Get Schooled

By thomas

July 3, 2007 12:58 PM | Link to this

The CRCT scores are NO suprise. Schools with LARGE minority populations have lousy scores. Schools that are composed of students from middle class white families have GREAT scores. Same story every year. But the question is— why? What’s happening in Crabapple Lane Elementary that isn’t happening at Westside Elementary?

By DB

July 3, 2007 1:06 PM | Link to this

Wow, Vanderlyn did really well. 73% exceeded score in reading?!

By Jeff

July 3, 2007 1:52 PM | Link to this

Randolph County, 6th grade (sorted lowest to highest in terms of FAIL rate):

Math: 474/522

Reading: 479/522

ELA: 390/522

Science: 512/522

Social Studies: 511/522

Once again, Bobby Jenkins has FAILED those he is supposed to serve.

By Dana

July 3, 2007 2:18 PM | Link to this

How can we tell what the school’s scores mean for making AYP?

By alice

July 3, 2007 2:31 PM | Link to this

When will AYP status be released?

By Holly

July 3, 2007 3:53 PM | Link to this

Schools have AYP information but they might not tell you yet, I’m not sure if it has been officially released.

The scores can’t really tell you if the school made AYP or not, because the total passing isn’t all that matters. Each subgroup (ie Special Ed, ESOL, free/reduced lunch) has to have a minimum percent passing too, so a school can have 80% passing but their ESOL population can be at 50% and that would prevent the school from making AYP. Also, only grades 3-5 (in elementary) count for AYP. Hope that makes sense! Official AYP info should arrive soon…

By thomas

July 3, 2007 4:11 PM | Link to this

Jeff,

What’s the deal with Randolph county? Is there something about you and Randolph county that I don’t know about?

Also, isn’t that a small county?

By Bridget Gutierrez

July 3, 2007 4:16 PM | Link to this

Dana: AYP is determined through an extremely complex process that takes into account not only how many kids passed the English language arts and math portions of the CRCT, but also other factors, such as attendance or high school graduation rates.

What makes it complicated is that schools must meet specific performance targets not only for the campus as a whole, but also for specific subgroups of students — say, English language learners or special education pupils.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that the state gives schools numerous “outs” if they can’t meet the standards. For example, if a high school hasn’t graduated enough students this year, but they did improve over last year’s rate, then it won’t count against them.

Bottom line: No one could determine if a school has made AYP simply by looking at the test data the state released today.

alice: I’m told AYP status will be announced either late this week or next week.

By Jeff

July 3, 2007 4:28 PM | Link to this

It has become my personal vendetta to oust Bobby Jenkins by any legal means I possibly can. It is my FIRM belief that the people of that county can and will raise their standards of living without him in power. They are good people being overpowered by a political boss that is only looking out for himself and his family.

One of the biggest ways I can think of is to constantly point out every single one of his flaws that I find out about.

Also, the 6th grade class makes my case blatantly clear, as he fired me so he could hire his own recently-graduated-from-college-and-needs-a-job daughter. He chose to make it personal. I’m making sure he lives to regret that choice.

By WhatWillBridgetDo?

July 3, 2007 5:21 PM | Link to this

Yet another Earth shaking, groundbreaking Get School blog.

If the AJC isn’t willing to FULLY investigate the RAMPANT cheating on the CRCT, I would hope the AJC would have the decency as to not post a blog topic on it, as if they have ANYTHING relevant to bring to the table concerning education issues in Georgia.

By WhatWillBridgetDo?

July 3, 2007 5:21 PM | Link to this

Yet another Earth shaking, groundbreaking Get Schooled blog.

If the AJC isn’t willing to FULLY investigate the RAMPANT cheating on the CRCT, I would hope the AJC would have the decency as to not post a blog topic on it, as if they have ANYTHING relevant to bring to the table concerning education issues in Georgia.

By holdingAJCaccountable

July 3, 2007 5:24 PM | Link to this

Jeff,

Now that you’re out (and they have no leverage over you) have you considered filing an ethics complaint with the Professional Standards Commission?

By catlady

July 3, 2007 6:00 PM | Link to this

Jeff, did your “replacement” (I know, you are irreplaceable) have the same physical violence shown to her that you had? Or did she get backup you didn’t? Can you find out?

By holdingAJCaccountable

July 3, 2007 6:16 PM | Link to this

Re: Did Jeff’s replacement have the same physical violence shown towards her?

I would only caution one thing if she didn’t: IT DOESN’T MATTER! There is no excuse, for physically assaulting a teacher, and there is zero justification for not supporting a teacher to the hilt if they have been physically assaulted.

I’ve heard spineless, gutless administrators say “Well, he didn’t assault Mrs. X” (as if to imply that it was the *teacher’s fault” he/she was assaulted, because Mrs. X wasn’t)

Again, the appropriate response is, IT DOESN’T MATTER! Short of self-defense, there is ZERO excuse for a child to strike a teacher and there is ZERO justification for a spineless administrator to not give swift, sure, and compelling consequences. Z-E-R-O justification.

By catlady

July 3, 2007 6:31 PM | Link to this

Holding—I agree with you. She might have gotten more support, in which case Jeff could argue sexual discrimination, in addition to unprofessional conduct. Her “style” might have been less aggressive, or she just put up with the vulgarity, lack of preparation, etc.. Or the principal might have “had a word” with the classes before her arrival. None of this pertains to Jeff except if the principal/supervisors “protected” her and did not protect Jeff. Then perhaps he has additional grounds for lawsuit.

You are right, the county board is to be faulted no matter what when it does not protect its teachers. As I recall, it actively discouraged police intervention in the assaults Jeff experienced, as well.

I am curious about what Jeff’s former colleagues witnessed about how his successor handled the classes, and I have a great deal of doubt that the supts daughter was assaulted with impunity, as Jeff appeared to be.

By Jeff's a twit

July 5, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this

Jeff, if I recall correctly, you were fired because you were too stuck on proving yourself right and NOT actually teaching children the way you were hired to.

By Wondering

July 5, 2007 6:53 PM | Link to this

Jeff, I won’t be quite as direct as the previous post, however, if I remember correctly, you were in the classroom until around the end of February. The CRCT is given at the end of March/first of April. It seems that you might have more responsibility for these test scores than anyone who came in after you. Under these circumstances, I am not too sure I would make as big a deal about the scores from your previous school as you are.

Believe me, I understand that test scores don’t tell us everything we need to know about students or teachers, but I would be careful about throwing blame on a replacement teacher (superintendent’s daughter or not) when you had the kids for the majority of the school year.

By Jeff

July 6, 2007 9:13 AM | Link to this

Wondering:

Actually, I effectively left at the Christmas break. I was there for 9 days after that, and even then it was not MY lessons being taught MY way.

MY instructions were overruled starting on DAY ONE there, so even when I was in direct control on the individual lessons, I had to follow the timeline that was forced upon me, resulting in spending the entire first semester on nothing but fractions. (I had been ready to move on in October.)

ALL of this was because Bobby Jenkins had it in his head all along that he was going to try to force me to resign, that I turned out to be so stubborn was one thing he didn’t count on.