Dear MLK Families,
It has been a great year at MLK! I continue to appreciate being a part of this very special community and look forward to continuing our hard work together next school year. Wherever the summer months take you, please be safe and take your King PRIDE with you.
In this end of the year update, I am sharing information I think you’ll find interesting J: achievement, writing, good-byes, thanks, information about the front drive, and some dates for next fall!
Achievement Update
At the beginning of the year during Curriculum Night, I shared that writing shows as the most significant academic need at MLK. As of June 2008, it is still the greatest need even though we’ve reformed so much and seen major changes since the 2006-07 school year. The most visible of these changes have been adopting new writing curriculum and hosting several parent writing education evenings at school. Other less visible changes include development of an implementation calendar for writing, new district writing assessment tools, and professional development for teachers.
We measure the results of our writing efforts using both report card (classroom) data and MEAP data. The MEAP data from this school year was recently released, and it shows below. When you look at it, please know that the “Advanced” and “Proficient” columns represent passing MEAP scores while “Partially Proficient” and “Not Proficient” represent MEAP scores that are not passing. The three columns on the right show the overall passing rates for MLK School, the AAPS, and the State of Michigan.
3rd MEAP | Advanced | Proficient | Partially Proficient | Not Proficient | MLK Adv. + Prof. | AAPS Adv. + Prof. | State Adv. + Prof. |
Reading | 69.7 | 30.3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 94 | 86 |
Writing | 0 | 84.8 | 15.2 | 0 | 84.8 * | 76 | 57 |
English Language Arts | 54.5 | 45.5 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 91 | 81 |
Math | 94.2 | 5.8 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 96 | 90 |
4th MEAP | Advanced | Proficient | Partially Proficient | Not Proficient | MLK Adv. + Prof. | AAPS Adv. + Prof. | State Adv. + Prof. |
Reading | 69.9 | 30.1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 92 | 85 |
Writing | 1.4 | 79.5 | 19.2 | 0 | 80.8 ** | 62 | 44 |
English Language Arts | 56.2 | 42.5 | 1.4 | 0 | 98.6 | 87 | 76 |
Math | 85.3 | 14.7 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 94 | 86 |
5th MEAP | Advanced | Proficient | Partially Proficient | Not Proficient | MLK Adv. + Prof. | AAPS Adv. + Prof. | State Adv. + Prof. |
Reading | 65.3 | 33.3 | 0 | 1.4 | 98.6 | 90 | 82 |
Writing | 2.8 | 76.4 | 19.4 | 1.4 | 79.2 *** | 74 | 59 |
English Language Arts | 47.2 | 48.6 | 4.2 | 0 | 95.8 | 88 | 78 |
Math | 80.6 | 18.1 | 1.4 | 0 | 98.6 | 91 | 74 |
Science | 67.3 | 31.9 | 0 | 1.4 | 98.6 | 90 | 82 |
The data above shows King School is doing very well in writing (and even exceptionally well) when compared with other schools. However, I still sometimes think “with all this work, focus, and energy being expended on writing, are we seeing the gains we expect and want?” My quick answer is we are seeing a lot of what we expect, but here are two pieces of context about where we are:
- We have been using our new curriculum for a short amount of time (instructionally speaking). It will take longer before our kids have experienced the “full program” and the full benefits can be seen. Our teachers will also get better at implementing the curriculum over time, which will have an additional positive impact. This isn’t all that different than what occurred after adopting Everyday Math years ago—we saw gains in achievement more significantly over time than we did at the beginning.
- We see differences between the writing achievement in classrooms at King and what shows in the MEAP writing scores. I would hope and expect that the two sets of data would be close to the same because the classroom assessments and the MEAP assessment are both based on the same Grade Level Content Expectations. Other schools in Ann Arbor are seeing similar discrepancies. So . . . it begs the question “why does this difference exist if we are all supposed to be measuring the same things?” I’m not completely sure at this point but will be investigating over the summer and into next year. One piece of figuring out what is happening will occur this summer when several King teachers and I will “audit” our MEAP writing. We will read the writing produced by our students, score it using the MEAP assessment guidelines, and compare our scores with what MEAP scorers assigned the same piece of writing. Our score and the MEAP score should be the same. However, if there is a difference, the AAPS may choose to appeal the score. I hope to have more to share at Curriculum Night on September 9.
