Transcript Wheat Ridge
August 22, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwheatridgenews.com
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 30, Issue 9
Anderson will not challenge Gessler
Jeffco Clerk says an open Secretary of State chair might be different By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson will not challenge Secretary of State Scott Gessler in a primary next year, but she has not made up her mind on a possible open seat run. Anderson talked about her political future with Colorado Community Media on Aug. 17, following a Golden town hall that focused on the sweeping changes to Colorado’s election laws the Legislature put in place earlier this year. Gessler is exploring a gubernatorial run, but has yet to announce whether he will join a Republican field seeking to unseat Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper Anderson in 2014. An entry into a race for governor would mean Gessler would not seek reelection for his secretary of state seat. Anderson said that she will “not run against an incumbent,” but that she is keeping all options on the table if Gessler steps aside to pursue a higher office. “I’m still discussing with my family whether it’s the right thing for me to do personally, to run a statewide campaign,” she said. Anderson is the head of the Colorado County Clerk’s Association and is seen by many in the GOP establishment as a moderate Republican who would be a change of pace from Gessler, who often
Giovanni Zoppe’ performs a trick with 6-year-old Aden Padilla, of Lakewood, inside the big tent.
the
Big top
The Zoppe’ Italian Family Circus arrived in Wheat Ridge Aug. 16 as part of the city’s 44th annual Carnation Festival. Those who weren’t able to attend the festival last weekend can still catch circus performances tonight and through the weekend.
Photos by Vic Vela Richard LeBoeuf practices his juggling routine outside the big tent before a show.
Clerk continues on Page 7
student research versus privacy concerns for software Data system inBloom given a closer look By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com It’s been both praised as a way for teachers to better personalize instruction and panned as a data-mining invasion of student privacy. Either way one looks at it, a controversial database is on its way to being piloted at schools in Jefferson County. A data system called inBloom
— a $100 million project primarily funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — is being tried out in three states, with Colorado being one of them. Jeffco Schools is set to become the first school district in the state to a launch pilot version of the project, possibly beginning in the 2014 school year. The Jeffco Board of Education is scheduled to hold a study session 5-7 p.m. tonight at the board of education/superintendent’s officewith Colorado education experts, where a presentation of the inBloom project will be shown.
POSTAL ADDRESS
The system would allow the district to compile students’ personal and academic information from kindergarten through high school. Teachers can use digital data dashboards provided by inBloom to identify weaknesses in student performance and tailor a type of instruction to better suit their needs, according to Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Cindy Stevenson. “It’s almost like having an (application) on your phone,” Stevenson said. “You can see who has mastered a standard in grammar, for example, and the data would then give you suggestions for reading and further instruction.” The new system also gives Jeffco teachers the ability to access different types of student data in one centralized area. Stevenson said she hopes to launch the pilot for the 2014-2015 school year. There will be no system cost until 2015; that cost is expected to be about $3-$5 per pupil, for the 85,000 student district.
The school board must approve funding down the road, before that happens. inBloom has been the source of controversy across the country, and Colorado has been no exception. Concerns have been raised over what data will be collected, how it will be used and who has access to it. Child privacy and security concerns are what bother inBloom’s critics like Laura Boggs, a member of the Jefferson County Board of Education. Boggs is worried that inBloom will be able to mine information pertaining to students’ disciplinary records, health records and demographics like race and religion. “There are too many unknowns and too little conversations within our community for Jefferson County to dive into this,” Boggs said. “The scary part to me is that inBloom delivers the curriculum to teachers. Do we really want some unknown somebody somewhere delivering a curricu-
lum to students here?” Jeffco will join school districts in New York and Illinois as participants in the pilot program. A handful of other states have backed away from participating. The state Department of Education is participating in Jeffco’s pilot program, but the state Board of Education did not have a role in that decision. State Board member Deborah Scheffel, a Parker Republican, said she has had concerns since she attended an inBloom presentation earlier this year. “Parents are beginning to wonder, ‘What control do I have over this data?’” Scheffel said. “And I’m concerned that they can’t opt out Software continues on Page 7
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