At a meeting of the Tilles Park Neighborhood Association last night, Aldermanic President Jim Shrewsbury tried to explain several of the propositions and charter amendments voters will be asked to vote on November 7.
VIDEO: Debating Police Residency
The president of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, Kevin Ahlbrand, debated 6th Ward Alderman (and possible Aldermanic President candidate) Lewis Reed on the question of police residency this week.
The informational debate, which occured at a meeting of The Tilles Park Neighborhood Association, is largely moot since the state-appointed police board voted last week to significantly relax the ban just seven weeks before voters are scheduled to let their opinion be known on the matter in a non-binding referendum.
Reed joked that the debate took place on Ahlbrand’s home turf, in SLPOA’s hall in south St. Louis. Those in attendence — including Ald. Jennifer Florida, state senate aide Harold Brown, mayoral aide Charles Bryson, and current Aldermanic Pres. Jim Shrewsbury — also heard debates on the stem cell initiative and the proposed tobacco tax increase.
Judge Strikes Down Voter ID Law
A judge has struck down Missouri’s law requiring voters to present a photo ID before they can cast a ballot. A restraining order has been issued preventing the Secretary of State’s office from implementing the requirement.
Circuit Court Judge Richard G. Callahan ruled this week that the Missouri Voter Protection Act is Unconstitutional, saying it “constitutes an impermissible additional qualification to vote in violation of Article VIII, Section 2 of the Missouri Constitution.”
Callahan also said it represented an “undue burden to the fundamental right to vote,” it violated the prohibition on interference with the “free exercise of the right of suffrage” and the requirement that “all elections shall be free and open”, and by requiring payment of money to vote, it violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the state constitution.
Governor Matt Blunt is expected to seek an appeal. So stay tuned.
Here’s a video of the new election board chair, Kimberley Mathis. She was recently appointed by Blunt to preside over St. Louis City’s elections.
Bill Clinton Stumps for McCaskill
Former President Bill Clinton came to St. Louis on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006 to support U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill
The new 21stWard.org
Thank you for visiting 21stWard.org. We have imported more than 150 posts from STLSchools.org, home of the St. Louis Schools Watch, to give the residents of our ward a better understanding of the issues facing St. Louis Public Schools. Enjoy.
MAP Scores: Much Work Ahead for SLPS
The first thing to make note of about this year’s Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores is that the grading is different. Instead of the usual five Achievement Level categories (Step 1, Progressing, Nearing Proficient, Proficient and Advanced), there are now only four categories.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) explains that because of a state law enacted in 2004, the MAP exams were revised to align more closely with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams. These are national tests in which all states must participate. Missouri’s academic standards may not exceed those used in the NAEP tests.
Now the MAP tests for communication arts and mathematics are based on four achievement level categories instead of five to describe student performance. These categories (Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced) are identical to those used by the NAEP.
DESE advises that these changes make it difficult, if not impossible, to compare 2006 MAP results with previous years.
For example, on the previous MAP tests, a substantial number of students (based on state averages) scored in the “Nearing Proficient” category. This category has been eliminated with the four new achievement levels. Students who might have scored in the middle range could now be in any of the four new categories. The results may vary widely among schools and districts.
In the past, many school officials have looked at student performance in terms of the “top two and bottom two” levels. This kind of analysis may be less meaningful now as a result of the elimination of the “Nearing Proficient” category.
“There will be a natural tendency for people to try to compare this year’s results with prior years. DESE discourages such comparisons,” says the department’s advisory. “Our advice to everybody is: Recognize the important changes that have occurred in the MAP program and be cautious about making comparisons.”
