Congrats to Mountain Middle School!

http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20101215/NEWS01/712159926/Students-have-new-school-choice

AHS Weekly Update- Week of December 13th, 2010

A huge Thank You to all the parents, grandparents and families that helped sponsor the faculty appreciation luncheon on Friday. What a fantastic gift and an enriching time to share terrific food, conversation and reflections with colleagues. Thank you all for helping us make Animas High School such a special place to work and learn!

Please take a moment to review the following updates:

POLs
No POLs-What Happens Day 2?
PAC Meeting
Science of the Shred Project Week Update
Race to Nowhere Showing

POLs

AHS Students will be participating in POLs(presentations of Learning) this week on Wednesday and Thursday. Unique to AHS, POLs offer our students a chance to present their accomplishments and challenges to a panel of teachers, students and community members. Students will offer evidence, share anecdotes and present their reflections on their work from semester one. Students are evaluated based upon our POL rubric, their Digital Portfolios and their stand and deliver presentations speaking to their understandings and competence.

Students have been scheduled to participate in POLs either this Wednesday or Thursday here at campus. When students are not presenting, they will be paneling and supporting their peers. Students MUST be in professional dress and MUST attend POLs on their assigned day. Students who have the need to make-up their presentations will be scheduled for Friday. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT PASS THEIR POLs ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE THEIR POL UP ON FRIDAY! Students cannot be promoted to second semester without successfully completing a POL. Students who pass their POLs on either Wednesday or Thursday do not have to attend AHS on Friday. Questions? Ask your student. If you/they are still unsure of things, please contact your student’s advisor.

Good luck students!

No POLs-What Happens Day 2?

Students will be completing POLs either Wednesday or Thursday. Question: So what happens on the off day? Answer: Only one of the most fun days of the year!
Students who are not POLing are expected to join AHS staff for an activities day off site at the Stillwater Sports Complex in Durango. Students are expected to report to Stillwater at 9AM and will be dismissed there at 3PM. Students are expected to have A PACKED LUNCK/SNACKS, A WATER BOTTLE and WEAR ATHLETIC CLOTHING for a full day of fun and challenging activities.

We are excited to share this time with our students and our off-site activities days have consistently proven a hit with our student body. Directions to the Stillwater Sports Complex are available below. Students who cannot figure out drop off/pick up off-site can speak with Assistant Head of School Jake Lauer at jake.lauer@animashighschool.com or by calling the school’s Main Office.

Directions to Stillwater Sports Complex- The Stillwater SC is located out past Home Depot. Take the exit to Home Depot off of 160/550 and follow the road over the bridge. Stillwater is the big green building on the left hand side.

PAC Meeting

Animas High School’s Parent Advisory Committee will hold their monthly meeting TODAY at AHS campus. Meeting is at 12:30 in the Commons Room. Come and join the discussion today!

Science of the Shred Project Week Update

Science of the Shred Project Week participants received an update on their trip to Telluride this March. Students received an update to bring home on Friday. Remaining trip balances (minus student food allowances) are due to AHS this Tuesday. Questions or concerns, contact the school via telephone or email our front office manager at maureen.truax@animashighschool.com


Race to Nowhere
By Director, Vicki Abeles

December 16th at 7pm
The Smiley Building, Durango, CO

Film Synopsis:
A concerned mother turned filmmaker aims her camera at the high-stakes, high-pressure culture that has invaded our schools and our children's lives. Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace; students are disengaged; stress-related illness and depression are rampant; and many young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired. Race to Nowhere is a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.

For more information, call us at 925.310.4242

___________________________________________________________________

With so many great things happening and our students involved with so many impactful events, be sure to follow all the up-to-the-second action at:

www.animashighschool.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Animas-High-School/129694133734262

Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators

Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators
By SAM DILLON

With China’s debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and science, according to the results of a respected exam.

American officials and Europeans involved in administering the test in about 65 countries

acknowledged that the scores from Shanghai — an industrial powerhouse with some 20 million residents and scores of modern universities that is a magnet for the best students in the country — are by no means representative of all of China.

About 5,100 15-year-olds in Shanghai were chosen as a representative cross-section of students in that city. In the United States, a similar number of students from across the country were selected as a representative sample for the test.

Experts noted the obvious difficulty of using a standardized test to compare countries and cities of vastly different sizes. Even so, they said the stellar academic performance of students in Shanghai was noteworthy, and another sign of China’s rapid modernization.

