FW: [wa-ed-deform] LWSD Grad Requirements

[Arthur Hu <ArthurH@TANGIS.COM>]

Hey, this is what Lake Washington in Redmond WA is up to, look for something
like
this in your town soon.

-----Original Message-----
From: acronin [mailto:acronin@gte.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2000 6:19 PM
To: wa-ed-deform@egroups.com
Subject: [wa-ed-deform] LWSD Grad Requirements


I just received the 52 page Draft 6.1 of the LWSD Curriculum Framework,
Level 5: Pathway to Graduation.  As they say "The devil is in the details."
Here is a fine example of a total performance based system for attaining a
high school diploma.  I mentioned this will be approved and voted on this
coming Monday, June the 5th at the 7:30PM meeting.

Here are some of the lowlights, both of the ridiculous and sublime variety.


On the ridiculous side of things are some of the criteria and evidence that
a student would need to demonstrate to achieve the top level called "high
honors." (There are three levels:proficient, honors and high honors.) For
the Advanced Literacy of Citizenship, a student can take 3 AP exams and must
get a score of 4 or 5 on all of the exams.  The Exams are American
Government, Economics (doesn't specify Micro or Macro), and a choice of one
exam in Psych, Anthro, Sociology or Philosophy.  Additionally the student
must demonstrate the ability to read and critique an article in Scientific
American, be accountable for any article in the Seattle Times for a period
of one week as an impromptu debate topic and of course does mandatory
community service.  While I fail to view the excellent Scientific American
as a journal devoted citizenship or see why Philosophy and not American
History is an AP option, what puzzles me most is how anyone could take this
seriously.  Currently the LWSD has very few students taking even one of
these exams and virtually no one taking all three.

On the sublime side of things, we have the criteria and evidence for a
minimal level of proficiency in the Advanced Literacy of Communication.
Proficiency is exhibited when a portfolio of 8 written pieces is created.
Mandated are a cause/effect paper, a literary analysis paper, a procedural
report, a buisness letter, and an opinion piece along with the culminating
project. Your additional choices are a resume, a poem, a technical manual or
web page among others. No length is specified and the criteria for judging
the pieces uses something called the 6+1 Writing Traits Model.  Additionally
the student needs to complete a 1040EZ tax return to demonstrate reading
proficiency.  Lots of emphasis on the writing process with reading journals,
drafts and self-reflection (telling how it felt to write).  I view this as
8th grade skills.  What doesn't jive is how one is supposed to pass all
these AP exams with such limited reading and writing skills.   The level of
analysis in the literary piece is measured by "Identifies, utilizes and
evaluates the elements of literature" in a work of ones choosing.  Does Dr.
Seus count?

Seriously, at work here we can see the models for both massive failure in
some of the Literacies (the Science and Qualitative Reasoning looks tough),
while an enormous dumbing down in the basic skills of reading and writing
for a high school graduate. The extremes are what jump out.  Remember,
performance is what is mandated, not coursework.  All coursework
requirements disappear.

For a full text, you can download it in Adobe Acrobat Reader at
www.lkwash.wednet.edu/lwsd/html/projects/level_5.asp
<http://www.lkwash.wednet.edu/lwsd/html/projects/level_5.asp>

I would really like to hear what you think and does anybody know anything
about the program 6+1 Traits of Writing?  I need help FAST to publically
critique this next Monday.

Anne
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