HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015_10_14 Board Minutes� DA 0III L LS S C 0 0 L D � S IIU.... III � C IIU.... III
BOARD OF TRUSTEES -- BUSINESS MEETING
DISTRICT OFFICE BOARD ROOM -- 7:00 P.M.
690 JOHN ADAMS PARKWAY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015
Vice Chairman Warden called the meeting to order at 6:36 p.m. and asked for a motion to amend the
agenda due to information received earlier today.
Trustee Lent made a motion to amend the agenda to include I.C. 74-206 (c) Property in Executive
Session, remove Action Item c. Award Bids for Surplus Property, the bid opening is not until tomorrow
October 15th, include Approve Eagle Rock Property Purchase as Action Item d. and Employee 2015-
2016D as Action Item e. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays.
Trustee Haws made a motion to go into Executive Session pursuant to Idaho Code §74-206 (1) (b)
Personnel and (c) Property. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. A roll call vote was taken:
Lisa Burtenshaw — N/A
Deidre Warden — yes
Dave Lent —yes
Larry Haws —yes
Bryan Zollinger — yes
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Superintendent Boland and the Board of Trustees met in Executive Session regarding personnel issues
and a property matter. Trustee Haws made a motion to return to Open Session at 6:52 PM. Trustee
Zollinger provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays.
BUSINESS MEETING
Present from the Board of Trustees: Present from the Administration:
Lisa Burtenshaw, Chairman George Boland, Superintendent
Deidre Warden, Vice Chair Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance
Dave Lent, Trustee Debbie Wilkie, Recording Clerk
Larry Haws, Treasurer
Bryan Zollinger, Clerk
Chairman Lisa Burtenshaw called the business meeting to order at 7:00 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance
was led by Compass Academy Student Representative Cayden Pincock.
10/14/2015 D91 Board Minutes Page 1 of 5
ADOPT AGENDA
Trustee Warden then made a motion to adopt the agenda as amended. Trustee Haws provided the
second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
REPORTS/INPUT/INFORMATION
a. Student Reports
Chairman Burtenshaw shared that over the past couple of weeks she and Superintendent Boland had
made visits to the high school leadership classes to talk with the students regarding what knowledge,
skills and attributes they feel students need to be successful beyond high school. Chairman Burtenshaw
stated that the board would like to keep the lines of communication open between students, the
administration and the school board. Student leaders were asked to comment tonight on the contrast
between school spirit and school culture. Written comments, if provided, are attached.
• Idaho Falls— Nicholas Stubblefield reported.
• Emerson — no report.
• Skyline — Hattie Austin reported.
• Compass — Cayden Pincock reported.
Questions for the Board:
Why Brain Honey/Buzz vs. Blackboard as the district's learning management system?
Why PowerSchool? Are there other programs that are more efficient?
What's with all the technology updates when logging onto the network?
Why SAT over ACT for the college entrance exam? Supt. Boland shared that this was a decision
made a couple of years ago by the State Department.
Chairman Burtenshaw and Superintendent Boland will follow-up with the IT Dept. to provide answers for
the questions regarding technology issues.
b. Superintendent's Report - written comments are attached.
c. Patron Input — written comments, if provided, are attached.
Suketu Gandhi provided comments regarding secondary math growth for students and ISAT-II
(SBAC). A written report was also provided and will be shared via email with the superintendent
and board members.
d. IFEA Report —Angela Gillman, Interim President, reported, written comments are attached.
e. Education Foundation Report — no report.
f. FY15 Audit Report —Judy Brower, Wipfli/Galusha Higgins
Judy Brower and Ryan Ballain, Galusha, Higgins & Galusha, P.C. Certified Public Accountants, provided
copies and reviewed findings of the Idaho Falls School District 912015 Audit Report. Judy stated there
were significant changes in the audit report this year because of reporting for state pension plans. Judy
indicated the changes only affected government -wide financials. Judy shared that since Idaho has
10/14/2015 D91 Board Minutes Page 2 of 5
continued to fund pensions every year it isn't as much of a concern here as it is in some other states. Judy
stated it is nice to see the district getting some of the needed construction projects done and staying on
budget.
A discussion was held regarding the one-time payment for full time employees as per the Negotiated
Master Contract. The audit report will be posted on the district webpage for review.
