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LenMullen · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 323 Location: Danville, NH

I've asked if the SAU could wrap some discipline around 'supplemental' materials and activities. I asked if they could...

1) have teachers submit requests/justifications to the curriculum coordinators
2) list tv, movies, field trips, and assemblies in powerschool

Both tools would increase visibility. The thinking was that teachers would be reluctant to ask for permission to watch Opening Day or Starwars -- and that curriculum coordinators would be more reluctant to approve same -- if parents could easily hold them accountable. Putting the items in powerschool would give parents visibility into the problem -- imagine opening your kids economics class and seeing more Apprentice entries than tests or quizzes?!?

It's too much work. It's clear the kids watch a lot of TV -- the Apprentice, the Red Sox, and movies. At last night's music awards, one of the kids joked that they watched a lot of Starwars movies in music class. I guess they could be enjoying the score, but who are we kidding?

The SAU brushes these things off as anecdotal and detailed accounts are seen as personal attacks.

The fish rots from the head. Mr. La Salle sets the tone for the district. If teaching was important to him, he would hire teachers and administrators with a similar attitude. He'd have Mr. Coker design a 180 day calendar, and he'd put an end to half days, late start, and early dismissals. If Mr. La Salle hired teachers and administrators for whom teaching was important, we would not have to track their attendance or complain about TV in the classrooms. They would not tolerate the distractions.

Teaching is not as important to Mr. La Salle as building schools. That was his resume when he was hired and that has been his focus.

Mr. La Salle is not the head. The school board is. They hired the builder. After bonding the last construction project for a generation, there was no way people were ready for a builder.

They needed to hire a business manager who could be held to high standards of academic accomplishment -- objective excellence. Then they needed to institute accountability. They failed.

In fact, they failed to lead at all. And that's the problem. If you want excellent schools, elect excellent school board members who share your values. If you can't find these, run yourself.

Were I on the board, the second thing I would do is replace the part of each meeting where a student talks about the student body with a session where the Superintendent reports on academic metrics. The first thing I'd do is define academic metrics.

The school board is supposed to be a board of directors -- people who make decisions on our behalf for the enterprise in which we invest. They don't. Did you know the SAU provides the script for School Board meetings?
_________________
"I've been teaching here for 20 years so please don't assume that kids can add, subtract, multiply and divide integers without problems. Especially subtraction, as I found that many have trouble with." TRMS Math Teacher

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therents · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 142

AP BIO Certification

Looks to be a 5 day course:

2009 Syllabus for Biology
July 27 –31, 2009

Institute Syllabus
Monday Morning Session
- Introductions and goal setting for week
- Collecting goals and needs for the workshop from participants
- Discussion: Overview of AP Biology – Role of Essential Questions
- Discussion: Course Syllabi and Scheduling
Monday Afternoon Session
- Activity: Introductory Lab, Pillbugs – Animal Behavior Lab
- Activity: Computer interfacing with pH probes
- Activity: Set‐up of Aquatic Primary Productivity Lab
- Activity: Set‐up of Transpiration Lab
Tuesday Morning Session
- Activity: Enzyme Catalysis Lab with colorimeters
- Demonstration: Alternate Enzyme Lab Activities
- Demonstration: Set‐up for Bacteria Transformation Lab
Tuesday Afternoon Session
- Activity: Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis Lab
- Discussion: Teacher and Student lab manuals
- Discussion: Textbooks
Wednesday Morning Session
- Activity: Cell Respiration Lab
- Activity: Gel Electrophoresis Lab
- Demonstration: Circulatory Lab
Wednesday Afternoon Session
- Activity: Bacteria Transformation Lab
- Activity: Genetics of Organisms Lab
- Demonstration: Mitosis and Meiosis Lab
- Discussion: Web sites for AP Biology
Thursday Morning Session
- Activity: Wrap‐up Bacteria Transformation
- Activity: Wrap‐up Gel Electrophoresis Lab
- Activity or Demonstration: Diffusion and Osmosis Lab
- Discussion: the coming redesign of AP Biology
Thursday Afternoon Session
- Discussion: The National AP Biology Exam – exam tips and strategies
- Discussion: Additional Labs for AP Biology
- Discussion: Other materials in the AP Biology packet or topics of choice
Friday Morning Session
- Activity: Population Genetics and Evolution
- Activity: Animal Behavior Lab
- Activity: Wrap‐up of Transpiration Lab
- Activity: Wrap‐up Aquatic Primary Productivity Lab
- Activity: Review the initial goals for workshop and finish any loose ends
Graduate Credit Option

THe schoool could easily find a syllabus for teaching the class by using Google.

AnotherTeacher · Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 31

Karen,
I'm sure that your intentions are good, however there are many adults and students who are not so sincere. While the concerned parents in this forum prove to be to the contrary, there are many people within the district that find rigorous teachers to be the least valuable when it comes to the GPA and grades of their students. Unfortunately, there would be too subjective of arguments made about teachers. There is also "www.ratemyteacher.com" where people, separate for parents and students I believe, post comments and ratings for teachers.

PBealo · Site Admin Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 309

AT,
Actually, may I call you AT??
1st: sorry, I had to do that. If you know me (I am NOT asking!) you'll know I have alousy sense of humor. I understand why you use a nom de garre, as much as it saddens me that you must.

Anyhow: You know far better than we parents about overall levels of parent support of a rigorous education. My personal blind spot is that I cannot possibly see how such an attitude serves their kids well. Getting straihgt A's in watered down classes won't get Johnny or Jane into Harvard or MIT. Those schools KNOW the level of teaching at pretty much each and every HS out there, and they'll know that A's at TRHS don't mean much if our classwork is not rigorous. I am not stating this as my opinion but as a fact: I happen to know the local alum who review OUR kids' applications prior to a prominent Tier 1 college (sorry: I can't name names) admisssions folks looking at them. I am told that this alum never recommended admissions consider one of our kids... So watered down buys nothing but "feel good" until the college rejection letters pour in.

Again: I respect your perspective that most of the rest of us can't see. What do you suggest we do to help "beef up" academics at TRHS? I had thought of starting an "Academic Booster Club" (for lack of better term) similar to what Andover HS has to raise money and fund teachers' projects/equipment/etc. that go above and beyond what the school would support, but was told by admin that they weren't really interested in the idea. Some have lobbied hard for serious academic tutoting (similar to music lessons in the PAC) but that fell on deaf ears. Short of pulling kids out of the system what are our options??

Peter Bealo

LenMullen · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 323 Location: Danville, NH

I think the first thing would be to take academics as seriously as music and sports. We have the kids in during the summer for music and football camps. How about academic camps? Both my kids would attend.

Just a couple week long sessions to help kids who just got through the year catch up a bit before September. If math were offered all summer, my kids would participate.

I'd like to see teachers/student teachers/smart kids available after school to help kids who did not fully grasp the day's lesson.

I'd like to see a password protected site with walkthroughs of math problems/assignments so that parents who are not strong math students can work through problems with their kids.
_________________
"I've been teaching here for 20 years so please don't assume that kids can add, subtract, multiply and divide integers without problems. Especially subtraction, as I found that many have trouble with." TRMS Math Teacher

TRHSparent · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 147

Lfrancoeur · Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 36

My student was explicitly told at every college we visited last fall that they would not take AP credit for any of the science/math courses in his area of study.

At one college, there was a 1/2 "fight" between the dean of the college and a parent. The parent felt the college should be accepting credit as their HS told them that was an easy way to save college courses.

Lfrancoeur · Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 36

Changes have already started for AP BIO

This year there is summer work which last years class did not have.

PBealo · Site Admin Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 309

That's great news. Let us know how your daughter feels about the topics taught vs what they test once its all over.

We've got significant AP US History summerwork, but that is no surprise. This ought to be a solid class...

Have a bit of AP Chem and Physics homework as well. The AP Physics teacher, Ron Edmiston, was dept head and just "retired". he stayed on to teach AP Physics.

Peter B.

Lfrancoeur · Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 36

Yes, US History work is alot, both kids felt the class was very much worth the effort.

PBealo · Site Admin Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 309

AP science test scores are in, actually they're all in but I only asked about the science classes.

Note: In case you don't know, AP tests are given nationally. a score of 5 is highest. Some colleges look at AP test scores to see how students compare nationally since an "A" given at one school might be a "C" elsewhere but a 5 on an AP test is the same everywhere.

The three colums of numbers below are:
Column 1: Test Score
Column 2: How many TRHS students achieved this score in 2009
Column 3: % of students achieving this score nationally in 2008

AP Bio 41% of our students achieved a 3 or higher
5 1 18%
4 2 16%
3 4 16%
2 3 15%
1 7 35%
NOTE: Only 1/3 of kids taking class took the AP test

AP Chem 20% of our students achieved a 3 or higher
5 0 18%
4 0 17%
3 1 20%
2 0 14%
1 4 31%

AP Physics 70% of our students achieved a 3 or higher
5 0 14%
4 1 17%
3 6 28%
2 2 19%
1 1 22%

So what does all this say?? Good question. there are very few data points, and I'd say it may not be not statistically significant, but if you look at a score of 3 as passing and just look at what % of kids got a 3 or higher it looks like AP Physics is the class a student is most likely to do well in (70%) and AP Chem is the least likely to pass (20%). But since I do not know how many kids went through the class and chose not to take the test and why they chose not to take the test we can't come to a final answer. Just a best-guess.

These results suggest that AP Chem and perhaps AP Biology should not be taken in Junior year if the student is using AP test scores as part of their college applications package Sr year. If taken Sr year at least they've been accepted someplace already well before the scores are published.

Peter B.

Lfrancoeur · Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 36

If you are planning on using AP credit at colleges, check out what they accept. Some collleges only accept 4 and 5.

Child took AP BIO and Chem, did not take the test. He will be taking both classes next fall as a freshman as part of his course of study.

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