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Houston Schools Support 2007 Goal Of Success For Mcreynolds Middle School

On the evening of August 31, a meeting was held for the parents, students, teachers, staff, business partners, and other community members of McReynolds Middle School, a member of the Houston schools that is located on the east side of the city. Hundreds of people filled the schools auditorium, leaving standing room only.

McReynolds, along with Houston schools Kashmere and Sam Houston, will be closed next spring, if they do not improve their state rankings. McReynolds has been ranked academically unacceptable by the state for three consecutive years. It has been given the 2006-2007 school year to be rated at least academically acceptable.

The meeting concerned the 2006-2007 plans to improve McReynolds state rating. Speakers included school and district leaders, with Houston Schools Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra, Board of Education President Diana Davila, and First Vice President Manuel Rodriguez representing the Houston Schools district.

The purpose of the meeting was to educate the community on measures being taken to save the school from closing next year, solicit feedback from the public and all concerned, discuss what still needs to be done, and to elicit help, support and involvement from the community.

The Houston schools installed Jorge Arredondo in 2005 as the schools principal. Though his first time as principal, student progress increased significantly in the 2005-2006 school year over the previous one. McReynolds experienced a significant improvement in the areas of math, reading and writing, earning a recognized status from the state in both the areas of reading and writing. Additionally, the number of students increased for receiving a commended status from the state on their excellent performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test.

Arredondo gives credit to his staff for the improvements, but he had already implemented many changes during the 2006-2007 school year that supported both students and teachers. Some examples:

Full-time mentors were assigned to new teachers;

The bear (schools mascot) team time was created to provide additional TAKS support to targeted students; and

New staff was added 22 new teachers, two new assistant principals, and another bilingual counselor.

During Arredondos discussion, he reiterated his commitment to the McReynolds, saying he expects greatness from his Houston schools students. He acknowledged his belief that how much educators care about them is more important to the Houston schools children, citing his own experience with middle school teachers who never gave up on him and cared what happened to him. He also expressed his belief that all of McReynolds teachers and staff care deeply about their Houston schools students and want them all to succeed.

Houston schools superintendent Saavedra ended his speech by urging everyone in the McReynolds community to get involved as mentors, volunteers or in other equally valuable roles. Saavedra expressed his confidence in Arredondo and the success of the school during the 2006-2007 school year under Arredondos guidance and leadership. Saavedra finished by giving Arredondo his full support, saying, Whatever he needs, we will do.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information on Houston schools visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Texas/Houston/index.htmlHugh Sung
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posted by 75143 @ 11:06 PM 0 comments

Seattle Schools Participate In Washington Assessment Of Student Learning

Washington Assessment of Student Learning is Enacted for the 2006-2007 School Year

The class of 2008 in all Seattle Schools will be required to pass the 10th-grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning, this will be the way that most students will earn the Certificate of Academic Achievement, one of the four new statewide graduation requirements. The Washington Assessment of Student Learning report will indicate a students performance in reading, writing and math with science being in a separate report. Most students in the Seattle Schools will, of course, be very successful on the three sections on their first try but for those students who may have difficulty meeting the standards, there will be opportunities for them to receive assistance. These programs will help the students in the Seattle Schools achieve scores on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning while furthering there education.

Seattle Schools Establishes Programs to Aid Students on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning

The Summer College is a ground-breaking collaboration between Seattle Schools, three Seattle Community Colleges and the City of Seattle. The Summer College is designed to offer those students who need remedial help for high school students. The Summer College program will last five weeks and will be conducted on the campuses of the three community colleges. This will not only give the students the help they need but provide an early introduction to life on a college campus. Those students who have scored Level 2 or below on at least one section of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning will be eligible for the program.

A second program created by the Seattle Schools in order to offer assistants to students is the Extended Learning Summer Semester. These programs are intended to provide students with the opportunity to improve their reading, mathematics, and writing skills before retaking the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. A for credit program will offered for ninth and tenth graders during the summer at Ingraham, Franklin and West Seattle high schools. These courses will not only be offered in math and reading but also in social studies, language arts, science and health. Students will need to be referred by their high school counselor before they can participate in this program. This is a solid program but may not suit all students.

There are several other programs that are being developed by the Seattle Schools for the 2006-2007 school year. All of the high schools in the Seattle Schools system are adding some kind of student assistance to help them do their best on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Several high schools have added a seventh class period that will be used for help or remedial work. Tutoring sessions in math and literacy and classroom tutors have been set up at most high schools. Seattle Schools are instituting intensive instructional periods, Evening School programs, Contract Learning and the Digital Learning Commons in an effort to provide programs that appeal to students different learning styles and schedules.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more on Seattle schools visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Washington/Seattle/index.htmlHugh Sung
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posted by 75143 @ 10:41 AM 0 comments