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Cambridge Questions
The questions were responded to by Dr. Corda and Ms. Deb Richards.
Please note that Dr. Corda responded to #12,13,17, 23, 24, 27 and 28 and Deb
Richards responded to #29.
- Once a plan is in
place, how will the state ensure that there is accountability for those
responsible for taking the steps as outlined in that plan?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Dr. Corda gave a brief description of the District Improvement Plan
(DIP) and the School Improvement Plan with State strategies
for improvement and how to assess objectives and the State role. He
introduced Deborah Richards, Chief of State Dept of
Education (SDE) Bureau of Accountability, Compliance & Monitoring,
contact at: Deborah.Richards@po.state.ct.us,. Ms. Richards introduced
Judy Carson, from the School & Family Community
Partnerships and the Parent Information Resource Center, contact at:
Judy.Carson@po.state.ct.us or PIRC at
www.ctpirc.org, liaison for community involvement; Warren Logee,
lead team member for the School/district team for Norwalk, contact at:
Warren.Logee@ct.gov ; Mike Wasta, external consultant for the
State Department of Education (SDE) for Norwalk, contact at:
"Michael Wasta" <michaelwasta@yahoo.com>, .
Ms. Richards noted that this same team had met with the Norwalk Board of
Education (BoE) in February and that this time she had been asked to
talk more about community and family involvement. The SDE was concerned
about the achievement gap, that a new State commissioner of Education had
been hired and he was proactive and he had done some reorganization at the
State level. The first 12 districts the State chose to look into, and
Norwalk Public Schools (NPS) was one of them, were
identified by criteria that they had to have been in at least year 3 of ‘in
need of improvement’ per No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
She noted that the SDE was in a partnership with these 12 districts and that
it was ‘reciprocal accountability’—the State legislators ask how is the SDE
working with the districts and the SDE asks the districts how are you
working with the schools. She noted that the Cambridge Report was only the
beginning of the process and that the SDE would be here for a couple of
years. She noted that
Norwalk’s District Improvement
Plan (DIP) needed to have focused and aligned strategies of how to implement
the plan, monitor the plan and then assure the targets are met.”
- Once a plan is in
place, what checkpoints will be put in place to make sure that the plan is
working?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards-- There’s a BoE piece once they get the revisions of the
District Improvement Plan done. There’s a place for the BoE to be working
and monitoring progress. Frequently there are sub-committees on BoE’s in
other communities that look at different components of the DIP, for example,
a sub-committee for parent and student involvement. BoE’s ask, are the
strategies being implemented? Is there progress? They relate information
that they are hearing in the community. It’s not about micro managing but
creating a structure that ensures that progress is being made from an
accountability perspective.”
- How long can we expect
a plan to take to see any marked improvement (want to avoid making changes too
often to be able to judge the results).
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards said she knew that the district had the District-Level Data
Teams, that was the first step. Per the DIP, training has begun for NPS
with Connecticut Accountability for Learning Initiative (CALI)
www.sde.ct.gov . What hasn’t happened is there isn’t a clear, systemic
expectation that people put that information into how to do their work.
They are in conversations on a timeline and how it will all roll out. Dr.
Corda says that they have had 8 to 10 days of training at Connecticut
Education Services CES
www.ct-ed.com
about the model that NPS is putting into place. NPS must make a
presentation to the State of
CT in the next few weeks. The
model is not complicated—where do we need to concentrate our efforts and
identify which items of the curriculum are essential; sift through data
relating to the three elements of the DIP. That work has been going on.
There is a Parent Engagement Committee and it has had about 6 meetings and
is clear in how it’s going to approach it’s work; the same has happened for
the DIP items of Literacy and Numeracy expectations. Ms. Richards explains
some terms: CES stands for CT Educational Services, RESC
stands for
Regional
Educational
Service
Center. The
CALI model is lead by Doug Reeves, the
CALI model works with school
districts to implement this model, it’s research based, they know it works,
it’s been implemented before. It’s been designated by the State of
CT as the model to use and provides
training and certification for district personnel in how to implement the
model in collaboration with the State of
CT.” AND “ Ms. Richards said
that in 18 to 24 months the
Cambridge group would come back
but that it was not a long-term systemic involvement; that the DIP was there
to hold the district accountable if it was not making progress and that this
was all about progress and what additional information was needed to achieve
that.”
- Public relations in
Norwalk schools seems more about putting on a pretty face then dealing with
issues, is this going to change?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards noted that the Cambridge Reports recommendations for
improvements were: closing the achievement gap by increasing differentiated
instruction; implementation of instruction & curriculum to meet needs of all
students with fidelity at every level, every school, every grade; the need
for an in-depth audit of the special ed department; improved accountability
between BoE and Central Office with clear benchmarks to monitor progress;
improved parent/community communication; a realignment of NPS public
relations department and Human Resources in their role in community
outreach. Dr. Corda noted that a parent advisory committee was already in
place. Ms. Richards noted a need to improve the district culture and climate
customized to multiple audiences, need to involve students more, and a needs
assessment at the school level that Dr. Corda noted was in the works.”
