Moderator's Note: This is an invitation to parents of seniors in David Finn's English classes. He has given permission to forward, via this Yahoo group, to extend the invitation to any interested parents.
Dear Parents:
There is some vital information that you need to know regarding the graduation requirements for your senior student. The Public Education Department of New Mexico (PED) has been attempting to raise the standards in New Mexico education for many years. The implementation of the Standardize Base Testing (SBA) has taken a few years to perfect and now the passing of the SBA is a graduation requirement. Faculties, administrators, school boards, and superintendents continue to give input to these tests to further the appropriateness and validity of these tests.
For the past couple of years, the PED has been working on the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This approach to education put emphasis on the idea that there are common core skills that every student should learn. This aspect of education has been adopted by the vast majority of states in the United States. This approach has been implemented incrementally through the state allowing teachers and administrators appropriate time to adjust instructional techniques to match the Common Core State Standards program.
Recently, the Public Education Department of New Mexico has unleashed a series of changes in a very short time which may have a major impact on the instruction in the classroom and the graduation requirements for seniors. An example of this rushed and rapid change would be the twenty-five new End of Course (EOC) exams that will be given this year. The exams will be given at the end of the year, teachers and administrators will not be given information regarding these tests and at this time, it is unclear how these exams will affect seniors. These changes have come so quickly and at a time when adjusting is very difficult (like building an airplane in full flight) that the high standards and the improvement in education sought by the Public Education Department of New Mexico is in danger of collapsing. With these rash and rushed changes, APS is anticipating a four percent drop in graduation. It is very important that you learn about these changes, that you are fully aware of the current graduation requirements, and that you are informed to whom you may speak to affect change.
I invite you to a meeting of parents of my senior English classes to be held on Thursday, 17 October 2013 at 6:30pm to be held in the Theatre. At this meeting, I would like to give you the most up-to-date information possible, discuss how to protect your students graduation eligibility, and what I am doing to get your students prepared for a test I know is coming but don't know what it will cover. There will be an EOC in reading and writing at the end of this year - and your student will be required to take it.
Please make every effort to come to this very important meeting. These developments and requirements of PED have a direct impact on your student.
Sincerely,
David H. Finn
Teacher of English
__._,_.___
No comments:
Post a Comment