Comments on: API scores show five-point increase for Poway Unified http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/ Serving Poway, Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch Tue, 21 May 2013 04:18:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Teacher http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-699876 Teacher Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:56:12 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-699876 Who is in denial? That quote comes from the website that you continue to push as proof our district is failing. How can you make blanket statements about the performance of a district in relation to the rest of the United States when it has not been assessed? Furthermore, as someone who is concerned about "numbers that don't lie" wouldn't you want an assessment that is given to ALL students nationwide not just a select group whose educational background is unknown (private, DOD, etc.). Seems to me as a man who loves numbers, that you would like to see data that pertains to our district. If an assessment is given to all students nationwide and our students perform poorly I guarantee our district would accept ownership as would as a teacher. How can we accept a truth that doesn't exist when our students haven't been tested. It isn't biased, it is fact. And, I am not talking about our CST state test, we already know the standards students are tested on varies from state to state. I am referring to the test used to determine the "National Report Card" and that is where the above mentioned quote came from. Who is in denial? That quote comes from the website that you continue to push as proof our district is failing. How can you make blanket statements about the performance of a district in relation to the rest of the United States when it has not been assessed? Furthermore, as someone who is concerned about "numbers that don't lie" wouldn't you want an assessment that is given to ALL students nationwide not just a select group whose educational background is unknown (private, DOD, etc.). Seems to me as a man who loves numbers, that you would like to see data that pertains to our district.

If an assessment is given to all students nationwide and our students perform poorly I guarantee our district would accept ownership as would as a teacher. How can we accept a truth that doesn't exist when our students haven't been tested. It isn't biased, it is fact.

And, I am not talking about our CST state test, we already know the standards students are tested on varies from state to state. I am referring to the test used to determine the "National Report Card" and that is where the above mentioned quote came from.

]]> By: usna1957 http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-699218 usna1957 Wed, 17 Oct 2012 04:58:56 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-699218 I urge each concerned parent to Google, "National Report Card." The numbers are there in every subject, math, science, reading and writing -- and the results are from the US Department of Education, spanning more than a decade and covering Fourth and eighth grades. You can download the results (as I have) in Excel, and sort them. The numbers do not lie, and are from an unimpeachable source, or at least one that has no bias from one state to another. "Denial" is NOT a river in Africa! I urge each concerned parent to Google, "National Report Card." The numbers are there in every subject, math, science, reading and writing — and the results are from the US Department of Education, spanning more than a decade and covering Fourth and eighth grades.

You can download the results (as I have) in Excel, and sort them. The numbers do not lie, and are from an unimpeachable source, or at least one that has no bias from one state to another.

"Denial" is NOT a river in Africa!

]]> By: Teacher http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-699192 Teacher Wed, 17 Oct 2012 04:36:05 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-699192 From the US Dept of Education website, "The National results are based on a representative sample of students in public schools, Private schools, Bureau of Indian Education Schools, and Department of Defense Schools." What does this tell us? The test is NOT taken by all students. The test is NOT taken by strictly public school students. Which begs the question who is being tested in California? What can I tell you? In my 11 years of teaching in this district, my students have never taken this assessment. Please quit making blanket statements and ommitting all the facts. Please quit bashing a district where the parents, teachers, and students work hard. And.... Feel free to step foot into an elementary classroom in our district to see the teaching and learning that is going on. When is the last time you have done that? Give ALL students nationwide the same assessment, show me the results, and then we can look at statistics. Statistics that are vague in who is being tested and statistics that don't include data from the district you continue to criticize should not be used to pass judgement on our local school district. And Helen... Our district is not part of the CTA so before we accuse people of not looking at statistics or facts let's make sure the facts we put out there are correct. From the US Dept of Education website, "The National results are based on a representative sample of students in public schools, Private schools, Bureau of Indian Education Schools, and Department of Defense Schools."

What does this tell us? The test is NOT taken by all students. The test is NOT taken by strictly public school students. Which begs the question who is being tested in California?

What can I tell you? In my 11 years of teaching in this district, my students have never taken this assessment.

Please quit making blanket statements and ommitting all the facts. Please quit bashing a district where the parents, teachers, and students work hard.

And….

