Seattle Public Schools is out this morning with new reports on every school in the system. Our partners at the Seattle Times have gone through the documents already and report that Lafayette and Schmitz Park Elementaries in West Seattle are among twelve schools citywide receiving the highest rating possible. Here’s the Times story; here’s a link to the page from which you can access all the school reports.
Are they including Lafayette’s Spectrum program in those numbers? That would make a big difference.
Nice to know two of our schools are doing so well. Of course in the case of Roxhill, West Seattle and Highland Park demographics make a big difference. I know for a fact that Roxhill has some excellent teachers. My kids don’t go there but I know many of the teachers are excellent.
Love getting this info on the blog, thank you. Glad to see Denny/Sealth trending upward, would love to see the same growth in Arbor Heights elementary as with Lafayette and Schmitz park. go west seattle go!
What is odd is that Lafayette is actually down in most categories if you compare 09-10 with 08-09.
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/strategicplan/schoolreports/239.pdf
I would tend to think that with Arbor adding the same spectrum program that Lafayette has, it’s scores should go up in a few years. I hope!
Isn’t Layfayette getting over-crowded? At least that’s the impression I am getting from what I hear through the grape vine.
AH Mom, YES, there are way too many kids in my opinion, it is extremely crowded. Love the teacher we have….totally pleased with the education my child is getting, but we definitely feel like a NUMBER as opposed to a part of a community. It is a great school, but there are WAY TOO MANY STUDENTS.
One of the reports says that only 5% of the SPS teachers are “Nationally Board Certified”. How does this compare to other schools in the country or state? It sounds low.
I don’t know how this statistic compares to other schools in the country or state. However, here’s a bit about National Board Certification.
“It complements, but does not replace, a state’s teacher license. It is valid for 10 years.”
” …voluntary assessment program designed to recognize effective and accomplished teachers who meet high standards based on what teachers should know and be able to do.” (www.nbpts.org)
So basically, it’s optional for teachers because it’s a complement to state certification. There is financial incentive in many districts. I’m not sure how long NB certification has been around. Many baby boomers are nearing retirement and perhaps were not interested in becoming NB Certified because their payscale was already as high as it could be. And it does require new teachers to have taught for 3 full years. New grads are finding it difficult to land full-time teaching positions in our state.
It costs $3,065. To apply, the teacher must:
-Hold a bachelor’s degree,
-Have completed 3 full years of teaching experience
-Have a valid state teaching/counseling license for that period of time
The article is extremely misleading, in my opinion. The test scores at Lafayette and Schmitz Park are high because of the demographics of the kids attending the schools, not because the teaching is spectacular. The kids at these schools go in with an advantage; they have one or more parents nurturing their academic growth and aren’t struggling to subsist, for the most part.
One of our kids attends Lafayette and I have been underwhelmed by the teaching at the school, yet bc the test scores are high, the administration is unwilling to push the teachers to employ more progressive teaching styles. Our child consistently brings home worksheets with copyright dates from the 1970s.
Yes, it’s great that we live in a neighborhood with schools on the “top 12” list, but it says more about where we live than the quality of teaching being done in the schools.
Anonymous is right on – the ranking corresponds exactly to the percentage of white and wealthy kids. What’s frustrating is that the number score is driven by test scores, but if you read the detailed summary of parent, teacher and student survey responses, there are some major red flags for high scoring schools that are not addressed in the report.
In particular, the responses to “safety” questions state that 70% of Lafayette kids report being bullied (14% higher than district average), 71% report feeling unsafe on campus, and 83% report feeling unsafe in the neighborhood. 66% of SP kids report being bullied, 67% feel unsafe on campus and 92% feel unsafe in the neighborhood. Contrast this with low test performing schools, which are all lower than the district average – West Seattle kids who report being bullied: 51%, Roxhill: 40%, Gatewood: 50%
Just some food for thought – maybe we’re focused on the wrong metrics for evaluating the learnings environment…
I don’t think the article is misleading. It merely states the facts. It clearly points out that the rankings are based exclusively on test results. There is even a note: “The results, as with most standardized tests, tend to run along income lines. Even in this new ranking system, schools in richer areas generally ranked higher than those in neighborhoods where many families have little money.” The article doesn’t say anything about the quality of teaching at all. Anyone who assumes that an elementary school with high test scores has quality teachers hasn’t sent their kids through the public schools.
I’m sure you’re right that demographics will correlate to high test scores, in most cases regardless of the quality of education. I know you’re right (based on personal experience) that Lafayette has its share of mediocre teachers. Find me a Seattle Public school that doesn’t, though. Our system doesn’t reward good teachers. In fact, it drives them out of the profession in many cases. Lafayette has its issues (I agree there is a sense of complacency), but I don’t think this is really a Lafayette problem. It’s a Seattle Public Schools problem, and a US Public Schools problem. Sadly…
The fact that 92% (as reported by Oliver) say they feel unsafe in the SP neighborhood negates this whole thing for me. The report must have been taken just after the freak incident with the armed man running from police or fresh from a coyote sighting. Other than that this school has got to be in one of the most benign locations in Seattle.
I don’t give these reports too much credit. Schools in wealthier neighborhoods are going to do better. Even with bussing, without, giving more money, etc.