g. First Reading— 2016-2017 School Calendar
Superintendent Boland provided handouts and reviewed two calendar options for the 2016-2017 school
year. Both calendars include a week off at Thanksgiving, two weeks and a day off at Christmas/New Year
and a week off for Spring Break. Students are also in school for a week after Spring Break in order to
prepare for state testing. Option 1 has an Aug. 29 start date and is probably the best calendar for
instruction. It mirrors the 15-16 calendar, with the first trimester ending before the Thanksgiving break,
has an even number of days for each trimester and meets the state requirements for hours of instruction
(I.C. 33-512 (1)(a)). The last day of school would be June 2. Option 2 has a start day of Sept. 6, the Tuesday
after Labor Day. The first trimester would end the week after Thanksgiving with students taking finals
after the holiday. With a teacher workday, days off for parent -teacher conferences and the Christmas
holiday instructional days are limited in December which would require some other adjustments in order
to meet the statutory requirements for instructional hours. The last day of school would be June 9. A
discussion was held regarding the state assessment window in the spring, alignment with District 93 and
internal dates that would be added in later. Both calendars options will be posted on the district webpage
for review until the second reading on November 18th with a final decision expected on December 91h
h. Other Items
Board Committees/Community Conversations
Discussion was held regarding the upcoming Community Conversation Meetings, Oct. 15th at
Hawthorne Elementary and one on October 201h in the Bush Elementary area. Trustee Zollinger
stated that he has a host identified in the Bush Elementary area and would know for sure
tomorrow if the Oct. 201h date will still work.
Trustee Warden shared that she and Trustee Zollinger, as the Board Facilities Committee, will be
touring Idaho Falls and Skyline high schools, this Friday, Oct. 16th, before going to Rigby and
Madison high schools to see their facilities. A discussion was held regarding facility needs at the
secondary level. Supt. Boland stated that a feasibility study to develop options at the secondary
level would be a good place to start.
CONSENT AGENDA
Trustee Warden made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Haws provided the
second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
Items approved included:
a. Approval of Minutes
September 9, 2015 Business Meeting
September 23, 2015 Work Session
10/14/2015 D91 Board Minutes Page 3 of 5
b. Payment of Claims
i. September 2015 Payment of Claims $2,850,914.66
ii. Representative Organization President Leave Invoice $248.50
c. Staff Actions
Emergency Hires: A hiring emergency exists, as declared by the Board of Trustees, for the
following positions:
Ryan Cook
Teacher to New - Health
Eagle Rock Middle School
Kayla Rodriguez
Teacher to New —Special Education
Idaho Falls High School
Kelsey Matthews
Teacher to New — Physical Science
Skyline High School
Adriannne Priest
Content Specialist — School Counselor
Eagle Rock Middle School
Charles Finance
Content Specialist—Technology Education
Taylorview Middle School
d. Student Travel
Skyline HS Jazz & Symphonic Bands
Disneyland Performance & Recording Session
Anaheim, CA
April 27 — May 1, 2016
e. Other Items
i. Surplus Property for Disposal
A non -working mini fridge, in the Federal Programs Dept., will be discarded and removed from
inventory and an old TV that is no longer needed at the district office.
ACTION ITEMS
a. FY15 Audit Report
Trustee Zollinger made a motion to accept the FY15 Audit Report as presented. Trustee Warden provided
the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
b. District Employee Vendor Approval
Trustee Warden made a motion to approve the bid from Word Expressions, Julie Loftus a district
employee, in the amount of $40.00. Trustee Lent provided the second. No further discussion. Motion
carried 5 ayes, 0 nays.
c. Employee 2015-2016C
Chairman Burtenshaw recused herself from voting on Action Items c., d. and e. as she was not in
attendance during Executive Session.
Trustee Haws made a motion to accept the superintendent's recommendation for Employee
2015-2016C. Trustee Warden provided the second. No discussion. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0
nays.
10/14/2015 D91 Board Minutes Page 4 of 5
d. Approve Eagle Rock Property Purchase
Superintendent Boland reviewed previous discussions regarding the acquisition of the old Eagle Rock
Seminary building and property adjacent to Eagle Rock Middle School. This property would be sufficient to
house the west bus lot and allow the district to abandon the current lot that we pay rent on. The
district's offer of $94,200.00 was accepted, with closing costs the total is $94,418.00.
Trustee Zollinger made a motion to approve the purchase of the Eagle Rock Property in the amount of
$94,418.00. Trustee Haws provided the second. No discussion. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays.
e. Employee 2015-2016D
Trustee Warden made a motion to release Employee 2015-2016D from contract effective Friday,
October 16, 2015. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried
4 ayes, 0 nays.
The next board meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 15, 2015. A brief discussion regarding
travel to Coeur d'Alene, for the Idaho School Board Association's Annual Convention on November 11-
13, was held.
Trustee Warden made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Lent provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0
nays. The meeting adjourned at 8:51 PM.