- Why do we have shorter
elementary school hours than our neighboring districts?
Dear PTO Council,
I do not believe the BOE has a
unified or official position on the questions you mention. Thus, they are
hard to answer in a collective fashion. I have my own views on some of them,
which I will gladly share below - Bruce Kimmel:
Question 5: the length of our school
day -- I believe Norwalk students are not in school long enough each day,
plus the school year is too short -- too many half days in June. Bear in
mind that this is an issue that is usually negotiated with our bargaining
units and is thus not easy to change. I would like to see a committee
established of interested parties to examine our school calendar and see
what changes might be made. I think there is some agreement among Board
members on this idea.
- Dr. Corda mentioned a
Parent Community Communication Group on Monday night that had been set up.
I’m an involved parent and I never heard of it, what is it and what are they
doing?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Dr. Corda says that there is a Parent Communication Committee, a committee
of parents, school staff, and community members meeting about this. What
does parent/community involvement mean? Are we as parent friendly as we can
be? The committee took on projects important to success and build on it. He
mentioned the student/parent handbook and looking at revising it and
bringing it to a variety of parent groups—is it helpful, understandable,
etc. There is a ‘walk-thru’ going on in two elementary schools asking—is the
school user-friendly? Intent is to find how the schools can be made more
user-friendly. There are layers of issues, how do we reach out to parents?
What skills do those parents need to help engage with their children? Some
of this has nothing to do with the PTO but is Sensitivity to differences.
Need to look into performance of African American, Hispanic, Economically
disadvantaged, ELL, students with disabilities. That’s where we have to
concentrate our efforts. The challenge to the PTO’s—ask questions what
should their role be in fostering parental engagement? The committee is
working on the third element of the DIP and plan to bring in more people
into the process. Can each PTO look into their membership and see what they
can do.” For more information contact either: Carol Marinaccio or Mary
Peniston at 854-4107 or
marinaccioc@norwalkps.org .
- When are you going to
do a parent or community survey?
Answer:The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC)
is conducting a review of Special Education programs and services available to
students with disabilities in
Norwalk. All parents of students
with disabilities will be receiving a survey by mail which they will be asked
to complete. Surveys will be in Spanish and English. Included in this mailing
to parents will be information regarding a series of "focus interviews"
for parents to attend. These ‘focus interviews’ will occur on September 10,
2008 from 3-4 pm and 6:30-7:30 pm; and September 11, 2008, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Spanish translation will be provided. Please let them know if you will attend
an interview session by sending back the form included in the survey letter or
after you receive the survey, call Special Education (PPS) office at 854-4126.
Please respond by September 2, 2008 in order for us to be able to
accommodate everyone.
For more information, contact Janie Friedlander, Director
of Special Education, at 854-4126 or
friedlanderj@norwalkps.org. Or cantact Margaret MacDonald, Director
of Special Services Support Team, CREC, at (860) 524-4037.
- To the Board of Ed: Are
you planning to do exit surveys to find out why so many parents leave the
district and to see if that can be reduced? If no, explain why not please.
Dear PTO Council,
I do not believe the BOE has a
unified or official position on the questions you mention. Thus, they are
hard to answer in a collective fashion. I have my own views on some of them,
which I will gladly share below - Bruce Kimmel:
Question 8: exit surveys -- First we
need to examine the premise of the question: that a disproportionate number
of parents leave the Norwalk school system. If the data indicates that is
indeed the case, then exit surveys would be a good idea (though it might be
difficult to implement). Perhaps another type of survey would do the job. On
a more specific issue: For a number of years I have argued for an
examination of ways to make Silvermine School more attractive to families in
the Silvermine community. The idea of making it an arts magnet, to go along
with its dual language program, has been discussed (the Silvermine Guild is
nearby and already has a relationship with the school). Whatever we decide
regarding a survey, etc., I believe we will still need to focus on that
neighborhood and see how we can get more district residents into
Silvermine.
- In Norwalk, there is a
significantly abbreviated schedule in place at the high schools during CAPT
testing. But, in Fairfield, for example, which also has two high schools,
during CAPT, School hours remain the same for all students in every grade. To
adjust for testing, one class in each day is extended 1 1/2 hours and the
remaining classes are reduced accordingly. Those students who are taking the
CAPT test go to a designated location; all other students remain in their
normal classes. The districts neighboring us, Wilton, New Canaan, Darien only
have a delayed start. The concerns are: 1. The schedule as it is requires
much shuffling for parents; 2. It is costly in that it requires busses to make
two extra trips each day; 3. it’s counted as a full school day but it’s not.
