Jul 21, 2009

Rhee's Model School Shaw TKO'd By Non-Contender Sousa : Is It True ?

SOUSA BEATS SHAW
This deserves front page billing. Many of you asked in response to an anonymous post on The Washington Teacher whether Sousa middle school TKO'd Shaw middle school on the 2009 DC-CAS scores. ( I did a story on Sousa on June 23 titled: Chancellor Terminator Rhee Fires 8 DC Teachers At Sousa Middle School).

Well now, wouldn't it be funny if Sousa MS out ranked Shaw MS on their standardized tests ? Wasn't Shaw MS the 'pride and joy' model school of Chancellor Rhee ? Isn't Sousa MS the school where 8 DC teachers were terminated by the Rhee administration ? Wouldn't it be a travesty if we learned that Rhee acted too hastily and signed off on teacher terminations at Sousa MS before checking test results ?

I guess we all have to wait and see until the official school by school standardized test results are posted on OSSE's website. It is my understanding that principals already have this information. Suffice it to say for now, here's the low-down as reported by Anonymous:

"I came back to give ya'll the overall numbers for Shaw and Sousa so you can see I am being truthful. Shaw's reading scores for those who passed in 2008 was 38.52% this year those reading scores dropped to 29.65% The reading scores for Sousa in 2008 was 22.84% and in 2009 they went up to 39.42% The math scores for Shaw in 2008 was 33.33% in 2009, they went down to 29.46% The math scores for Sousa in 2008 was 16.75% and they went up in 2009 to 41.83%. Now none of these scores are worthy of bragging rights but this gives those on the outside of the system cold hard facts not propaganda. If you have any request for other schools let me know. The general public will be able to see these scores July 28th. " Signed Anonymous

Posted by The Washington Teacher

70 comments:

DC Teacher said...

Anonymous: I would like to request that you post the scores for Columbia Heights Education campus middle school, Kelly Miller middle school and Stoddert elementary school. Thanks !

Kings said...

Candi - I assume you know who anonymous is and that he/she is a reliable source.

I don't doubt that the Shaw scores (or any school's scores) went down. Nor would I doubt it if scores had changed slightly in either direction, because that would imply honesty - administrators or teachers not messing with the tests.

I do suspect the Sousa scores, however, because they increased so much. Could the firings there be related to the story Bill Turque reported on staff being fired where cheating was exposed?

I guess we will find out soon enough.

Michelle said...

If that email is coming from a teacher, I weep. Subject-verb agreement is a 2nd grade grammatical concept.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like Rhee may have hung herself this time!

Anonymous said...

Michelle, sorry my blog made you weep, but who do you know in America that speaks "the kings english?" and never makes a mistake:)

DC Teacher here is the numbers of the schools you requested. C.H.E.S Reading 2008 no scores 2009 40.19% passed. Math 2008 no scores 2009 47.81% Kelly Miller Reading 2008 25% 2009 26.76%
Math 2008 22.86% 2009 25.14% Stoddert Reading 2008 77.5% 2009 74.55% Math 2008 66.25% 2009 80%

Please keep the request coming.

Kings, I have access to this data because I know a principal in the system so rest assure on July 28th you will be able to verify all my numbers.

Candi, keep up the great work I really enjoy your blog:)

Anonymous said...

Anonymous I would be interested in the scores of Hart MS. Thanks in advance. If these scores are correct for Shaw and Sousa it will be interesting to see how Rhee and our education Mayor dance their collective way around the facts. Thanks again.

Anonymous said...

Hi Anon, could we see Thomson, Cooke and Shepherd? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

"so rest assure..."

This is EXACTLY what I am talking about. Anon is probably a principal herself, and can't even speak English well enough to know that there is a "d" at the end of assured. It reminds me of the poster at my old school, showing kids who were proficient and kids who were "advance." It's really a problem in DC schools.

Anonymous said...

Anon,
Hart reading scores are 2008 17.08% 2009 17.80% Math scores 2008 13.67% 2009 13.99% I also found it interesting that Hart tested 528 students compared to Shaw and Sousa who tested 227 and 208 students. Talk about overcrowding. The number of students per teacher may have alot to do with Harts slow progress.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the Hart data. Yes when one school tests 300 more students than another school, overcrowding is an issue. However inequities in DC schools are another conversation.