10/14/2015 D91 Board Minutes Page 5 of 5
Wilkie, Debbie -1391
From: Cayden Pincock<pinc.cayd582@echo.ifschools.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 9:00 PM
To: Wilkie, Debbie -D91
Subject: Here are my notes that I had for tonight:)
Hellol My name is Cayden Pincock. I attend Compass Academy. When my partner and I were assigned posed this question we both look at
each other and had no idea what the difference was. We spent some time thinking of the differences that we though there was and then we
though that instead of using the answer we though of we went and asked 60 students what they felt the difference was. Rough 15 Freshman,
15 Sophomores, 15 Juniors, and 15 seniors were asked. Some of the common differences that we noticed as we asked our class mates were;
Spirit is how you feel outside of school, Culture is how you feel while you are at school. Spirit is where we have an assembly, have a good time,
and learn any major school wide news, culture is were we apply the newatchanges that were told at the assembly. Spirit is were we build and
strengthen relationships with the other students, culture is where the relationships we have built makes us a family. My partner and I felt that
the difference between School Culture and School spirit was how we acted around the other students. Were we build bonds,relationships , and
all get focused on a common goal through school spirt and school culture was being able to work with anyone that went to our school well
because we all had the same goal we were working on and the same attitude about the school. The biggest difference between Culture and
Spirt that we felt was the way we connect with everyone.
LT (
To -
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El m m
JO/IqI/E;
5 HS
Well the teachers at skyline high school are very approachable
and you know you can go to them for help, along with that they
are very concerned with our well being and genuinely care about
our extracurricular activities. When the teachers are involved with
these activities and students it really boosts our school spirit.
Part of the culture at skyline is doing things like the new student
lunch which is very welcoming to the foreign exchange students
and the new students, we have over 50 clubs that help the
students get involved, and we especially as student government
try to get the freshmen involved by doing freshmen orientation
day and introducing our fun activities that we do throughout the
year that brings high energy.
We think that all of this as our culture is what really encourages
our school spirit. for example we just had beautification day this
last saturday where we cleaned up trash and garbage all around
the school, and that doesnt sound very fun, but with the turnout
that we had and all of the clubs that were involved with it, it was
actually a lot of fun and united us and benefited our school, we
also have our emotion bowl week agenda: mountain man
rnonday, tiger hunt thursday... these kinds of things are what
pumps us up and gets us excited and are what really unifies our
school as one.
10-14-15 Superintendent's Report:
• The Governor's Task Force for Improving Education recommended the state shift to a Mastery Based
System.
"As a Task Force, we strongly believe the classroom of the future will include more technology and more
personalized/differentiated learning. The classroom of the future precipitates a master -based model
where the focus in on outcomes, rather than inputs. Therefore, the Task Force recommends the state
shift to a system where students advance based upon content mastery that is measured against high
academic standards, which may require revising the public schools funding formula in Idaho Code
and/or creating a financial incentive in addition to the public schools funding formula.
• HB 110 added a new section to Idaho Code, 33-1630 which directs the SDE to perform 3 activities
1. Conduct a statewide awre3nes campaign to promote understanding and interest in mastery -based
education.
2. Establish,a committee of educators to identify roadblocks and possible solutions in implementing
master -based education and develop recommendations for the incubator process.
3. Facilitate the planning and development of an incubator process and assessments of local education
agencies to identify the initial cohort of 20 LEAs to serve as incubators in fiscal year 2017.
• Mastery -Based also referred to in educational literature as Competency -Based Education
• Robert Marzano — renowned educational researcher & author presented at the Idaho
Superintendents Network on Monday.
Key point: There are levels of operation that have a hierarchical relationship relative to successful
implementation of Master-Based/Competency Based Education:
o Level 1—Safe and Collaborative Culture
o Level 2 - Effective Teaching in Every Classroom
o Level 3 - Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
o Level 4 - Standards -referenced reporting
o Level 5 - Competency -Based Education
• High Reliability Schools — (error avoidance & management — ie. air craft carriers)
o Not ready to take on levels 4 and 5 until accomplished at levels 1- 3
My takeaways:
• Focusing on the right stuff—first 3 levels
• Significant shift in policy at the state level — legislation/funding (ADA)
• Patience will be required — a lot of work to do over time. The process that can be described in a
4 hour presentation will take years to put into practice.
IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT #91
PUBLIC INPUT SHEET
Guidelines for Patron Involvement in School Board Meetings
School Board meetings are meetings of the elected Board of Trustees held in public for the
purpose of conducting the business of the Board. Patron input is invited during board meetings
on the following basis:
To request to speak to the Board of Trustees:
In order to be recognized, the patron must sign and complete the Public Input portion below prior
to the beginning of the meeting. The Public input Sheet should be located on a table at the bock
of the boardroom.
Patrons will be recognized by the Chairman of the Board. Public input should not exceed three
minutes. The Board will listen to public input without comment except to ask germane questions.
Expressions must be appropriate to the public setting. Discussion of personnel matters or
personal attacks ore not appropriate.
Board Policy 506.0 item 5 states that complaints against a particular teacher or District
employee shall be in writing. The contract between District 91 and the teacher's
association, as well as traditional concepts of the due process of low, require that the
affected employee be notified of a written complaint.
The Chair has the authority to control the meeting whenever necessary.
