Complex terms leave parents confused

The ambiguity of the Cape Girardeau School Board's recently established goals for 2003-04 has some local parents confused about what direction the district is headed.

Teachers and administrators at each school will develop specific standards to accomplish the three open-ended goals the school board approved Monday.

Those standards will be developed between now and September, when they will be presented to the school board for approval.

In the meantime, parents are left wondering how a new reform model known as professional learning communities, which the school board adopted at a recent meeting, will impact their children's education.

While professional learning communities are different for every school based on individual needs, the reform will be based around team planning among teachers to increase student achievement.

The Southeast Missourian has simplified the complex terms used in defining each goal to help readers understand how they will impact local teachers and students.

Listed below is each goal as stated by the school board, followed by a version in "simple language."

All staff will have articulated the essential components of professional learning communities and actively applied these components in processes within their buildings consistent with this conceptual framework.

Simple language: Educators will become familiar with the ideas and practices involved in becoming a professional learning community and use those ideas and practices at each school.

All instructional staff will have held their students to high academic standards, helping each of them to achieve scholastically to the best of each student's ability by adopting professional learning community practices.

Simple language: Teachers will hold students to high standards and help students achieve to the best of their ability by using ideas and practices taken from the district's new reform model, professional learning communities.

All instructional staff will have participated in professional development activities on research-drive concepts and techniques dedicated to increasing student achievement. Classroom practice of all instructional staff will have reflected the results of their professional development activities.

Simple language: Teachers will participate in professional development activities, similar to job in-service training, based on proven techniques. The techniques will be applied in the classroom to improve student achievement.

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128