Welcome, Dr. Michelle Reid, New NSD Superintendent!

Save Our Challenge welcomes new NSD Superintendent,  Dr. Michelle Reid! We look forward to working with her in the future.

To see the School Board administer the Oath of Office to Dr. Reid, click here http://saveourchallenge.blogspot.com/p/school-board-testimony-archive.html

News Coverage of the School Board Vote on the Self-Select Challenge Program (and a Note on Math)

On May 24, 2016 the School Board voted 3-2 to maintain the self-select challenge program for grades 7 and 8 during the grade reconfiguration to Middle School in 2017. Each board member gave heart-felt reasons for how they intended to vote, and we appreciate all of the thought that went into their decision. Thank you once again to the School Board for all of the time and effort you put into this decision. Our children will absolutely benefit from your dedication.

Although Math was not part of this decision, board members did discuss the fate of the self-select challenge math 7/8 class and the single-jump self-select math path. District personnel did not give a definitive answer on math, but did say the single and double jump math paths would be maintained. They did not, however, say that the self-select nature of the single jump math path would be maintained. Criteria for entrance into the single jump math path that allows students to reach Calculus by senior year is still to be determined. (The Double jump math path currently requires testing or summer school math for entrance.)

As with English, Social Studies and Science, Save Our Challenge believes that challenge 7/8 math should remain self-select.

Several news outlets and blogs have covered this decision. Several of those articles are linked below.

Eastside Education Network
http://eastsideedu.com/northshore-parents/

Woodinville Weekly
http://nwnews.com/index.php/local/news/13135-school-board-votes-to-continue-challenge-program

Superintendent Francois
http://wwwnew.nsd.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=3134&ViewID=047E6BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=61287&PageID=1

NSD Staff Member
https://there-goes-the-neighborhood.com/2016/05/25/love-when-david-wins/

Washington Policy Center
http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/parents-win-union-loses-in-northshore-school-district-controversy

School Board Votes to Save Our Challenge Program!

At last night's board meeting the School Board voted 3-2 in favor of Option 3, which preserves the self-select challenge program in grades 7 and 8 for ELA, Social Studies and Science. Sixth grade will have mixed ability classrooms in this model.

Thank you to Amy Cast, Kimberly D'Angelo and Ken Smith for voting for the successful model preferred by the Community, Parents and Students. Thank you for all of your hard work and for listening!

May 24th 7pm is the Last Chance to Show Your Support for Self-Select Challenge before the Vote!

The School Board meeting on May 24th, 2016 at 7pm will be the LAST CHANCE to speak to the School Board and show support for the Self-Select Challenge Program before they vote. 

The Middle School Grade Reconfiguration Task Force and its Academic Subcommittee have presented the board with 2 options for the Middle School Academic Model. The two options presented are Option 1 (Mixed Ability Classes for grades 6-8) and Option 3 (self-select challenge for grades 7 & 8 with mixed ability classes for grade 6):

Do Not Be Fooled or Confused! Option 1 would result in the REMOVAL of the Self-Select Challenge program!

Out of the 2 choices being considered by the School Board, Option 3 is the model that would Save Our Challenge Program in grades 7 and 8. Option 3 was the second choice model of both the Task Force and the community input to Save Our Challenge. 

The School Board can choose to Save Challenge by Voting for Option 3! If you support the Challenge program, please attend the May 24, 7pm school board meeting to express your support for challenge and Option 3. We believe the school board listens to students and will act in the students' best interests. So, please encourage all students (students who have taken challenge, students who chose not to take challenge and we're happy to have the choice, and elementary students who want to have a choice when they are in middle school) to attend and speak to the school board.  

We need to fill the board room with challenge supporters if we want to keep this valuable, equitable program that gives students CHOICE. Now is the last opportunity for the School Board to hear from the community before their vote on whether or not to keep the Self-Select Challenge program. Now is the time for everyone to speak! May 24, 7pm!

Please browse the Save Our Challenge website if you would like more information on this. 

Thank You to the School Board

A huge "Thank You" to our NSD School Board!

