Posted on Wed, Sep 5, 2012 : 8:03 a.m.
New Chelsea superintendent putting focus on student achievement
By Cindy Heflin
Chelsea’s new superintendent says boosting student achievement in the school district will be one of his primary goals in his first year at the helm, Chelsea Patch reports.
Andrew Ingall
Ingall is a longtime resident of Chelsea and was previously executive director of instruction for Chelsea schools. He replaces former Superintendent David Killips, who retired.
Comments
Jeff Frank
Thu, Sep 6, 2012 : 7:58 p.m.
Easiest solution... dumb down the top group to close the gap. OK, that isn't a serious suggestion, but is it realistic to think that the bottom 30% of any large group is going to perform at nearly the same levels as the top 30%? That bottom 30% likely includes all of the kids with special education labels (AI, CI, EI, etc) along with those who don't have the formal labels but simply cannot perform at the same level, for whatever reason(s). The idea that the gap between the top and bottom is a valid measure seems ludicrous. Instead, track and measure each groups performance. Expect more improvement from the bottom, but as long as there's improvement, there really isn't an issue.
tkn
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 1:29 p.m.
unfortunately "dumbing down" is probably exactly what's going to happen. It is a ridiculous standard to measure a school with. Sorry, but there are always going to high performing students and there are always going to be students with learning difficulties and to try and "close the gap" implies that the goal is just to strive for average.
facewash95
Wed, Sep 5, 2012 : 7:13 p.m.
Being notified about this issue one week before school started was concerning. However, annarbor.com is not the source anyone who's troubled by this news should be refering to for reports or updates on "how Chelsea is looking at fixing this gap". If you've got time to wait for a news source to get your answers for you, you've got time to contact the principals at any of the three schools listed to get FIRST HAND answers. They are all prepared to communicate their objectives to resolve the performance gap. Pick up the phone and make an appointment.
chelseami
Thu, Sep 6, 2012 : 11:21 a.m.
I have tried contacting the principal with no success. The school district should have a meeting for concerned parents or an email or a letter sent home. In fact, it could have been stated or listed in the letter that was sent but it wasn't.
chelseami
Wed, Sep 5, 2012 : 1 p.m.
I hope Mr. Ingall follows through on this. Myself, along with other parents, will be sending our children to different schools if this happens again next year. It would have been nice to receive the letter more than a week before school starts when the school board has known about this. AANews.com - could you report on how Chelsea is looking at fixing this gap?
TigersFan91
Thu, Sep 6, 2012 : 8:30 p.m.
This is because the State just notified all of the schools in early August. They are the ones who set forth this time table for all schools who had to do this. The schools then had to wait for information on how to proceed. It is not the fault of Chelsea or any other district that was a "focus" school. http://www.annarbor.com/news/state-report-cards-response/#.UEkHbaTybfc