Citizen Reader August ’18-Changes Galore!

 

Information about DC’s schools and related matters

Changes A-Plenty Coming in School Year 2018-2019: At D.C. Public Schools (Pages 1-4), Board of Education (Pages 4-5), and in this newsletter (Page 6) Very Important update on chancellor search (Page 4)

Some of the changes at D. C. Public Schools:

Central Office Personnel

A search for a permanent chancellor began on June 28. In an email letter of July 23, Interim Chancellor Amanda Alexander named Dr. Melissa Kim as deputy chancellor of Social, Emotional, and Academic Development; Dr. Amy Maisterra– interim deputy chancellor for Innovations and Systems, and Charon P.W. Hines—Senior Advisor to the chancellor.

Rules and regulations

During the spring and into early summer DCPS conducted a process to review and update its policies on Attendance and Truancy, Student Promotion, Secondary Grading and Reporting and Graduation Requirements. They were all signed by interim Chancellor Alexander with a note that says they take the place of any previous policies and are effective August 13, 2018. They are very detailed and run six to eight pages long.

An overview of the process and link to the documents can all be found at https://dcps.dc.gov/page/graduation-excellence-engagement. There are forty-three pages of public comments filled with observations and suggestions.

According to LIMS, the Mayor sent a resolution to the Council for its approval of the rule changes on June 25. On July 26, the Committees of the Whole and Education held a joint roundtable on PR22-0935, “Truancy, Reporting, and Graduation of Students Approval Resolution of 2018.” Dr. Maisterra testified for DCPS. Many other changes were mentioned in the discussion including a “toolkit” that brings them all together available on the dcps.dc.gov homepage. The resolution was “deemed approved on August 11, 2018 without Council action.”

Schools

Tables below and on next page show all 116 D.C. Public Schools by Ward, NOT by feeder pattern, with new principals (NP), extended year schedules (EY), modernization construction starting or ending 2018 (MC), and 2018 PARCC scores in ELA and Math with gains of 2% in Levels 4 and 5 (2G).

. . . → Read More: Citizen Reader August ’18-Changes Galore!

Citizen Reader: Information about DC’s Schools, March 2018

For those following the ins and outs of District of Columbia Public Schools, here in it’s entirety is the March 2018 edition of the Citizen Reader. . . . → Read More: Citizen Reader: Information about DC’s Schools, March 2018

The DC State Board of Education Requests Input on the Every Student Succeeds Act and More!

The June edition of The Citizen Reader, information about DC schools and related matters, includes a call for input on the Every Student Succeeds Act. . . . → Read More: The DC State Board of Education Requests Input on the Every Student Succeeds Act and More!

D.C. Public School Budget 2017

The April issue of the Citizen Reader highlights the DCPS fiscal year 2017 proposed budget and financial plan. . . . → Read More: D.C. Public School Budget 2017

Changing the Rules on Graduation Requirements

DC “State” Board of Education has proposed changing the rules for District of Columbia Graduates. Rather than taking all the courses required to get their degree, students could simply pass the right tests and get their degree. With the exception of testing out of math and language courses, many educators think this is a bad idea. The following two articles, taken from the March Citizen Reader, published by highlight the details. . . . → Read More: Changing the Rules on Graduation Requirements