PUBLIC INPUT SHEET
Name: kA �.iff h I Date: 00 - Itq - Z011 -
E -Mail Address: ecepn
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Do you have children attending School District #91 schools? -
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If so, which schools do your students attend:
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Suketu Gandhi's Comments on MT -H and Student Growth October 14, 2015
I am responding to the topics that Board discussed on September 9, 2015: i) Evaluation of
teachers' performance that takes into consideration student's growth from standardized test, and
ia) Board pressing to reduce or eliminate ISAT-II (SBAC) testing time.
It is inappropriate to condemn teachers for failure in the growth of their students when
wrong instructional materials are placed in the classrooms. A careful examination of Algebra
curricular materials reveals deficiency in clarity, over emphasis on definition instead of concepts,
lack of complex problems. Poor quality instructional material is accumulation from the decision
makers' poverty of wisdom, indifference to those with knowledge and ignorance of the
consequence. The failure to provide quality instructional materials transforms teachers' role from
effective instructors to glorified babysitters with the tacit blessing of the decision makers.
Students need to learn materials with clarity, solve formidable problems on daily basis,
be evaluated by questions that require thinking and integrate multiple topics. The benefits are
realized when the secondary school instructional material imparts knowledge, teaches reasoning,
and provides thought provoking exercises. Integrating all of these in classrooms engage students.
When instructions do these things, it achieves the high level learning goals that includes students
gaining grade level mathematical maturity. This is needed, and SBAC, which the students take,
documents accurate proficiency level. This provides the credibility.
The public is available to discuss the quality of mathematics instructional materials and
their availability. This member of the public does not oppose the Common Core, but is against
incompetence to the core. The goal is to improve the Common Core, but not decimate it.
With regards to SBAC, it is the curtailment of its duration sought by the Board, and a
complaint in a Federal Court that seeks to remove both SBAC and the Common Core Standards
from the classrooms deserve comments. One of the Trustees is associated with a lawyer filing the
complaint, and the litigation wants to be a class action on behalf of everyone in Idaho. On my
part, I strongly disagree with beth the contents and the procedures sought to remove SBAC and
the Common Core from classrooms. My view of this litigation is articulated using the words of
Judge Dennis Jacobs: The only purpose of this litigation is for counsel and plaintiffs to act out
their fantasy of persecution, to validate their pretensions to policy expertise, to make themselves
consequential rather than marginal, and to raise funds for self-sustaining litigation. Judge
Jacobs had expressed his views on a case that came before him, but the same words remain valid
on this litigation. The impact of SBAC removal and the Common Core from classrooms will
harm students' education, as was the case in the past before the Common Core & SBAC.
Any reduction in the duration of SBAC examination means curtailment in the number of
questions asked. This is possible by either through reduction of questions across the beard in
every section, or removal of certain sections. In the case of uniform reduction of questions in
every section, it will be difficult to determine the proficiency level of the students. One needs to
sample adequate number of answers to make credible judgments. In the case of reduction of
examination sections (or the number of topics), it will be difficult to ascertain the degree of
mastery of mathematics or English that has been achieved.
In other words, curtailment in the duration of SBAC results in the reduction in the
information revealed, and certainty in their misinterpretation by the administrators, teachers and
parents. As a result, it will be difficult to ascertain specific topics that are difficult for the
students, and to make credible determination of their proficiency levels.
Suketu Gandhi's Comments on ISAT-II and Student Growth October 14, 2015
Introduction
On September 9, 2015 meeting, the Board discussed two topics: i) evaluation of teacher's
performance that takes into consideration student's growth from standardized test, and ii) Board
pressing to reduce ISAT-H (SBAC) testing time. These ideas have significant flaws. The flaws
occur in using standardized test to evaluate the secondary mathematics teachers, and neglecting
the saturation effect impacting all the teachers. The Board members seeking reduction in the
duration of ISAT-II examination are setting up to misread the students' level of mastery in
mathematics and English. When the District evaluate teachers based on the information provided
on SBAC/ISAT-II scores (or the flawed test results to make decisions), students will be
prevented from learning at a higher level.
Choices
The choices available to select the instructional materials are between bad choices. The
needed textbooks are not available in the US. The Singapore's secondary school curriculum
cannot be transferred to US schools for certain grades. In Singapore's secondary schools,
mathematics is integrated pre -Algebra, Algebra, Geometry and Probability in one textbook over
1 year. This approach causes problems as topics are not taught in depth, and there is incoherence
in the sequence of topics.
The higher-level mathematics used in Singapore, Additional Mathematics syllabus,
would not be applicable to US schools. Specifically, the prerequisites needed to succeed are not
in place. In Singapore, those who will continue with STEM curriculum in post -secondary world,
take two mathematics courses. In other words, Singapore students in grades 9 and 10 take both
regular mathematics course (Express) and Additional Mathematics course simultaneously. This
approach is not possible in US schools in general, and District 91 in particular.
US textbook are undesirable due to their easy exercises, poor quality exposition, and lack
of going into depth. Financial support provided to develop the mathematics curricular material
does not result in the needed curricular materials, but provides a visibility. (Keep in mind that
visibility of support does not mean the product has credibility in the quality curricular materials.)
