RFP Details

[Lynne Cohee]

Here’s a link to the actual response to the RFP by Education First Consulting, the outside consultants that will be hired if the board approves this tonight:  http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/08-09agendas/061709agenda/collegereadinessscope.pdf.  Note that among the description of work to be completed by Education First by the end of Fall 2009 is the identification of high school courses in the five core content areas “not likely to put students on a path toward college and career readiness”, and a report recommending elimination of such courses. 

[GlennH]

Excellent link - and not a bad read.
I expect that the board is gonna fly with the RFP; we can only hope
(and suggest / request / insist) that they force a re-examination of
LA, and throw out Ms V & T's "work...already begun," as I delicately
suggest in note below, just sent.

We have one chance to get this right - their plan is to rotate core
curriculum reviews - that means 5+ years until the next review.

gh


**************
Please note another red flag in the LA Alignment process:
From the Best and Final Offer for RGP04948


http://www.seattleschools.org/area/board/08-09agendas/061709agenda/collegereadinessscope.pdf


The Scope and Work Streams seem very level-headed, and allow hope for
excellent existing programs (such as Roosevelt High School's LA
Options program for juniors and seniors), until one reaches the bottom
of Page 7 -

"…This iterative process will ensure that Seattle teachers have full
ownership of their new curriculum structure and a set of courses that
teachers believe in and will own. (Given that the work has already
begun in mathematics and English, we may need less time to finalize
draft courses in those subjects.) ..."


That last sentence is a huge red flag - the work already done in
English (LA) has been devised and carried out by unbridled SPS
staffers operating with a very different set of rules, with little
regard for that "ownership" or community support; their goals appear
not to be the Best Opportunity for the students, but a pre-ordained
Easily-Managed Identical Experience for Every Student.


If you feel that must approve the RFP, please expressly specify that
Language Arts be addressed as fully as the other programs, regardless
of the "work...already begun".

The "work...already begun" runs absolutely counter to the letter and
the spirit of the work streams spelled out in the RFP, and should be
given the same value that its proponents have applied to the
meaningful involvement of the students, teachers and parents that it
affects - a polite nod.

Thank you again for you time and consideration.


- Glenn Horton
RHS parent

[David Grosskopf]

Here's some of the text on that RFP:

Consulting to support the high school curricula alignment work called
for in the Seattle Public Schools Strategic Plan in the amount of
$756.300 for work beginning June 2009, ending August 2011.

Using private grant funding, Seattle Public schools must contract with
an outside consultant for support in four major areas: (1) develop a
new master program of studies for Seattle’s high schools to ensure
equal access to college/work preparatory courses; (2) revise SPS high
school course offerings to align to essential skills and knowledge for
college readiness; (3) realign high school core content courses to
college-ready standards; and (4) provide professional development for
core content teachers to ensure a rigorous college-ready curriculum in
core contents.

Seattle Public Schools has been functioning for the past decade as
individual school sites with little central coordination of
curriculum. The curriculum audit recommended a systemic and
comprehensive approach to district curriculum as a fundamental
requirement for the significant advances in academic achievement to
which the District is committed.

As part of a system-wide effort to increase the number of Seattle
Public School graduates prepared for college and work, Seattle Public
high Schools must align curricula across all SPS high schools in core
academic subjects. Each SPS high school student should undertake a
rigorous core curriculum that provides the foundation of knowledge and
skills for a student to be successful in college and the 21st century
workforce. Presently, there is no guarantee that students receive the
same content in a course with the same name nor is there a guarantee
that students within or across schools are held to the same standards
and expectations.

The work outlined in this project will support the District as it
works with teachers to strengthen curricula in all core subject areas
and ensure that every student has access to the courses needed to be
prepared for college and work.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) for consulting services for college
readiness assessment was advertised in May of 2009. Education First
Consulting received the highest rating under the established
criteria.

BEST PRACTICES
National standards suggest that system coordination of curriculum,
materials and courses is best practice in establishing ends – where is
the district headed and what is needed to get there (the mission,
standards, goals and priorities, objectives for students, and student
assessment). Schools then make site-level decisions about how to meet
the ends – what are the best strategies for that school, student and
staff.

RESEARCH AND DATA SOURCES
Research clearly shows that this level of effort to establish a
systemic and comprehensive approach to district curriculum is an
absolute requirement for the significant advances in academic
achievement to which we are all committed.

Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core Curriculum,
ACT, recommends that districts improve high schools by: specifying a
core curriculum core; aligning core curriculum to college-readiness
standards; providing teacher support; expanding access to a high-
quality, vertically aligned core courses; and measuring results at the
course level.

The Challenge of College Readiness by David Conley, Education
Leadership offers the following strategies to increase the number of
college-ready students: align high school curriculum and instruction
with college expectations; develop high quality syllabi in all
courses; implement senior seminars; and add missing content to high
school courses.

From the posted Adendum:

Question No. 4: Is the contractor expected to define College Readiness
standards for all Core Course content areas (or a subset of them) and/
or use an existing definition? Note that the RFP references the
“College Board Standards” in the “Timeline” section on page 7.

Answer: All content areas will not only cover Washington State
Standards but exceed them by aligning to college-readiness standards.
While some content areas have initiated the realignment process,
others have not and will need the contractor to provide a
recommendation.
Language Arts: Realignment of essential standards to reading and
writing to College Board with modification has been initiated and is
moving toward completion.

Curriculum alignment for language arts, December 2009
Professional development for language arts, June 2011

You will also find the Consultant's actual proposals on an attachment
on this site.