State Charter School Office Finally Gets A Director

Posted on February 6, 2016 by A.P. Dillon

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) announced that a selection for director of Public Charter Schools has been made.

David Machado will serve as the new Director and that role begins July 1, 2016. Machaco currently is the head administrator at Lincoln Charter.  Machado replaces Adam Levinson.

Levinson was shifted into the charter director role after Race To The Top money dried up for his previous position. The re-arranging of deck chairs  in order to keep top paid people employed seems to be an emerging theme at DPI.

Press release from DPI; emphasis added is mine:

The State Board of Education today approved David Machado as the new director of the Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Charter Schools. Machado, chief administrator of the Lincoln Charter School in Lincoln County, has served in that role for the past 12 years.

“David Machado is the right person to provide leadership for the continued advancement of quality public charter schools in North Carolina,” said Bill Cobey, chairman of the State Board of Education. “He is a success in the charter school community having presided over an exemplary charter school of more than 1,900 students, 205 staff members and two campuses. His leadership will be welcome at the Department and in the charter school community. “

Machado will begin his new role on July 1.

Cobey also thanked NCDPI’s Chief Performance Officer Adam Levinson, who has been serving as the interim director while the selection process was completed. “Mr. Levinson has provided outstanding leadership during this transition time,” Cobey said.

The Office of Charter Schools provides leadership and operational guidance to all of the state’s public charter schools and provides planning services to help new charter schools get off to a good start. 

Prior to joining Lincoln Charter School, Machado was a small business owner and manager. He is a graduate from Western Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Has anyone in the media asked why Adam Levinson wasn’t made permanent?  Or actually, why he was chosen to be an interim at all?

Posted in EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC DPI | Tagged | Comments Off on State Charter School Office Finally Gets A Director

Pearson Is Everywhere: PARCC Online Results Significantly Lower Than Paper and Pencil

Posted on February 6, 2016 by A.P. Dillon

Pearson Is EverywhereWelcome back to Pearson is Everywhere.

Last time we looked at how Pearson lowered the bar on the GED after test results plummeted nearly 90% after making the test Common Core aligned. Now we find that the results from the Common Core PARCC test also have issues.

The PARCC is mainly given online. However it is also given using pencil and paper. A new report finds that those using pencil and paper scored significantly higher than those taking it online according to a report discussed at EdWeek.

PARCC officals seemed to blame ‘familiarity’ with the system for some of the gaps:

“There is some evidence that, in part, the [score] differences we’re seeing may be explained by students’ familiarity with the computer-delivery system,” Nellhaus said.

In general, the pattern of lower scores for students who took PARCC exams by computer is the most pronounced in English/language arts and middle- and upper-grades math. – EdWeek

So not only is the test itself been controversial in quality, now the online platform itself is showing it has an impact?  What this is saying, is that the kids have to be good at the online tool in order to score well?  Wow. This is not good news for the “digital Ed” crowd.

It’s also not good for Pearson, whose stock has taken hits for the last few years over Common Core and who has been made the subject of undercover videos exposing textbook publisher as being ‘all about the money’. Those undercover videos also brought to light more detail to allegations Pearson engaged in bid rigging in California.

Multiple states found a “significant” enough difference between the pencil and paper version and the online version:

In December, the Illinois state board of education found that 43 percent of students there who took the PARCC English/language arts exam on paper scored proficient or above, compared with 36 percent of students who took the exam online. The state board has not sought to determine the cause of those score differences.

Meanwhile, in Maryland’s 111,000-student Baltimore County schools, district officials found similar differences, then used statistical techniques to isolate the impact of the test format.

They found a strong “mode effect” in numerous grade-subject combinations: Baltimore County middle-grades students who took the paper-based version of the PARCC English/language arts exam, for example, scored almost 14 points higher than students who had equivalent demographic and academic backgrounds but took the computer-based test.

“The differences are significant enough that it makes it hard to make meaningful comparisons between students and [schools] at some grade levels,” said Russell Brown, the district’s chief accountability and performance-management officer. “I think it draws into question the validity of the first year’s results for PARCC.” – EdWeek

Four out of five students who took the PARCC did so online.

*This article was originally posted at StopCommonCoreNC.org

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION, Testing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Charlotte Residents Start Petition To Stop City Council’s Transgender Bathroom Proposal

Posted on February 5, 2016 by A.P. Dillon

A petition to stop Charlotte’s city council from adding transgender individuals to the city’s non-discrimination policy has been started.

What Charlotte’s Mayor and city council are proposing is allowing anyone who “self-
identifies” as the opposite sex to be able to use public facilities like restrooms for whichever gender they are “self-identifying” as at any given time.TransBathroom

I covered this just recently for those who want to catch up to speed, read Charlotte Officials Push To Let Anyone Pee Where They Want.