You have made a welcoming place at your meetings for our students to come and advocate for themselves as so many did last night in favor of maintaining the Self-Select Challenge Program. You have listened with attentiveness and asked them pertinent questions. For many of our students this is their first foray into public speaking and community advocacy and you have helped make the experience a positive one. Thank you!

Urge the School Board to Vote for Option 3 at the May 10, 4pm Board Meeting and in Email.

Hello Challenge Supporters,

Tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday May 10^th at 4pm) is the next School Board meeting. At this meeting the School Board will hear the first reading of the Middle School Reconfiguration Task Force’s recommendation on Challenge. At last week’s School Board Study Session, the School Board decided to narrow the choices being considered to Option 1 and Option 3. Let’s talk about those options and how they emerged.

The district is currently calling Option 1 “Challenge for All in grades 6-8”. This name is, in fact, a fairly recent re-branding to confuse the Northshore Community. Option 1 was originally called “Heterogeneous Class Groupings” until after the October 13, 2015 Academic Subcommittee meeting. When the Save Our Challenge group started regularly attending Subcommittee and task force meetings and testifying at School Board meetings, the district renamed Heterogeneous Class Groupings “Challenge for All” in an attempt to make the community think the district was keeping and expanding the challenge program. In reality, Challenge for All is Mixed Ability, Heterogeneous classrooms in which the district believes teachers will be able to create and deliver differentiated instruction for each student in their classroom at a Challenge-level pace.  Any student who is not ready for challenge-level pace may be forced to take a support class in the subjects in which they struggle INSTEAD of taking an elective. 

Do Not Be Fooled or Confused!  Option 1 would result in the REMOVAL of the Self-Select Challenge program!

Although, Option 3 was not the first choice voted on by the community and presented to the School Board in the Save Our Challenge Proposal, it was the second choice of the parents, students and community members. Option 3 will keep the current Self-Select Challenge Program in grades 7 and 8 while also keeping the Mixed Ability, Heterogeneous classroom model that is currently used in our elementary schools for 6^th grade. We had hoped self-select challenge classes would be available for 6^th grade as well, but in this compromise model, the students will still have self-select challenge for 7^th and 8^th grade. Also, Option 3 was the second choice model voted by the Task Force. Nearly half of the task force members found option 3 to be an acceptable second choice. This is not the preferred model of either side of this debate, but it is an acceptable compromise for both.

Out of the two choices being considered by the School Board, Option 3 is the model that would Save Our Challenge Program in grades 7 and 8.

Please attend the School Board meeting on May 10, 2016, at 4pm to urge the School Board to choose Option 3! If you are unable to attend please send an email to all school board members urging them to vote for Option 3! (sbdistrict1@nsd.org, sbdistrict2@nsd.org, sbdistrict3@nsd.org, sbdistrict4@nsd.org, sbdistrict5@nsd.org )

Read the Addendum to the Save Our Challenge Proposal to the School Board

Save Our Challenge has added an Addendum to the Save Our Challenge Proposal: Recommendations and Rationale Based on Community Input. This Addendum contains even more recent research on why our District needs to keep the Challenge Program.

See the original Proposal here




Then read the Addendum here

Meeting Notes from the April 18, 2016 MSGRTF Are Available

Click here to read the notes several observers took at the April 18, 2016 Middle School Grade Reconfiguration Task Force Meeting. Note: The meeting members broke up into several smaller groups and moved to different rooms to continue the conversation. Observers followed them to the new rooms to take notes. Some conversations were hard to hear and notes are most likely not complete, but we do the best we can. :)

Also note that the Task force did not discuss any public comments before voting. They did not discuss the survey results (I believe they were only given the results of 2 survey questions in their document packet); they did not discuss the Save Our Challenge Document (the task force was only given the 2 page exec summary and not the whole 69 page document, I believe). So these votes are the result of having discussed no public input...

Meeting notes from the March 28, 2016 MSGRTF meeting are posted

Meeting notes from the March 28th, 2016 Middle School Grade Reconfiguration Task Force meeting can be found here.

