?2 3;.s3 HLECUPY STATE OF TENNESSEE - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BILL HASLAM -. .sl? FLOOR. ANDREW JOHNSON TOWER KEVIN s. HUFFMAN GOVERNOR . - 7'1t'.ll JAMES ROBERTSON PARWAY COMMISSIONER NASHVILLE. TN 37243-03?5 Aiprai 15, 2011 Mr. John Conditt - -: PiO.'Box5 . i H!ckman. TN 38765 I I . Dear Mr. Condit.El- _1 I We appreciate your time and effort regarding concerns for EL students attending Antioch High School. A team ofg'consultants from the Tennessee Department of Education met with administrators of Antioch High School! and district personnel to investigate your cancerns. Data was reviewed prior to the visit and there were discussions offindividual student records for student's. NO issues were found in the data. From all that was discussed and reviewed, Antioch High School is acting in the best interest of the English Learn er. During the review of student Was evidence most students had heritage English classes to support the ?rst language. There'wasals?o evidence that many if not all of the ELs were engaged in more than one English or English Langua?geDevelopment class. I :l . There is some confusion about the assessment of the ELLs in relation to till"1 grade Gateway and the 11'? grade writing. Student classification is a district decision. The classi?cation system appears equitable for all students. Thank you for your concerns. If I can be Of further assistance. please feel free to contact me at Debbie.0wens@tn.qov. 615-532-6292;; Sincerely. ?l i? 7V :61 MM Deidre E. Owens, - i. Division of LEA Support and improvement DEQOO . C: Karen Munn. Middle TennesseeRegional Coordinator Jesse Register. Director of Schools. Metropolitan-Nashville Public School District Julie McCargar. Executive Director. Federal Programs, MetrOpolitan?Nashville Public SchOols Jan Lanier. ESL Coordinator. Department Of Education, DivisiOn of LEA Support and improvement VBetty Cochran. Complaints Coordinator. Division of LEA Support and improvement STATE OF TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION . BILL HASLAM a? FLOOR. ANDREW JOHNSON TOWER PATRICK SMITH GOVERNOR T10 JAMES ROBERTSON PARKWAY ACTING COMMISSIONER 2 NASHVILLE. TN 3?243-03?5 March 15, 20111 Mr. John Conditt P. - I Hickman, TN 38765 Dear Mr: Conditt: I have received your complaint form, dated March 2, 2011, regarding your concerns about Antioch High School?s (located in Metronoliian_Davidson County School District) ELL (English Language Learners) students being kept ?ora takinglend-of?course exams. We will conduct an on?site review of the complaint and issue a letter stating the. ?ndings of facts within (SO-days. If areas of noncompliance are found, corrective action will be required and timelines for completion indicated. All parties will be informed of the areas of noncompliance and the required corrective actions. The Tennessee Department of Education may extend the 60-day timeline if exceptional circumstances exist. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please feel free to contact me at (615) 532-6297 or e?mail me at Debbie?wenst?ltngov. You may also contact Betty Cochran, Complaints CoOrdinator, at615-?532-63 05 or e?mail her at Bettv.Cochran@tn.gov. Sincerely yours, i; {Ca Debra Owens, I . Division of LEA Support'and Improvement c: Betty Cochran, Complaints Coordinator, Division of LEA Support and Improvement, State Department of Education I .: Karen Munn, Regional Coordinator Jesse Register, Director of Schools, Metropolitan?NashVille Public School District Julie McCargar, Executive Director, Federal Programs, Metropolitan-Nashville Public Schools Jan Lanier, ESL Coordinator Complaint Form for Federal Programs under the No Child Left Behind Act of RECEIVE 20? MAR 2:25 PLEASE PRINT F?gg?r or saucer Name (Com lainantthey Canon 1- P??sws t' bl fl E. gencycomp am IS en Ic galust: Ann-.005- Ii?? Seemed.- met?m Ca Smog Description ofcomplaint: THE HA 5 TAHQN ELL $.14 .rg?o HAUQ T?tm lrJ' A Samoa; ENE?tab} CL ~55 accouse T?rwae sruo?uvTS Hausa Beau TauJecrerb END 0 comm 91%. Time. ELL 9UP: SoPI-tavnu?93 TMT I-mue BEEN ?w Somme. magmas-35 CLASS Hmfw?v THiuu ?Irkl?. Qua Semo??g a 114mg Scia?moa? Ewa?ug?? ,4 Quantum Harrow tun-Haun- NdTu. wj Talent - THE- 130m LNL STi??l?mtd Heft; 7*?53 :5 LquL 59945421157 To A "1).Qea9su1? gar-loot. 327mm Haumj 71km THE MITW TEST on. ENG o-F cedase N1 orL 536.441.. Statement that agency has violated a requirement of a federal statute or regulation that appl'es to an appli- cableprogram: Keeflws g7? new 71$ ?ow T?Klws END 5 List the names mm telc hoinumbers of individuals who can ovide uddi? nal information; De. mUUge Ema 0' QMQQ ?T?Iuc. We l4an 0 Swans?! gum eel-I lo I S- (N Have efforts been made to resolve this c?o'tnplaint thro'ugh the school district?s internal grievance proce? dure? 