No National Merit Semifinalists, SAT Scores Disappoint

A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com

For the first time in Assistant Superintendent Tony Daddona’s 32-year Norwalk Public Schools career, no National Merit Scholar Semifinalists have been selected in the district for the upcoming year.  Semifinalists are academically talented high school seniors, chosen from across the country, who receive the highest Preliminary SAT (PSAT) scores in their state. “There are usually a couple here,” says Daddona.  “We are looking into possible reasons and evaluating the scores.”

Norwalk’s 2010 SAT scores were also announced earlier this month.  Superintendent Susan Marks calls the below-state average scores “disappointing for all groups”.  “This is directly related to the rigor of the curriculum,” says Marks. Marks is making "rigor", especially in middle school and high school, one of the hallmarks of her superintendent's tenure. She describes the scores from last year as her “baseline”.

This year, Norwalk’s cumulative score in math, verbal and writing is 1440.  At Wednesday night’s PTO Council meeting, Marks said that 1650 out of 2400 is the SAT score needed to attend most state universities without remediation. According to Diane Filardo, the district’s testing specialist, there has no been significant improvement in math and verbal over the last couple of years.  There has, however, been an upward trend in writing, according to Filardo.  (See below for district and state 2010 SAT average scores.)

Daddona and Superintendent Marks say they are thinking of ways to address the performance on these tests, like having all 10th graders take the PSATs so schools will have information to help students focus on problem areas. In addition, Marks says she would like to incorporate SAT preparation during the high school day.

Across Connecticut, 230 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists are eligible to apply to become Finalists and receive scholarships. This year’s Semifinalists were selected based on their 2009 PSAT scores.  Norwalk does have one National Merit Scholar Semi-finalist who is home schooled.

2010 SAT Scores
                   Norwalk      State
Math             477             514
Verbal           478             507
Writing          485            513

With New Officers, PTOC Regroups

A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com

Representatives from each Norwalk school PTO met on Wednesday night to elect new officers of the PTO Council, the group of parents who address district-wide concerns.  Except for one returning member, the rest of the board is made up of new members who ran uncontested.

At the well-attended meeting in the West Rocks library , Emily Aguilar, the lone returning member, reminded the audience that the organization was struggling at the end of last year. "It's thanks to the hard work by the nominating committee over the summer that we have this group of people,"  Aguilar said. "I am excited about a brand new team."

The new officers are  Lisa Lenskold, President, Kerry O'Neill, Vice President, Jeffrey Spahr, Vice-President of Education,  Emily Aguilar, Vice President of Administration, Jannie Williams, Corresponding Secretary and Sherelle Harris, treasurer.

After the elections, Superintendent Susan Marks gave her first presentation to the parent group.  She stressed that the district's focus on making sure that all students are "college ready."  She cited 1650 as a target SAT score for most universities.  "We need a rigorous 21st century education, not just one that meets NCLB standards," Marks said. "Rigor" was a recurring word in  her remarks. "We need to increase the rigor of middle school and high school,"  she said. In addition, Marks added that the curriculum must be consistent across schools and stressed the need for more time in the school calendar and during the school day focused on instruction.

Naramake Leader Runs for PTOC Prez

A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com

For Lisa Lenskold, the time is right to run for president of the PTO Council, a parent organization that addresses district-wide issues. “There’s a new superintendent and momentum for change in our district,” says the mother of a fifth grader and second grader at Naramake Elementary School.

A representative from each school's PTO will vote for PTO Council Board at a the Sept. 27th election meeting.  Lenskold is the only candidate for president.  At the end of the last school year, the PTOC was struggling to recruit a team, including president, for its executive board. At the time, it appeared the organization might have to fold.  However, several candidates volunteered over the summer making for a nearly full slate.

Lenskold, a garden designer and former Wall Street sales manager, was co-president of the Naramake PTO and served two years on the Executive Board.  ““I’ve done all the grunt work at Naramake and I’d like to take what I’ve learned to the parents of Norwalk," she says.  "I'm aware of the issues and understand how the system works."

Lenskold met with Susan Marks and BOE member Susan Hamilton before deciding to step up for the president's role.  “I want to make sure we are all going to work together.”

