SDMC Meeting Minutes Monday, October 7, 2013 3:30 – 5:30 PM In attendance: C. Chang, J. Chen, J. Deggs, J. Hering, A. Liu, A. Lum, K. Nelson, D. Roberts, R. Simpson, J. Troutman, S. Wilson I.
Call to order II.
Roll Call III.
Adoption of Agenda IV.
Approval of Minutes 1. Clarified/corrected FMNV dates: Instead of Valentine’s Day, one of the FMNV days was moved to Chinese New Year. The school will celebrate this on Friday, January 31, 2014. 2. Follow up on volunteer policy. Some rules have not been followed (At least one parent has worked in the teacher workroom). i. Chang will re-­‐communicate to teachers, so teachers can set expectation ii. Roberts will post signs on Teacher and Parent workroom doors V.
Agenda Items 1. Magnet Guidelines i. The SDMC discussed making some of the requirements from the HISD Magnet Entrance Agreement more specific so that parents and prospective parents know what is expected in the program and what would result in losing the magnet transfer. Decisions and discussion on each bullet point are listed below in blue. •
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In grades K-5 (PK at Chinese Immersion magnet), maintain satisfactory grades in all core
and magnet classes during each grading cycle; [as per HISD guidelines, this means 75 or
higher average grade; for PK and K, SDMC agreed on 2 or higher on the 1-3 scale used for
report cards; Growth Plan can be initiated if concerns are present]
In grades 6-12, maintain an individual class average of 75 or higher in all core classes and an
average of 80 or higher in all foreign language classes [Chinese Language Arts will count as
the foreign language classes, not content areas taught in Chinese];
Participate in cultural events which may occur during evenings/weekends [although it is one
of the magnet agreements, the SDMC did not find any reasonable way to formally hold
students/families accountable to this expectation];
Complete all assignments and special projects and/or performances as required by individual
program [SMDC discussed and decided that this applies especially to homework
assignments because that is one area that is not reflected in mastery grading. The specific
MCLIMS expectation here is that students miss no more than 10% of homework
assignments]; Bring necessary materials to class [SDMC discussed that what is “necessary materials” is
different depending on the class and that this requirement is “as specified by the teacher”];
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Maintain a reasonable degree of organization [It was decided that this requirement is most
likely reflected in the grades requirements; it could be something mentioned in a Growth
Plan, but not a reason in itself to revoke a magnet transfer];
Participate and remain on-task in class [this should be reflected on conduct grades, which
should be an average of Satisfactory or higher];
Maintain regular attendance in accordance with school and HISD policy [as per HISD
guidelines this means missing no more than 10% of days; if a student’s attendance early in
the year is signaling a chance of 10% missed days, a growth plan can be triggered];
Refrain from excessive tardiness in accordance with school and HISD policy [there are no
district-wide policies on elementary tardiness so there is school discretion; SDMC discussed
what a reasonable limit should be; 10% was proposed; Troutman thought that given Houston
traffic, 10% is too stringent; SDMC agreed that students should be tardy on no more than
20% of days, which is essentially one tardy per week]
Adhere to the HISD Student Code of Conduct and maintain a conduct grade of ‘S’ or higher;
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Meet other expectations as defined by individual Language program and relevant to that
program. Roberts presented the process for revoking a magnet transfer, which is based on magnet guidelines: If students fail to adhere to the above Magnet Entrance Agreement:
Hold a conference with student, parent(s), teachers, and the Magnet Coordinator (Mr. Roberts) in which performance is discussed and the student is put on a Magnet Program Growth Plan, which includes student’s responsibilities for improvement and school and parent responsibilities for helping the student improve. The Growth Plan includes a time (not less than 9 weeks away) for re-­‐evaluation. 1 At the end of the desingated time, hold a Review Committee (including above participants, plus principal). If the student has met the goals and objectives of the Growth Plan, continuation in the program is recommended. If goals have not been met, the Growth Plan can be extended or modiaied OR Student is required to return to his or her zoned school. Principal notiaies the parent in writing and sends a copy of all intervention plans and supporting documentation to the Magnet Department. The decision can be reversed upon review of ainal report card grades. Students cannot be exited prior to the end of the school year except in cases of extreme discipline issues that require the student to attend a different school or with approval of the Magnet Department. Based on HISD Magnet Policy and Guidelines – p. III-12
2 3 ii. Tuition-­‐Based PK – The HISD guidelines for Tuition-­‐Based PK are not clear on the timeline by which students would be removed based on non-­‐payment. From guidelines: “Tuition-Based PreK (paid to the district at the end of every
month, school will be charged for the unpaid tuition, $10
penalty per day after 5 business days from the 15th, failure
to pay within the “specified timelines” will result in the
students’ removal from
the program) http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/72961”
SDMC discussed what an appropriate timeline would be. It was
decided that parents would be given one month from the missed
deadline before students would be removed.
iii. Magnet Entry Mandarin Chinese Language Interview (first to
fourth grades)
1. In grades 1-­‐4, new students are required to take a language interview to ensure enough Chinese language ability to succeed in the program 2. Roberts and Chang pointed out that some students who do not have strong native language abilities are struggling to acquire Chinese and English. These students may end up failing and being exited according to the magnet agreement. Research shows that native language verbal ability is key to success in Dual Language programs, and some Dual Language schools require a screening test for native language verbal ability. SDMC approved doing more research to see if MCLIMS might add a native language verbal ability screener to the magnet application process. Roberts will find out more about how this process would work. The possible suggested screener would be in the native language, regardless of whether that language is English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, French, etc. The idea is that having a firm foundation in any home language increases the likelihood of success in the MCLIMS program. The screener would be used as a minimum bar and would not be used to select the “strongest applicants.” 2. Parent Conference Packet – Chang presented documents and requirements for parent conferences, which will be held on October 30, the early dismissal Wednesday. i. Teachers would be required to have a minimum of 10 conferences, focusing on the students most in need of a conference. ii. Teachers would accommodate other parents as needed. iii. Teachers can meet with parents individually or as a team. iv. Teachers would record conferences using a form to focus on the student’s strengths, areas for growth, and actions to result in improvement. v. Parents will fill out a Parent Teacher Conference feedback form to give input on whether or not the conference met its intended objectives. VI. For next meeting (November 4, 3:30) • School name change – What would the process look like? VII. Adjourn