The practice of camping out either overnight or for days is unfair to parents who 1) cannot take off work 2) are single parents 3) do not have the resources to participate in the county club “camp out”.

This is from the VDT from April 18, 2008

VALDOSTA — The Lowndes High School campus was a camping ground over the night as parents of pre-schoolers came out before sunset Friday to get in line for today’s pre-K registration.

Amid a number of changes made to the school system’s redistricting plan over the past months, the decision was made to hold all of this year’s pre-K registrations in one place, in efforts to alleviate confusion.

“We didn’t want people to go to the wrong school and miss out on the opportunity to enroll their kids in pre–K, because it is on a first come, first served basis,” said Heather Bonner, director of community relations.

To keep the process fair for all community parents, system employees must stand in line to register their children as well.

“The reason it’s first come, first served is because of state guidelines, which require it be done this way or as a lottery. Our system felt this was the fairest way to do it rather than pulling names out of a hat,” Bonner said. “And this process is 100 percent fair, no preferences.

This not fair unless you are wealthy enough and have the resources to participate in the “Camp out”.

Not only did the school allow for parents to camp out they helped out.

“We did anticipate that people would camp out actually, and so we have a police officer out through the night and port-a-potties on site as well,” Bonner said. “We even have some students at Clyattville who have decided to take advantage of this captive audience, and raise money for Relay for Life by selling coffee and donuts.”

Go read the whole article.

Lets see what happens in Atlanta when they do the same thing. From the AJC

It was just after midnight Monday when Jackie and Michael Cottrell parked their 40-foot motor home across the street from Mary Lin Elementary School.

Their plan was simple: Camp out to make sure Skyler gets into the highly coveted pre-k program at the school in Atlanta’s Candler Park. Even if that meant spending three days and three nights in the camper until registration begins Thursday.

“The whole process is kind of goofy, but what parent doesn’t do crazy things for their kid?” Michael Cottrell said.

Competition is tight for the program, which has room for 20 kids. The Cottrells started a registration line and secured the first spot.

When Branch Sinkule pulled up in his brother’s camper around 8 a.m. Monday he was number 27.

It’s just like a big happy urban camping vacation:

The camp-out has become an annual occurrence since at least 2004, as the school’s reputation for strong test scores has grown.

By Tuesday morning, Candler Park Drive resembled a camping ground with lines of RVs, grills, mess tents and picnic chairs.

And they police themselves and make up rules:

The atmosphere Tuesday was collegial. Signs on camper doors invited people to come in for a cup of coffee. Families shared hot dogs and hamburgers and set up play-dates for their children.

Still, the parents set some rules. They agreed to 15-minute bathroom breaks at reasonable intervals. Break the rule and you forfeit your spot. They also exchanged cell phone numbers. If called, you must appear within 10 minutes or lose your place in line.

Clement said he got a call Monday night because someone didn’t recognize the woman holding his spot. It was his mother-in-law.

“It’s really intense,” Clement said. “Nos. 21 and up are gunning to move up. They’ll catch you if you break the rules.”

But then folks really say what they mean:

Many parents use vacation and sick days to take time off from work. They acknowledged other families can’t afford to do that. Some parents said one mother gave up her place in line because no one could hold her spot while she was at work.

“It is a tough situation for many families,” said Kelly Schupp, who held spot No. 7. “We want to be neighborly and friendly, but this is about our kids.”

But it’s fair right?

“I know this is an archaic process, but it’s better than a lottery. You can earn your spot, rather than being lucky.”

Yeah, you EARNED that spot.

But alls fair in love and war, right? It’s not as if it is wrong or illegal to camp out? Right?

Superintendent Beverly Hall sent a letter to schools Monday in response to the unusually large crowd this year. Hall told school officials and parents that camping out is unfair and violates city ordinance.

“In order to ensure that all parents have a fair opportunity, the line of ‘campers’ will not be considered the line for purposes of prekindergarten enrollment,” Hall wrote.