The Petition is titled, #DontDoItCharlotte. There is a full website with the same name supporting it where Don’t Do It Charlotte lists their issues with the proposal:

  • Puts children and women in danger and violates their sense of privacy and security.
  • Creates undue regulatory burdens on private businesses and unnecessarily exposes them to lawsuits and liability by requiring them to promote messages or ideas that are contrary to their religious beliefs.
  • Requires the City of Charlotte to engage in impermissible discrimination on the basis of religion when it chooses businesses with which to contract and do business.
  • Violates Article II, Section 24 (j) of the Constitution of the State of North Carolina, by creating a local non-discrimination ordinance regulating labor and trade.

There is a lot of other  useful information on the page , including the proposed ordinance change, upcoming meetings and notice of a rally before the next Council meeting on February 22nd.

Of note, the website also has a legal analysis from Alliance Defending Freedom. This analysis cites potential violations under the First Amendment and the Establishment clause.

The analysis makes the case that an ordinance like this would open up local businesses and the city to a wide array of lawsuits.  The conclusion section summarizes:

The Ordinance raises many constitutional concerns. It could be used to compel businesses to speak messages they do not want to speak and to engage in activities and events that, for religious reasons, they cannot in good conscience engage. It will force businesses, private clubs, and perhaps even churches and other houses of worship to open their bathrooms and other facilities to both sexes. This will violate the privacy of women and girls, and place their safety at risk. And the Ordinance may require the City to engage in impermissible discrimination on the basis of religious belief.

The site also includes a letter to the City Council:

to-members-letter-mod-min

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Government, LGBTQ Issues, Social Justice, THE LEFT | Tagged , | 1 Comment

I want to turn my friend in for ‘bad behavior’. In NC, there’s an app for that.

Posted on February 5, 2016 by A.P. Dillon

Students no longer have to actually own up to anything anymore. If a student  wants to turn their friend in for ‘bad behavior’ in multiple NC districts, there’s an app for that.

WITN:

The Speak Up NC app will debut in their schools next week. It’s a new, free app from the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools.

“Sometimes students want to tell, but they don’t know who to tell and they don’t want to be known as a snitch,” said Trooper Doug Coley.

Speak Up NC is a safety program that allows students to submit anonymous tips about bullying, illegal drug and alcohol use, fighting, weapons and other concerns.

“It’s going to add a layer of quickness to the whole equation we haven’t had before,” said Assistant Principal Michael Moon.

In addition to a written tip, students can attach a photo, video or details about their location. The message will go directly to a team of administrators at the school.

Carolina Plotthound called this a ‘precursor to the Edu-Gestapo’. I don’t think that’s far off really. It reminds me a lot of President Obama’s Attack Watch, frankly.

Is it me, or can’t you just smell the lawsuits coming?

Districts listed so far:

There’s a map of participating schools.

Parents in these counties, are you aware that your school districts are piloting an app that lets kids turn other kids in for ‘bad behavior’?

big-brother-1984Students of Oceania, this is for your own good, you know. Spy on your fellow students.

I went to their website, the first thing that happened was my browser alerted me that the page wanted my location. Yeah, I blocked that.

There are multiple “tips” you can enter: Bullying, danger, drugs, fighting, underage drinking and weapons.

According to the website, this app is a product of the NC Department of Public Safety.

Kids can put this app right on their phones.

“Students are given a convenient reporting method to provide tips and leads to their school administration and school resource officer in an application offered by the N.C. Center for Safer Schools”

And who sees this beyond those parties? Is this a public record?

How does someone falsely accused clear themselves if it’s “anonymous”? Who decides what is actionable if the tip can’t be verified? The degree to which this app has the potential to abuse the rights of students is stunning.

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), EDUCATION | 1 Comment

The Word “Misunderstanding” Redefined By Supt. Atkinson?

Posted on February 5, 2016 by A.P. Dillon

If you’ve been following my series on Superintendent Atkinson being questioned about funds for the Excellent Public Schools Act being diverted into shifting  personnel around, well, we have an update.

So far, here’s the timeline:

At the State Board of education meeting in January, Dr. Atkinson quietly unloads a bombshell that she’s moving funds from the Excellent Public Schools act to counter budget cuts ordered for DPI by the legislature.  I give credit to Alex Grandos of EducationNC for picking up on this.

The legislature picks up on this maneuver and calls Atkinson out. Senator Phil Berger is particularly mad, decried the apparent reorganization and fires off a letter to the Office of State Budget Management (OSBM).

Atkinson says Senator Berger and the legislature are “misunderstanding” the situation and says she’s done nothing wrong. Chairman of the State Board of Ed, Bill Cobey, backs her up.