US publishers make tall claim that their text materials adhere to the Common Core State
Standards for Mathematics, but they lack any of the desired contents. Only way to determine the
desirability of any instructional material is to make a thorough evaluation.
In the District's Algebra instructional materials contains conceptual mathematical errors
and lack sound derivation. Faulty logic in the text means that students would not be able to
master reasoning skills. Thus, when new topics are introduced, the students would experience
difficulties in learning them. They would have difficult time in following logic that leads to
derivation of mathematical concepts.
In view of this, the choices that administration face are to choose the best among the
worst possible books, instead of those matching well defined needs. (This is commonly
encountered in university settings, where certain topics are generally handled significantly better
in certain textbooks for specific courses, but not all of the topics.) The administration is criticized
for poor selection of instruction material.
Ideal textbooks are needed for the secondary schools, but they are not available. The
District needs to evaluate excellent textbooks used elsewhere (e.g., Singapore) for their
suitability for the teachers. Secondary mathematics textbooks used in Singapore differ from US
2
Suketu Gandhi's Comments on ISAT-II and Student Growth October 14, 2015
in terms of scope & sequences of topics. Despite the different sequences of the topics, the
teachers should be able to handle them as they have the command of the subject matter.
Furthermore, the textbooks and workbook are expected to have the needed complex exercises
that are complex and challenging to their students.
For the decision makers, they need to decide whether the instructional materials for
mathematics need to be evaluated. A thorough evaluation from those who knows mathematics
would uncover conceptual errors and faulty logic. When corrections are made, students would
learn mathematics correctly. They would understand specific notations are definition, and what is
derived from it. Through this, they master reasoning skills. This process is repeated throughout
in mathematics, and to certain extend in sciences. When the District has an opportunity to
evaluate the mathematics instructional materials, it should seize it.
Secondary School Mathematics Teachers Evaluation
At present, the District provides the elementary grade students with solid mathematics
education. A combination of the textbooks, workbooks and supplementary books provide
rigorous mathematics learning opportunities. The instructional materials exceed the common
core mathematics standard by at least 1 -year, and several topics are introduced earlier than
identified in the Common Core Mathematics Standards. The teachers need to utilize all of the
available resources, engage students and provide quality homework assignments. Students'
mathematics knowledge and skills grow when they do their homework that includes complex
and challenging problems.
In contrast, secondary school mathematics curriculum is significantly weaker than the
elementary mathematics curriculum. For example, no supplementary books have been made
available to the teachers that would be utilized as resource for quality exercises. On many days,
the amount of homework assigned is much lower in Algebra than in a grade. (On a few days,
they do receive homework that requires solving a number of problems.) Thus, on many days,
students would learn topics without mastering them
Under the prevailing conditions, secondary mathematics students are set to stagnate in
mathematics. The result of standardized tests becomes meaningful only when all the obligations
from the Administrators are put in practice. One example is missing textbooks/workbooks. The
argument against the purchase of textbooks (and workbooks) is that no serious books are
available. This is partially correct, but not completely correct. It is partially correct when one
examines the textbooks available in US. This is not true when one examines the textbooks
available in Singapore, which have been approved by Singapore Ministry of Education.
As mentioned earlier (in Choices), single textbook containing the needed topics for each
grade may not be available, but a set of textbooks containing all of the needed topics is available
from Singapore. When the math teachers have additional resources, they can select specific
topics for lessons, identify problems that provide practice to master specific skills, examine
complex problems that integrate previously learned topics, and choose challenging problems that
force students to think. Providing appropriate textbooks to teachers enable them to make lesson
plans and provide meaningful assignments with high degree of clarity and efficiency.
When evaluating textbooks from Singapore, one must not accept all of its exposition.
Specifically, the sample text available clearly shows it does suffer from conceptual errors in the
exposition of certain topics. For example, in one of the books, students learn product of two sign
3
Suketu Gandhi's Comments on ISAT-II and Student Growth October 14, 2015
=-MUOThus,
sitive. The reasoning used is in error. It is not opposite of opposite, but results from
prudence needs to be exercised when choosing exposition. Despite the
problems, and exposition on many other topics make this textbook attractive.
The prevailing instructional materials in the classrooms are designed for those students
who have not had rigorous mathematics. Based on the curricular worksheets that my child
brings, specific issues have been identified. For example, in certain lessons, there is lack of
clarity in the exposition of the text. The instructional materials emphasize justification, instead of
reasoning. It takes a long time to understand what their question asks because the text lacks
clarity. Similar types of problems can be reworded and would bring much needed clarity.
Furthermore, the problems are straight forward, where one practices the procedures. The level of
difficulty is at the easy level with one exception, and most of the problems are the same, and do
not differ from the examples in the exposition in the text.
Furthermore, certain English words in mathematical context have specific meaning.