The Washington Teacher said...

The Anonymous posts about grammar are the last ones I will allow on my blog. They discourage interested parties from freely expressing themselves.

I have only allowed these posts for you all to see the naysayers who focus on everything but the real issues at hand. These posts are only an attempt to distract us from having meaningful dialogue. I reserve the right as the blog administrator to reject certain comments and will use the delete button as needed.

Anonymous said...

How about Plummer, Smothers and Nalle?

Anonymous said...

OK, my curiousity is getting to me, could you also post Wilson SHS?

Anonymous said...

Smothers Reading 2008 30.12% 2009 29.03% Math 2008 21.69% 2009 37.63%

Plummer Reading 2008 39.77% 2009 34.48% Math 2008 31.82% 2009 36.78%

Nalle Reading 2008 23.20% 2009 26.72% Math 2008 20.80% 2009 24.43%

Concerned about Ludlow said...

Could you post Ludlow Taylor's scores ? Thanks.

Anonymous said...

What are the scores for Truesdell and Whittier?

Anonymous said...

Until these tests are administered by impartial third parties, the scores mean next to nothing. Teachers in DC get several thousand dollars if their school increases by a certain percent. I think most schools aren’t cheating, but the only that double and triple their scores in one year? C’mon…

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see Thomson and Ross.

Anonymous said...

How are you suppose to really have gains when your work constraints are so real and detrimental and everchanging that you can't teach. She has the gains she does just because of her practices. She's not going to see a substantial jump until she realizes that the teacher has to be supported and not harassed, intimidated. I still can't believe that she called a press conference to even make the numbers public. It's an embarassment compared to her neighboring counties. She should really be packing. She is never told NO. She gets everything she needs and she can't produce the results that show a substantial increase. I'm sorry; but Columbia Heights, 60% of the student body is basic. This college-preparatory campus-like setting with aggressive curriculum has more than half of its student body testing below proficiency levels. She should be fired just based on the overall results from the DCCAS. She has no more tricks!

Parents and the communities should be outraged. This is totally embarassing. She's made over a half a million dollars in two years and she has done nothing. I wouldn't leave either if I were her because all that she does is show up and hope that the magic happens. HALF A MILLION DOLLARS --- COME ON PEOPLE!

Kings said...

Candi - I completely agree with your position on grammar complaints. Even I - the great "Kings" for "the King's English" make spelling and grammar mistakes when posting quickly. Some even persist after checking for spelling!

This is a chat, not a term paper -- let's give each other some slack.

Kings said...

to anon at 5:35, who says, "The number of students per teacher may have a lot to do with Harts slow progress."

But you know the Rhee Mantra, right? "class size doesn't matter."

It translates - "we can't figure out what to do about it, so we'll just blame the teachers"

Anonymous said...

Thomas Reading 2008 44% 2009 47.13%
Math 200 37% 2009 52.87%

Cooke Reading 2008 36.89% 2009 31.86% Math 2008 43.69% 2009 38.05%

Shepherd Reading 2008 73.91% 2009 77.78% Math 2008 63.77% 2009 76.47%

Anonymous said...

How about Langdon, Brookland, and Burroughs?

Anonymous said...

Wilson SHS Reading 2008 62.42% 2009 72.18% Math 2008 60% 2009 67.17%

Ludlow-Taylor Reading 2008 51.09% 2009 57.35% Math 2008 53.26% 2009 57.35%

Truesdall Reading 2008 47.24% 2009 49.75% Math 2008 48.82% 2009 56.72%

Whittier Reading 2008 51.37% 2009 45.89% Math 2008 45.9% 2009 52.17%

Anonymous said...

Thomson Reading 2008 45.28% 2009 44.83% Math 2008 30.82% 2009 45.36%

Ross Reading 2008 65.63% 2009 77.05% Math 2008 48.44% 2009 70.49%

Ross tested 61 children

Anonymous said...

