the presentation used excerpted quotes from various policies - Board or Superintendent or WAC - to 


Revelations

Much was revealed at the Growth Boundaries presentation this afternoon. Here is just a short list:

There will be new service delivery models for Special Education: Resource, Access, Behaior, Contained, and Distinct. We don't know what these mean or how they will work, and the whole thing is subject to the collective bargaining process, but it looks like radical change.

There will be a new delivery model for APP. The District isn't saying what it will be or how it will work. They won't even offer the pretense of engagement on it until next year - after they make all of the decisions.

There will be a new delivery model for Spectrum. It appears to be nothing. For many families this will be nothing new.

Just because a school chooses to become a STEM school it doesn't make it a STEM school. It's only a STEM 

Growth Boundaries email address

Please send your comments on the Growth Boundaries project to their email address:

GrowthBoundaries@seattleschools.org.

Bad Advice Needs Own Thread

A reader asked this:

I have a bright 4th grader in the Carnation area - we are considering some other options for her for next year, yes even at this late date. Where should I start looking? 

Me, going on my old school way of thinking, told this parent that he/she didn't have many options.  Not true (after talking with Tracy Libros in Enrollment).

So, to correct: