FCAT Answers

With FCAT results coming in, know that everything I have said inside our DCPS org and to others outside about our FCAT slips were heartfelt and reflect what I know so many of us want for all our kids in all areas of academic achievement. Know also that I do feel very passionately about the important place and stature that all teachers should be regarded in our school system. The job you all do is indeed profound and among the hardest of all the roles in DCPS.

I do work hard to reflect daily on my work and lead the organization firmly to continuously improve how we support teachers. We have made great progress and have far to go.

All that said, we do have some teachers who need extra support to become fully effective and some who should leave the profession. (I can certainly say that with as much certainty about some administrators and some superintendents, and even some school board members as I look around our nation at our profession as a whole.)

Our focus must be on strengthening our practices in all 8500 DCPS classrooms. We must strengthen the teaching and learning and the ways in which we support that core work in all 8500 venues. We must increase the level and frequency of teacher-teacher collaboration, and we must bring use of instructional technology practices into modern day equipment, resources, and practices. We must also greatly improve our level of engagement and excitement for each child as we dose them in all areas of the curriculum.

You are right when you say that we must each be reflective about what each of us can do to improve this work—me included—you included—everyone else included. I feel strongly about responsibility, integrity and accountability. For now that means meaningful response and reflection to what went wrong as in this year’s 3rd grade reading and math performance and in 4th grade writing performance in 79 schools.

What are your thoughts?

Teach For America

This week, the Duval County School Board approved a commitment to Teach for America (TFA), a nationally-renowned and highly competitive teacher recruitment program, which demonstrates its support for Jacksonville becoming a TFA-affiliate city in 2008/2009. This is HUGE for us in efforts to build on our professional learning communities and engage our business and philanthropic leaders in our work. If Jacksonville is selected, what support and advice would you give to the corps of recent outstanding college graduates who would be assigned to serve and inspire our most challenged students?

An Exam that Measures Growth

As we continue the administration of the FCAT, I receive so much feedback about the FCAT from parents, business leaders, and community members. Many say that student growth can not be measured on a single snapshot like FCAT. Research would bear this out. I am a firm believer that what gets measured gets done and that we should have high stakes exams. That said, I do feel that we need to encourage our state to substitute the single snapshot type assessment to one which measures growth over time for each child. This would help ensure a year or more of academic growth in a year’s service---and more for students who are behind.

Quality Teaching

I recently had an opportunity to visit the classrooms of our 2007-08 Teacher of the Year finalists. I continue to be inspired by the high-quality teaching and learning happening in our schools. How do you define quality teaching? How do you make it visible?