Langdon Reading 2008 70.59% 2009 66.85% Math 2008 77.94% 2009 71.82%

Brookland Reading 2008 58.93% 2009 46.31% Math 2008 65.18% 2009 41.87%

Burroughs Reading 2008 63.55% 2009 61.72% Math 2008 58.88% 2009 54.69%

Anonymous said...

What about Malxom X Elementary School?

Anonymous said...

Malcolm X Reading 2008 27.39% 2009 27.91% Math 2008 13.38% 2009 31.40%

Anonymous said...

How about Watkins and Stuart Hobson?

Anonymous said...

Watkins Reading 2008 61.64% 2009 69.23% Math 2008 56.47% 2009 67.42%

Stuart Hobson Reading 2008 66.41% 2009 74.87% Math 2008 56.51% 2009 75.38%

Anonymous said...

What about Powell, Marie Reed and Brightwood?

Anonymous said...

anne beers elementary?

Anonymous said...

Anacostia, Ballou, Kramer, Johnson?

Kings said...

Well this is all very simple in the Rhee theory of management - just fire all the principals of the schools where the scores went down and give bonuses to the principals where the scores went up. No investigation of soaring scores - that's obviously the result of excellent teaching -- and no excuses for lower scores - that's bad teaching.

So - Betts of Shaw must go - his leadership is a bust. He personally selected his teachers to be young and enthusiastic and brought in top-notch assistants from Montgomery County and paid the kids for good behavior. One strike and you’re out in Rhee’s world. He’s probably an honest guy and didn’t even think of fudging the scores. Too bad. He had way more than 90 days to improve and he failed.

And the Sousa principal gets a big bonus - and all the fired teachers get their jobs back? hmmm

This is all tongue-in-cheek of course, but is IS how Rhee has operated up until now.

And BEWARE if next year some of those higher scores slip a little -- must be bad leadership and teaching – why look any further?

Hey Anon – could you post Ron Brown middle school scores? That’s the place where the principal said student violence was caused by poor instruction. Let’s see how his theory held up.

Anonymous said...

Can you post Emery's scores ?

Anonymous said...

What about LaSalle? Their principal was a REAL JERK to a lot of teachers.

Anonymous said...

What about Coolidge? What about Webb-Wheatley? That principal was supposed to be the same superstar Betts was. He got double the resources the former principal got, people clowned him all of the time and he knew kids were fighting upstairs all of the time, yet he hid it there. They even built a padded room there.

Anonymous said...

I'm appalled at all the complaining about principals. Surely there are some principals out there that somebody likes and respects. Can we start hearing about those folks?

It seems like all you ever hear about is how terrible DCPS is - teachers, facilities, principals, etc. I would think that this blog and its readers would want to highlight some of the things about DCPS that are working.

Anonymous said...

We have a great principal at our Title I school. She expects the very best of children and adults and offers wonderful programs to our students.

She does not give up on the highest achieving students and gets them placements in the Hopkins program for gifted children. She also doesn't give up on the "below basic" children. She cares about children, all of them.

She is honest and hard-working, as is her staff. They don't cheat and they don't "game the system" to focus only on the children who are on the cusp of proficiency.

And yes, our DC-CAS scores were not great.

If our principal gets fired I will be pulling my children out of DCPS. This hard working educator is the only reason we've stayed in this broken system for so long. And yes, Rhee has made things worse.

I'm so, so tired.

Anonymous said...

To appalled Anonymous –

Please, if you have good things to say – let’s hear them, instead of trying to goad others into finding the good in what’s been a horrible situation for so many.

I discourage anyone from naming principals that they respect or programs that they think are working for fear that you are a Rhee spy looking to fire another respected principal or dismantle a good program (especially if it’s one Rhee didn’t personally establish). Sorry – but that’s how suspicious I've become after what I’ve seen.

Anonymous said...

I am a parent of a young child who is not yet school-age. I've been reading these blogs in an attempt to educate myself about the realities of DCPS so we can make an informed decision about whether we believe DCPS can serve our child well. I expect I'm not alone in this regard.