Campers said parents historically respect the line, but didn’t know what would happen Thursday morning.

“It would have been nice to have been told this earlier, but we’ll see what happens,” Michael Cottrell said. “At least we’re already in the right place.”

Well what happened the night beforethe registration? Oh the horror!

Heather Kotler had camped out for more than two days when she read a letter saying all her work to get her son into the highly coveted pre-k program at Mary Lin Elementary could be for nothing.

She and nearly 30 other families parked campers and RVs across the street from the school in Atlanta’s Candler Park. They created a line for Thursday’s registration during which officials would fill the 20 openings. Spots are awarded first-come, first-served.

Then, Wednesday Kotler and others in line received a letter from Superintendent Beverly Hall saying the camp-out queue would not be the official registration line. She wrote parents who camp out violate city ordinances and create an unfair situation for families without the resources to do so.

Hall and other district officials said the Mary Lin crowd was an unusually large crowd this year. Parents agreed, but said the district had no right to change the rules in the middle of the game.

“This is the way it works every year,” Kotler said. “Everyone knows that.”

The annual camp-out dates back at least four years. Parents privately organize the line, but it has become such a tradition that the PTA raises money for the school by auctioning off items to make the wait more enjoyable. Kotler and her husband paid $200 in a PTA auction to use a camper for the long wait.

Parents said Wednesday evening Atlanta police officers ordered them to move all campers and RVs. Police barricades blocked parents from entering school property until officials were ready Thursday.

In all, 33 people registered. Kotler’s son, Brody Weiss, got a seat in the school’s pre-k. Not everyone who camped out was as lucky and some were put on a wait list.

“Shame on you!” one parent shouted at school officials. A sign hanging from one car read: “Superintendent Beverly Hall You Should Be Ashamed.”

It just not fair to these hard working campers! Right?

“It has gotten to be a little, what I consider, unfair,” Burks said. “After this week, I think we all realize it is time to review our process.”

Burks said it’s too soon to say what changes would occur.

Parent Julia Murray said changes are needed. Murray, who works full-time and couldn’t afford to camp out, arrived around 6 a.m. Thursday to register her son, who did not get in.

“We all don’t have spouses or families or bosses that will help us or let us camp out for days on end for this,” Murray said. “They need to come up with a new way to do this. It isn’t fair.”

How about doing the fair thing and have the lottery. Why is it that people have to have a competetion for you kids to go to school? Since it is a competition this means working class parents, single parents, sick parents and others who cannot take off work lose in this set up.

]]> http://winnersville.wordpress.com/2008/05/02/lowndes-parents-camp-out-for-free-pre-k-slots-this-is-unfair-and-may-be-illegal/feed/ 0 winnersville http://winnersville.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/the-old-parker-mathis-is-now-the-new-alternative-school/ http://winnersville.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/the-old-parker-mathis-is-now-the-new-alternative-school/#comments Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:29:24 +0000 winnersville http://winnersville.wordpress.com/?p=28 ]]>

From the VDT. Something about them taking the school name with them and digging up the time capsule is troubling. I could see that if the school was being torn down, but they are going to house students there. So now the students that are sentenced to go there will be going to a school with no name.

Wow.