Lenskold's first order of business will be to revisit the PTOC mission and survey parents.  “What is the purpose of a parents group?  What are the three issues parents would like to work on together throughout the district?” Lenskold  says. She doesn’t think the PTOC should necessarily be the only voice of parents. “Everyone should have a voice," she says.  Lenskold does, however, think on some occasions, the PTOC should take a stand.  “ I am not opposed to taking a position on issues, but that is not my decision alone.”

As Naramake PTO President, Lenskold’s focus was on education and building community.  “We focus on the younger parents.  We welcomed them and made sure they feel a part of the school culture.”  Lenskold notes there were 700 people (there are 425 students in the school) at the Naramake back-to-school PTO sponsored barbeque in early September.

She has many ideas for possible PTOC activities including enrichment programming, special education, budget transparency, literacy initiatives and expanding parental involvement. “Why do two schools need to pay to hear the same author speak at each school? ” She has been disturbed by budget proceedings over the last couple of years.  “I get upset when school is pitted against school,” she says. Lenskold plans to actively reach out the school-based PTOs to get them involved in the district "hot" issues.  “We have to get out there and excite them.”

Kimmel's Take on Tenure and Evaluations

Bruce Kimmel is a former member of the Board of Education.  

Recent events in Norwalk highlight one of the more controversial and misunderstood issues in American Education: First off, the Board of Education terminated a tenured teacher, despite the absence of adequate documentation supporting the decision. Then, the Norwalk Federation of Teachers came to the defense of the fired employee. And finally, the local press, by reporting the case in a straightforward manner, made the union look like the bad guy defending an individual who, allegedly, is not very good at his job.

What invariably is drowned out and ultimately forgotten in these types of discussions – but fortunately came to the surface early on in this case – is the role of administrators and boards of education versus the legal responsibilities of unions. This distinction is important, especially in light of the national debate on tenure, test scores, and the evaluation of teachers.

Consider the following:

• Teachers are interviewed and hired by administrators and boards of education;
• Teacher training is the responsibility of school administrators;
• Observation of teachers is the responsibility of school administrators;
• Yearly evaluation of teachers is the responsibility of administrators;
• Conferring teacher tenure is the responsibility of administrators;
• Termination of teachers is the responsibility of administrators;
• Administrators are supposed to keep detailed records of these activities.

The last two bullet points are intertwined and of paramount importance. School administrators for years have argued that state laws, union contracts and well-paid union attorneys have made it nearly impossible to fire tenured teachers. This is, at best, simplistic and obscures the fact that many, if not most, administrators do not keep detailed records of their various interactions, both formal and informal, with teachers.

The problem usually begins when a teacher automatically receives tenure after a certain number of years on the job. In most cases, tenure decisions are based on end-of-year evaluations teachers receive, which, in turn, are based on observations over the course of the year. If these evaluations are positive, and they almost always are, it is difficult to deny tenure.

National statistics indicate that, whatever evaluation system is used, over ninety percent of teachers receive the coveted rank. This is the key issue – not tenure itself, but who gets it, and on what basis. The law requires a rigorous paper trail to justify a negative tenure decision. Absent that, it is relatively easy to overturn the decision. It should be noted that non-tenured teachers can be terminated fairly easily, though some record-keeping is still necessary by administrators.

After a teacher receives tenure, under the law he or she has certain due process rights

 that must be observed. The law does not prohibit school districts from terminating tenured teachers, but it does require a comprehensive paper trail. This record should be based on various aspects of teaching, such as curriculum implementation, classroom management skills, rapport with students, collegial relations and, of course, student achievement.

(The debate over using test scores and student achievement in tenure decisions is, in my opinion, kind of silly. There was never a serious prohibition against using this information; the problem was the absence of other types of data and records when making the crucial decision.)

As mentioned above, the Norwalk Federation of Teachers has come to the defense of the terminated middle school teacher. Thus, it is important to note an important legal responsibility of unions, apart from negotiating and enforcing contracts: The law requires unions to defend their members when state-mandated due process rights are allegedly violated. The fact is, the NFT has a legal obligation.

(Most school administrators, especially those working in schools and having direct contact with teachers, are required to earn tenure after a certain number of years. Once they have achieved this status, they, too, have certain due process rights under the law and are represented by their own union. Again, the problem is not tenure per se, but who receives it, and whether they truly deserve it based on the data.)