If I had positive stories about specific teachers, principals, schools, etc, I'd gladly share them! While DCPS clearly needs to improve (50% of students being proficient is heart-breaking), I have to think there are pockets of excellence, inspiring stories to be told and replicated and teachers and principals to be cheered and admired. And I'd love to hear about them in addition to the harsh realities. It's going to take a lot for DCPS to become a 1st rate school district, including parental support. I've heard compelling reasons why not all parents can be involved in a 'traditional' way and I have no quarrel with that, but I do think there are other parents who can be involved and who can help to provide needed support at the school level. And only spreading a doom and gloom message is not going to attract those parents.

Katie said...

Can you post scores for Moten @ Wilkinson elementary?

Anonymous said...

Kings said
as far as Hart there were 2 principals along with an interim principal in the mean time. It is a wonder with all of the changes that the scores raised even if they were ever so slightly.
As you said blame blame blame teachers!

Anonymous said...

But there is truth to the doom and gloom. It's not just a message being spread. People are afraid - maybe that's the message you should get, instead of demanding a positive message.

Have you noticed the increased number of "Anonymous" postings here. People are afraid. I'm afraid that if I mention something good about a specific school on a public blog like this something bad will happen there -- I've seen it happen. The one positive comment you got here was from someone afraid there good situation would end at any moment.

I suggest that if you want specific information, you go into neighborhoods and talk to people directly.

Or email Rhee directly - she's good at getting back to people.

Anonymous said...

To the parent of a not-yet-school-age child. Here's my advice, as a teacher and a parent. Visit the DCPS schools in your neighborhood and find a preschool program that you like. Take advantage of the early childhood (preschool through kindergarten) programs at DCPS, because it's an excellent deal. For 1st grade and up, look for schools with richest curriculum. Avoid schools that have a singular focus on raising test scores. Since raising test scores is the only goal of our current leadership, this may mean you need to go private.

Anonymous said...

Johnson Reading 2008 19.63% 2009 14.55% Math 2008 9.82% 2009 13.75%

Powell Reading 2008 34.04% 2009 26.22% Math 2008 48.94% 2009 43.03%

Marie Reed Reading 2008 61.39% 2009 69.42% Math 58.23% 2009 73.55%

Coolidge Reading 2008 29.09% 2009 36.17% Math 2008 50.91% 2009 42.55%

Webb Reading 2008 15.25% 2009 12.82% Math 2008 13.56% 2009 12.82%

Moten Reading 2008 17.32% 2009 20.69% Math 2008 11.17% 2009 22.22%

Brightwood Reading 2008 49.10% 2009 47.12% Math 2008 28.14% 2009 48.17%

Lasalle Reading 2008 39.68% 2009 43.01% Math 2008 32.54% 2009 28.11%

Ron Brown Reading 2008 24.90% 2009 27% Math 2008 18.67% 2009 28.86%

Emery Reading 2008 58.82% 2009 57.25% Math 2008 56.47% 2009 53.62%

Beers Reading 2008 52.80% 2009 40.60% Math 20089 36.02% 2009 41.35%

Anacostia Reading 2008 21.15% 2009 24.05% Math 2008 13.46% 2009 18.13%

Ballou Reading 2008 22.22% 2009 24.05% Math 2008 18.22% 2009 22.36%

Kramer Reading 2008 20.80% 2009 24.05% Math 2008 27.43% 2009 20.98%

teach21000s said...

Not only were 528 students tested at Hart but no accomodations were given for qualified SPED students.That means that students who qualified to be read to were not, (a significant amount in the SPED population). Students were not given water or snack breaks, nor were they pulled out when they were disruptive. This caused chaos in some testing classrooms. When are all children in DCPS going to be treated equally the same as RHEE has specified she does? It was as if they wanted the students of Hart to fail. I guess Ward 8 children don't deserve a good education.....

Anonymous said...

can you post Janney, Murch, and Key Elementary Schools?

Anonymous said...

Please post scores for Eliot-Hine M.S. and Jefferson M.S.

Anonymous said...

Hourrah for Ross ES.

Months of nothing except intensive test preparation has resulted into significant gains both in Mathematics and Reading, regardless of the fact that many of the many kids do not know basic spelling or the simplest grammar rules such as noun-verb agreement.

SO this is what a high performing school is supposed to look like under Rhee administration.

Anonymous said...

