Department Chair Meeting

Monday March 1, 2003

Cynthia Rapaido

Ruth Michelletti (Facilitator)

Miguel Appleman (Recorder)

Linda Brockett

Joyce Dickson

Renee Leap

Behrooz Shahrvini

Diane Termini

Michelle Casale

Cece Cronin

Ron Beall

Nate Johnson

Til Tribuzi

• Activities
• Family Information Night
• Star Testing Scheduling: Tests on first Tuesday & Thursday and second Wednesday are longer; 15 Questions have been added to the 11^th grade (only) Math and reading tests; these bonus questions are supposed to replace placement tests in CSU. It seems that in this circumstance they will matter to the individual. We should warn 9^th and 10^th teachers that their students will finish with more time remaining on these days. CAT-6 Reading Language has also been lengthened. Training Session will be at faculty meeting right before Spring Break. You’ll be testing your 1^st Period Class. Balanced A & B Days is appreciated improvement. API Weights on Rich’s handout.
• Academic Core Study Session 3/27:
• 8:00-12:30 We should have representation the whole time.
• Social Studies changes have already passed ahead of the rest; 7 semesters. This is moved ahead of the rest of the core because the 10^th graders take the MWH test; it is hoped that this will improve the 10^th grade Social Studies Test Scores. Freshmen and Sophomores will likely be taking health next year. This might necessitate a second health teacher for next year. What are the requirements for teaching Health? We might also have less MWHistory, as next year’s sophomores will have taken it as freshmen. Does this History precedent mean the pieces of the Academic Core will be voted on separately? We don’t know.
• We are thanked by Administration for collecting the Data from the administrative analyst. It’s good that we have an analyst who is competent. All except Ruth did it this past week. Ruth was the first hog to the trough. Oink.

Cece: "Summer School Room Use: Supplies and Security"

Nate: "New ways of Dealing with Small Stuff"

Ruth: New business discouraged because of the large amount to do today.

New business items were not ranked.

Approach: Distinguish Schoolwide Concerns vs Departmental Concerns; perhaps Schoolwide today, next meeting departmental concerns, Bring "Short Snippet" (undefined). This format received verbal agreement.

E: Joyce: Effect on electives, and staffing

F: Rene: Effect of more stringent Schedule (Completing lab science and geometry) on weaker students.

S: Rene: Taking away electives for support courses. Rich: at the moment there are nine students with algebra support and reading development. This number is expected to increase with the end of Math A.

T: Rene: Division of Student Body; inadvertent tracking. Til: College-bound people are likely not to be affected; they are already taking everything. Non-college-bound are likely to be affected.

E: Michele: 28 section of electives now, about 840 students taking electives now, not including support classes. This is expected to drop by 75%. Estimated 90 Freshmen and 90 Sophomores will have the ability to take electives. Til: Impact on loss of sequentiality; if they take a year off, then they seldom come back; influence on band. Classes taken during the school day disappear. Burlingame bands meet 0^th and evening. Rich: Mills has advanced band 0^th. We have marching band 0^th.

S: Joyce Who has to take the support classes? Rich: Gates McGinnity 7^th grade or less reading must take reading development. Algebra support is likely to increase without Math A. Probably we will go from 3 to 4 sections next year. Behrooz: Cap has 7 sections. Sheltered class will be LEP Math 1. Ron: Why seniors don’t qualify for CSU? 90% of them it’s math. Counseling supports Algebra 0.5 , Algebra over two years, counting for 2 years of math. Weak sophomores might be better in geometry as juniors. Behrooz: Dept here is split on 2 year Algebra. Math council is opposed to it. Arguments against it: tracking, teaching it is hard, students don’t succeed when bumped up in pace to geometry. Renee: they have had that in the district before, over at Mills. Ron: at previous school, this does increase their likelihood of CSU. D grade in geometry as sophomores = no more CSU

F: Ruth: Students are not all ready to do foreign language; they advocate longer period until Junior year to get the foreign language in: Til: View is junior year is too long to wait to fit it all in. Ruth: statistics cited. Ron: 3 years is recommended, but necessary for UC, 2 years still OK for CSU. Joyce: What if they fail as Juniors? They’re not going to UC. What about failing PE as juniors. Waiting to take something is not always good.

S: Ruth: If they need support classes for English reading, what about foreign language reading?