The results also appeared to reflect the culture of education there, including greater emphasis on teacher training and more time spent on studying rather than extracurricular activities like sports.

“Wow, I’m kind of stunned, I’m thinking Sputnik,” said Chester E. Finn Jr., who served in President Ronald Reagan’s Department of Education, referring to the groundbreaking Soviet satellite launching. Mr. Finn, who has visited schools all across China, said, “I’ve seen how relentless the Chinese are at accomplishing goals, and if they can do this in Shanghai in 2009, they can do it in 10 cities in 2019, and in 50 cities by 2029.”

The test, the Program for International Student Assessment, known as PISA, was given to 15-year-old students by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based group that includes the world’s major industrial powers.

The results are to be released officially on Tuesday, but advance copies were provided to the news media a day early.

“We have to see this as a wake-up call,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in an interview on Monday.

“I know skeptics will want to argue with the results, but we consider them to be accurate and reliable, and we have to see them as a challenge to get better,” he added. “The United States came in 23rd or 24th in most subjects. We can quibble, or we can face the brutal truth that we’re being out-educated.”

In math, the Shanghai students performed in a class by themselves, outperforming second-place Singapore, which has been seen as an educational superstar in recent years. The average math scores of American students put them below 30 other countries.

PISA scores are on a scale, with 500 as the average. Two-thirds of students in participating countries score between 400 and 600. On the math test last year, students in Shanghai scored 600, in Singapore 562, in Germany 513, and in the United States 487.

In reading, Shanghai students scored 556, ahead of second-place Korea with 539. The United States scored 500 and came in 17th, putting it on par with students in the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and several other countries.

In science, Shanghai students scored 575. In second place was Finland, where the average score was 554. The United States scored 502 — in 23rd place — with a performance indistinguishable from Poland, Ireland, Norway, France and several other countries.

The testing in Shanghai was carried out by an international contractor, working with Chinese authorities, and overseen by the Australian Council for Educational Research, a nonprofit testing group, said Andreas Schleicher, who directs the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s international educational testing program.

Mark Schneider, a commissioner of the Department of Education’s research arm in the George W. Bush administration, who returned from an educational research visit to China on Friday, said he had been skeptical about some PISA results in the past. But Mr. Schneider said he considered the accuracy of these results to be unassailable.

“The technical side of this was well regulated, the sampling was O.K., and there was no evidence of cheating,” he said.

Mr. Schneider, however, noted some factors that may have influenced the outcome.
For one thing, Shanghai is a huge migration hub within China. Students are supposed to return to their home provinces to attend high school, but the Shanghai authorities could increase scores by allowing stellar students to stay in the city, he said. And Shanghai students apparently were told the test was important for China’s image and thus were more motivated to do well, he said.

“Can you imagine the reaction if we told the students of Chicago that the PISA was an important international test and that America’s reputation depended on them performing well?” Mr. Schneider said. “That said, China is taking education very seriously. The work ethic is amazingly strong.”

In a speech to a college audience in North Carolina, President Obama recalled how the Soviet Union’s 1957 launching of Sputnik provoked the United States to increase investment in math and science education, helping America win the space race.

“Fifty years later, our generation’s Sputnik moment is back,” Mr. Obama said. With billions of people in India and China “suddenly plugged into the world economy,” he said, nations with the most educated workers will prevail. “As it stands right now,” he said, “America is in danger of falling behind.”

If Shanghai is a showcase of Chinese educational progress, America’s showcase would be Massachusetts, which has routinely scored higher than all other states on America’s main federal math test in recent years.

But in a 2007 study that correlated the results of that test with the results of an international math exam, Massachusetts students scored behind Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Shanghai did not participate in the test.

A 259-page Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report on the latest Pisa results notes that throughout its history, China has been organized around competitive examinations. “Schools work their students long hours every day, and the work weeks extend into the weekends,” it said.

Chinese students spend less time than American students on athletics, music and other activities not geared toward success on exams in core subjects. Also, in recent years, teaching has rapidly climbed up the ladder of preferred occupations in China, and salaries have risen. In Shanghai, the authorities have undertaken important curricular reforms, and educators have been given more freedom to experiment.

Ever since his organization received the Shanghai test scores last year, Mr. Schleicher said, international testing experts have investigated them to vouch for their accuracy, expecting that they would produce astonishment in many Western countries.

“This is the first time that we have internationally comparable data on learning outcomes in China,” Mr. Schleicher said. “While that’s important, for me the real significance of these results is that they refute the commonly held hypothesis that China just produces rote learning.”

