Lancaster ISD superintendent speaks at educators’ conference

interestedcitizen, says:

Has anybody seen 2006 and 2007 SAT data for Lancaster? Where can we get 2006 and 2007 SAT data? Does the College Board have it? Is it public? We only have 2005 SAT scores at the TEA AEIS website.

The AEIS only shows that, under Lewis, the gap between State SAT scores and LISD SAT scores widened by 4 points, from 185 to 189 while it declined by one point against the region. (LISD SAT Scores increased from 802 to 803 after declining steadly from a 7 point gap in 1992 to a 189 point gap in 2005. There is still a larger gap between the LISD and the region than between the STATE SAT and the LISD SAT. (205 from the region versus 189 from the state) It's just that regionally, the SAT average didn't rise, while it did rise statewide. So, I guess you could say, Lewis stopped the big slide from 2004 to 2005. That is an accomplishment. What has happened to SAT scores since then, or are SAT scores irrelevant?

Remember what he said. "Give me $75 million in Februrary [of 2004] and I'll give you the best school district in the nation in five years." That would be either September 30, 2008, which is five years from the date he made the promise, or February 7, 2009, which would be five years from the date the $110 million bond ($35 million more than he requested) passed. He also said, "you have to see the invisible to do the impossible."

Well, now, when he came to the district, LISD was 185 points below state average in SAT scores. To just be even with the Texas average, He would have to gain 36.4 points per year against the state average. (Check my math. I didn't go to Harvard)

The problem we have is that we gained 1 point over the region because the region didn't gain in SAT performance while we gained 1 point in 2005, The state gained 5 points, widening our gap by 4 on the SAT. For us just to catch up with the state in SAT scores, we have to advance faster than the state, and we weren't doing it between 2004-2005 according to the AEIS.

Just advancing 36.4 points only gets us up to state average if the state would just stop gaining on us. Lewis promised the best in the nation in 5 years. Highland Park's SAT average is what, 1200 or so? We're at 803 or so. So, to get up to Highland Park's level, we need to gain 80 points a year on the SAT, and expect Highland Park to stop gaining on us, and then some if we want to be the best in the nation. We only gained 1 point in the region in 2005. If Highland Park stayed static the year we gained one point on the region, that only gave us 4 years beween 2005 and 2009 to pass Highland Park. So that means, to pass Highland Park, we should have gained 100 points each in 2006 and 2007. (Again, check my math. I didn't go to Harvard)

The SAT is a better measure than TAKS, because it is impossible to teach to the SAT the way they teach to the TAKS. The SAT is an aptitude test, while the TAKS is a test of acquired knowledge. Rote learners might be drilled to do well on TAKS, but the real test is how they can reason and move beyond the familiar, which is something the SAT measures. The SAT tests reasoning skills. Further, cheating is almost impossible with the SAT, since students from all different schools take it together.

We couldn't get near Hiighland Park's average if just the top 2% of our seniors took the SAT. To be equal with Highland Park, 97% of our seniors would have to take the SAT and still produce an average of around 1200. Not only that, but 100% of our incoming freshman would have to graduate from high school, as they do in Highland Park. We would have to have a zero dropout rate.

Lewis say's "I always tell the truth." Okay, let's take the man at his word. The best means the best, without qualification. The data do not indicate that he is moving the LISD toward the best in the nation. Better maybe, but he promised the best in the nation, not just better. To say LISD is moving toward the best in the nation, we have to redefine the word. But a truthful man doesn't redefine words. He stands by his words and he doesn't dance around them.

I can tell from Lewis' bio that he's a politician. He has a PR person spinning the facts.

The man would be more believable if he were more authentic and humble. He could make modest promises. He could even set challenging goals. I have no problem with setting lofty goals. Just don't promise to be the best school district in five years, when there is no way you can realistically do it without redefining the word "best." I think I would have been happy for him to have said he would raise SAT scores 50 points in five years. At least that is certain, and it is measurable. Maybe it isn't ambitious enough, but at least it would hold him accountable. Using vague terms like "the best" without further definition, gives the man all kind of room to dance around like a politician.

estherspeaks, says:

How in the world did a man who has made Lancaster ISD a laughing stock of the metroplex area get to speak on how to raise academics in schools? Apparently the conference organizers did not do much of its own research.

If we are doing such a good job, then why on Friday did Lewis start doing personnel changes. It seems that Randall is being bumped up to the administration level to work on federal and state programs and Roosevelt Nivens is being moved from the junior high school to the high school. This is very strange timing. I wonder if this has anything to do with the TEA audit.

Speaking of the audit, originally TEA said they would just be here 2 or 3 days. We now have had them here over 3 weeks. Do you think maybe they are realizing it may take quite a bit of digging to find all of the problems and cover-ups that Lewis and crew have made?

Hopefully the house of cards is beginning to fall?

disgusted, says:

I feel sorry for the teachers at the high school. Because the Big Bully is going to the high school to straighten the high school teachers out. He likes to harass and threaten teachers to get them to do what he wants. He not into Childern First but into Nivens way or no way.