The task force discussed the Consideration Ranking and the value voting of options that took place at the Subcommittee meeting on March 23rd and the next steps that will be taken before sending a recommendation to the School Board on April 26th.

Task Force members (who are not on the Academic Subcommittee) stated that they are in need of more information if they are to make an informed recommendation to the school board.

Back at the end of last year, the District stated they would conduct a survey of stakeholders (parents, students, community members, etc.) to collect public opinion on Subcommittee issues to help with decision making. That survey was conducted, without mention of the Challenge issue in its questions, and those results are in the hands of the District. Discussion of these results was on the Agenda for the March 28 MSGRTF meeting, however, that discussion was postponed until the May meeting.

This means that the Task Force will have had NO PUBLIC INPUT discussions on the Challenge issue before they will make their recommendation to the School Board on April 26, at the 7pm School Board Regular Meeting.

If the Task Force and Academic Subcommittee will not have the benefit of hearing the opinions of parents, students and community members, then the School Board will have to hear our opinions from us during the public comments section of the Board meeting. Please plan to be at the 7 pm board meeting on April 26th to express your support for challenge. Bring your kids and encourage them to speak! If you or your kids are uncomfortable with public speaking email your comments to the board starting after Spring Break. We can Save Our Challenge Program!

Please attend and speak at the April 26, 7pm board meeting to Save Challenge!

The Middle School Task Force Academic Subcommittee voted to eliminate the self – select Challenge Program. See our meeting notes under other documentation. They will present their recommendation to the full task force, who will vote whether to change this recommendation or send it as voted by the subcommittee. The school board will receive the recommendation of the full task force for the April 26, 7 pm, school board meeting. If the school board accepts the recommendation as voted by the Academic Subcommittee, there will be no self – select challenge program beginning in 2017-18, so this decision would potentially affect students who are currently in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.

But the School Board can choose to Save Challenge! If you support the Challenge program, please attend the April 26, 7pm school board meeting to express your support for challenge. We believe the school board listens to students and will act in the students' best interests. So, please encourage your student - students who have taken challenge, students who chose not to take challenge and we're happy to have the choice, and elementary students who want to have a choice when they are in middle school- to attend and speak to the school board.  Or anyone can send us their thoughts and we will speak them on their behalf. We need to fill the board room with challenge supporters if we want to keep this valuable program. Now is the time to speak! April 26, 7pm!

Please browse the Save Our Challenge website if you would like more information on this. 

March 23, 2016 Academic Subcommittee Notes Published

Save Our Challenge members attended the March 23, 2016 Academic Subcommittee meeting and took what notes they were able to get with the visitor-unfriendly room layout. You can read those notes here.

Videos from March 22, 2016 Special and Regular Board Meetings Posted

Find videos of all Board meetings held on March 22, 2016 here.

Briefing to School Board Regarding Meeting with Save Our Challenge, District Admins and NSEA

We have published the meeting summary requested by the School Board regarding the meeting on March 1, 2016 between Save Our Challenge, District Administrators and NSEA representatives.  This briefing was sent to the School Board and you can Click here to read that briefing.

It's Time for the Kids to Speak!

Hello challenge supporters,

It's time for the kids to speak out! Last Tuesday a group of elementary and Jr high kids spoke at the board meeting and it was amazing! The kids did such a great job and got the school board's attention. If your kids would be willing to speak at an upcoming school board meeting please encourage them to do that. Each speaker has 3 minutes to say their testimony. If they are nervous about public speaking they can email their letters to us here and we will compile them with others to give to the school board. The school board listens to students and we want to give them something substantial to read and listen to from students who have taken challenge, from those who chose not to take challenge (and are happy they had the choice), and from those who want to be able to self select challenge when they are old enough. Plopping a big stack of letters on the dais will have an impact and will show the school board exactly who we are fighting for.


Thanks!
Save Our Challenge
saveourchallenge@gmail.com

Videos of March 8 School Board Meeting and MSGRTF Study Session

It was a lively school board meeting on Tuesday with many students and community members testifying in favor of the Challenge program. Click here to go to the videos of the meeting and the Middle School Grade Reconfiguration Task Force Board Study Session that followed.