F: Cece: Conflict with pushing students who are academically at risk. No Joy for students. Michele statistics: In Tony and her classes, 50% are EL and Special Ed, 60% are 9^th and 10^th graders. What is dropout rate in 9^th, 10^th and 11^th grades? We don’t know. If they are not liking school, why would they stay? "Going to Mexico" is not accurate, that’s a dropout. Rich: we know state statistics (1%) are not a real reflection. Michele: How much smaller is senior class than freshman class?

E: Behrooz: Tests are biased against electives, for reading and math.

S: Ron: 44 kids are doing algebra restart; slower pace might be more successful.

Renee: Large proportion of our underachievers are latino, Special Ed, entering SM unprepared or unmotivated.

E: Til: Different styles of learning. Testing tests one style only. Difficult argument to make. Can’t argue against "raising the bar", it is not viewed well, but what we are doing is cutting out methods of learning. Kids who learn musically are out of luck. Their mode is cut out. Students are not well rounded.

F: Cece: large number of ELD kids don’t graduate. Kids who struggle through HS are able to go to CSM; kids who get jammed up as sophomores aren’t going anywhere. This creates inequity. Linda: Issue of resources. 20 year old books in library. These are being replaced.

T: Renee: Segregation of Kids, increase of alienation.

F: Michele: Underachieving? No we just don’t teach the way they learn best. Til: What is the academic leg? Gardner’s modalities. Miguel: Expecting large increase in F’s, no clue what to do with them. What do kids do once they fail out of the core? Ruth: Core is Avenue for those who are able to go to college, but don’t have push at home, and are shocked in their junior year.

T: Linda: most Latinos will fail, we could be getting into hot water. Behrooz: Segregation decreases in core classes, and increases in non-core classes.

E: Nate: My department didn’t have many comments; little change curricularly.

Verbalizing differences is tough. Casual viewer still looks at the schedule and still sees slots for 7 semesters of electives. The elective argument needs explanation. Is the issue losing slots or is it "are they prepared for these classes". Ruth: concern is lower end support classes. Til: the argument is tough to follow. Adds support, science, foreign language. Nate: Effective approach: Johnnie’s Mock schedule power point. Visual is effective. Renee: How many little Johnnies don’t pass these classes now?

E: Behrooz: Math A is done deal. 2 courses are Alg 1-2, GeoStat, or Geometry. They don’t have any objection to math requirements. They don’t think a well-rounded student has just math and English. Would you want this for your child?

Cece: MWH is also a done deal. Foreign language is not done, science is not done

S: Nate students not prepared for higher level classes? Support classes. But there’s no room in the schedule. What are the options? Summer school, 7 periods. Standards based system? All students perform at a certain level, and give them support to get there. More support is the answer, but there is no time for that. Ron: Support classes during tutorial? Union issue. Behrooz: Alg pass rate 69% C or better. Support kids 64% Other schools 88%, support 40%. Of the kids who took algebra support and got C or better, what percent do C or better in algebra? Algebra support works for those who attend

Attempt to Summarize to 3-4 main points:

• Effect on Electives and kids who take them.
• What kids can take what classes. Two tier school, Social structure
• What failing students can do, dropout rates Academic
• Increase in for struggling, but non-failing student support

Dropout Rate

Model schedules: Ron, Til, Linda,

Move athletics after school

Remodel schedule

More periods

Support courses

• Assemble your department’s statement (1-2 paragraphs, less than a page, with organized data. Bring it as word document on disc, or email it in advance.
• Help on one of the schoolwide statements (see subcommittee head)
• Effect on Electives and kids who take them. Michele et al
• What kids can take what classes. Two tier school, Social structure: Renee et al
• What failing students can do, dropout rates Academic: Miguel et al.
• Increase in for struggling, but non-failing student support: Ron et al

• Keep thinking:
• Do we favor instituting the core [it doesn’t sound like it], instituting an adjusted and modified core, or a totally different approach?
• Are we facing the political realities of the situation?
• Have we framed the most compelling arguments for modification of the proposed core? I personally am unsure if our current arguments stand much chance.
• The core’s goal (increasing the number of students preparing for college) isn’t really assailable. We haven’t worked on alternative approaches to this goal.

• Schoolwide Concerns: View, modify, approve and incorporate schoolwide reports of subcommittees
• Effect on Electives: Michele, et al
• Effects on School Social Structure: Renee et al
• Effects on Failing Students: Miguel et al.
• Need to Increase Support for Struggling Students: Ron et al
• Department Concerns: View, modify, approve and incorporate department statements.
• Study Session: Decide who is presenting to study session and how: Til, Renee, Michele and more.