THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509150022
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: By SANDRA B. LIVSEY
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
As a concerned and involved parent of three Norfolk public-school students, I was pleased to see the article ``Nichols: Schools need restructuring'' (Aug. 6).
As a PTA volunteer in my children's elementary school, I see the teachers and administrators working very hard to teach a variety of levels within each grade level. I do not regard the low-scoring children as their failure.
That blame must be given to the parents of these children. It is the responsibility of the parents to make sure their child is working on grade level. The support of the teachers and administrators is there; the parents need only to ask for help. Assume the responsibility for the child's academic success!
The parents are also responsible for providing discipline and moral character for their children. Let the teachers teach academics! Repeated discipline problems should not interfere with my child's right to an education. Administrators should refer the discipline problems to the parents and/or provide special help.
We need our guidance counselors for this and many other reasons! They are an increasingly important, vital resource!
Tracking students may help with many discipline problems caused by students' frustration. Children acting out because of low self-esteem should be reduced by tracking; being with their academic peers should increase their confidence. Tracking would not be a ``label'' but a means of pinpointing specific problems based on academic need only. The children themselves are perfectly able of providing their own labels. It is heartbreaking to see the humiliation of a struggling child, day after day.
All the suggestions in the article sound wonderful. Unfortunately, there is not enough money in the budget to implement them. If more tracking were allowed based on academic need, I really feel the test scores would rise. I believe the budget and immediate improvements should focus on grades K-3; reading is the fundamental skill that should be targeted. Strict promotion guidelines for these grades must be maintained; target the children who need help at this level, and the test scores will rise in the future.
Reorganization at the middle and high-school levels is not the answer to the Literacy Passport or SAT scores. I am sure the three weeks on, one week off idea will not cure the problem. How may parents will ``opt in'' their child? Surely the children will hate it, and the option will not be exercised by those who need it most! One week will not make a difference for most of the students who did not achieve grade-level expectations in three weeks. Working parents also need elementary, middle and high schools to have the same basic schedules.
Grades K-3 are the foundation of a child's school career. If no one was allowed to progress from third grade without mastering basic third-grade reading, comprehension and math skills, test scores would rise. Again, extra teachers and classrooms cost money. Smaller class sizes would benefit our children. I do feel that age-grouped, special reading classes are where our budget money is most desperately needed. Perhaps a literacy passport test at the third-grade level should be used to determine individual needs.
So much emphasis is put on the test scores. A national standardized test is essential to see how our children compare to the nation. Scores should not be used as the only criteria for tracking; teacher recommendation and parental support must also be strongly considered. Test scores are a good indicator.
Test scores for the IOWA, a nationwide test, indicate mediocre scores as an average. Considering the poverty level in Norfolk, the NPS system is doing a nice job. Many children score very well on the IOWA and SAT tests with NPS education; the negative publicity regarding the NPS is only scaring away many parents and children who would be well-served within the system.
The editorial and statistics from the superintendent and board (``A radical Rx for dire ills'' , Sept. 2) are disturbing; however, Dr. Nichols should acknowledge the wonderful programs, teachers and administrators within the NPS. I thank them for the success which seems to go unnoticed when test scores are announced. I am grateful to Dr. Nichols and the board for attempting to ``rock the boat.'' I would like to see our money spent wisely on changes that will make a difference!
I would like to reiterate the need for and responsibility of parental involvement in education. We cannot realistically expect our school systems to become parents. We can expect our school systems to target the children who need special academic help. We can expect our school systems to challenge the children who progress and excel. Let's put our money and resources into basic education at early grade levels, and reward (or at least praise) the teachers and administrators who succeed. MEMO: Ms. Livsey is a resident of Norfolk.
by CNB