Justification is made when one has multiple choices in providing specific answers to questions,
or specific line of thinking is identified. This requires internal consistency in the forwarded
arguments. This is acceptable, but not the only thing. When students gain practice in solving
different types of questions, they will be in position to justify simple things (e.g., whether the
lines need to be connected between dots).
In contrast, mathematical reasoning occurs when students extract all the information
from a problem. In other words, a problem gives explicit information. One deduces additional
information contained in it through reasoning. Upon knowing the explicit information, and
deducing implicit information, students set themselves to formulate a credible strategy to solve
the problem.
How to choose right descriptive word among reasoning over justification in presenting a
mathematical argument comes from experiences instead of reliance on formal definition. When
focusing on justification over reasoning to solve problems, students gain practice in English,
instead of mathematical thinking.
When student learn a major topic, certain additional topics could be integrated. In the
students' instructional materials, they are neglected. For example, when students plot a quadratic
equation (or parabola), topic would cover squaring of a number. To reinforce squaring of a
number, problem should ask students to plot a quadratic function at specific interval. Carefully
chosen numbers would allow students to do squaring of numbers by mental means (e.g., number
having `5' in the one's digit, and 11). [Mental multiplication of number is not formal part of the
Common Core, but students deserves to learn.]
When students learn how to plot an equation of a line, previously learned topic such as
perpendicular lines and rotational symmetry should be there. This way, students could learn how
(-1)x(-1) = 1 is not due to opposite of opposite. Opposite of opposite comes from when using complex
numbers, the topic for the future. The correct derivation, which predates complex numbers, comes from
distributive property:
-1x0 = -1 x (-1 +1) = -1 x-1 + -1 x 1 = 0 => ? + -1 = 0. (-1 x 1 = -1 comes from repeated addition, the
fundamental definition of multiplication.) This is possible when ? _ -1x-1 = +1. This is the correct
derivation from the first principles.
4
Suketu Gandhi's Comments on ISAT-II and Student Growth October 14, 2015
to derive an equation of a perpendicular fine, and the relationship between the slope of a line, and
its perpendicular line (ie., normal). Rotational symmetry would be reinforced here. Based on the
instructional materials available, this is missing.
Another topic that could be incorporated is the rate equation when learning how to plot a
lime. For example, students learn about rate equations (e.g., speed) in 6t' grade. In Algebra class,
they master how to plot a linear equation. When students are learning this, they should be given a
problem that provides the information on the rate of water filling in a tank. A complex problem
would be to convert the raze of volume filling a tank into the raze in the increase in height (or
decrease in the free volume). Based on the instructional materials available, this is missing.
Lack of desired qualities in the instructional materials impacts students significantly.
Students don't become smarter by doing well in courses that have low standards. They don't
become intelligent by doing well when the expectations are low. They don't become proficient
by scoring well on tests that have plethora of easy questions.
It is an established fact that students learn mathematics by solving complex and
challenging problems. Complex problems require multi -steps, but the strategies to solve them
easily identified. Challenging problems require reasoning to obtain complete information, and a
formulation of a strategy without any hints.
Based on the instructional materials provided, the numbers of complex and difficult
problems are very few. In view of this, it is predictable that the students would not experience
mathematical growth.
Despite all the good intentions of the curriculum vendors, and those who support the
vendors to prepare the curricular materials (e.g., funding from Race to the Top, Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation), the needed rigors are conspicuously absent. If the rigors are present, the
instructional materials have hidden them from the reader's view. Based on a limited preview of
the textbooks for secondary mathematics education, the math teachers are well served when they
are provided with mathematics textbooks and workbooks from Singapore's secondary schools #.
If there are other quality books available, yours truly does not have access to them. What is
certain is that the mathematics textbooks used in Singapore's schools provide excellent source of
problems. This is needed for students to gain mathematical maturity.
Reliable information on students' growth is subject to certain constraints: High achieving
students' growth will not be discernable from standardized tests. These students are high
achievers, and they are on the top. This results in saturation, as there is very limited potential for
growth in mathematics or English.
ISAT-Science
When there is a lack of serious science standard in grade 5, it is difficult to ascertain the
learning topics. The vocabularies must be known. The scientific ideas must be understood. The
laboratory experiments must be practiced through careful design to generate results that are easy
to interpret. At the present, the practices of scientific experiments are like cookbook recipes. The
i Singapore Ministry of Education lists the approved textbooks for their secondary schools mathematics courses.
The suitable mathematics are designated for Express (secondary 14/US grades 7-10) and Additional Mathematics
(secondary 34/second course in mathematics for US grades 9,10).
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Suketu Gandhi's Comments on ISAT-II and Student Growth October 14, 2015
training in scientific thinking requires a significant non fiction reading in the elementary grades.
The anticipated results must be thoroughly discussed to understand the demonstrated scientific
principles, or those that are violated or making discovery of hidden variables.
In view of this, it is difficult to discern how well students learn science in 5" grade. Thus,
there is a dire need to change science curriculum, and make the ISAT-Science reveal the
information based on well-defined science knowledge.