Feel free to step foot into an elementary classroom in our district to see the teaching and learning that is going on. When is the last time you have done that?

Give ALL students nationwide the same assessment, show me the results, and then we can look at statistics. Statistics that are vague in who is being tested and statistics that don't include data from the district you continue to criticize should not be used to pass judgement on our local school district.

And Helen… Our district is not part of the CTA so before we accuse people of not looking at statistics or facts let's make sure the facts we put out there are correct.

]]> By: Helen http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-698202 Helen Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:10:25 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-698202 How can any reasonable person argue with your logic? Statistics don't lie. I would like someone to produce valid numbers proving we aren't really at the bottom of the list academically. Why aren't parents outraged? Because they are so damn gullible. " Oh we live in the best school district in the county." "Or stop being negative." They're just kidding themselves. How can any reasonable person argue with your logic? Statistics don't lie. I would like someone to produce valid numbers proving we aren't really at the bottom of the list academically. Why aren't parents outraged? Because they are so damn gullible. " Oh we live in the best school district in the county." "Or stop being negative." They're just kidding themselves.

]]> By: uana1957 http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-697185 uana1957 Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:29:58 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-697185 Back in the 90s, Massachusetts sprung a 10th grade literacy test on their college graduate teachers -- more than 50% FAILED! There was hell to pay, and the president of Boston University apologized, and increased the academic rigor of his Teacher College. Massachusetts students now stands in the top five states in every subject. California students stand in the bottom five in every subject -- but our teachers are paid in the Top Five among states. We are not getting value for our money! Back in the 90s, Massachusetts sprung a 10th grade literacy test on their college graduate teachers — more than 50% FAILED!

There was hell to pay, and the president of Boston University apologized, and increased the academic rigor of his Teacher College.

Massachusetts students now stands in the top five states in every subject. California students stand in the bottom five in every subject — but our teachers are paid in the Top Five among states.

We are not getting value for our money!

]]> By: Joe St. Lucas http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-697042 Joe St. Lucas Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:58:41 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-697042 Press release is at "http://www.powayusd.com/news/press-releases/2012/pr_10-11-12API2012.pdf" showing all of the numbers. Good to see that Valley has a little bit of breathing room from that 800 number. (836 compared to 807 last year) Press release is at "http://www.powayusd.com/news/press-releases/2012/pr_10-11-12API2012.pdf" showing all of the numbers. Good to see that Valley has a little bit of breathing room from that 800 number. (836 compared to 807 last year)

]]> By: C. Concerned http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-696966 C. Concerned Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:26:30 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-696966 Funny how the test scores follow the wealth of a neighborhood! Too bad we all cannot live in North Poway. Funny how the test scores follow the wealth of a neighborhood! Too bad we all cannot live in North Poway.

]]> By: Helen http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-696765 Helen Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:34:51 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-696765 We throw all this money at building new schools and teacher salaries - all for the sake of the kids. It is abundantly clear that this isn't at all for the benefit of the kids. We need to study successful schools and programs that are cost effective. Next we need to break the CTA. It's a behemoth that is destroying quality education. When a school district spends 85% of its budget on admin something is dangerously wrong. We throw all this money at building new schools and teacher salaries – all for the sake of the kids. It is abundantly clear that this isn't at all for the benefit of the kids. We need to study successful schools and programs that are cost effective. Next we need to break the CTA. It's a behemoth that is destroying quality education. When a school district spends 85% of its budget on admin something is dangerously wrong.

]]> By: Usna1957 http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-696143 Usna1957 Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:49:20 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-696143 Dale: I prefer to awaken -- accurately! PUSDS is NOT Lake Woebegone, where all children are above average. do you have a particular problem with my NUMBERS? Dale: I prefer to awaken — accurately! PUSDS is NOT Lake Woebegone, where all children are above average.

do you have a particular problem with my NUMBERS?

]]> By: Dale http://www.pomeradonews.com/2012/10/12/api-scores-show-five-point-increase-for-poway-unified-school-district/#comment-694239 Dale Sat, 13 Oct 2012 18:25:23 +0000 http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=29389#comment-694239 To both comments above. Do you ever wake up happy? To both comments above. Do you ever wake up happy?

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