Questions & Answers
In this section I'll try to answer your questions. Call, email or use the comment form on my Contact page.
Washington County Parents
Here are the questions I received from the online group Washington County Parents and my answers. Candidate responses are being posted on their Facebook page.
Here are the questions I received from the online group Washington County Parents and my answers. Candidate responses are being posted on their Facebook page.
QUESTION -
PARCC: With Only 6 states using PARCC testing (the other 14 using the Smarter Balanced) to compare scores against, what is or will be your plan of action given the PARCC test scores, were below expectations in 2015? How are you able to now compare apples to apples per se with only 5 other states to utilize in the comparison? Is this a curriculum and set of standards you wish to keep as Maryland has said they are sticking with PARCC?
Maryland’s participation with PARCC is one of the strings attached to having accepted Federal Race to the Top (RTT) funding. By Maryland adopting the Common Core Standards and agreeing to policies and reforms establishing rigorous college and career ready standards and high quality assessments, the state received a $250 million Race to the Top grant. Maryland joined the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career Consortium (PARCC) to implement those assessments. Some states have chosen to join another consortium, the Smarter Balanced Consortium. Participation in PARCC has decreased and with that decreasing participation has come the realization that there will no longer be the opportunity for a worthwhile comparison of educational metrics across a majority of states.
Our county’s PARCC test scores for 2016 show gains from 2015, and if we effectively teach the curriculum our county has developed (based on Maryland College and Career Ready Standards), test scores will continue to improve. An apples to apples comparison of scores may be of value but if the basket of apples shrinks, so be it. The remaining state to state comparisons may still be valuable. Maryland is a state that has historically done well in educating its children. An apples to apples comparison of the local education agencies (counties) and the state overall will be sufficient to monitor our county’s progress. The state and counties have invested a great deal of time and money in PARCC - in curriculum development/alignment and staff development making a change of direction unlikely.
QUESTION -
CHARTER SCHOOLs: Andrew Smarick is our new Maryland State Board of Education president who helped start a charter school, supports charter schools, and wrote a book about charter schools. Knowing his deep charter support, if there is a push to open a charter school in Washington County that utilizes public school funding but is privately run, what will you do to prevent it or support it?
It is important to keep Maryland’s Charter School law strong. Under Maryland law the sole chartering authority lies with the local board of education. WCPS Policy IHBH establishes the criteria for the evaluation of charter school applications and for accountability in the operation of public charter schools in Washington County.
Keen oversight of the application process, the careful and meticulous review of any charter school application in accordance with WCPS policy, adherence to that policy as it relates to chartering authority, and diligent monitoring will ensure that any charter school established in Washington County is held to high academic standards and held accountable under the provisions of Maryland law and regulation governing all public schools. I will work to see that Maryland’s Charter School law and WCPS Policy IHBH are kept strong and followed.
QUESTION -
INCLUSION: What will you do to make sure all schools are included, considered, and valued in BOE decisions? What will you do to get more overall teacher input?
Equity has been and continues to be an issue of concern to me. I have considered the impact on all schools and all students in each of the decisions I have made as a board member, and I have raised the issue of equity in discussions with my fellow board members. The elected board must monitor the actions of the superintendent and staff and be open to feedback from all stakeholders. Hopefully, the new elected board will set the expectation that the superintendent be open to working as a partner with teachers and end what I see currently as a non-productive, adversarial relationship.
I am in favor of more town hall meetings, work sessions, and board committee meetings held at times convenient for parents and teachers to attend. I have been and will continue to be receptive to feedback and input from all members of our community.
QUESTION -
MANDATE: How do you feel about Governor Hogan’s mandate to start school after Labor Day?
Governor Hogan’s mandate may or may not hold up in court. Regardless, I believe we should take the mandate as an opportunity to look at the calendar in new ways and put our energy into the creation of a calendar that serves our students in the best possible way. The process should include opportunities for input from parents, teachers, and the community before it is adopted.
I would like to see a calendar created that has the support of our community. Further, I would like the Board to review and revise the existing policy (see Board Exhibit BDF-E(2)) and regulations to add more parent representatives to the Calendar Committee to address what I feel is an imbalance in the committee membership.
QUESTION -
CLASS SIZE: Despite the “county average” being presented as having acceptable class size numbers, we do have pockets of large class sizes. Those students are being shortchanged. What do you feel are acceptable class sizes for primary and secondary grades, and what will you do to eliminate those pockets?