“Large fractions of these students demonstrate their ability to extrapolate from what they know and apply their knowledge very creatively in novel situations,” he said.

A ‘Sputnik Moment’ for Our Schools?

A ‘Sputnik Moment’ for Our Schools?

To the Editor:

Re “Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators” (front page, Dec. 7):
The time for complacency is over. Not only did Chinese students finish first on a highly recognized international standardized exam, but they also totally blew away the competition. The United States finished 17th in reading, 23rd in science and 31st in math.
This milestone for China’s ascendancy and threat to our nation’s future must serve as a wake-up call for action. The pressing question is, does President Obama really mean it when he stated,

“Fifty years later, our generation’s Sputnik moment is back”?

As a former Grumman engineer working on the lunar module, I can attest to the incredible creativity, drive and unity that the American people are capable of when faced with a challenge. As the former principal of the Bronx High School of Science, I recall how excellence in science and math education used to be a national priority.

Clearly, our nation’s priorities need a drastic and immediate realignment to ensure our future. The government must expand basic research, and the private sector must retool to provide the jobs that will attract college students to major in the sciences. Teacher training must be taken seriously so that America’s teachers once again become world class.
Our leaders must see the educational gap as a threat to our very survival. Let us not fail to recognize the gap as the “Sputnik moment” that it is.

Stanley BlumensteinNew York, Dec. 7, 2010

•

To the Editor:

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan received a “wake-up call” when seeing the test scores. He could have awakened sooner if he had asked an actual American teacher.

I have visited schools in small cities in China, and it is striking to see the students themselves as well as the teachers taking responsibility for learning. Believe it or not, American schools were once like that.

Phyllis O’ReillyPompton Plains, N.J., Dec. 7, 2010
The writer is a retired teacher.

•

To the Editor:

The abysmal scores by the United States on the Program for International Student Assessment might not suggest a radical failure of our public education system after all.

If the lower scores are the result of an alternative educational value system, one that rejects drill and skill instruction in science, math and reading, and instead focuses on integrating these skills into a curriculum of critical thinking and experiential problem solving, the trade-off between higher test scores in basic skills versus a well-rounded, critically minded student is well worth it.

Unfortunately, our students are not being successfully educated in these terms either. So the bad news is even worse than reported.

We are not competitive in reading, math and science, as the tests indicate, and we are not leading the world in educating our youth to be critical and creative leaders in politics or industry.
Eric WeinerWest Orange, N.J., Dec. 7, 2010
The writer is an associate professor of education at Montclair State University.

•

To the Editor:

American students don’t do well on international tests for a variety of reasons, but a major one is the poor state of the curriculum in most school districts. For example, the high school mathematics curriculum typically consists of a series of disconnected courses that do not build a fundamental framework for solving mathematical problems.

A better approach, used by most countries in the world, is an integrated math program that focuses on teaching and using key concepts from algebra, geometry and so on as students solve authentic math problems.

Only when we realize that our disconnected, fragmented curriculum needs radical change will we be able to significantly improve our scores on international math tests and our students’ mathematical abilities.

Elliott SeifPhiladelphia, Dec. 7, 2010
The writer is an educational consultant and a former professor of education at Temple University.

•

To the Editor:

According to your article about international test scores, the United States ranks near the bottom in math. This news comes as Republicans are expected to push through extended tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of the population while continuing to bewail our deficit. One has to ask if there’s a correlation here.

Julian SheffieldNew York, Dec. 7, 2010

National League of Cities

It’s been a huge year for the youth of our community. After two years of work, the City of Durango has rolled out a youth government opportunity that has been enjoying tremendous success. The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council began meeting this fall after the first group of youth delegates was selected from a talented pool of applicants. Our local delegates have been working diligently to learn all the procedures and protocols related to serving on a public council.

The youth council now runs their meetings using Roberts Rules of Order, they’re about to elect council officers and just last week, the delegation participated in the National League of Cities annual meeting held this year in Denver.AHS students involved in the local program include Nathan Youssef, AHS Class of 2013, Sam Kuenzel, AHS Class of 2014 and Youth Advisor to the Library, Aiyana Anderson, AHS Class of 2013.

Each year, the National League of Cities, a collection of public policy makers from all over the nation, meet for networking, collaboration and professional development opportunities. I was honored to help lead the local youth delegation to the NLC conference last week. Needless to say, it was a very busy and extremely exciting four days in Denver. In addition to networking with state and local officials from around the US, our local advisors attended key note speeches from national politicians and policy makers, attended the Colorado Municipal League’s Annual reception, collaborated with youth from around the country in break-out sessions, tracked a bill through both houses of the state capitol and explored more about what it means to be involved in a public service role.

