On another post Anonymous wrote:
"Hello,
I was hoping somebody could enlighten me about the survey my kids took earlier this week. I plan to ask questions at my PSCC meetings but one won't even be held until 2012. Does anyone know what this cost us?"
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My kid brought home a letter about the survey yesterday, parents can opt out by december 13. "The survey asks questions that will help us understand what students are experiencing in school and in the classroom as well as the students' point of view about their experiences. Responses are sent to an organization called Cambridge Education, which is associated with harvard University. No one in your child's school or our District will have access to individual servey responses. The survey is voluntary."
Yesterday was the 14th, but the letter said parents can opt out by the 13th? Hmmmm, sounds about right. I guess the opt out letter might be sitting in a locker.
It is my understanding that this survey is a component of the VAM (Value Added Measures), which is / will be a RISE component.
Make no mistake... student survey results sent to Cambridge Education (Tripod Project / Dr. Ronald Ferguson) will be used in PPS as a component of teacher and principal evaluation.
My only question is why this took so long (2+ years in the making while folks got paid to "plan" and "coordinate") to get moving. One would think that all stakeholders would know about this survey at present.
Watch the Agenda Review tonight at 7:00, Channel 13 or 44.
Listen carefully, carefully, carefully. Few of Central Office are able to do anything, independently. And listen to answers to questions.
Regina Holley is taking this to another level. Bravo! Lack of knowledge is being exposed with just simple, straightforward questions.
Mark Brentley has a partner in asking the right questions; more importantly these are questions that have never been asked before since few are internal enough to know what and how to ask.
It's a new day at Board Meetings.
Comments:
Will Holley and Brentley be enough until the rubber stamp gang pushes them aside?
This is not part of VAM. Yet. That's next year.
Young teachers, please tell me what a great idea this is. Your future, in the hands of your students.
Nina, Mary and company are laughing as I write.
What traitors.
Karma. I hope for karma.
Watch tonight's broadcast. Dissension is becoming rampant____on more than a few issues___a very uncomfortable, to say the least, meeting for Administration.
This cost over 200,000 dollars, just for the survey, It was a complete piece of crap, like most of the programs these village idots put in to place. I do not have supplies ,how many pencils could have been bought with that money.
If the kids dislike you for any reason you are toast
In some cases kids did not take it seriously, in other cases they may have used it as a way to get back at a teacher after remembering a poor work notice or a phone call home. I would have felt a lot better having the survey sent to my kid at home and discussing her answers before she recorded them. I know the argument would be that the response rate would be low, but the results would have been more reliable.
There were way too many questions (around 80). Some students were surveyed in 3 classes (three periods of instruction lost).
"Does this class feel like a big happy family?". Students chuckled at that question. One said out loud "This is a class. It's not supposed to be like a family."
I kept my mouth shut.
Watching the Board meeting and the administration's inability to answer simple questions without resorting to jargon designed to confuse and hide reminds of this lovely quote from the 3/12/11 Post-Gazette:
""I have asked key executive staff to take on increased or different workloads. In some cases, this required some commensurate salary increases. I know that we have a great team here at Pittsburgh Public Schools already, and I believe that this reorganization will maximize our executive team's core competencies," said Ms. Lane in a news release."
Not one of them could run a 7-11. Don't believe me? Just look at how Westinghouse opened.
12:58 - Thanks for contributing your 'dead on' observation. These people are verbally very facile; but, the stream of words do not answer the question and often convey information that is inaccurate and very misleading as is most of the PR promulgated from PPS Central Office.
The telecast is playing now on 13 and 44.
Dr. Holley asks the right questions and gets quiet after the response. It is not difficult to see why.
PPS has a very large team of people at 341 Bellefield that are fully engaged in "spin" to the extent that one wonders if there is anything that can be substantiated.
Dr. Lane's time has become public appearances and so has not, as she states, been privy to the "conversations" (??shouldn't it be decisions??) about which the questions are being asked.
Again, Dr. Lane, frequently states, that she "has not been privy to the review" of an issue. Could it be that too much reliance is being placed on people who do not as they say "have a clue.'
Cate Reed is VERY UNCOMFORTABLE in making her responses, when called upon by French and Lippert when they are unable to put together a response. Is she the "go to" person? Wonder why?
Schenley Grad wrote
"[allegation about what an administrator did as a student and used their] position at PPS to remove any trace of it from the student information system.
"Not been privy to the review"? Hogwash.
Isn't it a long-standing practice at PPS for the Superintendent to hold an agenda review meeting with staff once a month prior to the Board's agenda review?
Doesn't she hold a cabinet meeting once a week with senior staff?
The denials ring awfully hollow Dr. Lane.
Just a few thoughts on the survey. Kindergarten children were asked to "bubble" in the answers as the questions were read to them. Needless to say some drew bubbles. The amount spent on this survey was ridiculous. If Bellefield really wants to know how things are why not visit a few classrooms or better yet teach a few lessons once in a while......
Hopefully kindergarten did not receive the same survey as high school?
K-5 received a 41 question survey!!! examples are-"Is my class a happy place?" " Do students in my class tease me and hurt my feelings?' "Does my teacher help me understand....?" The answer choices were no, maybe, yes. Always in the same order Some of them just liked the first "bubble" some just liked the last. The older students wanted to answer sometimes but that was not a choice.
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