Administrators, not the NFT, are responsible for the sustained development of tenured and non-tenured teachers alike, and detailed records must always be maintained. This may seem burdensome, and some would argue that administrators have too much on their plates. But on the other hand, the most important resource of any school, excluding students, is its teaching staff and every effort should be made to improve its quality.

There is a certain irony here: Teachers are expected to have detailed records of each and every one of their students. These records need to be rigorous and precise, so that every teacher knows the strengths and weaknesses of each of his or her students. These records are often used to justify decisions related to promotion and retention. Teachers are also required to document various types of behavior that may impede learning or disrupt the classroom. Virtually all important decisions about students must be backed-up by detailed records. The same standard should apply to all important decisions about teachers.  

Marks Emphasizes Evaluations

A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com

The firing of a tenured middle school teacher has prompted the new Superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools to send a memo to principals about the importance of written evaluations.  “A principal’s most important job is to pay attention to what people in their building are doing,” says Susan Marks in an interview explaining the need for her memo. “Everyone deserves truthful and respectful feedback.”

Marks’ memo comes on the heels of the firing of Oscar Williams, a teacher at Ponus Ridge Middle School. Williams was terminated by the BOE for abusive conduct towards students and for his refusal to follow his supervisor’s instructions. An impartial arbitration panel recommended against firing Williams because he had no prior negative evaluations, written warnings, or disciplinary actions in his file. The BOE overruled the panel’s finding.

Marks says she supports the BOE’s decision.  “The panel accepted all the facts of the case and the facts speak for themselves,” she says.  The panel found, among other things, that Williams repeatedly used crude language when speaking to students.

Marks says she has been discussing the importance of evaluations with principals since she started her position in July.  “I’m asking them, what’s your plan for evaluation? What kind of support do you give your staff, especially the underperforming ones? I’m telling them that those who don’t improve need to be monitored.”

Although there is a standard evaluation procedure for teachers, a lack of personnel and computer systems have prevented centralizing the process, says Marks.   “There are only three employees in the HR department for this entire district because of budget cuts,” she adds, naming the Director Fay Ruotolo and two other employees.  “There is no automated system to keep track of the evaluations coming in.”

Marks says she will try through the budget process to get more support for Human Resources or she may have to reorganize existing staff and resources.

Evaluations are not only for teachers.  According to Marks, they're needed for everyone in a school building, including secretaries, assistant principals, and custodians. Principals, she says, need to be evaluated by Tony Daddona, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and Carol Marinaccio, Director of Elementary Education.   Marks also says the district needs more training on how to conduct evaluations.  Working on this with the unions, Ruotolo, Daddona and Marinaccio, she says, is also part of her plan.

Union Chief Backs Fired Teacher

A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com

The Board of Education ignored the recommendation of an of an impartial panel and fired Oscar Williams, a tenured middle school teacher, for abusive conduct towards students. Bruce Mellion, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers that represents Williams, says the board did not follow the proper procedures when firing the math teacher at Ponus Ridge Middle School.

"This is not an emotional issue but a legal issue," says Mellion. "The administration has to pass a very high bar to terminate a teacher. They did not prove the case. They didn't follow the rules and procedures." Mellion adds that "This has cost the taxpayers." He estimates the cost at $300,000 to 350,000, including the administrative leave and lawyers fees. Williams plans on seeking "recourse," says Mellion. "It will move to a court setting."

The board voted, 7-1, vote to fire Williams after reviewing the 54-page report by the three-member panel. "The findings showed enough evidence for termination," said Board Chair Glenn Ianaccone, who said the panel's findings are not binding. Board Member Steven Colarossi voted against termination and Jack Chiaramonte was not present at the meeting.

In June 2008, Williams, a Norwalk teacher since 2000, was put on paid administrative leave. School administrators cited poor teaching,  inappropriate and abusive conduct towards students and his refusal to follow his supervisors. On many occasions, Williams used crude language. He called a student "a punk" and told another one that she "looked skanky." Williams told students to "shut up." He asked a student "how would you feel if your mother was a whore," and later explained it as a "teachable moment." The administration claims that Williams did not show up to meetings and administered the wrong Connecticut Mastery Test.