Also, for Elementary Conference Days, all our neighboring districts &
Fairfield have full days; NPS does not. Can you clarify why the testing days
and conference days are adjusted so and provide a Board policy that addresses
this issue? Are you considering changing it to align NPS with our neighbors?
Dear PTO Council,
I do not believe the BOE has a
unified or official position on the questions you mention. Thus, they are
hard to answer in a collective fashion. I have my own views on some of them,
which I will gladly share below - Bruce Kimmel:
Question 9: CAPT scheduling -- This
is related to question 5: We need to examine ways to increase the
time students spend in school each day. I did a back-of-the-envelope
calculation (based on my knowledge of the NYC public school system) when we
adopted the coming year's calendar and here's what I found: After
comparing the length of the school day, the number of half days, the number
of snow days, and the length of the school year, a fifth grader in
NYC, after six years of elementary school, is in school roughly 135 days
longer than a Norwalk fifth grader. That's pushing an entire school year.
I believe we also need to address some of the perks that our high school
seniors have vis-a-vis skipping first period and leaving earlier. I know of
high schools where there are no study halls (we have students with multiple
study halls), and where the school day and year are longer than ours.
- What can be done to
provide the teachers in the classroom that have to work with children (with
different learning needs) the support they need to (a) learn what strategies
should be used and (b) be able to employ these strategies. Can we make sure
that the training that the teachers receive is both practical and topical and
provides them with the tools necessary to work with these children?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Dr. Corda said that there is not a clear understanding of what the term
differentiated instruction means. The teacher performs around a range of
levels and tailors instruction. It’s an expansion of repertoire of teaching
strategies from, for example, lecture mode, to looking for more active
engagement for students, more rigorous tasks, assessments, benchmarks. Ms.
Richards asks Mike Wasta if he has some benchmarks that other districts had
used beyond just CMT and CAPT scores. Mike Wasta said that most districts
use the same approach as NPS by using snapshots throughout the year; these
are not real lengthy tests, not real sophisticated, but snapshot assessments
of skills so that the teacher can make adjustments in instruction; it’s
collecting data. It’s hard work. It’s about teachers getting together in a
collegial atmosphere to discuss achievement. Teachers working together to
find out why this group of students is not making progress. He noted there
are logistical problems in creating quality time for teachers to do this
work.” AND
“Ms. Richards suggested that a look into the individual school reports would
be an indication as to where differentiated instruction is stronger. She
noted that special ed would have an overall audit conducted around special
ed and student achievement. Ms. Richards noted that the data indicates
problems or they would have expected more progress for some groups of
students.” AND “Ms. Richards says that districts look at key structures to
be implemented and that smaller class sizes are heavy on the cost side, she
has seen it implemented before but she didn’t see the results reflected in
increased student achievement. She asks-- if teaching doesn’t change and
you have fewer students, are you going to have different outcomes for those
students? There’s a balance between what are we doing differently and would
we do it better with smaller classes. The process of the DIP is to find
strategies that work. She noted that they have had many conversations at the
State level of length of school year and length of school day, which are
also ‘resource rich’. There are often 3 to 4 strategies that a district
will put resources and efforts behind; the management part of this is to
identify the key strategies. She notes that smaller class sizes are a great
thing but without change of instruction there won’t be better outcomes.”
- Can we make sure that
there is a resource center that might be accessed by the teachers (books,
magazines, websites and in-person assistance) to assist them in developing
teaching strategies that will work with children (with different learning
styles)? For example, if a child has exhibited some behavioral difficulties
based on his inability to concentrate or stay focused, or based on an
impulsive disposition, what sort of strategies are available for the teacher
to use to work with this child (and his parents). Is there a ‘behaviorist’ on
the staff that can be contacted to review and assist the teacher in this
particular case? Are there resources that can be reviewed by the teacher and
other staff members that would allow them to work together with the parent to
develop effective techniques?
At
this time there is no provision for a
Resource
Center within the
school system. We disseminate information to teachers and staff during
regular staff meetings and via the supervisors assigned to each
building.
Janie Friedlander
- How can we make the
website better so that it will be inviting to the user and user friendly. It
should invite comments and suggestions from the users and be responsive to
them so that the site is not static but is, rather, dynamic and ever changing
and becoming better based on the needs and wants of the users.
Dr. Corda
Response:
We have received many positive comments about our website but beauty is always
in the eyes of the beholder. Someone apparently considers our website as not
being user-friendly and unresponsive so I am asking that the committee on
enhancing parental involvement review it to see if there are suggestions that
can be made as part of their work. Meantime, on the page, I note that there
are several places where contact information is both solicited and encouraged.
