Welcome!

Welcome to Laurie Goodman's blog. I use this space to share news and opinions about education and schools in Ridgewood, the state of New Jersey and the nation, in addition to other issues I'm personally interested in. I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, questions or opinions, too, by posting comments on any blog entry. Please observe basic courtesy -- keep your comments focused on issues, no personal attacks or bullying, please. Contact me directly at: lauriegood@mac.com

Thursday, October 28, 2010

'Jeffrey and The Bossy Frog' event for Village youth

Received this message this AM:

Thursday Nov 4th at 11am Jeffrey and The Bossy Frog character will do a special Thursday morning music concert for the Ridgewood, NJ Parks and Recreation Department. Community Center at Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450
$5 for all attendees. Pre-school Audience
Tickets sold in advance at Ridgewood Parks & Recreation, The Stable 259 N. Maple Ave. Ridgewood, NJ 07450 or call (201) 670-5560

Thursday, October 21, 2010

"Other than the lights, are there no other pressing issues in the village?"

Funny thing happened last night at Village Hall. I went to a Village Council Candidates Night, and a Board of Ed debate broke out. (That's supposed to sound like the old joke about going to a fight and a hockey game broke out...sound familiar? Anybody?)

Well, not really a BOE debate, more like a repetitive airing of grievances and misinformation.

I thought it was odd how so much of the conversation focused on the new lights at RHS Stadium and Stevens fields, as well as the Council's handling of the defeated school budget last spring. And by "conversation," I obviously mean mis-statements and vague promises.

Contrary to one of the candidates' statements, at no time did the school district approach the Village for funding of the lights, and the current funding arrangement was not developed following any "heated discussions" of any kind.

It was odd to hear such criticism of the users of the lighted fields, consistently referred to as "them," as those "others" who are somehow benefitting. Hello? They are the thousands of children of our town, children of our taxpayers. They are us, and we are all going to benefit from better, more efficient use of our limited field space.

To those candidates who lamented the short timeframe the Council had in which to cut (or not cut) the school budget (with the implication being, if they only had more time, they could have cut the budget more): Board of Ed members and Dr. Fishbein were all over town prior to the budget vote, offering to review the budget in detail and answer any questions. Long before the vote, the Board invited the Councilmembers to a meeting to review the budget and answer any questions -- in as much detail as desired. And as for the "new" idea that a Village councilperson could serve as a liaison to the BOE -- there has been one for a long time. Anne Zusy was the liaison to the BOE...prior to that Jacques Harlow was the liaison. My point is, there are many opportunities for communication and (no pun intended) education between the BOE and the Council. I don't believe communication or lack of time is what determined the Council's decision on the budget. As I've said before, the leading factor was undoubtedly the fact that we had already cut $6.9 million from the budget. There really was not room to cut more without damaging the district.

Anyway, back to the Candidates' Night: it was surprising to me how few questions there were from the audience. Not sure what that means...more voter apathy, I suppose.

I heard the Stop Valley people will be naming "their" candidate soon (possibly tonight). It should be an interesting couple of weeks till the election.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

On the agenda for the 10/18 Board of Ed meeting.

The Ridgewood BOE will meet at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow (Monday) at the Ed Center, third floor. A few highlights from the agenda:
-- Annual report on school violence and vandalism, presented by Basil Pizzuto, Assistant Principal at Ridgewood High School. Mr. Pizzuto will also review school activities designed to reduce and prevent violence
-- Approval of out-of-district placements for 2010-11. There are a total of 93 students placed in non-Ridgewood schools, primarily for special education needs specified in the students’ IEPs (Individual Educational Plan).
-- Acceptance of various donations, including $25,000 allocated by the Fields Committee for the RHS field lights.
-- Approval of agreements with West Side Presbyterian Church for parking for GW staff, and with the Ice House for ice time for RHS hockey
-- Approval of various change orders for construction projects

As always, the meeting will be broadcast on Cablevision channel 77, and webcast on the District website (click here).

