“New Rigor” For Math Instruction

The Board of Education this week took its first look at a new mathematics initiative that will bring focus and direction to mathematics classrooms throughout the district.

“The initiative is standards-driven, firmly grounded in research, and aligned with a set of core principles about learning,” states an overview published by the district’s Office of Curriculum and Instruction.

The push concentrates district support for two programs – Everyday Mathematics in elementary schools and Connected Mathematics Program in middle schools.

There’s “clear evidence,” states the overview, that “large-scale implementation of standards-based curricula produces significant improvements in achievement across the board – in problem solving, conceptual understanding, and in computational skills.”

Bearing down with support for each program, math specialist Debbie Hearty told the Board, will allow the district to maximize the use of professional development dollars and help schools focus on what’s needed to raise achievement and succeed on the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP).

In addition, she said, highly mobile students who transfer from school to school within the same year will find consistency in mathematics instruction, making it easier to keep learning.

The initiative will also bring a rich array of materials and curriculum, require setting competency levels on a district-wide basis, address issues for English Language Learners, and build students’ ability to discuss mathematics concepts orally. “There’s a new rigor in math instruction,” said Hearty.

“The heart of this initiative is the conviction that all elementary and middle school students can, and must, learn more mathematics than has been expected from them in the past,” states the overview. “The instructional design is carefully crafted to capitalize on student interest and maximize student learning.”

At the elementary level, the program includes such themes as problem solving for everyday situations, developing concepts through hands-on activities, and an emphasis on students being able to explain and discuss their mathematical thinking. At the middle school level, students will move through four to seven thematical units of investigation into mathematics problems and issues each year. Students develop understanding, reasoning, and skills by exploring a cohesive set of interesting problems that embody rich mathematical ideas.

Regrettably, said Chief Academic Officer Sally Mentor Hay, there will be some lag time until all schools are on the same track because it will take time – and money – for the textbook purchasing cycle to catch up.

“Teaching math in urban situations is a very challenging situation and teachers deserve a lot of support,” said Mentor Hay. Unfortunately, she added, “we have to go more slowly than we would like to go.”

Several Board members praised the new push.

“I’ve been waiting for this for some time and I am so happy to see this kind of approach taken on a district-wide level,” said Board member Kevin Patterson. “I’m thoroughly excited.”

New Guidelines Proposed For Future Beverage Contracts

Superintendent Jerry Wartgow this week outlined to the Denver Board of Education proposed guidelines for a new beverage contract that would provide a vendor with exclusive rights to place vending machines in the district’s schools.

The new guidelines, under development for months, address concerns raised by members of the Board of Education and others about the nutritional value of soft drinks.

The Board of Education will ultimately decide whether to negotiate a new contract – and on what terms. The current contract, signed in 1998, expires in August 2003. The current vendor, Pepsi, holds first right of refusal on any new terms.

Superintendent Wartgow proposed the following guidelines:

No vending machines selling products other than water will be permitted in elementary schools (except for the teacher’s lounge).
The cost per bottle of water will not exceed the cost of other beverages.
A percentage of proceeds from the vending contract will be designated for educational programs on healthy life styles and good nutrition.
The vending machines, provided by Pepsi, will promote only water consumption.

District studies show that on average students consume three-quarters of one bottled or canned serving per week.

“Health and obesity issues are of increasing concern nationally and certainly, also, in Denver Public Schools,” said Superintendent Wartgow. “Teachers and staff can play an important role in addressing this problem. However, vending machine and beverage contracts in schools are not where this problem begins – or even the first place to look for solutions.”

Schools use their share of drink sales – including soda, juice, tea and water – to support such needs as debate clubs, field trips, Math Counts competitions, physical education equipment including cheerleader uniforms and other items, and school speakers and other presentations. Schools receive 57 percent gross commission on each sale.

Board member Lucia Guzman asked for details on how schools spend their commission proceeds and said she liked the proposed changes for elementary schools.

“Thank you for your recommendations,” she said.

Board member Sue Edwards said community members using the facility after school hours are the primary users of the elementary school vending machines. “It’s not the typical practice that kids are buying those soda pops,” she said.