I would to see a reduction in class size, particularly in the primary grades. Research tells us that positive effects and an increase in student achievement can come from lower class size in grades K-3 in a well-designed and properly implemented approach. The greatest benefits have been found when class size is no more than 18 students per teacher. Also, minority and lower income students show greater gains when in small classes in the primary grades. So, to change the destiny of our youngest and our most vulnerable students we need to act strategically and intentionally, directing resources where they are most needed.
Teachers, principals, supervisors, and directors should be involved in discussions to determine an appropriate class size based on the needs of a school’s students. The BOE budget needs to include a realistic number of contingency teacher positions to be used to relieve the unexpected larger than desired classes. In certain situations, large classes or classes with special needs students may require more than one teacher or additional para-professional support. I support the hiring of additional teaching staff to reduce class size. In cases where physical space is not available to create more classrooms, teachers could be paired to teach a large class to reduce the pupil teacher ratio, and using a floating teacher is another option.
QUESTION -
TEACHER WORKLOAD: Considering the increase in teacher workload, how will you work with educators and the school system to provide the needed time to do the job?
I’m open to adjustments to allow more self-directed planning time for teachers. Teachers are professionals and should be treated as such. I’d like to see the board, the superintendent and his staff, and teacher representatives collaboratively explore and implement workload solutions. I do not support extending the teacher workday without additional pay.
Hopefully, the new composition of the board will be more open to working as collaborative partners with teachers.
QUESTION -
WORKING TOGETHER: Keeping in mind, all board members should always put the best interests of our students above personal differences, how as a board member will you act to improve interactions with other board members and build a more cohesive board?
I’ll advocate for a team-building/organizational retreat at the start of the new board’s term along with a board self-assessment. The current majority has opposed the idea of a retreat and even went so far as to rescind the policy that required annual board self-assessments. Hopefully, the new make-up of the board will be more open to doing what it takes to learn to work together and to disagree without being disagreeable.
QUESTION -
SPECIAL SERVICES: My son is in a class with several challenged students. What will you do to make sure more assistance is provided to challenged students and to the teachers who need help in the classroom?
I support the budget being built to include additional staffing to support teachers and students in those classrooms. Further, we need to ensure that students are placed appropriately and in accordance with their needs. All students should have a classroom that is a safe, orderly, and supportive learning environment.
PARCC: With Only 6 states using PARCC testing (the other 14 using the Smarter Balanced) to compare scores against, what is or will be your plan of action given the PARCC test scores, were below expectations in 2015? How are you able to now compare apples to apples per se with only 5 other states to utilize in the comparison? Is this a curriculum and set of standards you wish to keep as Maryland has said they are sticking with PARCC?
Maryland’s participation with PARCC is one of the strings attached to having accepted Federal Race to the Top (RTT) funding. By Maryland adopting the Common Core Standards and agreeing to policies and reforms establishing rigorous college and career ready standards and high quality assessments, the state received a $250 million Race to the Top grant. Maryland joined the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career Consortium (PARCC) to implement those assessments. Some states have chosen to join another consortium, the Smarter Balanced Consortium. Participation in PARCC has decreased and with that decreasing participation has come the realization that there will no longer be the opportunity for a worthwhile comparison of educational metrics across a majority of states.
Our county’s PARCC test scores for 2016 show gains from 2015, and if we effectively teach the curriculum our county has developed (based on Maryland College and Career Ready Standards), test scores will continue to improve. An apples to apples comparison of scores may be of value but if the basket of apples shrinks, so be it. The remaining state to state comparisons may still be valuable. Maryland is a state that has historically done well in educating its children. An apples to apples comparison of the local education agencies (counties) and the state overall will be sufficient to monitor our county’s progress. The state and counties have invested a great deal of time and money in PARCC - in curriculum development/alignment and staff development making a change of direction unlikely.
QUESTION -
CHARTER SCHOOLs: Andrew Smarick is our new Maryland State Board of Education president who helped start a charter school, supports charter schools, and wrote a book about charter schools. Knowing his deep charter support, if there is a push to open a charter school in Washington County that utilizes public school funding but is privately run, what will you do to prevent it or support it?
It is important to keep Maryland’s Charter School law strong. Under Maryland law the sole chartering authority lies with the local board of education. WCPS Policy IHBH establishes the criteria for the evaluation of charter school applications and for accountability in the operation of public charter schools in Washington County.
