Bryce, It is not a perceived problem, my child has expressed to me that he does not feel challenged and does not think he is being pushed outside of one subject where the teacher assigns more work, that is not perceived, that is a reality for me as a parent. I am not a fan of MCAS and standardized scores but this is the data we have that is real and tangible in comparison to Sudbury, apples to apples. I wish there was more accountability and if you look at the data for 7th and 8th graders you will see a gap between the two districts that is real. We need less in the two categories of "Partially Meeting" or "Not Meeting" expectations, I hope we would all agree on that bit of information. Lincoln MCAS 2021: https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/mcas/achievement_level.aspx?linkid=32&orgcode=01570000&orgtypecode=5&;
Sudbury MCAS 2021: https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/mcas/achievement_level.aspx?linkid=32&orgcode=02880000&orgtypecode=5&; I also do not see it as a problem that someone who is not an educator but is expressing concern over the state of our education system should not be criticized but encouraged even if you disagree, it means people are invested in improving what we already have in our schools and there is certainly nothing wrong with trying to push the kids a little more in Middle School grades 6-8. That is when we should be challenging our kids with critical thinking, with realistic expectations to always try and get better. I take my son to Math tutoring because he is interested in science from Mr Trant which requires math skills to get ahead in science. I also have had to reach out to my mother who is a retired Special Needs Teacher to read a book a month with my son and go over his reading comprehension skills via zoom calls. Kids should want to be pushed academically and athletically, it is healthy. Myself as a parent having to push my child to get extra help can be frustrating because, well he is a teenager and dad asking him to do more work does not always fly but it is required to play his sports. I do agree that these ideas should be brought to Becky McFall and Sharon Hobbs, these are honest discussions that should be had and brought forward by the School Committee who should be advocating for the parents and students who attend the school. I would imagine if you took an anonymous survey you will find many more parents are concerned, with many feeling isolated so as to not rock the boat in this community. Time to put the personal feelings on the back burner and put the kids first, there is absolutely no reason why Lincoln should not be competing with districts like Weston instead of ranking Lincoln School at #162 in Massachusetts Elementary Schools and ranked #58 in Massachusetts Middle Schools. We can do and be better, and unless us adults can agree to take those steps we will fail our children by not listening to each other instead of taking shots at each other. Best Regards,John On Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 01:59:50 PM EDT, Bryce Wells via Lincoln <[email protected]> wrote: Jay, I find it concerning that you are prescribing a solution to a (perceived) problem without any background or experience as an educator. I find it galling that you are using Niche.com as your primary source for the problem, but that's another issue for another time. My recommendation is that you at least start with the state-mandate proficiency exams and the school's performance therein... btw, I have no idea where LPS ranks. More homework? Oh brother. Have you vetted or discussed this multi-pronged plan with Becky McFall or Sharon Hobbs? You might want to start there and see WHAT shortfalls they think there MIGHT be and how THEY think they should be solved. That sort of approach will surely get my attention... and vote. Without getting into personal specifics (because as Lincoln Talk's eristic pundit Dennis Liu would remind me, the plural of anecdote is NOT data), both my boys went through LPS and are thriving at LS. They were well prepared for high school. Many of their friends are thriving. Is there room for improvement? Always. Also, personally speaking, they had many friends who went to Fenn or other private schools. The parents I spoke to about that decision (a deeply personal one) communicated that they wanted their child in a same-sex learning environment or they valued the private education experience or they wanted to provide more avenues for their child outside of LS. Thanks for listening. Bryce On Tue, Mar 22, 2022 at 1:34 PM JAY DWYER <[email protected]> wrote: Why ? Here are the numbers for K-8 Lincoln Schools from : niche.com 59% proficient in math 61% proficient in english What grade do you get with 61% on a report card? You get an F for failure. We spent $13 million a year for our schools and this is what we get. People with the ability to pay $40,000 a year take their kids out of Lincoln schools and put them in private schools like Fenn. You know many families that have done this. We are not traditionally rigorous in teaching. One pair and told me she “liked that her son was not pushed too hard in school” This is a poor foundation which is a recipe for failure in future grades and in life. I have a solution they will not cost any money. 1) Written homework every night that is graded and handed back the next morning with a traditional % grade. 2) The final exam every week on what you learned that week. 3) A report card every Monday morning with average scores of Homeworks and grade on the final exam with a rank in class. I experience this program for three years in 6/7 and eighth grade. I went through Central Catholic high school in Lawrence it was easy. I graduated with a degree in economics from Georgetown university and felt 100% confident that I could learn anything. If these ideas makes sense to you I ask for your vote on March 28 for Lincoln school committee. Thank you, Joseph Dwyer Lincoln School Board Candidate 6 Emerson Rd Lincoln, Ma 01773 [email protected] 603.560.1787 c -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to [email protected]. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to [email protected]. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
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