Jonathan Pelto www.jonathanpelto.com continues his series of articles raising questions about the Bridgeport school system.
Remember the special “Paul Vallas End-of-the-Year” standardized tests?
According to Vallas, they were supposed to prevent the “lull” in learning that he said takes place after Connecticut’s Mastery Tests in March, as well as help teachers and administrators determine which students need to attend summer school.
While it takes four or five months for Connecticut’s mastery tests to be processed and graded, the Vallas administration promised that the test scores for their June tests would be back in a week.
But school is over and the “Vallas End-of-the-Year” standardized tests scores never showed up.
(We still don’t know how much the whole testing scheme cost, although apparently Vallas did say he got a “deal” on them.)
No test scores, no summer school assignments?
No, in fact, as in the past, summer school assignments were made weeks ago, guided by how students did in their classes and recommendations from teachers and other school professionals.
The fact is, there was no way the standardized test scores were ever going to be used for summer school placement, but it sounded like a good story, so the Vallas operation used it in their PR spin.
But the real news isn’t the misleading statements about the June standardized tests.
The real news is this;
Paul Vallas’ office never provided principals, teachers or parents with the information needed to get any students to summer school or enrichment activities.
School is over and nothing … nothing at all … arrived about when and where and how Bridgeport’s summer school programs will work this year.
There isn’t even a mention of summer school on Bridgeport School System website at www.bridgeportedu.com.
Maybe it is what happens when you have a part-time superintendent, even if you are paying him $229,000 plus benefits.
Or maybe it is what you get when you have so many outside consultants?
Or maybe this just goes with the way things work when the “education reformers” take control?
But with hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent on “summer school,” and students across the City of Bridgeport needing summer school to even have a chance to make it, the Vallas Team failed to provide any information about Bridgeport’s Summer School Program 2012.
At today’s high school graduations, speeches will be given, the Mayor Finch will undoubtedly compliment Superintendent Vallas, Superintendent Vallas will undoubtedly compliment Mayor Finch and all the politicians and senior administrators will undoubtedly compliment themselves.
And meanwhile, when it comes to summer school, there is nothing…
As we’ve been saying, you just can’t make this stuff up.
*** It’s been a long time coming for the Bp. schools system to develop into the negative failing debacle it is today, no? So it’s obvious it’s going to take a long time to see any improvements implemented by Mr. Vallas & Co. concerning academics, etc. in the Bpt schools system. Being patient is the ticket to see if any of the changes made will be positive long-term results! After all, could it get worse, “time will tell?” *** Cross your fingers! ***
Mojo,
I think everyone is well aware that Bridgeport Schools are in need of improvement. No one thinks they failed overnight. It took a long time to get to this state of failure and it will take even longer than that to recover.
What is upsetting is Vallas. He is blowing smoke up everyone’s ass.
He writes one thing in an internal memo but says something else in public.
He is continuing to do business with vendors from his past without following purchasing protocol.
He is making changes that may or not be beneficial to the students of Bridgeport, but are certainly beneficial to his connections.
He is being paid $229,000 and we are allowing him to be a part-time superintendent.
How much time do we need to tell that Vallas is trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes and is not going to deliver us to the promised land?
Why do we need to hear this information from someone who is more Hartford based? Where is the Connecticut Post on these BOE issues? Who is watching out for the welfare of Bridgeport’s students and taxpayers?