'If so, what is the status of the grievance? .17aespemg?i Has a complaint been ?led with any other govemmen agency? If so, prairide the name of the agency. NO If the Tennessee Department of Education does not have jurisdiction to investigate this complaint, do you give the Department permission to send this complaint to the federal and/or state department or agency that has jurisdiction? Date I 5' mm ofCom lainan 6? Return this form, along with the consent form to: Tennessee Department of Education Federal Programsl?Office 5th Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower 710 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0379 CONSENT FORM FOR USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION FOR COMPLAINANT Tennessee Code Annotated. Section 10-7-503, states: All state, county, and municipal records and all records maintained by the Tennessee p?e'rj?brming ms center management corporation, except any public docitrnents authorized to be destroyed by the county public re- cords commission in accordance with Section 10- 7-404, shall at all times, wing business hours, be open for personal inspection by any citizen of Tennessee, and those in charge of such records shall not re?ise such right of inspection to any citizen, unless otherwise provided by State law. I am aware that it is the policy of the Tennessee Department of Education, to the extent allowed by state law, to protect the identity of complainants who cooperate with the department?s reviews and investigations. I understand the information I provide as well as any information obtained during the review of this complaint will be available to any person within the Tennessee Department of Education with a need to know its contents, and may be used. for program analysis, review evaluation, and statistical purposes. I also understand that any information I provide is subject to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 1097-503, printed above, which allows any citizen of Tennessee to review the records maintained by the Tennessee Department of Education. I also understand that for this com- plaint to be investigated it may be necessary for the Tennessee Department of Education to release my name and information about myself to the entity or organization that is the subject of this complaint. Comm of Complainant 3m Date Page 1 of 2 Betty Cochran - Concerns what Metro is doing to ELL students From: John Conditt (A - To: (1 Date: 2/23/2011 12:25 PM Subject: Concerns what Metro is doing to ELL students [7 I am a retired Metro Nashville teacher and I hope that you would take a couple of minutes to read my email concerning problems that Davidson County is doing to our ELL students. I really did not know who to contact and I hope that I have contact the right person to Hal}; tilies'enstiidents. If not could you please direct me to the right people. I do believe the No Child Left Behind was not the intention to ?nd loop holes for the ELL students. We are not really helping students which should be the purpose of all involved. I received distressing news this week from colleagues of mine. It is my understanding the Metro olitan Nashville Public School (MNPS) Administration has devised a way to manipulate High Schid?o'l'l'miimim Ithigihwart learning evaluations from occurring in a select group ofminority students to achieve the geals set by the Federal Government?s No Child Left Behind program. Let us begin by understanding some basic foundational information. The Federal Government?s No Child Left Behind program primary goals are that: All students will achieve high academic standards by attaining pro?ciency or better in reading and mathematics by the 2013?2014 school year. Highly quali?ed teachers will teach all students All students will be educated in schools and classrooms that are safe, drug free, and conducive to learning. All limited English pro?cient students will become pro?cient in English. All students will graduate ?om hi gh school. To ensure these goals are consistently met students are evaluated at the end of the year with an end of course pro?ciency exam. Throughout the year students are given two Think Link Tests to eValuate their progress in meeting the reading and mathematics goals. The Think Link Test is used to evaluate the student?s current progress and develop immediate action plans for students not meeting the goals. Results of the Think Link Test for students with En vlish as a second