Secondary Summit May 17 minutes
September 20, 2006
Andover Public Schools
Secondary Summit
4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
May 17, 2006
Attendees:
Andy Koenigs
Mark Templin
Mark Evans
Ryan Ewy
Doug Snyder
Melinda Easterwood
Beth Betthauser
Amber Ingram
Bob Reed
Peter DeVries
Brett White
Heidi Wills
Mike Calvert
Dee Moxley
Mary Ann Maupin
Dale Graham
Lois Rahal
Keturah Austin
Guest speaker Jim McNiece
Bob Baier
Brent Haynes
Doug Baber
Dr. Jon Engelhardt
Absent: Clare Wilkins, Jody Huxman, Connie Zuiss, Monica Aspegren, John Calabro, Reed Harrison, Craig Gray, Drew Armagost, Emily Calabro, Wade Martin
Meeting Notes:
Dr. Koenigs called the meeting to order at 4:39 p.m. He noted the handouts and gave attendees a few minutes to review the minutes. No adjustments to the minutes were voiced. Dr. Koenigs noted that the committee will take the summer off and highlighted fall meeting dates, stating that the Sept. 20 date listed will be changed.
The group discussed amongst themselves the “21st Century Skills” article that was handed out at the last meeting.
Thoughts from “21st Century Skills’
§ Page 13 – Demonstrate achievement on all skills assessments
§ Liked section on life skills. Page 11 – people skills. Some could be parental responsibility
§ Employers complain (both to high schools and colleges) that students come into the workforce unprepared – no time management or ability to work with others
§ Criticism if we try
§ New emphasis on information and technology
§ We are not the top any more
§ In Virginia, 8th grade computer literacy assessment was challenged and dropped.
Dr. Koenigs reviewed preliminary state assessment results.
Thoughts about State Assessments
§ Middle school block has helped
§ Everyone now knows how to play the game (take the state assessments)
§ We need to also look at other measures
§ 20 days of testing in middle school
§ Lull after testing
§ Grades vs. what we are learning (parents only understand “A, B, C, D, F” – they think a “C” is failing when it’s only average)
§ Misses the mark – grades are the end, not the means to the end.
§ Report what students know
§ Train staff to understand what the data is telling us and driving instruction.
§ Our teachers do care and look at data as soon as it’s available.
At 5:11 p.m., Dr. Koenigs gave the floor to Mr. Evans, who echoed the group’s comments about assessments and acknowledged the many people whose goal is the betterment of the district and the community – bus drivers, cooks, etc. He also talked about the high expectations among many people in our district – teachers, staff, students, and parents. Mr. Evans then introduced the guest speaker, Jim McNiece.
Mr. McNiece said “why am I here?” – Andover has always been a district to emulate – a district with already outstanding scores. It may be beneficial to give report cards on other skills aside from academics. “Breaking Ranks II” is to help high schools be better for all kids. Schools aren’t always viewed in a positive light, but they’re not all they used to be. We have to challenge ourselves at another level to make secondary reform happen. We have to think outside the box. Why is the graduation rate not higher in Andover? Rigor isn’t found in the quality of our rules but in the work we do in the classroom. Take the heart of breaking ranks, not the vocabulary, and apply it to the plan that you have. It’s not about getting the exemplary kids to be better – it’s about us changing the way we’re doing things, and finding a way to help the rest of the kids do better. Remember – it’s the quality of the work, not the harshness of the rules. One person commented that it would be more beneficial if teachers would allow full credit for late papers, give credit even if don’t put full name in correct corner of paper, etc. Activities are a draw – these help keep them in school. Some parents aren’t supportive of “breaking ranks” type changes, and we do have a long road and a lot of work ahead of us – it takes heart and courage to do this work. Don’t overlook items such as school spirit – when students are feeling good, they do well.
Mr. McNiece finished his presentation at 6:28 p.m.
Dr. Koenigs talked about what we’d look at when we came back in the fall. He suggested attendees take a look at the venn diagram in their books and start thinking about what it is exactly that we want to work on in Andover.
Dr. Koenigs offered to purchase copies of “Breaking Ranks” for attendees. He adjourned the meeting at 6:30 p.m.
