HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-20-LHS-min
Lexington High
School
251 Waltham Street Lexington, Massachusetts 02421
Laura Lasa
Principal
781- 861-2320, x 1002
lasa@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us
FAX: 781-861-2440
To: The Lexington High School Council
From: Laura J Lasa
Re: Approved Minutes of the October 20, 2014 Meeting
Attendance Present: Laura Lasa, Kim Effron, Suzanne Lau, Polly Kienle, Ann Redmon, Paul
Breitenfield, Kristin Tissera, Elise Santiago, Eileen Jay, Nancy Shepard, Sue Offner, Walter
Richardson, Dave Wininger. Absent: Katherine Murphy-Manning, Nanying Bian, Jill Smilow
I The September 22 minutes were approved as changed.
II Announcements
1. Elise Santiago was introduced as the Class of 2017 member of the council.
2. Polly and Eileen reported on October Site Council Roundtable.
There were 14 attendees, representing nearly all of the schools. The topic was School
Enrollment and Pat Goddard, Director of Facilities and a member of the Ad Hoc Enrollment
Group talked to the group about space utilization, financing and town planning. There was
discussion about whether there should be a community discussion about enrollment.
th
In January, there will be a report on a 10-year plan. The next meeting is on November 19
from 8-9:30am. The topic will be Student Stress.
3. The Ad Hoc Stress Committee will present their recommendations to the School Committee on
th
November 18.
4. A Student and Faculty committee is looking at how to reinstate the positive aspects of X block. It
is unlikely that any changes will be made for the next school year. Ideas for what to place in the schedule
are: time for make-up work and exams, extra help, and leadership opportunities.
5. The October extended homeroom will focus on ÅWhat is your SparkÆ? What are you passionate
about and what makes you happy? There will be a new Collage of Voices display that will incorporate
the responses student submit.
6. There will be an article about Homework in the Minuteman this week. Laura was interviewed for
the article. According to the School Committee guidelines, approximately 3.5 hours of homework per
night is acceptable for LHS students with a full course load.
III. Continuing Business
A.Review of the small group dialogue (September meeting) on pros and cons of the Aspen
Gradebook being available on the Student and Parent portal.
Pros
Uniform release dates for grades.
Close loop on work that is graded.
Students can follow up with teachers.
Timeliness of reporting at the mid quarter and end of term.
Question- what is appropriate timing for posting of grades? Should grades be posted on an
ongoing basis? Some teachers already issue weekly progress reports by hard copy.
Cons
Constant grade checking.
There is already a process for students to interact with teachers about grades.
Students might not use it.
Parents might use it too much.
Teachers may be compared, depending on how the information is used.
Other points mentioned
This is being treated as a trial period. The idea is to start small and then determine how
best to expand.
The goal is timely feedback. There will always be room for improvement.
Students definitely want to know their grades before their parents have access to them.
Homework and tests should be handed back before grades are posted.
Focus should be on positive aspects of communication between parents and students.
Focus should be on learning, not grades.
Part of the SIP is to develop self-advocacy skills.
ItÈs important to discuss intention and goals as part of the roll out.
Many high performing districts have been successfully using this system for several
years.
B. Small group and whole group dialogue on the sample guidelines for use of Aspen. Section
Section 3
Guidelines are needed on how to communicate
A teacherÈs grading policy should be posted on their web page or available in the
syllabus; students and parents should check this information before contacting a teacher.
Parents should talk to their child before contacting a teacher.
Parents should encourage their child to talk to their teacher.
Statements b and c should be combined.
Statement d will be re-worded to give parents clear guidelines. Two school days
discussed as a reasonable response time.
Roll-out should include advise on using the guidance counselor as a resource for
student-teacher communication.
Section 4
Split consensus on whether or not to include a similar statement
Terms of Use
There was agreement that terms of use and misuse should be defined. There should be
examples of what actions may lead to suspended access.
Laura will incorporate suggestions from the faculty, students, Leadership Team and Site Council when
completing a draft of the guidelines for the next meeting.
V. Adjournment 7:50