The most positive thing we could read is a post that Rhee is gone. DC has had some issues for years but those issues have been lack of funding for the schools, broken down facilities and other such issues. There are a lot of wonderful principals Rhee pushed out last and this year. There are a lot of teachers who have been brutalized this year by principals who did so just to keep their jobs. Rhee runs people with a spirit of fear. Perhaps we should purchase a plane ticket for her to get out of here and then rebuild once she's gone.

The fact of the matter is Rhee has been pushed upon the people of DC. She has fired many people on all levels who never had what they needed to do their jobs. She has fired people who won't kiss up to her. She has fired people just because they were overweight, because she didn't like them, just because. Let's not forget she has also gotten rid of people the mayor does not like. Things in DCPS have only been as bad as their leadership. At this point there is no leadership. Something has to be done with the head of DCPS and the mayor because neither are doing what they should. Neither are accountable to the people but they should be. This nonsense has to stop TODAY.

Anonymous said...

Do you think there is any chance they will come up with a new pool of test questions? I'm frustrated because while I respect the fact that our principal is too honest to cheat, she's likely to get fired.

Ross's scores and Ludlow Taylor's are both reputed to be the result of cheating. Is anyone looking into this? GAO, where are you?

The old tests are kicking around and since the question pool is so small, it's pretty clear that some of these students have seen the questions before.

I swear, this is like steroids in baseball. A principal who doesn't "use" old test questions is left in the weeds.

The question is, would you rather be in the weeds and keep your integrity?

I'm a DCPS parent, but I have to say, charters are looking better and better.

Anonymous said...

Eliot Reading 2008 30.43% 2009 37.75% Math 2008 37.68% 2009 41.94%

Jefferson Reading 2008 48.67% 2009 48.35% Math 2008 48.94% 2009 53.15%

Janney Reading 2008 87.80% 2009 90.80% Math 2008 88.98% 2009 85.44%

Murch Reading 2008 80.65% 2009 83.84% Math 2008 74.19% 2009 82.10%

Key Reading 2008 84.21% 2009 84.73% Math 2008 92.11% 2009 86.26%

Anonymous said...

What about Walker-Jones scores?

Anonymous said...

Please ask your anonymous sources to add two pieces of information to the DC CAS information: The grade levels that the scores represent and the number of students that took each test.
Anonymous

Anonymous said...

Candi,
There's something wrong with Shaw's number of students. Your anonymous source said there were 227 students who took the test. Right.
Shaw had over 260 students at the end of of April, when the tests were taken. Ask her to check, please and to post all the numbers of tested students.

Anonymous said...

regarding shaw's number of tested students - consider that a lot of them didn't show up for the test - because they decided not to on their own or were told not to by the administration - as a way of avoiding having low-performing students pull down the scores.

I do hope the numbers tomorrow show school enrollment as well as numbers taking the test.

Anonymous said...

Can you post Garfield ES scores ?
Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Can you post the scores of Eaton Elementary?

Anonymous said...

I went to the OSSE site http://nclb.osse.dc.gov/index.asp to get all the DC-CAS scores, and found this:

"JULY 28 UPDATE: OSSE will be releasing final & public data from the 2009 DC CAS on Wednesday August 5. Originally, preliminary data without AYP determinations was to be released today and final data on August 12. Over the next 8 days, OSSE will be reviewing appeals and petitions from schools and LEAs. Please check back on August 5 to view all final achievement data by school and AYP determinations for 2009."

How does a school appeal a score for tests that were taken and scored months ago?

Anyone know if this has been done before.

Anonymous said...

I do not believe that schools appeal the scores. The school will appeal whether or not it has met AYP or safe harbor. This can be questioned due to problems such as an increase in a subgroup causing that subgroup to be counted toward AYP when it was not in the previous year. For example, your school had five Native Americans last year and now you have 30. Last year this subgroup did not figure into whether your school made AYP, this year it does. Yes, the appeal process has been around for a while.

incredulous said...

I wonder how many trained educators here could correctly order five randomly chosen schools by reading % proficient, math reading % proficient and size of observed change between 08 and 09. Put the schools in a list on the left and the numbers in a different order in lists on the right.

