Tuesday night's school board meeting had a presentation from a salesman.
His company: Scientific Learning Corporation.
His Pitch: How to change students' brain architecture.
I sat in a corner, next to the food and drinks table, and braced for the unknown. --"This presentation sounds promising"-- I told myself.
BTW, I am not the one who questioned this program's implementation, it was a school board member, one of the new ones, Mr. Dorien Hurtt, who did.
The salesman spoke of this program having a proven record by 270 studies. He spoke of students being able to increase their grade level reading by a year or two, in just 8-12 weeks. He mentioned "neuron stickiness" and neuroplasticity and how the brain can be re-shaped by his program but only if students were to use it on 30 to 50 minutes segments several times a week.
All was peachy until Mr. Hurtt, school board member, asked about implementation. He asked if there was a plan that the school board could look at to see how the program was going to be implemented.
The answer? Most likely there is a plan. And look, there is all that time at Language Arts. And Art Classes and Library time that could also be used.
But there was no copy of the implementation plan for the school board. No, the school board has to trust, or so it seems, the salesman and the superintendent.
There is more on Scientific Learning Corporation later on at the following post.
17 comments:
Very interesting program based on what I read. Were these same questions asked of the ALEKS program I see on the agenda?
5:43,
There was no presentation, or salesman, of any other program. What did you find interesting about Fast ForWord? Please give us an additional point of view, it will be appreciated. Thanks!
Reading the case studies and the approach/results of the schools that used it is promising. This is also interesting:
http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=BW&Date=20120111&ID=14683296
How is this program similar to or different from the Reading Plus program currently in use across the district? Are we about to scrap one program(based upon what justification) for another program?
Reading plus was discontinued thru out the district in september.
8:50: Is there documentation substantiating the rationale for dropping Reading Plus? How much carry-over stock/residue/clutter is left from the abandonment of Reading-Plus? Who initiated the purchase and how was the decision to purchase arrived at? Are we repeating purchasing mistakes, not doing our due diligence and wasting time and money, while making sales reps RICH?
What is the status of Plainfield's use of Learnia, Study Island, Read 180 and all the computer-based components of all the comprehensive, balanced, research-based, differentiated, NJCCCS-Aligned...courseware which PPS ALREADY owns in all curricular areas and at every grade level????
PPS must get the Fast ForWord company to do a major pilot (FREE-TRIAL) and prove the product's worth at their expense! That is how smart school districts make cost-effective and DATA-Driven purchases. BTW, who is in charge of data-driven purchases at the Plainfield Board of Education/PPS?
Do we have a district-wide PTO or PTA?
What Ms Pellum failed to report was that it was shared that the Principal of the school along with a team of educational professionals selected this program after reviewing and assessing several. At some point WE have got to stop this pettiness and allow our professionals to do their job. Also note that a request was made to have the principal and team present the implementation plan to the board at the next meeting. You see not so difficult or mysterious.
11:01,
I failed to report it because I never heard that part among the confusion created by Mr. Hurtt's questions, but I am glad you say it was a team based decision. Hopefully my questions sent to the administration will be answered just the same way. Thanks!
How dare you say that Ms. Pellum "FAILED," 11:01?!
She reported what was provided, presented and audible TO THE PUBLIC.
WE are the OWNERS and EMPLOYERS of PPS! And, IF the administrative "professionals" didn't continuously demonstrate just how unprofessional they are, via memos from the state which beg for mandate-compliance in so many departments, we might have a modicum of trust in your obviously "untapped" professionalism.
Therefore, like all good employers, WE MUST double-check your math, excuses, documentation and motives! The fact that public scrutiny upsets you is very telling!
Consequently, we MUST have LIVE-streaming and archived Internet access to the entirety of ALL public BOE meetings,including the public comments! Starting NOW!!!
Streaming and archiving BOE meetings would be a wonderful learning experience and resume-builder for the HS Technology Club members! By the way, it is EASY and IMMEDIATELY doable!
No alibis, No excuses No exceptions!
¡Sin Limitaciones, Sin Excusas,Sin excepciones!
Mr Hurtt question how it was to be implemented. Having the program reviewed by the Principal and a team is not addressing how it would be implemented. Does it?
BTW, who is "the principal" and who serves on "the team"? What criteria did they use? Which other programs were evaluated? And, as always, where are the rubric-based scoring documents for each of the programs evaluated???
In addition to teaching and planning, teachers have to provide accountability RUBRICS for everything! So, highly paid PPS administrators, are you practicing what you are preaching and walking your accountability talk??? We should not have to ask/beg for this documentation and evidence of organization--it should be a given!
Here's just another truth for Ms. Pellum FAILED to share with your all. the $22K price tag is an actual cost of $36 per student. This program covers EVERY student in that school. Are our kids NOT worth $36 bucks. Get it together people. You all sound like fools!
Why is no one questioning the item on the agenda where the bilingual department is purchasing licenses for a math program,aleks, just for bilingual students at $42 a student. Great program but I would like my kids who are not bilingual to use it too.
WOW, stooping to emotional name calling...I sure hope we don't employ you, 9:52AM.
In fact our children are certainly worth way more than $36(BTW:the use of "bucks" is redundant). However, we need to get the best VALUE for our children's $36. And,coincidentally, that is what accountable, rational and professional fiduciaries are mandated to do. All the public is asking for is transparent business dealings and documented rationales for purchases. As parents and community members, that is our job.
Sorry we are upsetting you so much. Your emotional outbursts make it seem as if the district is hiding something(s). The district should be proud to show their work.
In fact,we will NEVER rely upon blind-faith when it concerns our children.
No alibis, No excuses No exceptions!
¡Sin Limitaciones, Sin Excusas,Sin excepciones!
¡Sin Limitaciones, Sin Excusas,Sin excepciones!
You are not upsetting me at all.
Cojelo Suave!
Reading Plus has NOT been discontinued at all schools.
10:52 Thank you for revealing that the silent board completely shielded "Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces" (ALEKS) from public attention!
And, thank you for informing us about the plans to try-out this "shielded" product on our bilingual children, thereby using funding meant for them on a product that the public was given little if any information about.
As you mentioned, if ALEKS is so great, why aren't all children getting access to it?
The board members and central administration must be fired! We pay the administrators to run a tight, fair and transparent ship. However, their lack of respect for the public, questionable spending practices and resistance to vetting documentation causes the hard-working public to continually look over their shoulders and correct them:
The public and our children do not have the time, energy or funding for district INCOMPETENCE or WORSE!!!
We MUST fire the board members and central administration, and call for a complete auditing of the district, NOW!
The stench gets worse everyday!
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