Friday, October 15, 2010

Congrats Ridgewood Girls' Cross Country: Big North Champs!

Congratulations to Coach Jacob Brown and the Ridgewood girls' cross country team for their Big North league championship yesterday at Darlington. I am happy to see the team picking up some steam again. I miss those days watching my daughter run, along with Ridgewood stars Meredith Jones, Ashlyn Llerandi, Justine Lupo, Meg O'Connell and others. It looks like we are creating some new champs!

Good luck tomorrow at the Ridgewood Invitational at Vets Field (girls run at 3:15, boys at 3:40). Come on out and watch -- it's impressive to see teams from 17 schools take off across Vets Field. Next Friday Ridgewood will run at the Bergen County Championships, back at beautiful Darlington Park.

Go Maroons!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Progress Reports for high school and middle school students are viewable online.

Parents of RHS, BF and GW students should have received an email this week, alerting us that progress reports are available for our students online, via the District's new Skyward student information system. I jumped on to check my son's report and was interested to see what kind of info was reported.

Once parents or students log-in to Skyward, for each class you can see your child's current grade as of the progress report cut-off date (not sure what that date was). You can also see comments from the teacher. In my son's case, all his teachers posted some sort of comment. One of his teachers specifically indicated some things that she would like him to do differently, and also recommended that he come after school for help. I'm not trying to air his "dirty laundry" -- my point is, I would not have known that he was having any "issue," whatsoever, in this class. I really appreciated having this info this early in the semester.

Of course, the real question is -- what do we parents do with this info? As much as I love transparency and access to information, I am keenly aware of my own tendency to get, shall we say, "over-involved." It's not that I want to meddle or interfere with teachers or assignments...but I know that as soon as I saw my son's progress report, I spoke to him about ways he could do some things differently. That's fine -- that's what I would have done if he had received a printed progress report. But looking into the future, I worry about giving parents like me access all semester long...I don't want to start checking grades every day and reacting to whatever I see, creating stress and conflict for my son.

It's exciting to start having more tools for engagement and more insight into our children's achievements, but we as a school community will need to carefully implement increased access for parents. We'll have to see how it goes.

Click here for instructions from the District on accessing Skyward progress reports.

Rumor control: Is the BOE going to "dump" Driver's Ed?

A friend pointed out to me that one person with a blog has claimed that the Board of Ed is "looking to dump" driver's education at Ridgewood High School, and asked if it's true. In light of the fact that some blogs run ads and may choose to stir up controversy in order to maintain readership levels and thus justify ad rates, making things up is understandable (I guess). I'm glad this one parent decided to verify the "facts."

The fact is, the Board did review financials for the Ridgewood Community School during the 9/27 public meeting. Driver's Ed is run through the RCS. And it is true that on a line-by-line basis, Driver's Ed is not a profit-maker. It is a net expense. That is, it costs us more to run the program (salaries, cars, etc.) than it brings in via fees charged. It is also true several other Ridgewood Community School programs (mostly athletics) run a healthy profit. Overall, the entire Ridgewood Community School runs at a slight profit.

At the 9/27 BOE meeting, I said, "The reality is, some of the other programs are subsidizing driver's ed, which is fine." The conversation around the table was in agreement. We actually talked about not wanting anyone to think that we were expecting driver's ed to make a profit...we mentioned that it's important that we offer Driver's Ed. In fact, I asked if we could do an estimation of how many more students we would need to add to get the program to break even, if that's even possible.

So, rest assured, Driver's Ed is not in danger.

P.S. I was going to recommend that anyone who's curious could watch the webcast of the 9/27 meeting. I watched myself and discovered that the video for that particular meeting is having technical difficulties. A few minutes in, the screen goes blank and there is just audio, which has a terrible echo. It is very difficult to make out the conversation. Hopefully the video file can be improved.

