Principal Ellis just confirmed that our stakeholder group will be formed to review the language arts program. Seeing our community come together like this provides so much relief for the students who felt left out of the conversation. I am grateful for our persistence.
December 25, 2016
Final supporters
Dear BVSD School Board Members:
The recent controversy over changes to the Advanced English Language Arts classes at Centennial Middle School has led to frustration among parents, students, teachers, and administrators. Disruptions at parent events at Centennial, such as PTO meetings and Back to School Night, are evidence of how this issue has become a critical concern within the Centennial community. As Centennial parents, we want to constructively resolve this issue and propose the following process.
We request that a stakeholder group of teachers, parents, and administrators be formed to review the Centennial Language Arts survey results, identify issues, share information, discuss solutions, and create recommendations regarding the Advanced Language Arts program at Centennial. We believe that such a stakeholder group will increase understanding, reduce frustration, build trust, and strengthen our school community. We ask that this group be formed by the end of October and have its first meeting in early November.
We submitted a more detailed version of this letter to Principal Ellis on September 26th. As of October 4th, we had not yet received a response.
We believe that Centennial is faced with an opportunity to be a district leader in developing and implementing changes to English Language Arts instruction that result in programs that meet the needs of students and are supported by teachers and parents.
Sincerely,
The undersigned parents of Centennial Middle School students:
Updates
November 7, 2016
I have been hearing from so many of you who are watching your children struggle with the recent changes to the language arts curriculum. We have yet to receive a response from Principal Ellis but the silence from the administration is becoming impossible to ignore.
November 7, 2016
Seeing so many families unite around this issue validates exactly why we started this effort for our kids. This momentum shows that the people running our school can no longer ignore the genuine frustration felt in our hallways.
Reached 100 supporters
November 7, 2016
22 Comments
As is the case with advanced math instruction, students with advanced ability and potential in Language Arts deserve to be challenged together, as a group. Without classroom instruction and discussion tailored to advanced students, it falls to parents to provide advanced writing instruction, and this simply is not an adequate model. Further, without ALA, I worry that Centennial students will not be prepared to succeed in AP English in high school.
I am quite disturbed by this sudden change with no notice or input from the parent body. I don't feel confident that this change benefits all the students at all, nor that the teachers are capable of addressing the needs of such a large class with such a broad range of competencies.
Principal Ellis responded to our request for the formation of a stakeholder group. She told us that she would not form a stakeholder group. She told us that she will hold an information night on November 17th. She reiterated that all design, implementation and evaluation of Language Arts instruction would be conducted by teachers, school administrators and district administrators. She did not give us a reason for refusing our request for parents to be a part of this process.
If we are getting rid of advanced LA classes, why not get rid of all advanced math classes, too? Is that out of the question? Then why? Would our advanced math kids get bored? Well they can go "above and beyond" and challenge themselves, right? Why is it different for our advanced LA kids? I saw my daughter thrive with the ALA program at Centennial (she is a sophomore at FV and is now thriving in their IB program as well), and my son was pushed and challenged in his ALA 6/7th grade classes. Our language arts programs need to meet the needs of ALL children, just as our math classes do.
The children at centennial deserve to have an opportunity to be challenged in language arts. My boys used to love this subject but are now bored in class and not progressed sufficiently.
I truly believe that Language Arts can be a foundation for our kid's brain and character development. Eliminating the advanced course will severely affect those students who have the potential and want to learn more about how to be a better human by learning it from literature.
The advanced language arts program at centennial is instrumental to student success. Eliminating it would be a mistake that may cost many students.
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Principal Ellis just confirmed that our stakeholder group will be formed to review the language arts program. Seeing our community come together like this provides so much relief for the students who felt left out of the conversation. I am grateful for our persistence.
December 25, 2016
Final supporters
Dear BVSD School Board Members:
The recent controversy over changes to the Advanced English Language Arts classes at Centennial Middle School has led to frustration among parents, students, teachers, and administrators. Disruptions at parent events at Centennial, such as PTO meetings and Back to School Night, are evidence of how this issue has become a critical concern within the Centennial community. As Centennial parents, we want to constructively resolve this issue and propose the following process.
We request that a stakeholder group of teachers, parents, and administrators be formed to review the Centennial Language Arts survey results, identify issues, share information, discuss solutions, and create recommendations regarding the Advanced Language Arts program at Centennial. We believe that such a stakeholder group will increase understanding, reduce frustration, build trust, and strengthen our school community. We ask that this group be formed by the end of October and have its first meeting in early November.
We submitted a more detailed version of this letter to Principal Ellis on September 26th. As of October 4th, we had not yet received a response.
We believe that Centennial is faced with an opportunity to be a district leader in developing and implementing changes to English Language Arts instruction that result in programs that meet the needs of students and are supported by teachers and parents.
Sincerely,
The undersigned parents of Centennial Middle School students:
Updates
November 7, 2016
I have been hearing from so many of you who are watching your children struggle with the recent changes to the language arts curriculum. We have yet to receive a response from Principal Ellis but the silence from the administration is becoming impossible to ignore.
November 7, 2016
Seeing so many families unite around this issue validates exactly why we started this effort for our kids. This momentum shows that the people running our school can no longer ignore the genuine frustration felt in our hallways.
Reached 100 supporters
November 7, 2016
22 Comments
My son is a third grader and we live in the Centennial neighborhood. Without ALA, I will open enroll my son out of his home school.
As is the case with advanced math instruction, students with advanced ability and potential in Language Arts deserve to be challenged together, as a group. Without classroom instruction and discussion tailored to advanced students, it falls to parents to provide advanced writing instruction, and this simply is not an adequate model. Further, without ALA, I worry that Centennial students will not be prepared to succeed in AP English in high school.
I am quite disturbed by this sudden change with no notice or input from the parent body. I don't feel confident that this change benefits all the students at all, nor that the teachers are capable of addressing the needs of such a large class with such a broad range of competencies.
Principal Ellis responded to our request for the formation of a stakeholder group. She told us that she would not form a stakeholder group. She told us that she will hold an information night on November 17th. She reiterated that all design, implementation and evaluation of Language Arts instruction would be conducted by teachers, school administrators and district administrators. She did not give us a reason for refusing our request for parents to be a part of this process.
If we are getting rid of advanced LA classes, why not get rid of all advanced math classes, too? Is that out of the question? Then why? Would our advanced math kids get bored? Well they can go "above and beyond" and challenge themselves, right? Why is it different for our advanced LA kids? I saw my daughter thrive with the ALA program at Centennial (she is a sophomore at FV and is now thriving in their IB program as well), and my son was pushed and challenged in his ALA 6/7th grade classes. Our language arts programs need to meet the needs of ALL children, just as our math classes do.
The children at centennial deserve to have an opportunity to be challenged in language arts. My boys used to love this subject but are now bored in class and not progressed sufficiently.
I truly believe that Language Arts can be a foundation for our kid's brain and character development. Eliminating the advanced course will severely affect those students who have the potential and want to learn more about how to be a better human by learning it from literature.
The advanced language arts program at centennial is instrumental to student success. Eliminating it would be a mistake that may cost many students.
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My son is a third grader and we live in the Centennial neighborhood. Without ALA, I will open enroll my son out of his home school.