It is also our practice to respond to the inquiries we receive as quickly as
we can. I have done so myself on many occasions. I would respectfully point
out that this is not a blog but a website and, like most informational
websites, provides important contact information. We also upgraded our website
last year by placing all important documents on the site as well as
highlighting what is available in red.
- How can I volunteer to
participate in the Cambridge Study in order to contribute my experiences and
ideas?
Dr. Corda
Answer:
The Cambridge study is now finished and there
are no ways to participate in the study. That said, certainly any individual
is welcome to offer whatever suggestions he or she might have at public
meetings of the Board of Education. Additionally, the meetings of the Board’s
curriculum, policy, and budget committees are open to the public. Beyond that,
the administration is open and receptive to any comments or suggestions of the
public
- I attended the BOE meeting at which
the state dept. people spoke about their involvement in light of the Cambridge
Report. They provided a handout that outlined the areas that needed
improvement, the systems that were already in place and
what was going to happen next. On the issue of developing a way for
administrators to be held more accountable, the chart indicated that there is
a rubric used by the board to evaluate Dr. Corda and that he used the rubric
to evaluate administrators. under the section for what was going to happen
next, there was no reference to modifying this rubric or evaluation system.
The Cambridge Report indicated that this needed improvement so why is there no
plan to make any changes?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards noted that the
Cambridge Report (CR) was only
the beginning of the process and that the State Department of Ed would be
here for a couple of years. She noted that
Norwalk’s District Improvement
Plan (DIP) needed to have focused and aligned strategies of how to implement
the plan, monitor the plan and then assure the targets are met.” AND “CR
recommendations for improvements were: closing the achievement gap by
increasing differentiated instruction; implementation of instruction &
curriculum to meet needs of all students with fidelity at every level, every
school, every grade; the need for an in-depth audit of the special ed
department; improved accountability between BoE and Central Office with
clear benchmarks to monitor progress; improved parent/community
communication; a realignment of NPS public relations department and Human
Resources in their role in community outreach. Dr. Corda noted that a parent
advisory committee was already in place. Ms. Richards noted a need to
improve the district culture and climate customized to multiple audiences,
need to involve students more, and a needs assessment at the school level
that Dr. Corda noted was in the works.”
- I recently became aware
of the district’s Parent-Community Committee, created as part of the district
improvement plan. How were committee members chosen? What plans are there to
broaden membership? It appears the agenda was set before broader
representation and input was sought (if this is incorrect, please elaborate).
How can you be sure that the focus of the committee reflects the needs of the
community and addresses the issues raised in the Cambridge report?
Mary Peniston's Answer:
Parents were involved from the beginning in having input to set the initial
priorities of the district improvement plan – they were invited because they
had participated in Parent SEE, a state training to help parents become more
involved in school systems, and/or some other kind of parent leadership
training. Despite the short time frame we had to develop the plan, their
input was invaluable in shaping the recommendations for action.
The Parent-Community Partnership Committee started in the fall of 2007 and
participation by parents and community members was expanded. By March 2008,
all the committee members agreed: ”if
anyone expressed interest in working with the Committee, they are welcome to
join the group. “
All meetings have been open since that time.
While the agenda was set early on, state experts on parent involvement have
indicated that we have selected important areas to begin our work –
specifically, creating a more welcoming atmosphere in our schools. In line
with this, they provided initial training in the Spring 2008 to several
school-parent teams so that they can begin doing “Welcoming School
Atmosphere Walk-throughs” which are then followed by action steps to improve
each school. Parents are to make up the majority of members of each
school’s team. Schools have been asked to create a team that represents the
diversity of each school.
As regards the issues raised in the Cambridge report, the committee did
systematically review all the comments in the report on parent-community
relations – and they were overwhelming positive. Nonetheless, we felt that
despite that positive feedback that there is room for improvement and that
we should continue with the work we had started to define.
-----
If you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact
me.
From Carol
Marinaccio - I am very grateful to Mary Peniston for her responses to
inquiries and questions. She has done a wonderful job at capturing the
work the Community Team has been working on. It is a work in progress,
and an on-going initiative that will be part of our District Goals in the
years to come. I will reiterate as Mary has expressed: our meetings are
open. We will forward you the dates of the meetings. As we move forward
into the new school year, we will be addressing the strategies of the
Community Goal; with the focus on “welcoming environments” in our
schools. As Mary indicated, each school will form a team and parents will
comprise the majority of the team that will participate in walkthrough
activities.
If there is
any other information the committee can provide you with, please let us
know.
-
Carol Marinaccio
- What do you see as the
role of the individual PTO’s and the PTO Council when it comes to addressing
achievement issues in Norwalk? Could you provide specific examples of what
you’d like to see, what you believe would be helpful?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Judy Carson from PIRC says that there’s a
National Network of Partnership Schools. Parent engagement needs to be related
to student achievement and it’s critical that schools have a plan to do that.
