Newsletter 10

Cooke Center School Newsletter: Soapbox Edition June, 2016 - Issue 10 Did Your Child Make Progress?

Why Your Child Is not Being Challenged At Cooke: An Expose Who ‘s Who? Francis Tabone Head of School Cindy Surdi Division Head, Cooke Center Grammar School Beth Carr Curriculum Supervisor Cooke Center Grammar School Mary Clancy Division Head, Cooke Center Academy Vicki Fowler Dean of Students, Cooke Center Academy Kate Riordan Division Chair, SKILLs Program

Congratulations to the Rock Stars of 4/5. Rock star day was Josie and Dinah’s class’ way of celebrating hard work and wonderful friendships Sammy is the definition of a rock star. Congratulations on a great year at CCGS.!

Each end of year at Cooke has me going through the books. I review data from testing, look at students and teacher trends in terms of how much progress students are making. I look to see that every student is making appropriate progress.

I get a few emails from parents requesting that their children be place in a “higher” group next year, or ask if their child can be challenged more. But this issue of higher or lower groups is not accurate. Here is an example of why that is true. I was in the middle school and visited social studies classes. The first class was studying the Industrial Revolution (IR). They were having a spirited debate on child labor laws and the impact the IR had on advancing working conditions for children. The second class was studying the Industrial Revolution and were comparing working conditions from past to present. The third group were studying the different types of work children did during the Industrial Revolution. They were matching photos to columns marked Past and Present. Each class had different levels of support and materials appropriate for the groups. Where some students needed picture cues, others didn’t. Where some students needed scribes, others didn’t.

The point of studying the IR is not to have students memorize facts, it is to have them engage in tasks to strengthen executive functioning. That was the goal for all students. Helping them to classify, categorize, plan, understand temporal changes, understanding discussion in context, and look at cause and effect. No class was higher, they just were provided different supports to enhance learning. This was happening for all students.

In math class teachers generally do not teach multiplication until students understand repeated addition.

Why? Because unless students understand the concept of multiplication they will never use it properly. If a child has a great memory and can memorize the tables, terrific. But using the concept is another ball game. Multiplication is not higher than repeated addition, it is a different way to get an answer.

Reading. I sometimes hear, I want my child to read harder books. I recently read Lee Smolin's book Three Roads to Quantum Gravity. I read every word correctly but understood nothing. Any child that can read words well, but cannot understand what they are reading is wasting time. Phonemic awareness and comprehension are two different ballgames. If a child is at level C (Fountas and Pinnell) and you give them Level K (which is “harder”) and they can read it well but do not understand the content, it means that they have spent all their cognitive abilities reading word after word with nothing left to put it together to come away with the big picture of the text. If the student sounds out every word on a level K book, it means the vocabulary is not appropriate to advance their understanding of phonemic awareness.

Here is the point. Challenging students is not something that benefits anyone. Students cannot be challenged to learn faster, but they can be provided with tools to learn better. A challenge is best saved for a duel or a drinking game but it has no place in education. Do children find some work challenging? Yes of course and it should be that way. For example if you go to a science class, our teachers will present a problem. For example, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Manzo talked to students about Fracking. Students were then asked to look at the facts and try and solve the problem. Students developed theories and projects to help figure out a way to protect water tables. They problem solved using many of the tools we have taught them all along, to create interesting inventions and methods of getting the oil out of the ground without effecting water tables. Science teachers ask the question “Why?” all the time.

Teachers do not lay out work for student in order for the student so that they must reach way above their heads. The progress our students make is due to clearly laid out stepping stones, which a student takes one step at a time. Progress for our students is based on what the individual can achieve on their own. We carefully measure that progress. We carefully provide the next logical step in their progression into new materials.

Scaffolding and Attainable Goals To motivate students, we need to provide materials that are attainable with reasonable effort. To identify an appropriate level of difficulty, it is important to know what prior knowledge and experiences students bring to the class so teachers know where to begin and how fast to proceed. Administering diagnostic or early assessments helps to determine the right level of support for our students. We also talk to staff who have taught your child successfully in the past and to look at their work for clues about the appropriate level of difficulty.

If students work hard with little result, it will quickly undermine their motivation. Staff give students tips on how to study and work effectively, for example how to read articles (e.g., skim headings, review sources and tables, identify the author’s argument) and solve problems in their discipline (e.g., formulate the problem, identify constraints, generate possible solutions). Advice about studying is particularly helpful for students who may lack study skills and strategies appropriate for class work. Working for hours on a math problem means that the math problem is inappropriate for that student. We must provide the appropriate math problem which causes the child to think, problem solve, and investigate based on the tools and abilities that child has.

In education, scaffolding refers to a variety of instructional techniques used to move students progressively toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the learning process. The key word is progressively. The term itself offers the descriptive metaphor: teachers provide successive levels of temporary support that help students reach higher levels of comprehension and skill acquisition that they would not be able to achieve without assistance. Like physical scaffolding, the supportive strategies are incrementally removed when they are no longer needed, and the teacher gradually shifts more responsibility over the learning process to the student.

