November 9, 2018
Options Parent Meeting at Bell School
Facilitated by Ms. Miller, Mr. Klein and Ms. Kaim
Facilitators started by saying they want these each of these meetings throughout the school year to be forums where Options parents bring up their questions and concerns and have back/forth dialogue about it, along with talking about a specific suggested theme at each meeting. Today’s theme is home/school communication. Specific topics discussed included:
Level of home/school communications - how is it?
Academic Centers - 6th grade Parent asked - What kind of outreach is happening for 6th graders - especially Options students in regards to Academic Centers and the decision process? Kids are talking about it, and I am trying to talk to my kids about the tradeoffs.
Differentiation in Math - 5th grade Parent asked about it - particularly in Older Grades (6th and up). Seems that there isn't a lot of differentiation in Math going on to this point, can see it happening more in other subjects.
World Language throughout the Grades (in particular at lower grades)
Question from K Parent: for K-3, how do you get from Foundations to exploration in the curriculum?
Writer’s Workshop - Who is doing what in writing? All grades?
Email questions and possible future topics to Ms. Miller
Options Parent Meeting at Bell School
Facilitated by Ms. Miller, Mr. Klein and Ms. Kaim
- Around 70-80 people in attendance
- Range of Parents there - but majority K&1 - but each grade represented
Facilitators started by saying they want these each of these meetings throughout the school year to be forums where Options parents bring up their questions and concerns and have back/forth dialogue about it, along with talking about a specific suggested theme at each meeting. Today’s theme is home/school communication. Specific topics discussed included:
Level of home/school communications - how is it?
- Parent said - appreciate the Monthly newsletter to Options families, nice detail in it.
- It is also meant to give overall view of Program and show the vertical alignment across entire K-8 curriculum
- Available on school’s website too, but please let Ms. Kaim know if you are not receiving it by email
- Another new parent asked - what is the school’s policy on communication?
- Individual feedback - through papers coming back in at the 5 and 10 week progress reporting periods - but parents can always ask to meet with a teacher and get individual feedback
- Teachers are proactive - and will reach out - if there is concern or an issue
- Parents are encouraged to occasionally reply to teacher emails, it helps teachers know that emails are being read and considered by parents.
Academic Centers - 6th grade Parent asked - What kind of outreach is happening for 6th graders - especially Options students in regards to Academic Centers and the decision process? Kids are talking about it, and I am trying to talk to my kids about the tradeoffs.
- Ms. Miller is looking at various ways to support students and parents in the decision process
- Wants to make sure the parents have all the necessary information they need, there are many factors involved
- Bell believes in K-8 continuum and will continue doing support work to give information
- Bell will also be talking with students, as it is stressful for them - Decisions about if they are considering an AC, if their friends are considering an AC (and thus leaving them behind) and what next year will look like with a possible change in students in their class
- It can be a lengthy decision - between tours, test, CPS decisions and family decisions
- Hoping to have informational session for parents.
- Considering having school’s counselor, Ms. Moran, meeting with individually kids to talk about the factors, and possibly later in groups.
- Mr. Klein then spoke about what Bell students give up when you go to an AC.
- Vast majority (90+%) of Bell options students historically have gotten into Selective Enrollment High Schools after 8th grade graduation from Bell
- Bell continues to prioritize the idea that Bell’s RGC is a place of enrichment, to go further in depth, and there is going to be BOTH acceleration AND enrichment and grasping ideas in a more in-depth way.
- AC’s will have acceleration, but gifted children also need the enrichment side
- Bell opposes giving High School credit in 7th or 8th grade. An example is Biology: 7th or 8th grade should not be the last time in life for a kid to learn Biology. Even if it is learned intellectually, emotional development is important for understanding too.
- A parent suggested Bell share information about the acceptance rates of past classes into selective enrollment schools (especially broken out by options/neighborhood)- and if possible - take into account when they joined the options program - but there was a concern to confidentiality for the final point.
- This would help parents and children to be less nervous about staying at Bell through 8th grade
Differentiation in Math - 5th grade Parent asked about it - particularly in Older Grades (6th and up). Seems that there isn't a lot of differentiation in Math going on to this point, can see it happening more in other subjects.
- Mr. Klein said that years ago, when there was an Options Coordinator who also taught Math, it is was easier to differentiate teaching in Math in higher grades
- 6th, 7th and 8th grade - In Mr. Prince’s Math classes - As the kids start moving up - differentiation happens more and more, and kids are working more at their own pace, compared to younger grades. Kids are working on all different types and different types of projects. But still are safeguards and parameters to make sure they are meeting guidelines
- Ms. Kaim said: in lower grades - problem solve, explain your thinking, and see that there more than one way to get to an answer.
