FYI from BSF, 06.18.21
Report Cards
Do you remember getting your final report card?
Do you remember the small manila envelope, your name on the front, the shiny stainless steel clasp on the back?
Do you remember the anticipation, the hope that your hard work and maybe a little luck would mean good news to share with your family or caretaker?
And, then, summer!
As adults, we get “evaluations” instead. Evaluations became more significant in Massachusetts education starting in 2011, with a new law and regulations on educator effectiveness. With a common approach and common reporting system, there was a broad aspiration - create defined standards and evaluation rubrics for teachers, principals, and district leaders to constantly support and improve their practice, all in a manner that is transparent and publicly accountable.
How has this system played out for student outcomes? That is not clear.
Example. In 2018, over 96% of Boston teachers were rated proficient and exemplary. Yet, several months after that data was reported, a state audit commenced, ultimately resulting in required state intervention for “student underperformance.”
Which determination was correct?
With this backdrop, the annual evaluation process for Superintendent Cassellius started at Wednesday’s Boston School Committee meeting. It was a particularly busy meeting. Jeri Robinson was quickly installed as the new chair, as questions of cover-ups still were circulating around her two former colleagues’ resignations. Significant public pressure was being applied to appoint two new Latinx members to the committee and was reflected in Acting Mayor Janey’s call for applications. There was an update from the unsettled exam school task force, and over 40 public comments.
You can see a summary of the Superintendent’s draft evaluation here (the final version will be approved on June 30). Overall, committee members provided an evaluation of “effective.” This good grade comes with a bonus; the Superintendent is now eligible for a two-year extension on her contract.
It is curious that students’ report cards are not connected to this evaluation. There are limited references to student outcomes cited in the evaluations, just graduation rates and dropout rates, (which were measured less than a year into this new administration and carry an asterisk) and K2 literacy rates (no measure given).
With schools reopened, almost a half a billion dollars to invest, and a strategic plan yet to be enacted, there is a lot of homework for 2021-2022.
How will this evaluation play out for student outcomes? That is not clear.
Reopening in Boston, MA and Beyond
The final school bells and Zoom chimes are starting to ring for many schools, prompting a growing theme of reflection in the media this week. WGBH is releasing student stories 9 months in the making. One teacher expressed the frustration and loss of hybrid and remote schooling. Others wonder what this means for the future of virtual instruction and homeschooling, particularly for families of color (in Boston there is strong interest seen in family surveys, but there will not be a virtual option next year). The New Yorker published a deeper dive into homeschooling amongst Black families.
The year’s last report on school-related Masschusetts COVID cases yielded the lowest number of student cases and staff cases recorded to date. With these numbers and continued vaccinations and vigilance, hopefully, we will be able to retire the “Reopening” section after next September.
In shifting the frame from reopening to recovery, getting resources directly to schools and families deserves consideration.
Education 2021
With Jon Santiago’s release on Thursday, five of the six mayoral candidates have now created education platforms (nothing released to date by Acting Mayor Janey).
The Boston Student Advisory Committee (BSAC) controversy has trickled into electoral politics, with the disclosure that a city council at-large candidate was involved in the group’s unorthodox counseling sessions. Student representatives met with the District Attorney earlier this week.
Other Matters
Families and researchers agree: kids need more than the standard high school diploma. Career pathways and community colleges both may fit the bill.
There were several significant critiques to American teaching this week, ranging from reading instruction (we don’t do it right and, if you can’t get past the paywall, same idea) to the paucity of Asian-American history content.
Even with state and federal bills signed, why Juneteenth has not been taught, and what that means for our understanding of slavery.