And now St. Louis Public Schools’ results:
In Communication Arts
Grade 3 – Below Basic (21.2%)/Basic (53%)/Prof (16.2%)/Adv (9.6%)
Grade 4 – Below Basic (25.6%)/Basic (51.4%)/Prof (16.4%)/Adv (6.6%)
Grade 5 – Below Basic (23%)/Basic (55.7%)/Prof (15.9%)/Adv (5.5%)
Grade 6 – Below Basic (36.8%)/Basic (47.7%)/Prof (12.6%)/Adv (2.9%)
Grade 7 – Below Basic (36.1%)/Basic (48.6%)/Prof (12.5%)/Adv (2.7%)
Grade 8 – Below Basic (25.8%)/Basic (58.4%)/Prof (12.2%)/Adv (3.7%)
Grade 11 – Below Basic (28.7%)/Basic (53.4%)/Prof (13.6%)/Adv (4.3%)
In Mathematics
Grade 3 – Below Basic (19.9%)/Basic (55.8)/Prof (20%)/Adv (4.3%)
Grade 4 – Below Basic (24.2%)/Basic (55.5%)/Prof (16.7%)/Adv (3.6%)
Grade 5 – Below Basic (23.4%)/Basic (55.1%)/Prof (17.5%)/Adv (4%)
Grade 6 – Below Basic (39%)/Basic (47.3%)/Prof (11.4%)/Adv (2.4%)
Grade 7 – Below Basic (48.3%)/Basic (39.8%)/Prof (10.2%)/Adv (1.7%)
Grade 8 – Below Basic (55.8%)/Basic (31.4%)/Prof (10%)/Adv (2.8%)
Grade 10 – Below Basic (60.5%)/Basic (26.4%)/Prof (11.2%)/Adv (2%)
SLPS has issued the following statement and analysis:
The St. Louis Public Schools today announced the preliminary results from the 2006 Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests which reveal increases in achievement among middle and high school students. While the majority of the District’s middle and high schools show increases, elementary school scores declined.
“We obviously have a great deal of work to do to ensure that all of our students are performing at advanced and proficient levels,” said Dr. Diana Bourisaw, Interim Superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools. “The 2006 MAP scores make it clear that we must offer support, including professional development for teachers and more flexibility within curriculum programs, for teachers. We cannot continue to demand accountability without providing the necessary resources for teachers,” she said.
A review of the 2006 MAP scores by grade level reveals:
- In Grade 3, 25.8 percent of students scored at the advanced and proficient levels in Communication Arts, a decrease of 9.4 percent from the previous year.
- In Grade 4, Mathematics scores dropped 15.8% in the number of students scoring at advanced or proficient levels.
- In Grade 7, the Communication Arts combined advanced and proficient performance level percentage was 15.2%, an increase of 4.2%
- In Grade 7 Communication Arts, 17 of 21 (80.9%) of the middle schools experienced increases in the top two levels.
- In Grade 8, there was an increase in Mathematics with 12.8 percent of students scoring advanced or proficient, up 4.6% from last year.
- In Grade 8 Mathematics, 15 of 21 (71.4%) of the middle schools experienced increases.
- In Grade 10, Mathematics scores averaged 13.2% in the top two performance levels, an increase of 9.7% from last year.
- Communication Arts scores at Grade 11 averaged 17.9%, an 11.7% increase from the previous year.
- In Grade 10 Mathematics, 10 of 11 (90.9%) of the high schools experienced small increases in the number of students testing as proficient or advanced.
- In Grade 11 Communication Arts, all 12 of the high schools experienced increases in the advanced and proficient levels.
“While the official results from the State of Missouri will not be available until November, these preliminary numbers suggest three elementary schools previously identified as ‘Needs Improvement’ by DESE may have made enough gains in student achievement to be removed from that status,” Bourisaw said.
The MAP measures academic standards and determines the level to which schools enable students to become proficient. The tests are scored on proficiency standards of Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. The levels of Advanced/Proficient scores are used to determine each school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) required by the Federal No Child Left Behind law. New for 2006 was that all students in Grades 3-8 were tested in both Communication Arts and Mathematics. High school testing remained the same as previous years with 10th graders tested in Mathematics and 11th graders tested in Communication Arts.
As a result of the changes in the testing of student performance, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) discourages the comparison of the 2006 data to the test results of previous years.
“All St. Louis students must be given the fundamentals they need in order to demonstrate proficient performance in communication arts, math, and science. We must align our investments in curriculum and professional development for all grades,” said Veronica O’Brien, President of the Board of Education. “It is clear that a top-down approach to curriculum development did not empower teachers to teach, or help students achieve,” she said.
The MAP score information is preliminary, as the Federal government requires the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to provide districts a 30-day appeal process. Final determinations of MAP data and Adequate Yearly Progress will be made by DESE in November.