- Mr. Klein added that true ability grouping needs to be about their ability to problem solve, not what they already know, which is harder to assess in lower grades
- because apparent higher math ability in lower grades may actually be kids having learned basic math at home
- Genuine higher math ability tends to show up better at 5th grade and later
- Ms. Miller mentioned that Mr. Prince is in the process of revamping middle-school math, and as part of that probably ALL of our 7th grade options students will take and hopefully pass the algebra exit exam (which will be the first time that this has happened in Bell’s Options Program)
- and then 8th grade will continue with some higher level Algebra and some of geometry (self-paced)
World Language throughout the Grades (in particular at lower grades)
- Years ago and continuing to now Bell received a critical language program - paid for by the board, not by Bell - for Mandarin
- There is a recommendation by CPS (not requirement - so no funding) that options students should have foreign language
- Bell has only 1 Mandarin teacher and in the past it has been taught it in the lower grades - and as an after school option for upper school.
- Enrollment in after school Mandarin for upper grades didn’t sustain itself
- Budget not available to hire second Mandarin teacher.
- Currently - a new approach was developed to move the program up in grades so students could place out of Level 1 Mandarin in high school. This year it is being offered in grades 3-5th (twice a week) and now optional again in 6th through 8th grade (during advisory block).
- there is an end goal that students can pass out of LEVEL 1 in high-school
- may tweak program as this goes on
- Currently, now no Mandarin in grades K-2. Bell is so looking at possibly providing teaching artists for some foundational background and having Mr. Qiao meet occasionally with K-2 students to give them the Mandarin/Chinese cultural backgrounds and foundation. So they have some exposure to Mandarin before 3rd grade.
- A big part of why no world language throughout all grades is lack of budget resources and if we do add it, it needs to be ongoing and sustainable.
- Bell is keeping it at the forefront of discussion, since it is a big part of education for the whole child.
- Question - HOW can parents make it happen?
- There has been past concern that the quality and depth of after-school language instruction has been spotty in the past and it’s hard to grow past very basic instruction (eg. repeatedly learning colors) due to the various levels of ability in the same class
- Question: Maybe parents can be polled, asking, “What are the things parents want for their kids language-wise?”
- Ms. Miller said:
- After-school Mandarin enrollment at Bell has been low in the past few years, hard to sustain
- best way instruction-wise is hiring another teacher - $70K-$90K per year (which our budget cannot support)
- So, for now, we want to make the best of what we have with the critical language grant and Mr. Qiao
- Ms. Miller said:
- Is there is a way to see evaluate later on how this goal works, starting 3rd grade?
- Would it be better to start even higher in 6th-8th grade? To make sure kids are ready to place into the next level in high school?
- Worried will enough students continue in 6-8th grade? To make it worthwhile.
- Ms. Miller:
- great point, we will check in on this.
- Mr. Qiao will evaluate, and confirm with High Schools about what they are expecting for Mandarin
- But for now, Mr. Qiao wants to proceed with starting it in 3rd grade
Question from K Parent: for K-3, how do you get from Foundations to exploration in the curriculum?
- Mr. Klein: there are plenty of projects in 1st Grade
- Ms. Kaim: there is a progression across other later grades too, for learning foundations to projects
- Other parents agreed that 3rd grade was the beginning of a jump.
- Ms. Miller: as they get older they get more self directed projects (4th and 5th grade projects were described).
- And more projects to be done in school (and not at home).
- There is Inquiry-based and experiential-learning versus project based - at every level
- A parent asked - As a kindergarten parent - what does it look like in the early years? And what type of Play -based learning does Bell support?
- Ms. Kaim responded with an example of experiential project that her class completed to help provide more context for how students dive into a topic with a wide variety of activities and reinforcement of concepts.
- Ms. Kaim spoke of a recent Leaf project
Writer’s Workshop - Who is doing what in writing? All grades?
- Ms. Miller said Bell is adopting Writer’s Workshop (Lucy Calkins) in K-5 - working with an organization - Chicago Literacy Group is doing the coaching for all K-5 grades in all Neighborhood and Options classes
- Maybe move up to grades 6-8 next year.
- Have had one coaching cycle and next coaching cycle coming in a couple of weeks.
- Focuses on the process of writing and is researched-based
- Ms. Thiel and Ms. Millstein did the pilot last year and so it’s year two for them.
- It focuses on scheduling more dedicated time to writing - now 3 to 4 days a week.
- Emphasis on free writing and writing as a process
- less emphasis on grammar/spelling as part of beginning of writing
- Less “red-penning”
- grammar/spelling follows the conceptual ideas, instead of preceding them
- Want kids to be motivated, connected
- Process is engaging to the kids; can walk into a silent classroom full of kids writing
- A little teaching point each day - encouraged to write, write, write
Email questions and possible future topics to Ms. Miller