Targets Drive Admission Standards
Ideally, the district should establish standards for advanced placement admission and offer classes to suit the student population and performance outcomes. It used to do thar prior to 2021. Before the new placement policy, class sizes typically differed by more than 10% each year.
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In 2018, there were 23 at Munsey/ 26 at Shelter in 2019 (confirmed), a difference of 13%.
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In 2019, there were 24 at Munsey/ 17 at Shelter in 2019 (confirmed), a difference of 40%.
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In 2020, there was no data available due to the transition between programs and COVID.
Since the new policy was implemented in 2021, the rubric and standards have been altered to drive equal class sizes in Munsey and Shelter. The class sizes between elementaries was equal for past three years in a row. This is a statistical anomaly that could only occur by manipulation. This is a flawed policy or execution strategy. Students across the district should be held to the same standards. The rubric/standards should be the same for all students, regardless of what year they are applying and regardless of which elementary the student attends.
The data below shows the admitted and enrollment figures for the advanced math program since the new program Tallarine and Passi proposed went into effect in 2021. Notice how both elementary schools had nearlly the same number of students enrolled despite having substantially different eligibility pools. For instance in 2023, Munsey had 43 eligible students. Shelter had 35 eligible students (23% less than Munsey). Still, both schools ended up admitting an equal number of students (28 for each school) in July 2023.
Admitted as of July of the following years
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20 at Munsey/ 20 at Shelter in 2021 (estimated)
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22 at Munsey/ 22 at Shelter in 2022 (estimated)
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28 at Munsey/ 28 at Shelter in 2023 (confirmed)
Enrolled in the fall of the following years.
(Enrollment figures will vary based on students joining or leaving the program throughout the year)
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19 at Munsey/ 20 at Shelter in 2021 (confirmed)
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22 at Munsey/ 22 at Shelter in 2022 (confirmed)
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29 at Munsey/ 26 at Shelter in 2023 (confirmed)*
*(Figures in 2023 vary due to 2 students who moved from Shelter and 1 joined the district.)
We requested for information about the parameters of the rubric in prior years and were told that records were no longer kept. The rubric criteria were not the same as 2023. They were no longer kept. We need objective standards and thresholds to evaluate students for admission.
Target Class Sizes
It appears that administrators choose a target number of advanced math students (half in each elementary) and change the rubric to drive that outcome.
In 2023, the target for advanced math was 56 students. Why? Because that equates to one class at Munsey and one class at Shelter, each with 28 students. The district has class size guidelines of 26 for grade 6. The union contract that says that class size can not exceed 29. Rather than tailoring the program to fit the student population, we tailor a rubric to allow for one class in each elementary. This occurs despite having 4-6 math specialists in the district. This introduces inequity across elementaries.