And Board President Elaine Gantz Berman said her stance has “shifted a bit.” While still concerned “personally” about childhood obesity, she said, “I’ve come to the point of fully understanding that this has to do with exercise.” She pushed for increasing the rigor of the district’s physical education programs.

Renewals For Odyssey And Wyatt-Edison Charter Schools Recommended

District administrators presented the Board of Education this week with recommendations that Odyssey and Wyatt-Edison charter schools be renewed for another five years. The Board is scheduled to make a decision about the charter renewals Thursday, Feb. 20.

Both schools are in their fifth year of operation and by state law must submit renewal applications to the Board prior to their charters’ expiration. As part of the process, the schools made presentations to the Board last month, and district staff submitted analyses this week.

Schools Meet Goals
Staff concluded that both schools have:

Implemented the educational program described in their charters
Made reasonable progress toward achieving some of their educational objectives, including reaching higher levels of reading, writing and math achievement than other district comparable schools
Laid a foundation that should continue to address increasing student achievement
Met generally accepted standards of fiscal management

The reports indicate that both schools’ missions continue to be driving forces of their educational programs. Odyssey’s mission is to provide an opportunity for children and youth to actively learn in a way respectful to individual learning styles, development, and interests; to encourage all children toward high achievement and excellence; and to support family and community participation in each child’s education.

Wyatt’s mission is to provide a world-class education to all students – giving children the academic skills and strength of character to become successful citizens.

Highlights
Odyssey serves 215 kindergarteners through eighth graders in northeast Denver and draws its direction from 10 Expeditionary Learning/Outward Bound Design Principles.

The school seeks to meet or exceed district attendance rates and involve parents and community members as partners in the learning process. Overall, attendance has been slightly higher than the district average, and 92 percent of families were at least minimally involved, with 62 percent being substantially involved.

Odyssey has not developed the measurements necessary to evaluate its progress toward meeting some goals, such as enhancing students’ character development and social responsibility, and providing a rich learning environment for students from diverse backgrounds and with a range of abilities, affinities and strengths.

Wyatt-Edison is a partnership between Edison Schools’ private, national system and a local community organization. The national Edison design provides a blueprint for the school.

Wyatt has successfully implemented its educational program, succeeding in its expectations that students make steady progress toward Wyatt-Edison standards in the primary, elementary and junior academies.

The school has not provided evidence that students are meeting standards by the “normal time for graduation from each academy” or developed a quantifiable means of assessing its students’ growth in the non-academic areas.

Board Notes...

In other action this week, the Board of Education:

Recognized outstanding female high school athletes from across the district including Vanessa Quintana (Abraham Lincoln), Molly McConaty (East), Senayt Rahwa (George Washington), Kelly Ackerman (John F. Kennedy), Sydney Price (Manual), Dominique Gloster (Montbello), Nora Shamburg-Donohue (North), Ashley Lutts (South), Larissa Lindley (Thomas Jefferson), and Leslie Mowery (West). Under proclamation from the Denver Board of Education, the City and County of Denver, and the state of Colorado, National Girls and Women in Sports Day was Feb. 5.
Recognized that the district was recently named as “Outstanding Employer” for 2003 by the Professionals In Workers Compensation. “This recognition is a tribute, in part, to the fine work done by Doreen Bovey and Annette Solano in the workers’ compensation office,” said Lita Weinstein, Director of Employee Benefits. “This is a tribute to the direction and attitude that has been developed in the district’s program. Claims are managed aggressively and moved along to the next step. The results have been a low rate of lost time claims compared to industry standards and a high rate of return to work.”
Rejected an arbitrator’s decision involving a case from an employee represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1563. The case involved the degree of specificity in driver work rules. The Board found the arbitrator’s decision went beyond his authority, but Board member Sue Edwards read a statement indicating that the language in question had been eliminated.

Denver Public School
Board of Education

Elaine Gantz Berman, President
Lucia Guzman, Vice President
Sue Edwards, Secretary
Kevin Patterson, Treasurer
Michelle Moss, Board Member
James Mejia, Board Member at Large
Les Woodward, Board Member at Large

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