Lan a has historically been poor at MNPS. These results eventually translat scores and the AYP (Ade uate Yearly Pro Jress) test scores. Therefore the Think Link Test results are critical indicators of Elihut the year. AYP scores are used by the State to evaluate whether or not schools and Districts are meeting the Federal Government?s No Child Left Behind goals. If overall test scores are poor the Superintendent, Principal and school of?cials are expected to develop action plans for improvement. Without the expected improvements within an allotted time frame the State can step in. This is not only a disappointment for Teachers and Students it can become a huge embarrassment for the Superintendent and Principal. Historically, Districts unable to consistently meet ederal Guidelines made changes up to and including changes in Leadership. Therefore, as you can guess, veryhody wins if AYP scores are and Settings\CA00268\Local 2/23/2011 Page 2 of 2 good. But, what if you have a minority group of students whose English is a second language? What if these ELL (En iish Lan age Learner) students were consistently testing poorly during the twice a year Think Link 1% ?d?g 1with them? Teach them English you say! Well, that?s a novel idea. But no. . ..there is a way around that! Okay, I?m being factions, but the reality is far sadder. High School Students at MNPS take the AYP tests near the end of- their Sophomore and Junior years. So.. if the MNPS Superintendent and Administrators devised a plan whereby all the failing ELL students were pulled mid?year from their Se homcre ear English class and placed into the Senior Eiiglihii'class, effectively bypassing the Alw? 't'??ihements? And, what if MNPS did this without? notifying the public or the parents? Why, that?s impossible you say! Totally impossible! MNPS would never do such a thing! Wipe the indignation off your face and think again! It is not only possible, it?s reality. Please feel free to call your local MNPS High School Principal or the MetropolitanNashville and Davidson County Board of Public Education to discuss your concerns regarding this rumor. Better yet, call the Superintendent who is responsible. Retired Metro Teacher Thank you John Conditt and Settings\CA00268\Local 2/23/2011 Page 1 of4 Betty Cochran - Re: Concerns what Metro is doing to ELL students From: John Conditt To: Betty Cochran Date: 3/31/2011 8:21 AM Subject: Re: Concerns what Metro is doing to ELL students Ms. Cochran I have received addition word from my resource the Hispanic children in ELL were targeted for Guidance counselor interviews designed to separate all Hispanic children Who were not interested in attending college. Parents were not noti?ed. Hispanic ELL- children' who told the counselors they were not interested in attending college were the foCus group pulled from the 10th grade English classes mid term and placed in the 12th grade English classes. It also my understanding no other minority or majority group received this focused counseling. When I asked why, my resource felt the Hispanic ELL children were targeted because few parents would intervene secondary to citizenship status issues. The school felt like they had found a hoop hole in the No Child Left Behind Law to move these students without any problems. Even if they had been in 10th grade English until Mid-February and then placed in 12th grade English they wanted to make sure that they make AYP. Thanks ohn Conditt On Thu, 3/3/11, Betty Cochran wrote: From: Betty Cochran Subject: Re: Concerns what Metro is doing to ELL students To: "John Conditt" Date: Thursday, March 3, 2011, 3:15 PM You are welcome. I'll be looking for your form. Thank you for helping the students. Betty Cochran, ASA3 Of?ce Manager Division of LEA Support and Improvement Tennessee Department of Education 710 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, TN 37243-03 75 (615) 532-6305 and Settings\CA00268\Local 3/31/2011 Page 2 of 4 FAX: 253-5706 E-Mail: Betty . Cochranr'i?t .20 John Conditt 3/3/2011 2:37 PM Ms Cochran I drop the forms in the mail on March 2nd, I just want to matter for these students! John Conditt On Wed, 2/23/11, Betty Cochran Wrote: From: Betty Cochran Subject: Re: Concerns what Metro is doing to ELL students To: "John Conditt" Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 4:58 PM Thank you Mr. Conditt for your e-mail concerning Davidson COunty's ELL students. Your concerns came to the right person. I coordinate all complaints for this of?ce and will be glad to submit your concerns; however,- I will need for you to ?ll out the appropriate paperwork. If you will