While I'm at it, let me just make a quick plug for those video webcasts of our public meetings. I frequently go back to watch or listen, to remind myself of what was said. The videos are posted quite soon after the meetings. I encourage anyone who is interested in BOE business, but doesn't have the time or patience to attend a meeting or watch live online or on Channel 77, to watch the archived webcasts. You can fast forward to the "good parts!" Have a good day!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

A mom's letter to her daughter contains vital advice.

There's a blog post written by a Branchville, NJ mom named Vicky Bell that went viral last week, and is being eagerly read, copied and emailed by worried parents all over the country.

Part of Vicky Bell's message to her daughter goes like this:

You may or may not have heard about the NJ college student who killed himself last week because his room-mate had posted videotape of him having sex with another guy. A terrible, senseless tragedy.

My mommy job requires that I remind you of two essential things:
One:
Nothing ruins your life forever. NOTHING.
Two:
Nothing ruins your life forever. NOTHING.


The blog post/letter goes on to reinforce that message and give guidance and hope, should her child ever find herself feeling desperate, for any reason, large or small. Read the entire message by clicking here.

It's written so well, I copied and sent the message to my own kids. Just wanted to share it here, in case you are looking for a way to try and make sure your children understand.

"Childhood During the 19th Century" @ the Schoolhouse Museum

I went to the opening of the Schoolhouse Museum's new exhibit last Saturday. It's called "Childhood During the 19th Century," and consists of many, many artifacts and items owned and used by the children of local families in the 1800s. The exhibit was very well put-together, as they always are. I loved seeing the old toys, clothes, photos, furniture, school supplies, books and games, and more. Kids will love to see the simple toys, especially.

I'm not sure how long the exhibit will be going on -- possibly July?

Read more about the exhibit and see some photos at Patch. com.

The Schoolhouse Museum, on the grounds of the Old Paramus Reformed Church, is truly a local treasure and we are lucky to have it here. If you've never been there, pop in the next time you are heading to/from Rte. 17 on Glen Ave. The museum is open Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Reinventing standardized tests.

Apparently U.S Education Secretary Arne Duncan is publicly acknowledging the severe limitations of conventional standardized testing. In a recent speech, Duncan said, “Students, parents, and educators know there is more to a sound education than picking the right selection for a multiple choice question." I'm glad to hear him talking about "Assessment 2.0" or "next-generation assessments." (Click here for the New York Times article about the speech.)

Jonathan Martin, Principal of St. Gregory College Prep in Tucson, Arizona, wrote on the blog Connected Principals, "I want us to be held accountable for educational excellence, and I believe that by using external measurements, we are able to demonstrate that accountability. I think too that we can use this data for marketing our school as we seek to grow it. But most of all, I want to know how well our school is doing compared to others so I can receive the hard truth about where we are not doing well enough, and I can know where to focus for improvement."

Martin continues, "I do think we should evaluate ourselves by our school’s own standards, but not only by them; it is too easy for us to be seduced by our own biases. We know our schools, and we love our schools, and sometimes it is hard to see our blind spots or fully appreciate where we may be under-achieving. But that I seek and appreciate external measurements doesn’t mean I love or like scantron multiple choice bubble tests of basic skills that are administered once a year to “grade” a teacher or school. I don’t."

Mr. Martin says what he likes in “next-gen” assessments is, first, "that we can now evaluate higher order thinking skill development in tests that are not multiple choice, but authentic assessments where students write essays reviewing and responding critically to documents and offering thoughtful solutions to complex problems."

Second, Mr. Martin appreciates "new assessments which are computer adaptive, able to shape themselves to individual student proficiency levels, give immediate feedback to students, teachers and parents, and provide the information we need to better personalize instruction."

These “2.0″ approaches are what Secretary Duncan called for in his speech. As for the first, he says:

New assessments will better measure the higher-order thinking skills so vital to success in the global economy of the 21st century… To be on track today for college and careers, students need to show that they can analyze and solve complex problems, communicate clearly, synthesize information, apply knowledge, and generalize learning to other settings.

The PARCC consortium will test students’ ability to read complex text, complete research projects, excel at classroom speaking and listening assignments, and work with digital media. Problems can be situated in real-world environments, where students perform tasks or include multi-stage scenarios and extended essays.