How and when, it’s a team approach between teaching staff and families and
community members; it’s been tested and developed so we don’t have to reinvent
the wheel. There is a good plan and good data that can show progress. The
progress development is a very important part of the work. She mentioned
‘welcoming schools’—how welcoming is our school? They have tools to help with
this. Outcomes are better with more and better parent engagement; there are
models, training, personalized for each school. Also, how to get supports in
place so that they ‘stay over time’ even if key school personnel leave.”
Answer:
I believe that continuing to share information
as it becomes available about what is taking place in the schools and across
the district is enormously helpful. The distribution of the Friday Report, the
meetings of the PTO council where speakers from central office share
information about our programs, and a presence at Board meetings is also
helpful. Additionally, disseminating budget information and encouraging
attendance at Board of Ed meetings and special presentations help to spread
accurate information.
I think one of the biggest problems we face is the repetition of rumors and
perceptions that people believe are factual, without bothering to check into
the source or going to someone who should be the source of accurate
information. I think if the PTO could serve as a conduit for parents to
identify the latest rumor they heard to see what is accurate about it, we
would be much better served. Examples of rumors: There are large numbers of
students who are not residents of Norwalk; There are lots of people moving out
of Norwalk, etc. Not only are these statements not true, they hurt our image.
Perhaps a campaign centered around the notion of “Check it Out” where folks
make a pledge to checkout the truth of a rumor before they repeat it and then
provide a PTO Rumor Hotline as a means of getting accurate information within
48 hours would help.
- Are there any plans to
solicit parent and community feedback to District Goal 3 (improved
partnerships with parents and community stakeholders) as part of the revision
process for the district improvement plan?
Dr. Corda
Answer:
A committee is currently meeting centered around
goal 3. The committee is chaired by Carol Marinaccio. She can be reached at
854-4107. Work has already begun in several areas which include a revision of
the District handbook so it is more user-friendly. This is now at the printer
and has been vetted by a number of parents for feedback. With the opening of
school, each of our schools will be participating in a user friendly school
assessment supported by work done through the State Education Department. This
data will be used to create a more parent friendly school environment. Other
outreach efforts will be taking place over the school year.
- How will the State of
CT help parents and the community stay informed on issues and how things are
going? Do you have a liaison for parents?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards introduced Judy Carson, from the School & Family Community
Partnerships and the
Parent
Information
Resource
Center (PIRC
at
www.ctpirc.org ) liaison for community involvement”
AND “Judy Carson, the PIRC liaison mentions that a school/district can tell
parents--What is in the curriculum this month, this year? What should we
reinforce at home? Parents would like more information on what their
children should learn and what are key topics that the child is expected to
learn; and to do this is a way that parents can understand.” AND “Dr. Corda
says that there is a Parent Communication Committee, a committee of parents,
school staff, and community members meeting about this. What does
parent/community involvement mean? Are we as parent friendly as we can be?
The committee took on projects important to success and build on it. He
mentioned the student/parent handbook and looking at revising it and
bringing it to a variety of parent groups—is it helpful, understandable,
etc.”
- Communication at many schools is
really bad, how is that being addressed?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards introduced Judy Carson, from the School & Family Community
Partnerships and the
Parent
Information
Resource
Center (PIRC
at
www.ctpirc.org ) liaison for community involvement”
AND “Dr. Corda mentined that there is a ‘walk-thru’ going on in two
elementary schools asking—is the school user-friendly? Intent is to find
how the schools can be made more user-friendly. There are layers of issues,
how do we reach out to parents?” AND “Judy Carson from PIRC says that
there’s a Nat’l Network of Partnership Schools. Parent engagement needs to
be related to student achievement and it’s critical that schools have a plan
to do that. How and when, it’s a team approach between teaching staff and
families and community members; it’s been tested and developed so we don’t
have to reinvent the wheel. There is a good plan and good data that can show
progress. The progress development is a very important part of the work. She
mentioned ‘welcoming schools’—how welcoming is our school? They have tools
to help with this. Outcomes are better with more and better parent
engagement; there are models, training, personalized for each school. Also,
how to get supports in place so that they ‘stay over time’ even if key
school personnel leave.”
-
The
BoE was asked if they were considering making Norwalk High School a magnet
school along the lines of Brien McMahon and their response was that magnet
schools are used to address racial isolation. However, under the recent
Supreme Court case, race can no longer be a factor. Norwalk High is losing
students, why would a magnet component not be considered? And, if not a magnet
component, what else to you suggest to act as a draw?
Dear PTO Council,
I do not believe the BOE has a
unified or official position on the questions you mention. Thus, they are
hard to answer in a collective fashion. I have my own views on some of them,
which I will gladly share below - Bruce Kimmel:
Question 20: a magnet at Norwalk High
-- Interesting idea, but first we need to carefully watch enrollment at both
of our high schools for a few more years (at least) before looking at this
question.
