URGENT: A Whole New Meaning to Flexibility and High Standards

The email exchange below came to my attention yesterday.  The Board of Education is voting on this tomorrow, May 19.  Few people in Denver know the real scope of these changes.  Spread the word.  Transparency?  Are we living in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four where up is down and down is up and revisionist history is the norm?

Some questions the DPS Board of Education must address before voting on this tomorrow:

1)  How does reducing the elective options produce more flexibility?

2) How does reducing requirements translate to higher standards?

3) Who will determine what competency and mastery of skills are?  What will those be?  How can you vote on this with so little concrete information available to the public?

4) Why are the state and the district pushing “college level” courses when so many students do not have basic high school skills and knowledge?

5) How can you expect students “to pursue their individual interests and aspirations” if they have no opportunity to discover them?

Finally, as if more proof were necessary about the failure of the “reform” in Denver, please read today’s Chalkbeat article entitled, “Freeing failing schools from bureaucracy hasn’t worked as hoped.  So why is Colorado still doing it?”  Chalkbeat is not known for its criticism of “education reform.”

From: “Albright, John” <JOHN_ALBRIGHT@dpsk12.org>
Date: May 17, 2016 at 6:17:43 PM MDT
To: “Kress, Dustin” <DUSTIN_KRESS@dpsk12.org>, ”  “Dunn, Lauren” <LAUREN_DUNN@dpsk12.org>
Subject: RE: some information that is getting attention

thanks for providing this opportunity to clarify. The Board has not yet adopted this policy, and the policy would go into effect for next year’s eighth graders (Class of 2021). The Board will deliberate and determine on Thursday night whether or not to approve the draft policy. We agree that arts and PE are key to our high school course offerings. We also believe that schools need flexibility to meet student needs on an individualized basis (see points below for more on that).

As we’ve shared with the Mill Levy Oversight Committee each year, the district has tight controls in place for use of mill levy funds. We provide detailed guidance to our schools on how to budget for PE, arts and other mill-funded subject areas. See the district’s budget guidance manual, pages 38-39, for more info. Nothing is changing operationally, so funding for PE and arts will continue. Schools need to meet the criteria outline in the budget guidance manual.

I’ve included information below to summarize; however, for folks who would like to further study this issue and see the explicit focus on the whole child that’s embedded within the recommended graduation requirements policy, I suggest reading the public materials that are posted on Board Docs (our online Board of Education document system). There’s a cover memo outlining the policy development process. In addition, the draft recommended policy is there for review.

Key summary points:

Why change?

• Like all Colorado districts, Denver Public Schools is revisiting its graduation requirements to ensure they meet or exceed statewide graduation guidelines approved by the Colorado Board of Education in 2015.
• CDE did not include any course requirements in their guidance to school districts.

What’s changing?

• Under the proposed new requirements, DPS students will be asked to display competency and mastery of skills – rather than simply pass a certain number of courses. The new approach is less about time spent in a classroom and more about demonstrating preparation for the world after high school.
• What’s required isn’t changing dramatically – students will still need to complete the equivalent of four units of math and English language arts, and three units of science and social studies.
• But they’ll have more opportunities to demonstrate this knowledge, such as by achieving a certain score on a state or national test, passing college-level courses taken during high school, completing rigorous learning projects guided by a teacher or receiving certifications through an internship or apprenticeship.

What about electives?

• Students will have more flexibility in selecting elective courses, providing them more opportunity to pursue their individual interests and aspirations. We are encouraging our students to pursue at least one unit of physical education and at least one unit of art.
• DPS and Denver voters support physical education and the arts, as evidenced by voter approval of our 2012 mill levy, which includes directing dollars to schools specifically for these areas. These dedicated dollars will continue.

When does this change go into effect?

• The Denver Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the proposed graduation requirements at its May 19, 2016 board meeting. If approved, the new requirements would go into effect for the graduating class of 2021, or those students who are eighth-graders in the 2016-17 school year.

Why is this good for students?

• It means more options for our diverse students, allowing them to choose courses based on career aspirations, talents, passions and interests, which honors the district’s emphasis on supporting the whole child.

• Students will continue to have the opportunity to take multiple art, career technical education and physical education courses as part of the elective offerings at each school.

• The policy provides our Language Learners who take required English Language Development courses more opportunities for choice, especially if they desire to study more deeply in a particular elective area.

• Students would have the opportunity to take more advanced courses, AP, IB or Concurrent Enrollment courses with this option.

More options sounds good but will it be confusing for students and their families?

• All students will complete Individual Career and Academic Plans, or ICAPs, no later than ninth grade. This means they will be planning a course of study early to achieve their goals.

 

How did DPS arrive at these proposed requirements?

• A team of district and school leaders have been meeting over the past year to reach agreement on how DPS can best meet or exceed the state’s new graduation guidelines and ensure our graduates are ready for college and career in the 21^st century.

Whole Child, Healthy Child Agenda 2020:

• A key focus of the Denver Plan 2020 is a commitment to creating a setting that fosters the growth of the whole child, which includes supporting our children’s physical health. This commitment is also reflected in our Whole Child, Healthy Child Agenda 2020, which is available at http://healthyschools.dpsk12.org/health-agenda/.
• Over the last year, DPS conducted a community engagement process to inform the development of the Whole Child, Healthy Child Agenda 2020. We gathered input from approximately 4,000 DPS community members through surveys, focus groups and meetings. Based on this input and endorsed by the DPS Health Advisory Council, we have established objectives and performance metrics that will drive our work in the coming years.
• This agenda focuses on 10 key areas, including physical education and physical activity as well as health education, nutrition and health services.
• The primary objectives for physical education and physical activity are as follows:

• Increase standards and evidence-based physical education programming for students in district-run schools.
• Increase the amount of student physical activity before, during and after school.
• Examples of performance metrics:

• 85% of physical education teachers will ensure students are moderate to vigorously active at least 50% of every PE class period.
• 75% of schools will offer physical activity opportunities before school.
• 75% of teachers will use an in-class movement structure during the school day.

 

 

John Albright

Deputy Chief of Staff

Office: 720-423-3287

Cell/Text: 720-939-0690

www.dpsk12.org

 

 

_____________________________________________
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 4:09 PM
To: Kress, Dustin <DUSTIN_KRESS@dpsk12.org>; ”Dunn, Lauren <LAUREN_DUNN@dpsk12.org>
Subject: RE: some information that is getting attention

Mill Levy committee,

 

I’m not sure what to make of this, the following email message has been distributed and there is an impression that the School Board is planning to vote to reduce graduation requirements in the electives. I thought that someone on the Mill Levy committee might be informed about this and could help me formulate a response:

 

Urgent!  Urgent! ALL PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND ARTS TEACHERS

 

On Thursday May 18th, the school board will be making the decision to eliminate the 1 year graduation requirement for physical education as well as other electives.  We must all contact, all the school board members and let them know that without Physical Education and the Arts the whole child does not exist.  The voters gave us their support in the 2012 election, they want P.E. and Art.

 

“The arts are fundamental resources through which the world is viewed,

meaning is created, and the mind developed.” – Elliot W. Eisner