go to this link, you can access the NCLB complaint form as well as Tennessee's NCLB Complaint Procedures. Complete the form and mail it back to me. Thank ydu and I look forward to hearing from you. "Betty Cochran, ASA3 Of?ce Manager Division of LEA Support and Improvement Tennessee Department of Education 710 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, TN 37243-0375 (615) 532-6305 FAX: 253-5706 E-Mail: Betty.Cochran@tn.gov John Conditt 2/23/2011 12:25 PM I am a retired Metro Nashville teacher and I hope that you would take a couple of minutes to read my email concerning problems that Davidson County is doing to our ELL students. I really did not know who to contact and I hope that I have contact the Iigli?i'iSEirsbiil'fo help these students. If not could you please direct me to the right people. I do believe the No Child Left Behind was not the intention to ?nd loop holes for the ELL students. We are not really helping students which should be the purpose of all and Settings\CA00268\Local 3/31/2011 Page 3 of 4 involved. I received distressing news this week from colleagues of mine. It is my understanding the Metro olitan'Nashville Public School (MN PS) Administration has devised a way to to thwart learning evaluations from occurring in a select group of minority students to achieve the goals set by the Federal Government?s No Child Left Behind program. Let us begin by understanding some basic foundational information. The Federal Government?s No Child Left Behind program primary goals are that: All students will achieve high academic standards by attaining pro?ciency 'or better in reading and mathematics by the 2013?2014 school year; 0 Highly quali?ed teachers will teach all students a All students will be educated in schools and classrooms that are safe, drug free, and conducive to learning. All limited English pro?cient students will become pro?cient in English. 0 All students will graduate from To ensure these goals are consistently met students are evaluated at the end of the year with an end of course pro?ciency exam. Throughout the year students are given two Think Link Tests to evaluate their progress in meeting the reading and mathematics goals. The Think Link Test is used to evaluate the student?s current progress and develop immediate action plans for students not meeting the goals. Results of the Think Link Test for students with English as a second Langua has histOrically been poor at MNPS. These results lihd of course exam scores and the AYP (Ade uate Yearly Progress) test scores. 'l?hcrefore the "l'hink Link Test results are throughout the year. AYP scores are used by the State to evaluate whether or not schools and Districts are meeting the Federal Governmentis No Child Left Behind goals. If overall test scores are poor the Superintendent, Principal and school of?cials are expected to develop immediate action plans for improvement. Without the expected improvements within an allotted time frame the State can step in. This is not only a disappointment for Teachers and Students it can become a. huge embarrassment for the Superintendent and Principal. Historically, Districts unable to consistently meet Federal Guidelines made changes up to and including changes in Leadership. Therefore, as you can guess, even body wins if AYP scores are good. nun: :Immiuimml But, what if you have a minority group of students thSe English is a second language? What if these ELL (En lish Langua 'e Learner) students were consistently testing poorly during the twice hi? trit?tt?lg'; What do you do with them? Teach them English you say! Well, that?s a novel idea. But is a way around that! Okay, I?m being factions, but the reality is far sadder. High School Students at MNPS take the AYP tests near the end of their Sophomore and Junior years. So. . if the MNPS Superintendent and Administrators devised a plan whereby all the failing ELL students were pulled mid-year from their Sophomore year English class and English class, effectively and Settings\CA00268\Local 3/31/2011 Page 4 of 4 AYP testing requirements? 'And,- what if MNPS did this without notifying the public or the parents? Why, that?s impossible you say! Totally impossible! MNPS would never do such a thing! Wipe the indignation off your face and think again! It is not only possible, it?s reality. Please feel free to call your local MNPS High School Principal or the Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Board of Public Education to discuss. your concerns regarding thisrunrorrmB?etter responsible: Retired Metro Teacher Thank you John Conditt and Settings\CA00268\Local 3/31/2011