As a middle level educator for the majority of my career I have been a staunch opponent of tracking. Sifting and sorting students based solely on academic levels seemed capricious and elitist. Students who struggled were provided with few models while those in the upper strata benefited from a disproportionate level of resources. I’m not going to spend timing quoting research and referencing multiple studies. They’re out there. In general the research shows that heterogeneous grouping benefits average and below average students while having no negative impact on the highest students.

Now that I’m a high school principal for the first time, however, I’m asking myself if there isn’t some potential benefit to tracking, at least at the high school level. It’s almost not worth debating since every high school uses tracking to some degree. Honors classes. AP classes. Survey classes. In the traditional schools the tracks are as clear as those of a fifteen hundred pound moose in a parking lot in Anchorage in October (No, I haven’t really seen a moose in a parking lot. Yet.) In Highland Tech’s personal mastery system students, in essence, track themselves. If they’re a ninth grader who has mastered ninth grade concepts in math they “level up.” Though we do not have honors classes per se, we have a fair number of students who are leveled up beyond their grade level and each year we have students who graduate before their chronological time. Conversely, we also have students who struggle to level up and are consequently grouped with students younger than themselves for instruction. We have rigorous standards for graduation beyond those of the traditional Anchorage schools. Students must earn an additional 1/2 credit in math, and while elective options abound in science, social studies, and language arts in the traditional schools, our program is such that students must complete challenging work at grade level all the way through.

In addition to the academic standards, students must also meet PSS (Personal, Social, Service), careers, and technology standards, as I mentioned last week. Consequently (there’s that word again) our graduation rate is not a celebratory statistic. We have a rigorous program. And while many of the students we draw come to us because of our unique ability to challenge them and free them from the constraints of a time-bound system, many students come to us for our unique safe and nurturing learning environment. While that is an attribute I would never sacrifice, it nevertheless fills our ranks with students we know from Day One will struggle to fulfill graduation requirements.

With ten content area teachers and one special education teacher teaching four subjects at seven grade levels plus advisory and electives, we simply do not possess the capability of offering students leveled classes within a grade level strand. We’re stretched as thin as we can be and our assistant principal is even “on the floor” teaching two different electives. If we have any hope of retaining and graduating a higher percentage of students we must conquer this 10/28+ inhibiting structural conundrum. We need to closely examine our graduation requirements and determine what other options exist for students who would have other options in a traditional system. None of us wants to compromise our standards, our philosophy of personal mastery, and/or the safety of our environment. But when we walk in the door tomorrow morning we know we will be looking at some students we’re going to lose. Can we track without tracking? Can we modify requirements without compromising standards? Today I’m asking the questions. Next time, I’ll try to put forth some answers.

Cultural observation: Back in Chicago, we’re fond of the phrase, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.” Here in Alaska I’d say, “It’s not the cold, it’s the dark.” As everyone tries to intimidate me with the onset of Alaska winter, I brashly respond, “I’m from Chicago, you can’t scare me with your winter. It’s just darker and longer.” How true, how true. It has already snowed and I am starting each day with a five minute window scraping. But it’s not seeing the sun until nearly nine each morning that’s the most disconcerting. Even when we “fall back” next weekend, the days are getting shorter and shorter. I’m going to have to start using one of those happy lamps, I think.

“College and career readiness” — that’s the trendiest of trendy educationese terms these days. Common Core State Standards draw power and influence from CCR (College and career readiness, not Credence Clearwater Revival). State assessments align to Common Core and therefore profess to be the gateway to college and career readiness. Now that I’m working with high school students as well as middle school students, however, I find myself questioning whether those identifiers, “college” and “career” should be so linked. Educators have always known that there are so many immeasurable attributes that contribute to success in and beyond school, yet we’re still relying on traditional assessment measures to determine which students are ready for college (or careers).