Writing This Summer
I hope our kids don’t stop writing this summer. Here are a few ideas about including writing in your summer plans. Please feel free to vary them or come up with your own.
- Write a family journal about your summer. Talk about what happens during the summer, and then each person can write a word, a sentence, a paragraph, a page—whatever—about the summer events. Do this regularly and you’ll end up with journals that will be read over and over for years. Even the youngest pre-writers can share verbally what they want written.
- Get an idea by reading (or rereading) the information shared at one of the parent education evenings over the past two years: http://karrskingblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/report-from-parent-writing-workshop.html
- Sign up for an 826michigan.org writing program. Check them out on the Web or check the MLK website.
- If your child was in fourth of fifth grade this year, they can participate in a MyAccess writing prompt from any computer connected to the Internet. Heck—parents could try one too. Students use the same username and password as they did this year at school. If parents choose to try one, they should use their child’s username and password. Check the King website for more information.
Saying Goodbye
We’re saying goodbye to an MLK School legend and a couple who have been with us just a short time at King. Here is the complete goodbye list:
- First and foremost, Mrs. Cheryl Jones is retiring after dedicating 39 years to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School community. She is an exceptional teacher and person, I’m positive that years from now people will still say “Remember Mrs. Jones from King School? It was amazing when she . . .” For me, she is one of those people you meet in life and feel lucky to have shared some time and space together. Just like the students she has helped, I’ve learned a lot from her too. Hopefully she will come back to visit often.
- Ms. Caroline Hughes, our media specialist, is moving to Boulder, Colorado after only one year at MLK. She’s done a wonderful job in our media center, but life has led her in a different direction and to a different state. We wish her all the best.
- Mr. Jeff Taylor, who taught fifth grade this year after coming from Clague Middle School is returning to his middle school roots. I know this year’s fifth graders will enjoy seeing Mr. Taylor at Clague next year. Keep up the good work, Mr. T.
Thanks to Laurie Barnett
It isn’t often we single out a parent volunteer because there are so many great parents who put in long, long hours on behalf of the kids at King. However, we’d also be remiss to not note Laurie Barnett’s selfless contributions to the school. In just the last four school years alone Laurie has served two years as the PTO president, two years as the School Improvement Team co-chair, has worked closely to coordinate the PTO Silent Auction, and contributed significantly with fifth grade efforts to go to Space Camp. In addition, this year she had a major hand in rewriting the PTO bylaws. And I’m sure I’ve probably missed two or three other ways she’s contributed! Most significantly, I’ve seen Laurie represent and support the King community positively each day—and she’s done it in ways that did not necessarily benefit her or her family. All I can say is WOW! Thank you, Laurie! We’ve all benefited from knowing you and watching you contribute to this community.
Front Drive Update
This past week, the representatives on the Building Renovation Team voted to not have the front drive redesign plans put out for bids this summer. Despite widespread recognition of safety issues based on some parent behavior during drop off and pick up, the overwhelming input from the community has been that the “engineered” redesign of the front drive was not necessarily safer.
This being the case, I am excited to announce that our PTO has instituted a Safety Committee for next year. The group has already met with me once to more concretely define procedures around drop off and pick up. As we begin the 2008-09 school year, you will likely see the beginning outcomes of our collaboration in a summer mailing, the first day of school packet, the MLK website, and eNotes. We hope to have information written in several languages to facilitate communication with our newest families who may not be proficient in English. Thanks to Amy Cell, Susan Gechter, and Eve Losman so far for their effort and input.
School Dates Coming Up
Aug. 27: Welcome Night for New Families, 7-8 PM
Sept. 2: First Day for students
Sept. 2: PTO Welcome Coffee –9-9:30 AM, All Parents Welcome - MLK Multipurpose Room
Sept. 5: Spirit Friday at MLK—Wear your blue and yellow or the colors of your favorite colors.
Sept. 9: Curriculum Night at MLK –Parents only please. This is the one evening of the 2008-09 school year where there is no childcare.
o 6pm - Curriculum Night Presentation #1 in classrooms
o 6:45pm - All MLK Community Presentation - MLK multipurpose room
o 7:10pm Curriculum Night Presentation #2 in classrooms
Sept. 12: Spirit Friday at MLK
Sept. 16: PTO meeting, 7pm
Sept. 19: Spirit Friday at MLKSept. 26: Picture Day
Check the MLK website for a full calendar for next year: http://king.a2schools.org
Sincerely,
Kevin Karr