Scaffolding is widely considered to be an essential element of effective teaching, and all teachers—to a greater or lesser extent—almost certainly use various forms of instructional scaffolding in their teaching. In addition, scaffolding is often used to bridge learning gaps—i.e., the difference between what students have learned and what they are expected to know and be able to do at a certain point in their education. For example, if students are not at the reading level required to understand a text being taught in a course, the teacher might use instructional scaffolding to incrementally improve their reading ability until they can read the required text independently and without assistance. One of the main goals of scaffolding is to reduce the negative emotions and self-perceptions that students may experience when they get frustrated, intimidated, or discouraged when attempting a difficult task without the assistance, direction, or understanding they need to complete it.

Often teachers make the decision to move students to groups that may require less support. It is based on the fact that the child has been able to complete work independently and with a full understanding of the presented materials. Other times students are moved to groups that have more support. In this way the scaffolds provided better match the students understanding of the material.

If my time at the Department of Education taught me anything (15 years there) it taught me that a standards based curriculum for special needs students leads to unrealistic goals. There is no way to get a student to make 4 years of progress in one year. When students need more time to master material, speeding up the process is ridiculous.

The Department of Education is not interested in anything but scores, thus they create this alternative assessment in which teachers can measure progress any way they want. I once saw an “alternative” social studies final. The student was asked to circle Asia and North America on a map. The student got one right. Since he was supposed to meet 50% of the criteria set on the IEP, he passed! The DOE can mark this as a major success. Random circling on a map is no way to measure progress (that doesn’t really exist) we know this child knew little about the continents and yet he is seen as a success story. At Cooke our assessments are much more diagnostic and realistic looking at the very specific skills related to reading, writing , and arithmetic. We are not making up assessments which have no bearing on reality.

RIGOR!!!

According to the Hechington Report, “Academic rigor is determined not just by what is taught, but how it is taught and how it is assessed, according to Barbara Blackburn, who teaches at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and who helps teachers and school districts raise the level of rigor in their classrooms. A demanding curriculum isn’t so demanding if it is taught in a way that students can’t learn it or if, on tests, students aren’t really expected to know it.”

What is clear here is the “how”. How usually means fast students learn and puts the onus on the student to figure things out for themselves. The standard is set and students are expected to meet the demand. They go on to say, “But curriculum design is only part of what defines rigor. What actually happens in classrooms is hugely important, too. Carol Jago, author of With Rigor for All and president of the National Council of Teachers of English, said “more is more” in terms of the number of books students should be required to read. “In academically rigorous classrooms, students read at least one book every two to three weeks – ideally more,” she said.” More is not necessarily better for the student with special needs. Book after book without the strategies for comprehension is terrible. It reinforces reading strategies that reduce the students ability to apply strategies for comprehension, in other words reinforcing bad habits.

It is worth noting that many educators equate rigor with pain, rigid thinking, and harshness. “Too often, rigor becomes ‘Let’s give more homework,’ ” said Dick Flanary of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. “Lessons must be ‘rigorous’ if they make kids suffer.” Diane Ravitch, the education historian, associates the word rigor with “rigor mortis” and fears the curriculum becomes narrow, rigid and deadly dull as teachers attempt to cover more topics. A former teacher, in response to President Obama’s remarks about raising the bar academically, wrote a letter to The New York Times urging him to stop talking about “ ‘achievement’ and ‘rigor,’ which have no connection to the inquisitiveness, determination, creative thinking and perseverance students need for genuine lifelong learning.

When the goal of a program is to have students be able to be independent and use functional skills in the world, there is no option to provide overwhelming materials that seem “rigorous” or “challenging”. Inevitably they provide an unrealistic standard where practicing it over and over and over leads to nothing. When a child masters a reasonable skill, they move on to the next.

We need to start curriculum with what our students can do. Not what the DOE wants them to do. If they can handle repeated addition, we may then move to multiplication. If they do not, we widen the net to help them on a better number sense. I do not mean to imply that our students are linear in their learning. Quite the opposite, but the things they learn better be useful, and help them succeed outside the walls of the school.

Congratulations to Stanton House, winners of the house cup 2016. It is their first win ever. Well done. Friendly competitions, fund raisers, and diligent work put them in first place.

Notice Georgia front and center in the grey shirt. She does not look happy. Maybe because she photo bombed the picture, she is not a member of Stanton House.

Achieving true progress means working with each individual and creating an academic plan for their achievement. Cooke talks a lot about individualized instruction. It seems like many schools say this, but I have seen it first hand. In Josie’s 4/5 class, I watched her sit with Tim (math expert extraordinaire) receive one to one math instruction every day. I saw Multiple teachers work with a young man with ASD work on comprehension strategies every day.