Testimony and Videos from Feb 9th and Feb 23rd School Board Meetings Posted

Find the testimony given at the School board meetings on February 9th and February 23rd along with videos of both School Board meetings here.

Save Our Challenge Program Proposal to the School Board

Save Our Challenge would like to take this opportunity to thank the 1200+ parents, students and members of the community who have contributed their time, expertise and comments to help us create this proposal to the School Board.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

This document was sent to the School Board earlier this afternoon for their consideration. Please take a minute to read through the Executive Summary and continue on to the larger document if you have the time. We have analyzed data from the District, combed through numerous studies on Middle School Models and incorporated your feedback into this proposal and feel it is a recommendation that, if accepted and implemented, will result in stellar Middle Schools. We hope the School Board and Administration will consider this proposal and listen to the NSD community.

Notes from February 11, 2016 Academic Subcommittee Meeting

Notes from the February 11, 2016 Academic Subcommittee Meeting can be found under the Other Documentation tab or by clicking here.

Please leave comments on the Subcommittee's Models for Middle school as well as comments on any other thoughts you have about challenge and the Middle School Grade Reconfiguration here or by emailing saveourchallenge@gmail.com. All public comments received before 2/19/2016 will be included in our proposal to the school board.

"Minutes" of Community Input Opportunity and Brainstorming Session

A summary of the Community Input Opportunity and Brainstorming session held on 2/9/2016 at McMenamins in Bothell has been posted here. To read these "minutes" and/or to leave any comments to be included in the upcoming proposal the Save Our Challenge group will make to the School Board, please visit this page or comment on this post. All comments received by 2/19/2016 will be included in the proposal. Comments may also be emailed to saveourchallenge@gmail.com. We will honor any email requests for anonymity.

You are Invited to a Community Brainstorm Session on the Challenge Program

Save Our Challenge will be hosting a brainstorming session at 7pm on Tuesday February 9^th at the Community Room at McMenimans in Bothell (18607 Bothell Way NE). 

We invite you and anyone interested in making our successful Challenge Program even better in our middle schools to attend this community input opportunity. At this meeting we will be brainstorming ideas about various program models that could be used when Northshore transitions from a Jr. High configuration to Middle school. We will collect all input and synthesize it into a proposal to be delivered to the school board as an addition or alternative to the recommendation soon to be proposed by the Middle School Grade Reconfiguration Task Force. We hope to solicit and then propose ideas that are in the best interests of ALL of the district’s children even if they haven’t been considered yet by the District. 

Please join us on Tuesday to be a part of the solution!

Save Our Challenge
saveourchallenge@gmail.com
http://saveourchallenge.blogspot.com

Video of Board Meeting and Challenge Study Session January 12, 2015

Videos of the January 12th, 2015, Board Meeting and Challenge Study Session have now been posted by Northshore Citizens for Transparency. These videos and past videos and testimony can be found here.

Attend Challenge Study Session on January 12th

Hello Challenge Supporters,

The next School Board meeting will be held Tuesday January 12th at 4pm. Immediately following this board meeting (time depends on how long the board meeting lasts) the School Board will hold a Study Session to discuss the Challenge program and its future.

This will be our first opportunity to hear where the board stands on the Challenge program. We may also hear more about what the Administration is proposing and planning.

This is a very important meeting for us and we urge you all to attend the board meeting and study session to show your support for the Challenge program. Since the study session start time is determined by the length of the board meeting, and a long board meeting may make for an abbreviated study session, we are not planning to testify at the board meeting, but rather plan to show our support by filling the chairs for the study session and wearing the Support Our Challenge logo. You may print out a small version of the logo to wear or see one of the "Usuals" before the board meeting to get your own sticker.

Please pass this information on to anyone (parent, community member, student, etc.)  who may be interested in helping to Save Our Challenge Program. We hope to have a strong turnout at the January 12th, 4pm meeting, and we can't do that without your help!

Save Our Challenge
saveourchallenge@gmail.com