ISAT-II Duration
Students' performance in ISAT-2 (SBAC) result range from Advanced to Below Basic
levels in the elementary school grades. The disappointment comes in that a fewer students are at
the Advanced level than at Below Basic level. Despite the disappointment, the information is
useful to everyone. The administration and the teachers can utilize this information to improve
on the quality of student's education. Parents need to ensure that their children do their
homework that includes necessary daily reading. Internal data should reveal that those who do
homework on regular basis are the ones who score at proficient level. Those teachers, who
challenge their students and adhere to the textbook's contents, and those students make bona fide
attempts to solve challenging problems would score at the advanced level.
Any reduction in the duration of SBAC examination results in curtailing in the number of
questions. This is possible by either through reduction of questions in every section, or removal
of certain sections. In the case of uniform reduction of questions, it will be difficult to determine
the proficiency level of the students. One needs to sample adequate number of answers to make
credible judgments. In the case of reduction of examination sections (or the number of topics), it
will be difficult to gauge the degree of mastery of mathematics or English.
In other words, any reduction in the duration of SBAC will result in reduction in the
information contents, and guaranteed misinterpretation of the test results by the administrators,
teachers and parents. As a result, it will be difficult to ascertain specific topics that are difficult
for the students, and offer credible remedy.
Before any attempt is made to curtail the number of questions asked in SBAC, first a
determination has to be made whether SBAC lives up to its advertised value based on its
contents. The failure of SBAC will be known when it provides false positive, or false negative
results. If it does not cover all of the common core topics, then it would lack credibility. Based
on the feedback received from my child, the SBAC asks relevant questions. The questions in
both English and mathematics were easy. However, they were more difficult than those asked in
2012-2013 (for English and mathematics ISAT).
To make credible assessment on the reliability of the test, each question must be matched
with the Common Core State Standards for every grade level. Nothing will be known until the
questions become public. For this reason, the judgment of the SBAC consortium must be
respected.
ISAT-11 Value
The design of SBAC is such that the questions are asked at the designated grade level.
When students demonstrate proficiency at their grade level, then they are challenged at a higher
level. For the most grades, SBAC asks questions up to two grades higher. For those students who
are not able to answer questions at their grade level, then the questions are asked up to two lower
Ri
Suketu Gandhi's Comments on ISAT-II and Student Growth October 14, 2015
grades. For 3d grade, no questions are asked below this grade, and for the 11t` grade students, no
questions are asked above this grade.
Parents get feedback on their child's performance through homework, tests/quizzes and
parent -teacher conference. Their homework performance and the classroom tests inform the
parents on their child learning. To know if the school adheres to the teaching curriculum at the
Common Core State Standards, credible standardized should provide the answer. Without this
test, parents will remain clueless as how well their child is learning based on the standards.
The SBAC results provide the information on students' mastery of mathematics and
English standards set by the Common Core. If a student's performance exceeds the tested grade
level, the parents will know about it. They are in position to discuss with school teacher(s) or
principal on the ways to challenge the student.
The situation today is different from that in the past. The exam design provides the
information on whether the students' knowledge/performance exceed their designated grade
level. The sample questions provided are consistent with the curriculum, and are complex. In the
past -standardized exams (ISAT), questions were written so that everyone could pass without
having rigorous learning opportunities. This allowed the State officials to make misleading
claims that students are learning very well. It deprived both the parents and the students of the
valuable information. Those who scored at a high level were unable to make credible distinction
between proficient (average) and advanced level. The high performing ISAT students were not
high achievers in the College Board SAT -Math, despite them taking Calculus in the following
year. In other words, the ISAT exam was so easy; those who scored very low gave confirmation
that they are probably 2-6 grades below their grade.
When a credible test is given, it provides the information to the parents on two fronts: i)
The results truly reflective of their child's learning level, and ii) identification of serious
problems in their child in specific grade/school. The information is significant for those parents
who rely on the judgment of the subject matter expert to describe their child's learning level.
If a student is doing very well in specific grade (e.g., 6" grade), and the parents have high
expectations that their child should be on the trajectory to do very well in the subsequent years.
SBAC provide such information. If there are any problems in certain grade, it is better for the
parents to know so that they are in position to take necessary action to remedy the problem
Until it is determined that SBAC results are misleading or lacks credibility, the Board is
urged resist any temptations to seek reduction in SBAC examination duration or its elimination.
It is hoped that Board will urge ISBA not to lobby legislators to reduce the SBAC exaction
duration through legislation.
Additional view against the standardized testing has been that teachers teach students to
the test. The ideal approach is to teach students to provide subject matter maturity. This requires
coherent sequence of topics, clarity in exposition, quality homework problems and test questions
that integrate multiple topics. This position was advocated in the past, and it still remains the
goal that the District must reach.