The panel's recommendation to not terminate Williams hinged on the lack of a paper trail. "There were no written warning or suspensions in Williams' file, " states the report. "The evidence showed that Williams was never disciplined for any reason, including the alleged misconduct giving rise to this matter." In addition, there were only two written evaluations on file in which Williams was deemed proficient. Of the three panel members, one member supported termination.

ADHD Awareness Week, Mom Advocates for Son

Paula Yonkers uses a car analogy to explain Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  “It’s like having a Ferrari engine for a brain but Chevy brakes for the body,” says the mom of two sons who have been diagnosed with ADHD.

This week has been designated ADHD Awareness Week by Gov. Jodi Rell and Mayor Richard Moccia. As part of the week’s programs, a free workshop about ADHD will be conducted on Thursday, Sept.16 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at West Rocks Middle School.  Also, the Norwalk Public Library is displaying materials on the subject.

ADHD is a problem with inattentiveness, over-activity, impulsivity, or a combination that is out of the normal range for a child's age and development. According to Jeffrey Spahr, the parent who spearheaded the second annual awareness week, ADHD affects roughly 5 percent of school-aged children.  “That’s about one student in a class of 20.”

Paula says that her son’s second-grade teacher, the school psychologist and her pediatrician helped her identify Jake, her younger son's ADHD. “He was very easily distracted, off on his own a lot.  He would get distracted by a piece of hair on the desk, randomly climb under the table.”

After Paula discovered Jake’s condition, she reluctantly put him on medication.  “It was like day and night, it helped him so much.”  But over the years, Paula has worried about the side effects, which can include stunted growth and sleep problems, and has periodically taken him off medication.  “It’s a trade off, mental health for physical health.”

As is common with ADHD children, Jake, now in sixth grade at Ponus Ridge Middle School,  scores high on standardized tests. “If he’s interested in something, like science, he’s over the top with it,” says Paula.

Writing and getting his thoughts on paper is Jake’s biggest challenge, says Paula.   “To this day, he doesn’t write.”  In fact, writing has been so difficult for him that Jake has to repeat sixth grade.  “The transition to middle school last year was not easy.  Jake felt so defeated most of the year because he couldn’t write that he would cause trouble in school.  He’d say ‘I want to be known for something, nobody cares that I’m smart.'’’

This year, Paula plans to advocate for Jake to make sure he receives the help and accommodations he needs to succeed in school. 

If you think your child has ADHD, both Paula and Jeffrey Spahr say it is essential for parents to have their child evaluated by a medical professional.

To find out more about ADHD, Spahr recommends the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention-Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder

Spahr has launched his own website:  Association of Parents of Exceptional Children and Siblings -- http://apecsct.org

ADDitude Magazine:  http://www.additudemag.com/

School Reforms's Meager Results and Shrunken Student Motivation

I read a thought-provoking article in the Washington Post over the weekend--"Schools Reform's Meager Results" by Op-Ed columnist Robert Samuelson.  In the article, Samuelson argues that "since the 1960s, waves of "reform" haven't produced meaningful achievement gains."  The article gives facts and figures showing that the needle has moved little over the years.  Samuelson says that some gains have been made in elementary school, but are usually wiped out by high school.  Over the years, he writes, student/teacher ratio has decreased and pre-school enrollment has rocketed. So why aren't things getting better?

The larger cause of failure is almost unmentionable: shrunken student motivation. Students, after all, have to do the work. If they aren't motivated, even capable teachers may fail.

Motivation comes from many sources: curiosity and ambition; parental expectations; the desire to get into a "good" college; inspiring or intimidating teachers; peer pressure. The unstated assumption of much school "reform" is that if students aren't motivated, it's mainly the fault of schools and teachers. The reality is that, as high schools have become more inclusive (in 1950, 40 percent of 17-year-olds had dropped out, compared with about 25 percent today) and adolescent culture has strengthened, the authority of teachers and schools has eroded. That applies more to high schools than to elementary schools, helping explain why early achievement gains evaporate.