Here at Highland Tech, in addition to a rigorous set of academic standards that I daresay will make students at least college ready, we also require that students accomplish Personal/Social/Service standards (or PSS) through three levels. An example of such a standard in Level One is, “To develop social/emotional learning skills, investigate how attitude, behavior, and social choices affect one’s personal well-being and self-esteem.” Regardless of whether or not our graduates choose college, career, or both, achievement of that standard would certainly contribute to success. I’ve worked with adults who still need to develop social/emotional learning skills (present company excluded). Certainly proficiency on this standard, “Within group project, use effective teamwork or group work processes,” would be a valuable career asset. The measurement of proficiency on this standard includes, “Using collaborative tools/processes, demonstrate effective group work skills in the following areas: Take responsibility for role in the group; Set goals and meet deadlines; Assist group members; Evaluate success of group members contributions.” We strive to measure the immeasurable and quantify the unquantifiable, the personal attributes and skills we believe lead to success beyond the classroom. No standardized test can measure these and no university will accept these as legitimate high school credits, yet they are the intangible ingredients of success in the “real world.”

It puts me in mind of a former colleague who, when meeting with parents during an open house, would survey parents about their work. He would pass out index cards and ask them to answer the question, “What skills do you need to possess in order to be successful in your job?” These were given to attorneys, medical professionals, financial experts, tradesmen, and the bulk of answers always came back looking similar. Rather than citing the job-specific attributes that were necessary, such as, “I need to know contract law” or “I have to keep up on financial trends” or “I need to know how to use a miter saw,” the majority wrote down things like, “I need to get along with people at work” and “I need to be on time and get my work done on time” and “I have to be able to problem-solve” or even “I need to be a good listener.” The philosophy behind Personal/Social/Service standards (and our accompanying advisory program) is to explicitly develop skills beyond knowledge and recall. These characteristics cannot be tested (currently) by standard means yet intelligent adults recognize them as critical to success in life beyond the classroom.

So which is it, “college” or “career” readiness? Proficiency in algebra, biology, argumentative writing, and ancient civilizations may prepare you for college, but for careers…? The National Office for School Counselor Advocacy identifies eight components of college and career readiness:

College Aspirations
Academic Planning for College and Career Readiness
Enrichment and Extracurricula Engagement
College and Career Exploration and Selection
College and Career Assessments
College Affordability Planning
College and Career Admission
Transition from High School to College

What about, “Model honesty, integrity and respect when interacting with others?” — PSS Standard 04.01 — where does that fit in? “Demonstrate other levels of respect through flexibility, adaptability, and resiliency” — PSS Standard 03.01. These standards are emblematic of true readiness. It’s about time they were given similar credence (without the Clearwater Revival).

Cultural Observation: We don’t normally think of Alaska as the Pacific Northwest as we do Oregon or Washington state. At least I don’t. I’ve always thought of Alaska as Alaska, an entity all unto itself. I have noticed, though, that Anchorage has much in common with typical PNW cities such as Portland and Seattle, and it is not the fine Northwest Coast Native art (of which I’m a big fan), it’s beer and coffee. Like it’s more Southern sisters, Anchorage loves to roast its own beans and brew its own hops and barley. As this an educational blog, so to speak, I’ll stick to the coffee. It’s some of the best I’ve had. I’m even learning new ways to brew it, using something called an aeropress which creates a rich, espresso-like brew. It also requires more intensive physical labor than traditional brewing so as the winter creeps in I can add it to my exercise regimen, though I’m not sure how many aeropress reps equals one bench press.

When I was a child and could not fall asleep or found myself waking from a nightmare, I would try to read a book that made me feel happy and safe. One of my favorites was “If I Ran the Circus,” by Dr. Seuss. It contained the usual whimsical wordplay, peppered with the oft-repeated phrase, “If I ran the circus…” Jack Berckmeyer, one of the nation’s leading middle school gurus and an entertaining lecturer often uses the phrase, “When I’m emperor of education…” (He prefers emperor to Secretary because a secretary has to answer to someone. An emperor does not.) When I eventually take my act on the road, I’m going with “If I ran the circus…”

If I ran the (educational) circus, there are five substantive changes I would make to policy, practice, and structure to lay the foundation for pedagogical utopia.

1. Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade Standards Based, Non Time-Bound, Teaching and Learning – This paragraph is essentially a continuation of my previous two posts. The RISC model is the way to go. However, children need to grow up in the system in order to have the greatest chance of success. If they know nothing but a mastery-based paradigm; habits of mind, work ethic, and personal accountability will be easier to engender. When their psyches are at their most malleable and fertile, in those earliest of Vygotskian developmental stages, we have the greatest opportunity to create lifelong self-directed learners.