Court Intervention to Repeal SBAC
On September 30, 2015 issue of Post Register (Idaho Falls newspaper) reported that two
lawyers, Mr. Bryan D. Smith and Mr. Christ T. Troupis are seeking US District Court issue an
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Suketu Gandhi's Comments on ISAT-II and Student Growth October 14, 2015
injunction to halt Idaho's financial support for SBAC. It is appropriate to mention this, as
Trustee Bryan Zollinger is associated with Mr. Smith in his professional capacity. The Board has
discussed SBAC in the recent past, thus it highly appropriate to discuss another view because the
public wants to have high standards for both English and mathematics in classrooms, and have
credible assessment on their child's performance in both English and math.
Reading the contents of the written complaint reveals that it seeks court to stop Idaho
funding for the SBAC with accumulating with the goal of removal both SBAC and the Common
Core State Standards from Idaho Public schools. Furthermore, the litigants (including the
lawyers) want the court to accept it a class-action lawsuit. Neither I share the views expressed in
the complaint, nor I provide silent support (or am a cheerleader) for the lawsuit. The lawyers of
the court complaint do not represent the interests of the students, or those taxpayers who wants
high education standards.
The justification to remove SBAC and the Common Core State Standards is based on
procedures, instead of merits. At present, the lawsuit is between certain group of people
(plaintiff's) and their lawyers against state of Idaho. It is reasonable to conclude that the mindset
that gave rise to this complaint is present in District 91. This mindset in the Board will impact
the decisions that would be felt by the students and their learning.
Any removal of SBAC from testing students denies the parents the relevant information
on the progress of the child's education. The presence of SBAC and the Common Core in the
classroom is to correct the past education practice. [As the Board knows from previous
representations that goal is to increase the Common Core Mathematics Standards, not eliminate
them.] The past Idaho (and the School District 91) mathematics standards were very low, that
students were unable to handle difficult topics or be able to move at proper pace. The ISAT
lacked any credibility. The questions were very easy. For example, examination of sample
questions from I& grade revealed that a student who learns from Singapore Math up to 6h grade
would probably score at a high level. Furthermore, in 2012-2013 Math ISAT asked a reasonable
question, but did not have any correct answer in the multiple choices.
Given the past education practices in Idaho Schools, and the solutions that are in place to
correct them, the purpose of this litigation, in the words articulated by Judge Dennis Jacobs, is
that: The only purpose of the litigation is for counsel and plaintiffs to act out their fantasy of
persecution, to validate their pretensions to policy expertise, to make themselves consequential
rather than marginal, and to raise funds for self-sustaining litigation. Judge Jacobs's views were
rendered in another case, but these words remain valid to this case.
Actions from the Board
If the Board truly wants students to grow, as advertised, it should rely on those
instructional materials that set students to grow. In the area of mathematics and science, it is an
established fact that when students are confronted with challenging problems, and they choose to
work on it, they will learn materials. When they do this consistently, they gain mathematical
maturity.
It is easy to identify quality mathematics instructional materials when there is a vertical
knowledge in mathematics. The vertical knowledge impacts in a profound ways: i) Proper
prerequisites are in place to learn a topic in efficient manner, it) advanced topics become
accessible earlier than in prevailing curriculum due to the clarity and simplicity in the exposition,
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Suketu Gandhi's Comments on ISAT-II and Student Growth October 14, 2015
M) ways to learn specific topic in depth, av) identification of problems requiring integrating
multiple topics to find its solution, v) coherent sequence of topics.
When reinventing mathematics curriculum, one would confront the same issues that
others who have invented in the past. On the other hand, when one examines how others have
handled similar problems, it is much easier fine tune the mathematics curriculum to match the
circumstances experienced by the District 91 students.
It is easy to see how similar problems have been handled in Singapore schools. Both the
TIMSS (grades 4, 8) and PISA (grade 10), test results provide credible information on the quality
of mathematics education. Evaluation of their textbooks, workbooks and supplementary books
reveal that they have all the desired features. This has been implemented in the District's
elementary schools. The time has come to examine their mathematics curricular materials for the
secondary schools with a goal to provide them to the teachers as a resource.
9
Wilkie, Debbie -1391
Subject: FW: Board Report
From: Gillman, Angela -D91
Sent: Friday, October 16, 201512:23 PM
To: Wilkie, Debbie -D91 <WilkDebb@d91.k12.id.us>
Subject: Re: Board Report
Debbie,
Here's an over view of what was said:
Dave Harbison, IEA Communications Director, hosted training for speaking with the news media for several
members of our local. This is an opportunity to put positive spins on educators and teachers out to the
community. He will continue to be a contact as needed to visit with media about whatever topics come
about.
Zoe Jorgensen will be trained next weekend in Boise to be the designated IEA Evaluation Trainer for our region
and area. Training is only for members and the first trainings will be held November 4 and 11 at 4:15 at Bush
Elementary Library. Many members have asked for this including at least 30 request since the beginning of the
year.
Angela Gillman
IFEA President