I believe that's it. These, of
course, are the ideas of only one board member. Perhaps they will lead to
further discussion. Thank you for the questions.
-
The
Cambridge Report talks about how the district tells us ‘what strategies will
be implemented’ but then doesn’t tell us all ‘how’ they will be implemented,
and then doesn’t track them at all. What are you doing to fix this?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards said that there was a District Data Team, School Level Data
Teams and Instructional Level Data teams that will use benchmarks, formative
assessments, etc. to adjust instruction. They will use agreed upon points of
time throughout the year to determine which kids ‘get it’, which kids didn’t
‘get it’ or who excelled. It will be about reflecting on teaching practice
and how that relates to student performance. Then the teams can go into a
deeper review into individualized data points.” AND “Ms. Richards said that
in 18 to 24 months the
Cambridge group would come back
but that it was not a long-term systemic involvement; that the DIP was there
to hold the district accountable if it was not making progress and that this
was all about progress and what additional information was needed to achieve
that.”
- How will this report be
used to implement change in the Norwalk Public School System? And will it be
consistent change whereas All school Levels (elementary to elementary) will be
on same page?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards noted that the State chose to look at 12 districts, and
Norwalk Public Schools (NPS) was one of them. They had
been identified by criteria that they had to have been in at least year 3 of
‘in need of improvement’ per No Child Left Behind (NCLB). She noted that the
SDE was in a partnership with these 12 districts and that it was ‘reciprocal
accountability’—the State legislators ask how is the SDE working with the
districts and the SDE asks the districts how are you working with the
schools. She noted that the Cambridge Report was only the beginning of the
process and that the SDE would be here for a couple of years. She noted that
Norwalk’s District Improvement
Plan (DIP) needed to have focused and aligned strategies of how to implement
the plan, monitor the plan and then assure the targets are met.” AND “Ms.
Richards noted that there will be a District Data Team, School Level Data
Teams and Instructional Level Data teams that will use benchmarks, formative
assessments, etc. to adjust instruction. They will use agreed upon points of
time throughout the year to determine which kids ‘get it’, which kids didn’t
‘get it’ or who excelled. It will be about reflecting on teaching practice
and how that relates to student performance. Then the teams can go into a
deeper review into individualized data points” AND “Ms. Richards says that
the Cambridge Group (CG) Cambridge Report (CR) was chosen for it’s long
term history of conducting this type of review. The question is asked ‘what
did the student walk away with” and did all the students walk away with that
information? How did the teacher adjust the presentation? The CR is based
on observation and test scores; there is a gap between those who ‘get it’
and those who don’t. It’s about good instruction for a very diverse student
body. A way to do that is by reflecting on strategies, adjusting
strategies, coming up with new strategies; it’s not easy, it’s a complex
task and putting the system in place is hard. But, once the system is in
place and when people see success—success breeds success. Infrastructure
must be in place as well as the absolute belief that those children will
learn this with the appropriate instruction. You have to have high
expectations regardless of what language they speak, what they bring to the
table, things you can’t control. It will be hard but the belief has to be
that, ‘I, as the instructor, can and will figure out how that’s going to
happen’. High expectations are as important as good instruction. It won’t
happen if you have one and don’t have the other.”
- Why wasn’t there more
of a consistency on how the report was rolled out to the individual schools?
Some schools received written reports, others received written and follow up
meetings.
Dr. Corda
Response: We met as an administrative team and, acknowledging that principals
felt they knew their own school community best, gave them the discretion as to
how to share their individual school reports.
- The focus of last
Thursday evening’s meeting with Dr. Ronald Ferguson was on sharing the
research on how different trends and approaches in parenting impact the racial
achievement gap of students. Dr. Ferguson also spent the day with various
educators and administrators on Friday, presumably sharing research and
strategies for in-school educational practices. Clearly, the district has
reached out to this leading researcher in the field to help address the issues
facing Norwalk. What sort of specific initiatives and partnerships would you
like to see formed that could address some of the stats Dr. Ferguson shared
(e.g., the link between increased leisure reading at home and the level of
achievement in school)?
Dr. Corda
Response: We distributed Dr. Ferguson’s suggestions to parents last Spring and
will include them in the first newsletter of the year as well in both English
and Spanish. We also engage in a number of efforts and activities to encourage
reading. For example, Norwalk Reads, which is now in its fifth year of
operation is the result of a collaboration between the Housing Authority,
Norwalk Public Schools, Kiwanis, and the NEF. Every year thousands of books
are given to children to promote reading. Every elementary and middle
school has some kind of an event, usually over the course of a month, that
encourages reading. Parent Workshops and the Parent Leadership Training
Institute are designed to help parents become more effective parents.
