Read this... from an excellent KUSD middle school math teacher... in todays Kenosha News... Transformation Plan Anxiety Published 7 hours ago 3/31/14 By Beth Adelsen Djuplin Special to the Kenosha News I have anxiously watched KUSD’s “Transformation Plan” take effect over the past two years. I have been anxious because my children’s educations were involved in this Plan. I have also been anxious because I am a KUSD employee who must follow board policy as a condition of employment. If I have learned anything over the last two years, I have learned that good, caring teachers can make any bad idea work, especially when they are directed to do so. The recently completed math curriculum audit so much as said so. Around two years ago, someone in KUSD leadership (I don’t really know who — like all teachers, I am good at following orders, though I understand this “leadership” is no longer there) decided that all eighth graders should take Algebra I. This plan was implemented with, according to the March 20 Kenosha News, “little notice, no formal plan, and no provisions to prepare teachers.” As a KUSD middle school math teacher, I can attest that this was absolutely true. The auditors noted that KUSD teachers worked very hard to find curriculum materials since there were no books, or at least not enough books to give one to every child. My seventh grade colleagues, in particular, worked unbelievably hard to create materials to prepare all students for Algebra I as they jammed two years of curriculum into one. Previously, only those students ready to accelerate did so. Prior to this unprecedented, unplanned change, KUSD actually had rather remarkable success in our middle school math curriculum. Anyone can see this on the DPI website. Our WKCE scores topped the state average for at least five years. We were competitive with the top 10 urban school districts in the state. We had a standardized curriculum, materials for every student, a pacing guide, and common assessments. These were all the things the auditor said we needed, and, my goodness, we had all of them before 2012. When the WKCE scores came out for that first group of 7th graders, the overall plunge in scores was jaw-dropping. Yes, this was a bad idea. Now I am thankful to see that KUSD is taking the auditor’s recommendations to heart. I see changes that encourage and reassure me greatly both as a parent and as an educator. However, KUSD did not need to spend thousands of dollars on an audit to tell them this was not a good idea. Teachers expressed concerns about this from day one (for free!), but these concerns were generally ignored. Instead, teachers made this plan work as best they could. Then parents and students spoke at School Board meetings for months expressing concerns about this curriculum change as well as the changes to the middle school honors program. They were told to “let the Transformation Plan work.” I summoned up all my courage and spoke to the School Board myself about concerns with the curriculum change. I say “summon my courage” because the fear of retribution among teachers for speaking out was and remains very real. As employees, we have to follow the directive of our supervisors. This can be challenging when we know the directive is not a good idea. However, our students and their families count on us. We make bad ideas work, even when we know there is a better way if only someone (like an auditor) were willing to listen. Positive changes are happening in KUSD because our parents spoke out, organized, and made them happen. Thank goodness for their advocacy! They know who listened. That makes all the difference. Having witnessed firsthand the havoc that one bad decision can make, I know more than ever that teachers really do need organized advocacy and a collective voice. After all, what if someone had listened to the teachers’ concerns before this plan was implemented? What if someone had listened to parent and student concerns as soon as they were raised? Teachers know what works and what doesn’t. We just need someone to listen. This community has seen firsthand what happens when teachers’ voices are silenced. Let’s not go back. Beth Adelsen Djuplin is a sixth-grade math teacher at Mahone Middle School.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 12:35:30 +0000
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