Individualized instruction means different things for different students.

But in every case the instruction is based on carefully scaffolded lessons and materials that guide progress.

What The Data Said—Did we make the grade?

As I go through the numbers, it is very clear our students are making progress. Some students make progress at rates equivalent to students without special needs, other move along at a slower path. The key in understanding growth is to recognize that we are not trying to play catch up. A 5th grader reading at a first grade level is not expected to work hard and catch up.

They work hard to achieve a steady rate of progress. We look to ensure that students are making constant and meaningful growth.

CCA Graduation! Many of these students receive a Local Diploma after passing their Regents Competency Exams. Like any other NYC student. An individualized education means different things for different students. Each travels a path most suited to their

I have looked at how student growth happens. I have compared student growth to their IQ scores, to their level of needs, to their age, sex, and many other factors. I have looked at both long term and short term growth. When it comes to the numbers we are in great shape. IQ scores and they types of disabilities do influence the rate of progress for a student. However, our students are doing extremely well compared to the norms. At the same time we are missing so much. The child in Kindergarten who comes in knowing 8 of 26 letters and ends the year knowing 20 of 26 letters has made growth that is difficult to measure. The child who comes in unable to interact with peers and leaves with solid friendships is also difficult to capture. Special education has never leant itself to measures that capture every aspect of student growth.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, “Alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards will provide a more appropriate measure of these students' achievement of grade-level content, and give teachers and parents information that can be used to better inform instruction.”

But this has lead to the state creating sloppy methods of assessment to look at growth. you have all been at an IEP meeting where the chair talks about meeting 50% or 75% or 80% (arbitrary numbers) of the grade standards. I never knew what this means, nor do the people setting those goals. Imagine a teacher telling you that your child added two digit numbers correctly 50% of the time, so we are not going to study single digit addition any more.

What Is The Real Measure Of Success?

Recognizing the difficulties some youth face as they transition to adulthood from schooling, IDEA requires that transition planning be provided to all special education students starting no later than age sixteen. Transition services may include coordination of services (such as vocational training, case management, and benefit counseling) in and outside of schools, assessments of students' interests and aptitudes, help with gathering information on and choosing among relevant opportunities, and planning for necessary supports including assistive technology.

Congratulations graduates of CC Middle school. These 8th graders are ready to move up to high school. We look forward to those moving to the Academy.

Special congratulations goes to Nicholas Jones : Back row, far right. Nicholas is ready to take on the next challenge. He will be attending Cardinal Hayes High School. We are so proud of Nicholas and look forward to more success!

The 2004 amendments to IDEA require that transition planning be based on students' "strengths," not just their preferences and interests, and that the process be "results-oriented." In 2001 almost 90 percent of special education high school students were receiving transition planning, with two-thirds of parents satisfied with these services.

Nonetheless, the extent to which current planning services are improving outcomes for students with disabilities has not been clearly demonstrated, although research has shown the potential for positive impact.

In 2013 the Department of labor announced that only 17% of people with disabilities were employed.

At the same time Cooke reported that about 60% were Success is measured not so much by the position one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. actively engaged in employment including paid work and volunteer opportunities. In addition another 25% Booker T. Washington were in a job training program. Thus our outcomes look good. Is this the final measure of a successful program? I am not sure.

Perhaps the greatest measure of success is the fact that we never say goodbye to students. When they graduate they attend the many, many alumni programs provided by the Cooke Center. A few weeks ago I was at the Karaoke party where just about every alumni I knew attended. Years go by and I see student who graduated telling me about their jobs, lives, families etc. Sometimes we get calls from alumni who need help finding work, or who need help with Medicare forms. Regardless they come back. Cooke students rarely leave. They stay as a part of this amazing family and lead amazing lives.

Today I got an email from Gabe who graduated Skills on Monday. Today is Friday and his email read, “Hello everyone. Today I had my first job interview and I am happy to tell everyone I got the job. Next September I will start working at a Charter School in Downtown Brooklyn organizing and delivering snacks and lunch to children in the elementary school. I will be transporting the food via the elevator. Yay! I am very excited for this opportunity and just wanted to let everyone know the exciting news.

Hope everyone has a great summer.

The class of 2027 has Sincerely Gabe�

some fun using team work to swing.

Two things Gabe was great at (among other things) were working with younger kids and riding elevators (he made many films about elevators). Gabe got a lot of valuable work experience at Cooke. Graduating on a Monday and getting a job that Friday is my measure of success. Of course it is not that fast for everyone. But in any case I never worry about our students finding their place in life.

Thanks to staff and families, I am confident that our students find their place in life, find their happiness and contribute much to the community.

Watching these youngsters grow and learn is the most fun aspect of my work. From K to 1st and 2nd grade we see so many changes in the students. This is a time of magic for the students as they explore new things, get first hand experiences in the world.