A New Feature for Undergrounders

ACPS Underground is about the community, and the responses on the blogsite comprise one of the most critical components of the site.  In recognition of the genius of many of our readers, therefor, we will feature the Comment of the Week.  Here, then, is this week's awardee:

How would you create baseline data for an ever changing student population? The method you seem to propose would be the value-added method which has been debunked by many (not just within academia) as being a invalid and unreliable measurement. Also, what do the numbers actually show you? And at what point do the SOL scores no longer reflect initiatives from previous Superintendents and start reflecting current initiatives? Are the "improvements" (SOL scores) you see due in part to programs from the age of Perry and before? Go beyond the SOL number crunching and examine what is taking place at this moment and judge the "improvements" for yourself. Within ACPS now, progress is measured by the number of students enrolled in a course, regardless of their performance or the course's academic appropriateness. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, progress is pointing to a litany of programs regardless of their effectiveness. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, progress is adding minutes to the day or days to the year regardless of research indicating additional time as an ineffective way of addressing student needs. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, progress is dividing two middle schools into five, regardless of the effectiveness or rationale. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, money is being siphoned away from classrooms and into the pockets of associates of the Superintendent. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, a grading and attendance computer system which worked, has been replaced by one which repeatedly fails. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, a math and literacy coaching model has been implemented which actually limits availability of reading and math coaches for students and teachers and goes against all research on the subject. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, students at risk of failing are now referred to as "at promise." This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, guidance counselors, who once met with students to guide them into appropriate classes, mediate disagreements or teen concerns, and mentor at risk students, have been turned into clerks and record keepers of IAPs. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, $12,000 a month is spent on a PR consultant to "brand" ACPS with absolutely nothing to show for the enormous cost, time, and use of resources. This started under Sherman's tenure. Within ACPS now, teachers are spending outrageous amounts of time out of the classroom to attend mandated "professional development" for programs run by FRIENDS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT. This started under Sherman's tenure. Shall we continue? Teachers see the approaching tsunami and are raising the red flags as fast as they can in the face of all of this worthless diddly-squat. If ACPS were already in the depths of the Underworld, as you so matter-of-factly state, I am not sure the Sirens songs of the Superintendent's Songsters or the special appearances by celebrities of eras past, are going to pull us out of the lake of fire and brimstone which is our public school system. We traded a Superintendent drunk on wine from Theismanns for a Superintendent drunk of celebrity and self-promotion. Alexandria can and should do better.

By Anonymous on First Goldie Hawn... now Miley Cyrus and Justin Bi... on 2/23/1