November 7, 2024 Newsletter
In This Edition:
1. Make Your Voice Heard
2. What We're Reading
3. October 29th School Board Meeting
4. Happening Soon
Make Your Voice Heard: Personal Devices
The Time to Speak Up Is Now
Policy J-30 will be the long-term policy for devices, so we need your voice to make a difference! Email the School Board to let them know your thoughts on the draft policy. J-30 will be presented to the School Board in November and voted on in December, so please take a few minutes to submit your feedback to APS.
What’s happening this fall, until J-30 is voted on?
For the start of the 2024-25 school year, APS has implemented a new interim Policy Implementation Procedure, M-12 PIP-11, which provides specific rules for students in elementary, middle, and high school regarding the use of personal electronic devices.
Read more about Away for the Day and common concerns.
What We’re Reading and Listening To
They banned cell phones in their Delaware schools. How’s it going? (The News Journal)
"It makes such a difference," the school counselor said later, recalling nerves when the phone ban was announced. "Having those 7.5 hours when they're not on their devices."...Several Talley teachers felt students can "behave like kids again" and "actually communicate more."...To put it simply, Stiefel said: "There's less drama."
Virginia’s New Accountability System Looks to Raise the Bar on Schools (The 74 Million)
[Virginia] used to operate two accountability systems, one for federal compliance purposes and the other the state accreditation system that everyone actually paid attention to…[T]he state system was weak and purposefully obscured key data points. For example, rather than reporting student performance metrics separately and clearly, it used what it called a combined rate that added student achievement, progress and English proficiency rates into one overall measure, without a way to disentangle the three components…Worse, the commonwealth made a series of decisions that hid the results of lower-performing student groups. In one particularly egregious example, it allowed school districts to exclude English learners from their ratings for up to 5½ years...schools were never held accountable for the learning outcomes of those students.
‘Kids are talking to each other.’ Teachers, students embrace Louisiana’s cell phone ban(The Times-Picayune)
Now, educators say the phone restriction is helping some students flourish in the classroom. “I’m seeing things that I have not seen in my 25 years teaching,” said Tristen Guillory, an Ascension Parish algebra teacher. “Just the level at which these kids are learning.” For many educators, getting rid of phones has made their jobs easier…In Caldwell, high schoolers now must keep their phones in their cars or hand them over to the front office before heading to class. The phones are stored in clear bags during the day and handed back before dismissal. Binkley, the phys ed teacher, said the new policy has created consistency across classrooms and made it easier for staff to enforce.
How a Podcast Toppled the Reading Instruction Canon(Edutopia)
Forty-five states and the District of Columbia have passed laws pertaining to teaching children how to read according to the science of reading since 2019—and about 15, according to Hanford’s count, are directly in response to her reporting. In 2022, Lucy Calkins, creator of the Units of Study reading curriculum investigated in “Sold a Story” and used by nearly a quarter of all U.S. elementary schools, revised her curricula to include more phonics. Meanwhile, sales at Heinemann, one of the biggest publishers of reading curricula, including Fountas & Pinnell, declined 75 percent in 2023, according to APM Reports, as schools have opted to invest in more evidence-aligned approaches.
It’s Finally Time to Put Pandemic Excuses Behind Us and Hold Students to Higher Standards(Hechinger Report)
In Maryland, Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright has pledged to raise rigor, much like she did in Mississippi…Her strategy, emulated by others, centers around raising standards and implementing evidence-based instructional strategies, most notably in reading. Mississippi is among three states, along with Illinois and Louisiana, where research shows that students have returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels in reading.
Read something that strikes a chord? Join the discussion on ourFacebook page!
October 29th School Board Meeting Recap
Highlights from the meeting include:
The School Board unanimously approved the budget direction and legislative package.
Social Studies update provided an overview of Advanced Placement (AP) courses at APS in general, including detailed charts and graphs regarding AP participation and success rates for APS students.
Policy revisions around boundary process, Superintendent's evaluation, and Joint County Board and School Board Activities.
Carlin Springs and Barrett Elementary kitchen reconstruction contracts were discussed.
Read the full recap here.
Happening Soon
Wednesday, November 6, 8am, Policy Subcommittee Meeting. Syphax, Suite 260.
Tuesday, November 12, 6:00-8:00pm, Open Office Hours with School Board Member Miranda Turner. In Person. Sign up.
Thursday, November 14, 7pm, School Board Meeting. Sign up to speak. Syphax. Watch live.
Tuesday, November 19, School Board Work Sessions. Syphax. Watch live.
9:00-10:30 AM: Work Session on the Program Capacity Study and Class Size
10:45 AM-12:15 PM: Work Session on Non-Traditional Secondary Program
1:00-2:30 PM: Work Session on Boundaries and Options Programs
2:45-4:15 PM: Work Session on Budget
Don't forget! You can subscribe to APS School Calendars here.