All of the complementary aspects of the RISC model would be in place, as well: student voice and choice, inter-disciplinary study, independent study. Needless to say letter grades would not exist and achievement would be measured by standard attainment on a continuum from “No Evidence” to “Full Mastery.”

2. One to One to None – Death to textbooks. We’ve reached the point of one to one learning for all. By the time a textbook lands on a desk it’s obsolete (just like a computer, for that matter). The difference is, the information students have access to with that obsolete computer is not (obsolete). History, science, literature, and mathematics are reinvented in real time constantly. Students need access.

However, studies are showing that children spend an average of four hours on screen time AFTER school. We therefore need to be deliberate about limiting screen time IN school. As educators we often lament what we cannot control like parental oversight on homework and studying. We need to stay focused on what we can control – how children spend their time when they’re with us. We need to take an active role in monitoring screen time (pun intended) at school. I know I, getting dizzy just looking at this iPad for the past two hours trying to complete this post.

3. Physiologically Appropriate Hours – For years I have maintained that the school day begins way too early for optimal engagement on the part of teens. There have been numerous studies on the subject including this one by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/08/19/peds.2014-1697

Teenagers need more sleep. Their circadian rhythms keep them awake when we want them to go to sleep and restrict them from awakening when we need them ready for school. Unfortunately, since the primary, unspoken responsibility of school is babysitting, they need to be up and out so we can go to work. If I ran the circus, school would begin at 8:30 for K-5, and at 9:30 for 6-12.

4. Year-Round Schooling – What better complement to a non time-bound system could there be than year-round schooling? Nearly three full months without formal teaching and learning leads to several weeks of redundant review at the start of the school year. Why does society permit academic atrophy on a yearly basis? Start the school year right after Labor Day. August has become much more hot and oppressive than June. The first term would run through winter break with a full week off at Thanksgiving in anticipation of and preparation for a final three week end of term push. Break would last from the last week of December through the MLK holiday in mid-late January. Second term would last from then until the end of April with a nice, two week spring break in mid to late March. A three week break in May would precede the summer term, a shortened period from mid-late May though mid July. Summer break would then last six weeks as opposed to twelve, providing for family vacations and summer camp with less down time from teaching and learning.

5. Literacy Instruction By All – Even before the Common Core State Standards embedded literacy standards in the content areas (math, science, social science), many educators advocated teaching literacy across the curriculum, myself among them. Xtranormal produced a wonderful video called “Why We Need Common Core: I Choose ‘C'” that artfully illustrates this need. http://youtu.be/dY2mRM4i6tY Life is an inter-disciplinary study. As art imitates life, so should education. Math teachers, art teachers, P.E. teachers, science teachers, and business ed. teachers ought to be teachers of literacy. CCSS places a much greater emphasis on non-fiction reading and writing, justifiably so (also playfully underscored in the aforementioned video). We still need to teach children to read, appreciate, and analyze fiction, but particularly when it comes to writing, an emphasis on expository and what CCSS now deems “argumentative” writing requires greater focus.

When was the last time your professional work demanded a short story or poem? Hey, I’m a Renaissance man. I have a bachelor’s degree in theater. I don’t ever want us to lose the arts in education and that includes the literary arts. However, we have so little time comparatively to prepare students for the future. While we ought to take great pains to instill an appreciation for great fiction, and the ability to communicate via storytelling, more time needs to be spent on writing for a purpose.

Cultural observation of the week: It’s hard to make friends when you’re a late 40’s married man living alone 3000 miles from home with a job that doesn’t provide a natural vehicle for collegial relationships. In my previous jobs, my administrative colleagues were natural peers, many of whom became great friends. In the unique circumstances of my charter school principalship there is a certain isolation. How then to make friends in this peerless wilderness?

Male Seeking Male (But in a Platonic Way) I am a forty-something married man who likes to watch Chicago sports teams (pity me), play some cards, and explore Alaska. Seeking a friend of a similar age and interests, marital status unimportant, to hang out from time to time, watch a game, throw cards, catch an action movie, and lament the impact of gravity on our once good looks. If interested, spit on the sidewalk, yell at Jay Cutler, or refuse to ask for directions. Packers and LA Kings fans need not apply.