Farewell, Parker Mathis

By Kari L. Sands

— VALDOSTA — Former and present teachers, students, principals, faculty, staff and the community bid aloha Saturday to Parker Mathis Elementary School. The life of the school dates from 1955 until 2008 at 1500 Lankford Drive, and its new life will begin in Fall 2008 as Westwide Elementary School on James Road.
Hosted by Parker Mathis Elementary School Principal Creacy Sermons, the celebration featured performances by Parker Mathis students, including second grader Gabrielle Gardener, who sang the National Anthem, and a tour of and picnic at the Parker Mathis school facility.
Parker Mathis former faculty, staff, and all retirees were asked to stand to be recognized for their educational contributions to making Parker Mathis an outstanding school.
Ralph Brown, former principal of Parker Mathis from 1980-1996, shared colorful anecdotes of being an administrator at Parker Mathis. “As a principal, you must have the ability to change gears. You start the day with great expectations as a principal, but by lunch time, you are nursing a skinned knee,” said Brown. “You have to be a father, counselor, teacher, sheriff, and judge, and I accepted it all willing. Looking at the things that have happened under my tenure as principal, I am very proud. Parker Mathis helped promote parent-student lunchtime and Happy Fridays among other initiative programs. Parker Mathis also promoted the ‘Five R’s’ and if you maintain those aspects, it will carry you through life.”
“The Lowndes County school system was founded in 1871 and between then and now, there have been many students that have been associated with the educational success of Parker Mathis,” said Ron Irwin, former assistant to the superintendent.
“There are a lot of bricks and mortar involved in building a school or facility, but the character is given by students and teachers,” said Santiago Iturralde of Pinnacle Prime. “We are proud to have the responsibility of building the Westside future of education.”
Lowndes Board Member Jason Wisenbaker spoke briefly on the success of Parker Mathis, followed by superintendent Dr. Steve Smith. “There is a partnership that must exist between schools and student, and we want to maintain that relationship as we transition to our new Westside location. Parker Mathis is a jewel and its going to be here always.” Smith also conveyed that the old Parker Mathis building will be used to house the alternative school, New Horizons Academy, and staff development classrooms and offices.
During the reunion, the time capsule, slated to resurface the year 2020, buried in 1997 under the direction of former Principal James Goolsby, was dug-up by Assistant Principal Sam Lassiter and will be reburied at the grand opening of Westside Elementary School. Among the newest items to enter the time capsule will be a Pinnacle Prime Frisbee signed by the entire Pinnacle Prime team responsible for building the new school.
Beulah Hennly, former teacher from 1984-1999, said, “It’s wonderful to be back, and I always enjoy coming back. It’s just sad in a way to know that there will no longer be a Parker Mathis. We wish Westside could be renamed. But Parker Mathis has always been a great school and the tradition will continue even with the school.”
Parker Mathis Elementary thanked the following sponsors: Pinnacle Prime, Valdosta Mechanical, Sunset Farms, Bennett Law Firm, Sam’s Club, Merita, Pepsi, Miller Hardware, Kontroll, Publix, the PTO, Valdosta Fire Department, Bonita Cotton, Lowndes County Fire Department, Title I, LHS and Godfrey Funeral Home.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.

Our local middle schools will continue to be affected by this. The new test data comes out soon.

Georgia’s harder math tests could backfire

By LAURA DIAMOND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/26/08

Georgia’s harder middle school math tests — created to match the state’s tougher new math curriculum — will probably have the unintended consequence of leaving some middle schools behind.

State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox predicts more students will fail these harder exams and that will cause more middle schools to miss the testing goals required under federal law.

The No Child Left Behind Act punishes schools that repeatedly fail. Last year, 66 of the state’s 450 middle schools missed testing goals solely because of math scores. Cox said last week she expects the number of failing schools to increase.

Her prediction is based on more than the curriculum that middle schools phased in over the past few years. This year, the state also requires a higher percentage of students pass the exams for schools to comply with the federal law. Students are taking the math tests this month.

“States that have increased rigor are getting penalized under this system,” Cox said. “We made changes to make our schools better for our children. We did the right thing and we’re getting punished for it. This is a problem with NCLB.”

The law punishes schools that repeatedly fail and rewards those that make adequate yearly progress, commonly referred to as AYP.

Schools meet testing goals if a certain percentage of their students pass state exams. The law requires states to gradually increase their passing rate to the point that 100 percent of a school’s students must pass state exams by 2014.