Suggestion: What if the PTO sponsored on a monthly or bi-monthly basis a
different kind of “reading” event for parents and students in every elementary
school— milk, cookies, and books— what could be better?
- What steps do you
recommend the Norwalk Public School System and the individual building
principals take to increase communication with parents?
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards introduced Judy
Carson, from the School & Family Community Partnerships and the Parent
Information Resource Center (PIRC at
www.ctpirc.org
) liaison for community involvement” AND “Ms. Richards
noted that the Cambridge Reoprt suggested improved parent/community
communication; a realignment of NPS public relations department and Human
Resources in their role in community outreach. Dr. Corda noted that a parent
advisory committee was already in place. Ms. Richards noted a need to improve
the district culture and climate customized to multiple audiences, need to
involve students more, and a needs assessment at the school level that Dr.
Corda noted was in the works. Ms Richards asked what the role of the PTO’s
were and how to get them to reach out to diverse groups.”
- The “Proposal for
Review of Pupil Personnel Services Department Programs” does not have detailed
parent/teacher/community communication directives. Are you going to ask the
question (as one of our neighboring districts who just completed their review
did) “do parents understand what to expect and are they satisfied that their
child’s needs are being met?” If not, why not.
Answer: The Capitol Region
Education Council (CREC) is conducting a review of Special Education
programs and services available to students with disabilities in
Norwalk. All parents of students
with disabilities will be receiving a survey by mail which they will be asked
to complete. Surveys will be in Spanish and English. Included in this mailing
to parents will be information regarding a series of "focus interviews"
for parents to attend. These ‘focus interviews’ will occur on September 10,
2008 from 3-4 pm and 6:30-7:30 pm; and September 11, 2008, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Spanish translation will be provided. Please let them know if you will attend
an interview session by sending back the form included in the survey letter or
after you receive the survey, call Special Education (PPS) office at 854-4126.
Please respond by September 2, 2008 in order for us to be able to
accommodate everyone.
For more information, contact Janie Friedlander, Director
of Special Education, at 854-4126 or
friedlanderj@norwalkps.org. Or cantact Margaret MacDonald, Director
of Special Services Support Team, CREC, at (860) 524-4037
- What steps can parents,
school PTOs and the PTO Council of Norwalk take to help increase the
communication flow between administrators and parents?
Dr. Corda
Answer:
I believe that continuing to share information
as it becomes available about what is taking place in the schools and across
the district is enormously helpful. The distribution of the Friday Report, the
meetings of the PTO council where speakers from central office share
information about our programs, and a presence at Board meetings is also
helpful. Additionally, disseminating budget information and encouraging
attendance at Board of Ed meetings and special presentations help to spread
accurate information.
I think one of the biggest problems we face is the repetition of rumors and
perceptions that people believe are factual, without bothering to check into
the source or going to someone who should be the source of accurate
information. I think if the PTO could serve as a conduit for parents to
identify the latest rumor they heard to see what is accurate about it, we
would be much better served. Examples of rumors: There are large numbers of
students who are not residents of Norwalk; There are lots of people moving out
of Norwalk, etc. Not only are these statements not true, they hurt our image.
Perhaps a campaign centered around the notion of “Check it Out” where folks
make a pledge to checkout the truth of a rumor before they repeat it and then
provide a PTO Rumor Hotline as a means of getting accurate information within
48 hours would help.
- Are there effective
ways to ensure that there is equity across the district so that all schools
have the same resources available to them?
Dr. Corda
Response: What evidence suggests that there is not? This is a concern that is
heard about elementary schools, particularly those that are not Title I
schools. The fact of the matter is that Title I is a program that is designed
to put additional resources in those schools that have a larger number
of poor children and that the services provided to these children is supposed
to be greater than the services received by children who are not Title I
eligible. The problem is that there are children who would be eligible to
receive services in a school if the school qualified for Title I service but
do not receive the services because the school is not eligible. We cannot
control that except in the amount of Title I money we reserve for parent
education and professional development.
- What steps will the
state take if they do not feel that NPS is making adequate progress in
correcting issues outlined in the Cambridge report?
Ms. Deb Richards
Answer:
The
Department has consultants assigned to work with the district leadership
team to address the findings of the
Cambridge report and as a result
to revise the District Improvement Plan (DIP). This work has been underway
since the report was issued. The Superintendent and Chair of the Norwalk
Board of Education have met with the State Board of Education Ad Hoc
Committee on Accountability to review their direction for the revision of
the DIP and plans to address the findings of the
Cambridge report. The DIP is
expected to be finalized by the end of September and will be reviewed by the
Department and approved by the Commissioner. The DIP will be the foundation
of the work for the Department’s future monitoring and support. The
District will be establishing a data team that will meet on a regular basis,
with staff from the Department in attendance. As part of these meetings,
staff from the Bureau of Accountability, Compliance and Monitoring will be
formally reviewing progress on implementation of the plan 2-3 times a year.