As for the second approach, Mr. Duncan said:

Most of the assessment done in schools today is after the fact and designed to indicate only whether students have learned. Not enough is being done to assess students’ thinking as they learn to boost and enrich learning, and track student growth. [new] assessments will make widespread use of smart technology. They will provide students immediate feedback, computer adaptive testing, and incorporate accommodations for a range of students.

The SMARTER consortium will test students by using computer adaptive technology that will ask students questions pitched to their skill level, based on their previous answers. And a series of interim evaluations during the school year will inform students, parents, and teachers about whether students are on track.

Better assessments, given earlier in the school year, can better measure what matters—growth in student learning. And teachers will be empowered to differentiate instruction in the classroom, propelling the continuous cycle of improvement in student learning that teachers treasure.

I agree with Principal Martin that no single assessment will ever be perfect. We need multiple approaches and multiple ways to assess how our students are learning and how well our teachers are performing. This fact, which seems so obvious, is what makes me worry when I hear about school rankings based on state tests, or teacher hiring or pay decisions based on value-added assessments (which use test scores to judge "value added").

I agree with Mr. Martin:

"We must not ever substitute data and “evidence” for an educator’s judgement. Data inform judgement, but data must never replace discretion and wise judgment."

On the other hand, "let’s not refuse to improve data collection because of the inappropriate abuse of poor data; let’s seek to improve it and use it appropriately."

As our students in Ridgewood continue to take the NJASK year after year, it's encouraging to think that the "powers that be" may be (quietly) acknowledging that we need a better way. Two that I am interested to check out are the College & Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA) and the NWEA’s Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP). Both of these offer hope that maybe we can finally move on from outdated techniques and use creative new tools to truly measure and improve learning.

District and School Board goals for 2010-11.

At a recent meeting of the Board of Education, the Board approved goals for the 2010-11 school year. These goals were developed during our Board Retreat on August 30, and discussed and refined in subsequent meetings. (Goals are followed by specific action plan items in italics.)

District Goals

1. Meet identified student achievement goals at each school.

a. Develop school-based student achievement goals and action plans and monitor implementation.
b. Survey other districts regarding gifted and talented programs.


2. Implement new online student information tools for families, staff and students.
a. Develop formal plan with timeline expectations for implementation of entire system.
b. Develop plan to integrate and/or discontinue current redundant software.

3. Realign and maintain professional development opportunities across the district.
a. Align with school goals and action plans.
b. Investigate consortia for professional development.

4. Manage and complete referendum building projects within budget.


Board Goals

1. Conduct a community planning process.
a. Involve community.
b. Develop administrator's action plans.


2. Advocate regarding specific educational issues affecting Ridgewood on a state level.
a. Involve the community in this effort.

3. Negotiate in good faith with the REA by evaluating, among other things, the financial and educational effect on the district of any potential contract settlements.

4. Focus on timely communication with the public as we evaluate the current financial planning process.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Charter schools: the secret is out.

The US Department of Education released a report, "The Evaluation of
Charter School Impacts
," in June 2010.

According to the report, the evaluation was conducted in 36 charter middle schools across 15 states and compares outcomes of students who applied and were admitted to these schools through randomized admissions lotteries (lottery winners) with the outcomes of students who also applied to these schools and participated in the lotteries but were not admitted (lottery losers).

The key findings, as stated in the Executive Summary (italics are mine):

• On average, study charter schools did not have a statistically significant impact on student achievement.

• Study charter schools positively affected parent and student satisfaction with and perceptions of school.

Oh, I get it. This must be what all the fuss is about...students don't actually do any better in charter schools. They just feel better about their schools. Wow. No wonder Governor Christie, President Obama, Arne Duncan and the rest are so excited.

"Not My Kid:" What every parent should know about youth suicide prevention.