I suspect you would do no better than by predicting from the first 10 cards turned up after a thorough shuffle which ten came from a deck with two red cards removed and which from a full fifty-two card deck.

Or, here's another exercise: Compare the gains this year, by school, with the gains the previous year. And, my-oh-my, the schools with gains two years in a row should be high-morale high fliers in 09-10, shouldn't they?

My point is that this peek-show doesn't reveal much about these schools, does it?

Anonymous said...

How about Hardy and Deal?

Anonymous said...

If a school feels that there were student scores that should not have been counted, they can make their case.

Anonymous said...

Can you post up the scores for Charles Houston Elem? Also theres a community forum at Sousa tonight @ 6:30 about the new scores for anyone interested.

Anonymous said...

Can someone please post the results for Roosevelt SHS? Thank you!

Plato said...

Not only does this "peek show" reveal little about schools, the complete data, when it is released, will tell us equally little.

None of this standardized test data is relevant or helpful for evaluating students, teachers, principals, schools, or even the chancellor herself.

Insider forced Outside said...

Do you have the scores for Shaed EC? Veteran teachers have been forced to "retire" as a result of the harassing and intimidating behavior of the principal, who has no principals. Parents have removed their children and the population is now below 130 students. They have petitioned for her removal but have gotten no justice so they just take their kids elsewhere. DC administration sees nothing wrong with this. Going to the principal's supervisors has done no good because they just back her even though kids are suffering. She uses the budget to hire her friends and gives them incentives-little or no work for pay. The former PE teacher who never taught was brought back and is still "retired" but gets two checks.There have been EEOC complaints that have been upheld but still the principal is there.Rhee is aware of Shaed but she chooses to do nothing. What does Taylor have on DCPS or who does she know that keeps her in TEFLON. Teachers, parents, and students are blamed for low performance but not her. The proof is in the pudding, where are the scores?
Insider forced Outside

Insider forced Outside said...

Do you have the scores for Shaed EC? Veteran teachers have been forced to "retire" as a result of the harassing and intimidating behavior of the principal, who has no principles. Parents have removed their children and the population is now below 130 students. They have petitioned for her removal but have gotten no justice so they just take their kids elsewhere. DC administration sees nothing wrong with this. Going to the principal's supervisors has done no good because they just back her even though kids are suffering. She uses the budget to hire her friends and gives them incentives-little or no work for pay. The former PE teacher who never taught was brought back and is still "retired" but gets two checks.There have been EEOC complaints that have been upheld but still the principal is there. Rhee is aware of Shaed but she chooses to do nothing. What does Taylor have on DCPS or who does she know that keeps her in TEFLON. Teachers, parents, and students are blamed for low performance but not her. The proof is in the pudding, where are the scores?

Insider forced Outside

Anonymous said...

OK I'm back to give the scores of requested schools. I tried to give OSSE a chance to make the scores public, but I guess they have to dress the scores up some more first. Candi I am pretty sure you blog is monitored and they are probably trying to figure out who is providing these numbers. To all posters I am a male not a female, and I am neither principal nor teacher, but I am an insider so hears the numbers you asked for.

Shaed Reading 2008 37.50% 2009 43.53% Math 2008 31.25% 2009 35.29%

Hardy Reading 2008 70.63& 2009 72.85% Math 2008 64.21% 2009 69.54%

Deal Reading 2008 78.59% 2009 78.37% Math 2008 77.01% 2009 77.63%

Houston Reading 2008 45.80% 2009 58.77% Math 2008 31.30% 2009 45.61%

Walker-Jones Reading 2008 23.81% 2009 38.39% Math 2008 19.05% 2009 41.07%

Garfield Reading 2008 26.80% 2009 26.23% Math 2008 24.84% 2009 26.23%

Eaton Reading 2008 73.96% 2009 85.57% Math 2008 64.06% 2009 80.10%

It will be interesting to see how much these scores change once OSSe releases the official data. Remember testing companies are paid for what they do. imo they will do whatever the people paying them tell them to do. Many testing companies have made major mistakes when it comes to these test. Once case that comes to mind is when parents in Texas sued the testing company and won. Google how these test really arent all that valid. Good luck dealing with OSSE ya'll