Georgia’s passing rates, set in 2003 and approved by the federal government, required 58.3 percent of middle schoolers to pass the math test last year. Under those guidelines, it was scheduled to increase to 66.7 percent this year.

However, those rates were set before the state approved its new, harder math curriculum in 2005. The passing rates and the new curriculum don’t match, so Cox asked for a waiver in February to change the math passing rate to 60 percent this year.

Cox said the federal government refused, citing a clause in the law that prevents such a change.

Cherokee County Superintendent Frank Petruzielo said he understands why the state wanted to change the passing rates.

“We’re expecting more from our students and teachers, so why would we use the standards from the old curriculum?” Petruzielo said. “It sounds like the state is trying to prevent a situation where our kids may look dumber, when in effect they may be smarter. The fact the federal government said no reflects the same obstinate behavior we’ve come to expect from the people who thought No Child Left Behind was a good idea.”

The U.S. Department of Education declined to comment, saying no formal decisions have been made.

“We are still considering Georgia’s requests and cannot comment while the department is considering any state’s requests,” said Jo Ann Webb, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of Education.

The mammoth education law is President Bush’s signature domestic initiative. Signed into law in 2002, the act seeks giant gains in student achievement and holds schools accountable for reaching these goals. Schools that fail face increasingly severe sanctions, up to a possible takeover by the state.

Georgia overhauled its curriculum in response to years of criticism from teachers and education experts who said the standards were too weak. The biggest changes focus on math. Middle school math classes cover more new material and less review than before.

The state’s concerns focus on middle schools because elementary school students historically test well in math and high schools have yet to teach the new math standards. Also, students’ math test scores typically begin dropping in middle school because the material becomes more difficult.

Congress could have solved Georgia’s problem by reauthorizing the law this year, but lawmakers can’t agree on all the details. So the law remains unchanged.

Georgia isn’t the only state frustrated by the law’s one-size-fits-all approach, said Jack Jennings, president and CEO of the nonpartisan Center on Education Policy. The Washington-based group tracks the law’s implementation.

Jennings said Georgia was right to improve its curriculum, but the state will likely suffer because of it.

“If the state had kept the weaker standards, it wouldn’t be in this situation,” Jennings said. “This is a conflict of good goals. The U.S. Department of Education is being a stickler on its goal.”

The results for districts will be reported May 9th and then school level data on May 23rd. From the AJC.

Georgia High School Graduation Test

Test results widen between white, minority students
93 percent whites, 76 percent blacks passed

By LAURA DIAMOND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/25/08

Most Georgia students passed the state’s high school graduation exam, but results released Friday show achievement gaps remain between minority students and their white classmates.

Students take the Georgia High School Graduation Test as juniors and have four chances to pass the English, math, social studies and science exams before they graduate. If they fail just one section, they can’t earn a high school diploma without a reprieve from the state Board of Education.

Only statewide results were released. District results are expected by May 9 and school-level data by May 23, according to the state.

The tests, which juniors took in March, included new science and English exams. The state revamped the tests in those two subjects to correspond with the new curriculum. The math and social studies tests will be redone as the state implements the new curriculum for those subjects.

The old and new tests are not comparable, said Dana Tofig, spokesman for the state education department. The new curriculum is more challenging and the tests questions are more difficult, he said.

Still, all the results show Georgia struggles to eliminate the disparity in test scores between different groups of children. Schools across the nation struggle to close the gaps, which are typically most evident in science and social studies.

In science, 93 percent of the white students passed, compared to 77 percent of the Hispanic students and 76 percent of the black students. In social studies, 90 percent of white students passed compared to 72 percent of the black students and 72 percent of the Hispanic students.

“This is a huge area of concern for the state,” Tofig said. “We are not closing the gap as quickly as we hoped, but we see that scores for all students continually improve.”

Results from the test also determine whether high schools meet academic goals under the No Child Left Behind Act. The federal law rewards schools that reach the standards and punishes those that don’t.