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Failing school to have top grades lopped off
By adamg on Tue, 11/01/2016 - 10:58pm
The Dorchester Reporter reports on action by BPS at the Mattahunt School that will, among other things, stave off a state takeover of the schools as its turned into an "early education center" for pre-school, kindergarten and grade 1 students.
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Comments
Sounds like the school had trouble teaching reading and math
so they would prefer to focus on the years when those skills don't come into play. #notimpressed
Actually
I believe they start teaching math and language before 1st grade now, and that's supposedly the best time to start. So -- even less impressed.
Dr. Bronners Educational Theory
Low achievement can be solved with the proper level of dilution
BPS: confused, as usual
The school currently seats >600 kids. There's an early learning center 1 mile away (Ellison/Parks). Both funnel to the same school. The master plan is supposed to be coming out in January. This makes no sense. I've never witnessed such confusion and disarray. This kind of nonsense only increases suspicions, cynicism, complaints and fears in what is supposed to be a system of trust.
Ellison/Parks
I think the Ellison/Parks is K0-3, not just early learning and it is also an inclusion school.
This move does address two issues, the increased demand for K0 slots across the city. Second, it prevents the school from going into receivership and being run by the state as well as reconfigure the staffing. But I do agree that the sudden pivot can increase suspicion and cynicism.
Where do the kids go for 4th though?
Where's the school where the 4th grade has lots of empty seats? So kids are going to go to a new school for ... 2years then go to middle school? That's not disruptive at all.
So many hard problems to solve but I don't get BPS sometimes. Also, if the school falls into receivership, doesn't it get more state aid? Seems like a bonus in a way.
Empty seats in fourth grade
Any school without AWC.
It won't be awkward at all.
Isn't AWC as a standalone on its way out?
I think AWC is being phased out for in class/school curriculum options.
It is, and I'm in a BPS
It is, and I'm in a BPS school that's doing so. It is...honestly not working very well.
Hard to know
So far it's just talk
I can only speak from what I
I can only speak from what I know, but my son just started (had to decide inside 24h) at an Early Learning center, which is K0-1st after 1st they can enter the lottery, but are guaranteed a spot at a K-8 School also in the neighborhood which also has advanced work.
So they don't NEED to move until High School.
I did forth and fifth at a
I did forth and fifth at a separate school, tons of kids in my district did seventh and eighth at a separate school. It's not disruptive.
Mildred Ave school
According to their website they get a seat at the Mildred Ave school when they matriculate from Ellison/Parks. And Mildred Ave goes through 8th grade.
If your school become a Level 5 school it becomes open for RFP to "improve it", aka become a charter school as both Level 5 schools in Boston are operated by charters. If you change the school format it still remains an open public school run by BPS.
Maybe the Mattahunt is a
Maybe the Mattahunt is a school that losses kids to AWC in grades 3-5 so it will never test well? This has been a problem with many k-5 schools in Boston. Will closing the upper grades open up more pre-k seats?
Imagine being a family,
Imagine being a family, losing in the BPS lottery and being administratively assigned to that school and not having any other choice because you can't afford private school or to move to the suburbs and now it's looking like state receivership or being forced to go to another school because they are changing formats. But yes, charters are; bad Vote no on 2.
Actually
if you were at this school and got reassigned, wouldn't you be happy to be out of a school that may become Level 5? So not sure your argument works there.
It also doesn't work because both Level 5 schools in Boston are now run by charters. Therefore your odds of getting into a charter just increased because our pro-charter state admin would probably award the Mattahunt to a charter. So again, your argument does not work. But please, do tell us how to vote.
We're at the cap, so no it
We're at the cap, so no it wouldn't become a charter.
Not so
Not if Question 2 passes. Then it could become a charter school.
As a parent who lives in
As a parent who lives in Roslindale and has the Mattahunt on my school list, I've looked at this school carefully and talked to other parents. I looked carefully because it's sometimes undersubscribed in round 1 of the K1 lottery, and I'm not snobby enough to say no to free preschool. I've since learned that the K1/K2 program at the Mattahunt is considered very strong, so I applaud this move even if I have to find a new school for my kids in second grade.
From BPS: "During the 2015-16 school year, kindergarten students at the Mattahunt outperformed their district peers on early literacy testing. An average of 65 percent of Mattahunt kindergartners began last school year reading at benchmark, and by the end of the year 80 percent were reading at benchmark, achieving a 15-percent gain. BPS looks to build on that success."