Atkinson is questioned again about the money shell game apparently being played at a NCGA Education oversight committee meeting. She again says she’s being ‘misunderstood’.

Last night, a letter from OSBM reveals that Atkinson was indeed moving money from the Excellent Public Schools act for “DPI operations” purposes.  Excerpt from the letter:

“OSBM’s review of DPI’s January 8 proposal revealed that DPI would have redirected more than $2 million of Excellent Public Schools Act funds to refinance existing DPI operations, and achieved operational savings of less than $500,000.”

In fact, from this letter,  it looks like the bulk of the funds were being moved. Remember, The Excellent Public Schools Act’s fund total is around $3.7 million.

At yesterday’s meeting, Chairman of the State Board of Education attempted some blamestorming, pointing the finger… back at himself and the State Board of Ed?  Once again, Alex Granados is on top of this story; emphasis added is mine:

The State Board of Education tried to end the controversy over the Department of Public Instruction reorganization yesterday, but a letter from state budget officials shows it’s not over yet.

A lengthy discussion over the cuts took place between members at the State Board of Education Thursday.

Board Vice Chair A.L. Collins had requested during the Wednesday portion of the meeting that the Board take the subject up, and after a break Thursday, they did so. Chair Bill Cobey started the discussion by telling the State Board that they were the deciders when it came to what got cut from the DPI budget.

“You’re the final word,” he said. “We’re not the final word.”

As we reported in January, Superintendent June Atkinson and Cobey were granted the power by the Board to determine how to dole out the $2.5 million in cuts mandated by the General Assembly last session. In January, they decided to use some of the $3.8 million in extra funds granted to DPI by the General Assembly for the Excellent Public Schools Act to save some personnel who may have potentially faced the axe.

Rule of thumb I’ve adopted after years of watching Dr. Atkinson — Nothing is ever her or DPI’s fault. Nothing. It is always the NCGA or the State Board.

Go read the whole thing. At the end of the article, the scope of DPI’s staffing bloat and how much the federal government controls DPI staff is revealed:

 

In the course of the discussion, it was revealed that of about 1,126 total positions in DPI, 88 state-funded ones are vacant. It was also revealed that, at the moment, about 42 percent of the positions in DPI are federally-funded. If federally-funded positions were to constitute the majority of DPI positions, the federal government could potentially have more of a say in the operations of DPI.

Ouch.

There you have it. Dr. Atkinson has spent the better part of the last month redefining the word “misunderstanding”.  For her, it apparently means her own personal interpretation of the ‘intent‘ Excellent Public Schools Act is right and those who wrote it are all wrong?

What other pieces of legislation has Dr. Atkinson ‘interpreted’ and claimed a “misunderstanding” over?  Maybe the legislature is just “bearing false witness“.

Whatever her definition of “misunderstanding” is, perhaps it’s time the state auditor took a look at DPI’s budget as it relates to the shifting of staff under Dr. Atkinson’s tenure.

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC Board Of Education, NC DPI, NCGA | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Your Child’s Data Is Safe… They Said. #WCPSS Student Hacks Powerschool Multiple Times.

Posted on February 4, 2016 by A.P. Dillon

So, a student has been arrested for hacking into a Wake county school to change his grades.

The system he hacked into was Pearson’s Powerschool. And he did it SEVERAL TIMES.

WRAL:

CARY, N.C. — A Panther Creek High School student was arrested Wednesday in connection with a hack of the school’s computer system last fall, police said.2

Saivamsi Hanumanthu, 17, of Pilot Hill Drive in Morrisville, was charged with felony accessing government computers, felony breaking and entering and misdemeanor accessing government computers. He was released on a unsecured $15,000 bond to the custody of his parents.

Cary police began investigating unauthorized access to Panther Creek High’s computers on Oct. 13 and later determined that the system had been hacked into several times and that student grades had been changed.

Wake County school officials discovered that an email sent from one Panther Creek High teacher to another a few days before the initial hacking contained keystroke-tracking malware, according to a search warrant in the case.

The article goes on to say that Powerschool was hacked into three separate times.

I’ve noted a lot of issues with Powerschool since it was implemented both here and in other states. I’ve also noted issues with other Pearson products. Everything from the system going down to wiping out entire gradebooks, and from delayed report cards to DDOS attacks.
Now we have a high school student getting into it multiple times to change his grades.

But your child’s data is safe, they said…

Small wonder Pearson sold Powerschool last year to Vista Equities. NC went with the very pricey Powerschool because of the established relationship with Pearson, now they’ve sold it off.

As a point of interest, as an elementary parent, three years after Powerschool went live I still don’t have access to it, which is arguably a FERPA violation.

Related Reading:

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), EDUCATION, Wake County School Board | Tagged , , | 2 Comments