10-27-10


 * Discussing Attendance, ITBS, ACT data.**

Why have our proficiencies on the ITBS scores been steadily falling over the last five years?

Is this (still) fundamentally a failure to engage students? Is it primarily a motivation issue?

Why do we have so many tardies, and why are the penalties so light?
 * remember that last year was a harsh winter; may explain the high number of excused tardies.
 * does the "unique" layout of our school contribute to tardies? Can students make it from Smith to Vetter in time?
 * it seems that not all teachers are consistent about the times they release students for lunch.

Has the large staff turnover had an effect on student motivation/performance?

Is our staff consistent about the Extended Day policies?

Why is our school day so short? When you consider the short day plus the time missed for extracurriculars, are we really shorting our students on constructive instructional time?

Teachers are expressing frustration at being able to get extra time with kids who need it. There also seems to be inconsistency about when kids can be pulled from classes (Why was there a MS Girls' Basketball meeting during Study Back?)

Should a teacher be able to keep a student to finish work, when that means they miss a chunk of their next class? Shouldn't this sort of thing be done on the kids' time, not another teacher's?

One teacher mentioned that students complain that they can't do homework because they don't have internet at home, and yet you see them posting on Facebook at all hours of the evening.
 * "21st century learners find a way to make it happen."

Parents are very willing to make arrangements to pick kids up from sports, but not for after-school study time.

What about a School-to-Work program? Why are we pushing students through courses in which they have no interest or aptitude, when it doesn't do them any good?

Are we underserving both our high-achieving and low-achieving students?