Our group was enhanced by the presence of our local COYAC representative to the Colorado state senate. Daniel Fallon-Cyr, AHS Class of 2013, was appointed to the position this past summer and he travels to Denver four times a year to represent the youth voice in Southwestern CO. Together with members of Durango’s Youth Advisory Council, the students devised a plan to have Daniel bring the issues and concerns generated at the local level to the attention of the Colorado state senate. Daniel also has recommended legislation regarding the reallocation of correctional facility funds into a state college scholarship fund. The proposal, a result of thousands of COYAC surveys gathered from young adults state-wide, is currently working its way through committee.

It’s so inspiring to be working with these young leaders within our community. Through the dedicated and impactful work of people like Sherri Dugdale from the City of Durango, DHS Social Studies teacher Dale Garland and local professional facilitator Phil Bryson, I’ve watched these student representatives grow and develop into excellent leaders. Their poise, maturity and intelligence not only has impressed me, but manifested in recognition at the state level. Many Colorado officials at the NLC conference took note of the unique and progressive opportunities for youth in local government here in Durango. Our Youth Advisors provided these folks a real-life model of success and provided officials ideas and structures that they’ll take back to the youth initiatives in their own communities.

Congrats to all of the youth advisors. I look forward to more collaboration and success in the coming months. You have made us proud and it is an honor to have you representing us!

Claire, Daniel, Nathan and Sam work the Durango booth at the NLC conference.

We are blessed to have such strong, local, female leadership! Durango Mayor pro tem Christina Thompson, Sherri Dugdale Special Projects Coord. for the City of Durango, Amber Kairalla Grace Prep Class of 2012, Zoe Shultz DHS Class of 2012 and Claire Ochsner DHS Class of 2012

Claire, Sherri and Sam take in the sights!

A working dinner for our delegation. Youth Advisors share their ideas and concerns with Durango Mayor pro tem Christina Thompson, CO State Senator Ellen Roberts and Durango City Manager Ron LeBlanc.

AHS Weekly Update- Week of December 6th, 2010

What an amazing return from Thanksgiving Break for our very motivated Ospreys! It’s been so exciting to witness our students representing Durango at the National League of Cities in Denver, promoting their school at last week’s Sparkle fundraiser and hosting one of the best (and craziest) bike races of the year this past Sunday at Buckley Park. Our students’ inspiring efforts continued through last night’s 9th grade exhibition event. A big congrats to Dave Heerschap, Erin Zarko and all of the physics students who exhibited their Rube Goldberg contraptions to a packed house.

Way to go Ospreys! We’re looking forward to more events and a strong finish to semester one. Please take a moment to review the following updates:

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
Parent Advisory Committee
Presentations of Learning
Animas in the News
Movie Announcement- Race to Nowhere

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

A Teacher Appreciation Luncheon will be held Friday, December 10 from 11:30-1:00 at Animas High’s campus at 3206 Main Ave. Parents who are interested in helping with the luncheon should contact carol@durangoinstitute.com.

Parent Advisory Committee

The next Animas High School PAC meeting will take place Monday, December 13 from 12:30-1:30 at Animas High School. We welcome and encourage parent participation in this valuable forum.

Presentations of Learning

Student POLs will take place December 15 and 16 at Animas High School. POLs require students to present, demonstrate and display what they have learned over the semester to a panel of teachers and community members. Students have the opportunity to invite whomever they like to come observe their presentation. To find out specific POL times, please contact the student directly. Students needing POL make-ups will be scheduled on December 17th.

Animas in the News

Lacy Meek graces the front page of today’s Durango Herald. See her exhibition project here:

http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20101207/NEWS01/712079951/-1/News01/Six-step-wonders

With so many great things happening and our students involved with so many impactful events, be sure to follow all the up-to-the-second action at:

http://www.animashighschool.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Animas-High-School/129694133734262


Race to Nowhere
By Director, Vicki Abeles

December 16th at 7pm
The Smiley Building, Durango, CO

Film Synopsis:
A concerned mother turned filmmaker aims her camera at the high-stakes, high-pressure culture that has invaded our schools and our children's lives. Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace; students are disengaged; stress-related illness and depression are rampant; and many young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired. Race to Nowhere is a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.

For more information, call us at 925.310.4242