At tonight's Board of Education meeting, RHS principal Jack Lorenz and the District's Crisis Intervention Counselors, Kevin Feeley and Lauren DePinto, talked about how the school has been handling the recent suicide of RHS graduate Tyler Clementi, as well as the suicide last summer of Caitlin Alvaro and the death last winter of Eddie Mulhare. Wow, when I list those three names together and realize what our community has gone through over the past year, it's sobering. It hurts. It's been a rough year for our young people, especially. For parents, we struggle with how to feed that basic human need to make sense of such tragedy, and we struggle even harder to inform, comfort and protect our children.

One program should help, if you're interested:

“Not My Kid: What Every Parent Should Know About Youth Suicide Prevention”

THIS Wednesday, October 6, 7:30 p.m., Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium, 335 North Van Dien Avenue.

According to an email from Dr. Fishbein, Parents, staff and adult community members are invited to this important presentation, given by Scott Fritz and Maureen Underwood of the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide. Scott Fritz is a father who lost a child to suicide, and a founder of the society. Maureen Underwood is a clinical social worker and nationally recognized expert in youth suicide prevention. This presentation is for adults only and will include an opportunity for questions.

For those who can't make it on short notice, the presentation will be taped and will be broadcast later on Cablevision Channel 77 and on the District website.

For more information contact Dr. Fishbein’s office at (201) 670-2700, ext. 10530. Information about the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide can be found at www.sptsnj.org.

In the meantime, hang on and take care.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Monday's Board of Ed meeting: what's on the agenda.

Monday the Ridgewood Board of Education will meet and the agenda doesn't look too unwieldy -- mainly because we just met a week ago. Some of the highlights (full agenda available by clicking here):

-- Recognizing Ridgewood High School's National Merit and Advanced Placement scholars
-- Presentation on some of the math routines our kindergarten students participate in every day
-- Info on crisis management in our schools
-- Approval of our submission of a Grant Application to the Bergen County Historic Preservation Fund for funds to replace the Ed Center's slate roof.
-- Review of some proposed revisions to BOE by-laws and Board policy.

As always, the Board of Education meeting can be viewed live and in person at the Ed Center, 3rd floor, at 7:30 p.m. You can watch the meeting on Cablevision Channel 77, or you can view the live webcast by clicking here. Later, you can view the archived webcast by clicking here.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Fun today: Tri-State Education Technology Conference.

updated 10/12/10

I’m blogging live from the first annual Tri-State Education Technology Conference, being held at New Milford High School. What a cool event. Considering this conference was conceived just a few months ago, it is amazing to see 400 educators here, attending approx. 40 different sessions on technology and education. There’s quite a lot of focus on social media technologies in the classroom – for example Twitter, Facebook, blogs, YouTube, wikis, and mobile tech (cell phones, etc.). Also a lot of focus on all the amazing (and FREE) professional development that’s available today.

Speaking of social media, the keynote session by Lisa Nielsen, Professional Development Manager for New York City Public Schools, opened with a video commentary on Ridgewood's own BF Principal Tony Orsini’s interview last spring on Good Morning America. Awkward! Haha not really, I mean, I have seen Ms. Nielsen’s video response before and I’ve corresponded with her over Twitter, so it was nice to meet her face to face. I just wasn’t expecting to sit today with 400 people who probably think differently than Mr. Orsini...it makes sense, I was just caught off guard. No worries.

As you know, since I started blogging about it when Mr. Orsini’s message first hit the media, I totally support and appreciate the intent of Mr. Orsini's message. He was focusing first and foremost on the safety and well-being of the children in his school. I do believe, however, that on another level, his thoughts and comments represent a good starting point for some much-needed dialogue in Ridgewood, among parents and educators.

Lunch break is over, I’m going to get back to the conference now. In the meantime, why don’t you watch Ms. Nielsen's video response to Mr. Orsini, and share your comments if you like. You can see Ms Nielsen's video by clicking here.

Find out more about the Tri-State Education Technology Conference, click here.

This is part of the Tri-State Education Technology Conference (TSETC) Blogger Café Contest sponsored by edSocialMedia. TSETC is brought to you by Schoology.