In addition, each school will be revising their school improvement plan to
make sure it supports the priorities in the DIP. Schools will be
monitoring implementation of the school improvement plans via school and
district level data teams.
The
Department will work with the district team to analyze data and progress on
the DIP. In the event that progress is not made, the team will need to
determine the cause of the lack of progress such as insufficient resources,
poor implementation of the strategy, insufficient strategies to address the
problem etc. The accountability legislation does allow for the Commissioner
and the State Board of Education to enact sanctions outlined in the
legislation if necessary, though our preference is to continue to work with
districts in a partnership as long as progress is being made.
The staff
assigned to work in Norwalk are Warren Logee, Bureau of School and District
Improvement;
Adrian Wood, Bureau of
Accountability, Compliance and Monitoring and Mike Wasta, external
consultant. In addition, Judy Carson from School Family Community
Partnerships is assisting with work at the school level with parent
involvement. Deb Richards
- To the Board of
Education: There are quotes being sent out to outside consultants for
Assessments to done for various departments in Norwalk Public Schools that it
has been determined have an ‘urgent need of review’. Will these “Requests for
Quotations” for these assessments be posted on the NPS website so that
parents/community members may review them since the information contained
within them is available under the Freedom of Information Act and there is a
compelling interest in the community to know about them? And if not, why not?
Answer:
Given that the New
Canaan special ed scores are as impressive as their website, is consideration
being made to use it as a template for our own to save on time and money? And
if not, why not?Answer:
What can be done to
allow parents to communicate with one another in order to share their hard
earned knowledge and trade experiences (both good and bad).
Answer:
Taken from an excerpt of the PTOC Minutes of the March 31st
Cambridge Forum
“Ms. Richards says that she hears all the time about
parents with unique needs and whether that communication is in a support
group, a meeting for parents who have similar needs whether that be because of
different languages or special ed, has been discussed. She noted that often
special ed directors have community talks about their general services and
where the department is headed, and asks how can we support each other.
Special ed directors can’t give out personal names but they can offer open
invitations that provide opportunities for communication among parents with
like needs. She noted that Judy at the PIRC could provide support for
districts for parents of kids with special ed needs to get more organized
information and opportunities to network. She noted there is a lot we can
have conversations about.” 
These two questions were asked of the Board of Ed during the forum on
March 31st but could not be answered at that time:
Pre-submitted Question: The State said that this BoE has not been
rigorous in calling the district to account for its decisions and actions.
What have you done recently that is an example of the BoE doing that and
what do you have plans for?
Answer - Bruce Kimmel - Again, these are
only the views of a single board members and, at most, should only be
considered for discussion purposes.
On the question of accountability
of board members: It is important to remember that when the Cambridge
Quality Review was done, the Board was very different than it is today. At
the time of the review, committees rarely met and there was not nearly
enough discussion on issues that came before the full Board, especially the
operating budget. Since then, fortunately, the Board has implemented a
vibrant committee system that affords Board members and the public
opportunities to seriously examine all types of issues. It is fair to say
that every Board member made serious contributions to the most recent budget
discussion. Also, Board members now play a much more active role in the
hiring process. But most importantly, in my opinion, Board members seem to
have a different mindset -- they've clearly taken the constructive criticism
from the community and in the Cambridge report to heart.
Pre-submitted Question: The BoE listens while parents/community
members ask them questions during the public comments section of the BoE
meetings but then those speakers don’t get any answers back. Is there a way we
can look at that and have parents feel as if they are part of the BoE
meetings?
Answer - Bruce Kimmel - Again, these
are only the views of a single board members and, at most, should only be
considered for discussion purposes. -
On the question of responding to concerns expressed by the public prior to
Board meetings: I believe, in general, that the Board cannot respond to most
of the points brought up prior to its meetings, some of which have no bearing
on the agenda for the particular meeting. I have been under the impression
that the Board, through Central Office, contacts those members of the public
who express concerns. If that is not happening, the Board needs to find out
why. However, I will add that I believe the Board is sometimes too rigid when
it comes to this policy. I recall one of my first Board meetings when a number
of parents expressed their concerns about a facilities issue at Norwalk High
School. At the time those parents were speaking, Board members and the
Superintendent were aware that, at that very moment, the issue was being
addressed and would be resolved by the time school opened the following
morning. By not responding immediately, parents from the school in question,
as well as from around the district, as well as reporters from three local
newspapers, left the meeting not knowing if or when the issue was going to be
addressed. I expressed my displeasure but was told the Board never responds
immediately. That type of rigidity can create or reinforce negative
perceptions among the public (and the press). After the meeting, a reporter
said to me in comic disbelief, "You mean they knew it was being fixed and
didn't say anything?" A little flexibility is in order.
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