Keen oversight of the application process, the careful and meticulous review of any charter school application in accordance with WCPS policy, adherence to that policy as it relates to chartering authority, and diligent monitoring will ensure that any charter school established in Washington County is held to high academic standards and held accountable under the provisions of Maryland law and regulation governing all public schools. I will work to see that Maryland’s Charter School law and WCPS Policy IHBH are kept strong and followed.
QUESTION -
INCLUSION: What will you do to make sure all schools are included, considered, and valued in BOE decisions? What will you do to get more overall teacher input?
Equity has been and continues to be an issue of concern to me. I have considered the impact on all schools and all students in each of the decisions I have made as a board member, and I have raised the issue of equity in discussions with my fellow board members. The elected board must monitor the actions of the superintendent and staff and be open to feedback from all stakeholders. Hopefully, the new elected board will set the expectation that the superintendent be open to working as a partner with teachers and end what I see currently as a non-productive, adversarial relationship.
I am in favor of more town hall meetings, work sessions, and board committee meetings held at times convenient for parents and teachers to attend. I have been and will continue to be receptive to feedback and input from all members of our community.
QUESTION -
MANDATE: How do you feel about Governor Hogan’s mandate to start school after Labor Day?
Governor Hogan’s mandate may or may not hold up in court. Regardless, I believe we should take the mandate as an opportunity to look at the calendar in new ways and put our energy into the creation of a calendar that serves our students in the best possible way. The process should include opportunities for input from parents, teachers, and the community before it is adopted.
I would like to see a calendar created that has the support of our community. Further, I would like the Board to review and revise the existing policy (see Board Exhibit BDF-E(2)) and regulations to add more parent representatives to the Calendar Committee to address what I feel is an imbalance in the committee membership.
QUESTION -
CLASS SIZE: Despite the “county average” being presented as having acceptable class size numbers, we do have pockets of large class sizes. Those students are being shortchanged. What do you feel are acceptable class sizes for primary and secondary grades, and what will you do to eliminate those pockets?
I would to see a reduction in class size, particularly in the primary grades. Research tells us that positive effects and an increase in student achievement can come from lower class size in grades K-3 in a well-designed and properly implemented approach. The greatest benefits have been found when class size is no more than 18 students per teacher. Also, minority and lower income students show greater gains when in small classes in the primary grades. So, to change the destiny of our youngest and our most vulnerable students we need to act strategically and intentionally, directing resources where they are most needed.
Teachers, principals, supervisors, and directors should be involved in discussions to determine an appropriate class size based on the needs of a school’s students. The BOE budget needs to include a realistic number of contingency teacher positions to be used to relieve the unexpected larger than desired classes. In certain situations, large classes or classes with special needs students may require more than one teacher or additional para-professional support. I support the hiring of additional teaching staff to reduce class size. In cases where physical space is not available to create more classrooms, teachers could be paired to teach a large class to reduce the pupil teacher ratio, and using a floating teacher is another option.
QUESTION -
TEACHER WORKLOAD: Considering the increase in teacher workload, how will you work with educators and the school system to provide the needed time to do the job?
I’m open to adjustments to allow more self-directed planning time for teachers. Teachers are professionals and should be treated as such. I’d like to see the board, the superintendent and his staff, and teacher representatives collaboratively explore and implement workload solutions. I do not support extending the teacher workday without additional pay.
Hopefully, the new composition of the board will be more open to working as collaborative partners with teachers.
QUESTION -
WORKING TOGETHER: Keeping in mind, all board members should always put the best interests of our students above personal differences, how as a board member will you act to improve interactions with other board members and build a more cohesive board?
I’ll advocate for a team-building/organizational retreat at the start of the new board’s term along with a board self-assessment. The current majority has opposed the idea of a retreat and even went so far as to rescind the policy that required annual board self-assessments. Hopefully, the new make-up of the board will be more open to doing what it takes to learn to work together and to disagree without being disagreeable.
QUESTION -
SPECIAL SERVICES: My son is in a class with several challenged students. What will you do to make sure more assistance is provided to challenged students and to the teachers who need help in the classroom?
I support the budget being built to include additional staffing to support teachers and students in those classrooms. Further, we need to ensure that students are placed appropriately and in accordance with their needs. All students should have a classroom that is a safe, orderly, and supportive learning environment.
electMelissaWilliams.com
Committee to Elect Melissa Williams : David Williams, Treasurer
Committee to Elect Melissa Williams : David Williams, Treasurer