Motivation is weak because more students (of all races and economic classes, let it be added) don't like school, don't work hard and don't do well. In a 2008 survey of public high school teachers, 21 percent judged student absenteeism a serious problem; 29 percent cited "student apathy." The goal of expanding "access" -- giving more students more years of schooling -- tends to lower educational standards. Michael Kirst, an emeritus education professor at Stanford, estimates that 60 percent of incoming community college students and 30 percent of freshmen at four-year colleges need remedial reading and math courses.

Against these realities, school "reform" rhetoric is blissfully evasive. It is often an exercise in extravagant expectations. Even if George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind program had been phenomenally successful (it wasn't), many thousands of children would have been left behind. Now Duncan routinely urges "a great teacher" in every classroom. That would be about 3.7 million "great" teachers -- a feat akin to having every college football team composed of all-Americans. With this sort of intellectual rigor, what school "reform" promises is more disillusion.

I'm curious:   Have veteran teachers seen a decline in student motivation over the years?   As a parent, what do you do to motivate your children to do well in school?  Is motivation something that we can, in fact, pass on to our kids ? 

Marks Wraps Up Opening Walkabouts

A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com.

Superintendent Susan Marks wrapped up her beginning of the year school visits on Tuesday.  I caught up with her at Cranbury Elementary School where she talked about enrollment, the need for air conditioning in schools and revisiting the school calendar.

Since the first day of school, Marks has visited all 19 of Norwalk’s schools.  She has said repeatedly since starting as superintendent in July that she plans on being “visible” and stopping by schools often.  Marks also required Central Office administrators to make school visits during the opening week, as well.

“I have a chat with the principals to see what issues have come up and visit some classrooms,” says Marks who met with Robin Ives, Cranbury’s principal.  “Right now we are counting kids.”  According to Marks, a few of the city’s elementary classes are larger than anticipated, including Cranbury’s second grade (25-26 students, as opposed to 22).  Principals are in touch with the administration on a daily basis and are waiting until after Labor Day to make adjustments to classrooms, says Marks.  “There may be a need for additional aides and some switching around.”

With temperatures in the 90s last week, Marks is concerned about the heat and wants air-conditioning in all the schools.  “Schools are 12-month operations these days, with the camps and summer programs,” she says, also noting changes in weather patterns.  “We’ll have to look at the capital plan.”
Marks also expressed concern about the amount of time children are not in school.  “We really need to look at the school calendar and how we use our time.”  She says she will look at calendars of neighboring districts and questions the purpose of staggered entry at the beginning of the year.  “We need to take some time back.”

Accompanied on her walkabout by Board Member Susan Hamilton and her husband Richard Sprecher, a retired middle school social studies teacher, Marks dropped in on several classrooms.  She explained the job of a superintendent to the students and told them they have to “be ready for college.”

“These visits are not going to stop.  My job is to support what is going on in these schools,” she says. 

Support Staff Awarded Contract

Norwalk's school support staff has a new contract after a year of working without one. On Wednesday, an arbitration panel awarded a contract that includes a small raise and a change in health care plans to the Norwalk Federation of Education Personnel, led by president Donna Riddell.
The union represents 425 aides, clerks, secretarial and support staff and is the city's second-largest bargaining unit, after the teachers' union.

The four-year contract, retroactive to last year, includes a 2 percent incremental raise for the next three years, but no raise for this year. The bulk of the savings will come from a change in heath care plans — the union will join the High Deductible Health Savings Account Plan that was established for teachers last year when their contract was renegotiated. According to a Board of Education statement, the heath care changes "will more than offset the increase in wages, providing much needed relief to Norwalk taxpayers."

The union will not have any increases in longevity payments, a yearly stipend for employees that have worked for the schools for more than 10 years. In addition, a cap was put on sick leave accumulation. Union members will still be allowed to have their children attend Norwalk schools as a professional courtesy.

For the past year, the support staff has been in contentious negotiations with the school board, which led to the need for an arbitration panel this summer.

"This is the worst arbitration we've ever had to go through," Riddell said. "The Board of Education members were argumentative, rude and disrespectful. We were willing to negotiate, but they [the BOE] chose arbitration instead."

Jack Chairamonte, chairman of the school board's negotiating committee, disagreed, saying that some of the union's demands such as a 3.5 percent raise were untenable. "We all the respect for the support staff, but you can't negotiate with union leaders who have kicked their heads in the sand."