For the most part, if your kid is smart, cares and you care, they’ll do well. Some of the most successful people I know attended “crappy public schools”.
For the most part, if your kid is smart, cares and you care, they’ll do well. Some of the most successful people I know attended “crappy public schools”.
So true! I think a lot of parents expect their child’s school to “make them smart”. Parents need to take a good look at themselves. Your child is a mixture of both parents first and foremost.
How about a kid who isn’t smart, doesn’t care, or isn’t being raised by parents who care? Shall we ignore that subset of the population? Kids don’t choose to be raised in broken homes without resources.
It appears that the affluence of the school, and not the affluence of the child’s family is what’s in play. The children on free/reduced lunch at the high performing schools are doing well. The more affluent schools have $100,000+ in PTSA funds to spend on services such as music, art, PE, teacher hours, tutors, coaches, etc. Until equity is achieved on the most basic level the gap will just keep increasing.
Test scores don’t tell if a teacher is inspiring the wonder and excitement of learning in their students. In my opinion, these annoying tests disrespect teachers and kids. I say Quality Education for all. No cookie cutter solutions, no canned curriculum, No standardized tests. Smaller class size, more planning time for teachers. This is really the only thing that will really transform schools for all kids.
Test scores do, however, tell whether or not kids are acquiring basic math reading and writing skills. Without some sort of objective evaluation, progress in a student’s education could not be achieved.
Kids with attentive, caring parents will obviously have an advantage in school, and with life in general. School’s roll is to provide opportunities, coaching, and resources for learning. We cannot rely on our schools to fix society. Why flame schools with good scores?
Lafayette and Schmitz Park certainly have their problems, but one thing is certain: they are teaching the majority of the kids how to read, write and do mathematics. Who’s got a problem with that!?!?
VBD – “they are teaching the majority of the kids how to read, write and do mathematics. Who’s got a problem with that!?!?”
The frustration with the ranking system is that the majority of the kids in those highly ranked schools are pre-destined to accomplish the basics because of their socio-economic status – they would likely do well any where. My impression of lower ranked schools (I toured all West Seattle schools when looking at our options) is that teachers in lower performing schools are creative and innovative to address the different needs of their populations. It’s frustrating that these teachers don’t get the same pat on the back as teachers that have easier populations to teach.
Most good teachers don’t need a pat on the back, they know when they’ve done a good job. And when they haven’t.
It continually frustrates me that too much attention and focus is put on standardized test scores in determining what is a “good” and “bad” school.
In looking at the data from all the elementary schools in West Seattle, I instead focused on these areas which I think are more telling about the overall quality of a school than anything else — Family/Staff Climate & Engagement and School Demographics namely Free/Reduced Lunch, Special Education, English Language Learners (ELL) and Advanced Learning and Student Mobility.
As an entire West Seattle region, it is pleasing to see that families are generally satisfied with the quality of their school REGARDLESS of test scores and segmentation level (all scored in the 80th percentile & above) for “Families feeling positive about family engagement” and “Families that are satisfied with the quality of school”.
The data also supports that test scores correlate directly with the socio-economic make-up of the school and the population of ELL, Special Ed, and Advanced Learning students.
To show the contrast of school populations within our community let’s take Schmitz Park and Highland Park. SP has the lowest student mobility rate within the region at 3% (HP 19%), SP also has the lowest Free/Reduced lunch at 9% (HP 73%), SP has a very low Special Ed population at 7% (HP 15%) and 0% ELL (HP 20%). It then comes as no surprise that SP would be able to attain a Level 5 while HP struggles to get beyond a Level 1.
While we can celebrate the successes of a small number of schools and put on “probation” others, it seems to me we instead need to come together as a community to support ALL schools — not only with dollars, but also time and energy. It’s time we think beyond just what is best for “my student” or “my school” but what is best for “our community”.
The Seattle School district spent millions of dollars on testing software and computer labs to generate the 1-5 scoring system; millions that should have gone to tutoring, books, librarians, intervent supports. What is their motivation? To truly give a hand to “struggling” schools? No, they want a reason to close a school and/or transform it into a charter with non-fully certificated staff (Teach for America trainees). You say our state doesn’t allow charters? Just wait.
I think the New Student Assignment plan and closures are what pits parents against each other. West Seattle has gotten a terrible deal from the district in this regard.
The administration and teaching staff at SP is exceptional, and anyone who thinks SP parents are mostly “wealthy” has probably never even been near the school. If all schools in WS did Singapore Math I think we’d have more 4’s and 5’s. Of course students would feel less safe in overcrowded conditions, it IS less safe than before. The statistic about 92% of students feeling the neighborhood is unsafe is totally unbelievable.
The comment about the $100,000 pta budget got me wondering about school funding.
Here is funding per student from the district’s recent “report cards”:
Roxhill – $8621 per student
Concord – $6761
West Seattle Elem – $7787
Schmitz Park – $5600
Lafayette – $5584
That is 20% to 50% more at some schools than others. A few thousand $$ per student x 300 students makes the $100k PTA funds seem like a drop in the bucket.
Now, do they spend that $$ wisely at those schools? I do not know the answer to that.
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