CANDIDATE FILINGS UPDATE

So here are the filings thus far.

Ramos unopposed so four more years of crap unless new members can question him.  Will need to see...
Avila is out according to the STAR.  New blood is needed, not sure about all the new candidates but be refreshing to see something different.

BOARD BRIEFING-ACHIEVEMENT REPORT

Just a quick write on the presentations given to the board related to the TAPR report on STAAR results, Attendance, Graduation, College and Career Readiness.  Also the results of how Achieve 3000 has supported student achievement.

The TAPR report went fast and furious as Arispe just showed the slide and said this is what it is with no substance behind some of the information where the district is struggling or the plan to address it, if the plan is in place or what will be done.  With at least 40 schools under PEG you would think major things would be taking place.  But as we hear all the time, great powerpoint.  Paz has become the new Needham as she hails the reports with so much enthusiasm but can't tell you what it means.  Our students are not College and Career Ready, our SAT/ACT is low.  While we want students to be on grade level and reading by 3rd grade, we still have thousands who have slipped through the cracks and won't be ready.  You can't just forget about them to focus on others, those are the students who will impact our society until 2025 when the goals is to be reached.

So we get to Achieve 3000 and the monotone robots of Charles and the new girl in Curriculum.  So they prepared written statements and read off of them which tells you they needed to make sure the message was exactly how Scribner wanted it because this program is costly and implementation was bad.  But what we heard here is that Lexile scores have risen as students sit through 40 lessons and that indicates to them that students have learned much more.  The more you read the better you get, etc. so there is bound to be growth.  How much of that growth translates into comprehension, analytical skills, etc. we don't know.

Many questions that our leaders don't know to ask were left unanswered.

*How does the growth in Achieve 3000 correlate to the TEKS and mastery?

*What are the benchmark scores after going through a semester of Achieve 3000?  If there is growth there then it should show?  We don't get to see that.

*How has it impacted teacher time as they are required to do it two days a week?  Apparently teachers are to pre-teach and then students get on the computer.

The board is so excited about it that they feel Achieve 3000 is the savior of all that ails FWISD, in that case why have teachers?

The PD figures presented by Curriculum didn't say if it was on site training or teachers who went on their own time.  Forced fed PD is not differentiated, it is compliance.

So any of you see anything different?

BOARD TO VOTE ON POLICY TO TARGET INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

This is an interesting vote as it comes on the heels of what was to happen years ago and of course election time is here.  There is no doubt we have some institutional racism and students need to know their history.

The only issue we have with this is the money being paid to potential organizations tied to President Ramos or to Scribner to train staff.  When will training take place, during the time teachers need to plan?  With the type of roll outs that the district has, we can bet this one will be rushed and teachers bear the brunt of it.

We have no issue with supporting students and giving them opportunities for success but at the expense of board member kids benefitting, we think not.  Why does it take a policy to do what is right and what should have been done regardless of it.

Board members are using this as a tactic to brand their outlook to the community and not for the students.  Years and years of the same!

what say you?

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article132481659.html

Oh and Facebook shut down again LOL.. we happened to send Ramos his own stories and he didn't like them.

RAMOS AND HOOTERS, FITS HIS PERSONALITY

Well it seems campaign funds are well spent at Hooters Restaurant by President Ramos.  We wonder what kind of lesson plan he would put in place if he needed to justify the educational trip like everybody else.  How did it contribute to student achievement?

RAMOS WANTED AN OPPONENT FOR PAZ: SHE GOT IT!

So the filings begin for the three races up for grabs and the first one we hear of is District 9 where Ashley Paz is the current member.

We mentioned in a story early in our beginnings when Paz was not conforming to Ramos that he wanted someone to run against her.  Now Paz is on the boat and doing what she is told from Ramos rather than her constituents.  She sold out like he did.. so time to boot them out!

So now she has one opponent and could be one more from Stand for Fort Worth.  This will be one race to watch to clean incumbents.

The one candidate declared is Pilar Candia and supported by Northside big wigs.  Will be interesting to see Ramos go against her and the people who helped him as well.  Interesting times.