Gene Nemeth for Richland School Board

Here is my Tri-City Herald Editorial Board candidate interview. I invite you to watch. The Editorial Board asked a wide range of questions and delved into many school board related topics. Please consider sharing with friends & family in the local area. Regards, Gene

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/editorials/article280916313.html?fbclid=IwAR3q5_Af1nR-SQU0uEBPx4fvob8GKffLJPptzR2_cHqLYH4QN7i0MNkHUvE

Richland School Board Pos. 5 Editorial Board Richland school board candidates discuss their goals and priorities.

The 10 Bold Steps from the article I posted earlier map out an easy-to-use process to fully examine curricula and figure out what needs to stay and what needs to be changed to improve student achievement. As I thought about it there is no reason why RSD could not implement this as a standard process to improve student proficiency with a stipulation that the evaluation needs to be completed in a timely manner (e.g., 6 months?). When you consistently have greater than 20% of Tier 1 students requiring intervention that is a problem. In fact, Maria Flores, Executive Director for OSPI’s Center for the Improvement of Student Learning stated in a 2020 paper on MTSS “When more than 20% of students need additional support, leadership teams should re-examine the tier 1 supports in place, as it is an indication that tier 1 instruction and supports may be insufficient.” I can find nothing in RSD policy directing a curricula review when we meet this criteria. RR.2163 has this stipulation “Tier I: Intervention If 20% or more of children in a classroom score below benchmark on any instructional screening, the school-based team, including the building principal, will meet to consider the need for additional classroom support and interventions at Tier I.”

What happens when all classrooms across multiple grades in one or more schools exceed the 20% threshold? I wonder if any of these assessments are documented and publicly available? Considering how many RSD schools exceed this criteria for math, you would think we would be publicly discussing these analyses at every board meeting? I believe this policy needs to be updated to include the criteria quoted by Maria Flores along with a formal process, timelines, and required briefs.

1. Raise awareness
a. Until we have a shared awareness of the gap between where we are and where we can and want to be, there will be no sense of urgency.
b. Those test scores I often speak about are one key factor in identifying this gap. The beginning of the year diagnostic (Fall I-Ready or other screening tool), in situ formative, and interim comprehensive assessments (Spring / Winter I-Ready, SBA, etc.) provide a wealth of knowledge about progress and learning gap that need to be examined and dissected for all the intel they give about our students.
2. Think about the big picture
a. Examine current standards, guidelines, and curricula to ensure they are truly aligned with what we want to accomplish.
b. Establish your “North Star” (i.e., set good goals) to guide your journey.
3. Assess and monitor
a. Need to determine the data needed and what valid and reliable assessments can provide that data
b. Here is an example list of screening tools: Academic Screening Tools Chart (https://charts.intensiveintervention.org/ascreening).
4. Start with Tier 1
a. Design exemplary core, grade-level, first instruction for all students.
b. Tiers 2/3 interventions are not replacements for Tier 1 but are additive to Tier 1.
c. (Here is a key point where RSD needs to improve) - When our universal data reveals many students require intervention, it is important to go examine what is happening in Tier 1 instruction BY CLOSELY EXAMINING UNIVERSAL SCREENING DATA (bolded for emphasis) to uncover weaknesses in Tier 1 instruction and instructional materials. Goal is to improve Tier 1 instruction and reduce the need for Tier 2/3 intervention.
5. Plan intervention
a. Ensure screening identifies specific gaps to be addressed.
b. Screening identifies WHO, diagnostic identifies WHAT and WHY.
c. Progress monitor frequently (every 1–3 weeks) to ensure that our students are not caught up in a circle of intervention? Often times (including RSD policy) progress monitoring is performed monthly or even quarterly. For students on Individualized Education Plans (IEP), progress monitoring greater than a couple of weeks is too long.
d. The right interventions and accurate monitoring can accelerate students back into Tier 1 instruction.
6. Plan enrichment
7. Take inventory
a. List every curriculum resource and instructional practice in use to determine if it has an evidence base.
b. We use many curriculums across RSD so a matrix would be beneficial for discovery.
c. Some practices that are not evidence-based but in vogue may take away valuable time from more impactful, explicit instructional time and should be removed.
8. Stop what is not working to make room for what is working
9. Build knowledge and practice
10. Keep growing

Regards, Gene

Just a reminder, the University of Washington's DO-IT Scholars program application deadline of 30 January 2024 is coming fast. DO-IT Scholars is a comprehensive program that empowers students with disabilities to succeed in challenging fields of study and employment. The program provides students access to technology, peer support, mentor support, college preparation, and
work-based learning.

The attached link provides more detail and dates for valuable information sessions where families can learn about this amazing program. First session is 8 Nov 2023. I know it seems early but there is an application process and recommendations are needed so getting an early start is better. Two of my children completed the program, are still utilizing some of the services, and plan to give back and be future mentors. Don't miss out.

Benton-Franklin Counties Special Education PTA

Applying | DO-IT Information Sessions Attend an online information session to learn more about the program and whether you or a student you know should apply. Dates for sessions are posted below. Zoom link for all sessions provided here.

Fantastic article. The 10 “Bold” steps are not just applicable to Reading but could be applied to helping RSD move Math proficiency in the right direction. I believe in transformational not transactional leadership. In both Q&As when the subject of student achievement came up my opponent stated that people from industry don’t understand how “slow” school districts move but I don’t buy that because I have seen, experienced, and championed rapid transformations. I’ve spoken to and been mentored by leaders who have implemented significant change in challenging, resource constrained environments. I have successfully guided organizations through significant change leading to improvement. Its disparaging to say an organization cannot move deliberately to improve. I believe with the right leadership in place, appropriate expectations set, the right interventions implemented, and the focus shifted back to student outcomes improvement would not just be possible but likely. My opponent says ‘can’t’ a lot but I believe ‘can’t’ should not be in a leader’s vocabulary. Leaders admire problems, motivate their teams, develop & implement solutions, monitor progress, perform effectiveness reviews, and adjust when data shows something is not trending right vice running away and throwing out real data. By the way the end of October nears and parents have yet to hear any update about math improvement from the District. Why? Shouldn’t this be front & center every meeting? Why have’t all parents received their I-Ready results? These are not behaviors exhibited by an academic center of excellence. I would make the status of a math improvement effort a standing agenda item so parents and students stay informed of progress and implement a policy requiring the District to send home and post online all testing results w/in 72 hours of receiving them. Regards, Gene

Laura Stewart knows courageous leadership. And her latest article, "Courageous leaders: 10 bold moves to make," is a must-read. Laura shares tips for creating a diverse and invested team and gives you the next steps you need for transforming literacy in your school or district.

Read it and then register for our next Courageous Leaders webinar on November 9 featuring Danielle Thompson, PhD, and Terrie Noland, PhD (registration is linked at the end of the article):
https://95pg.info/45DZ7BT

October is Dyslexia Awareness month. As a parent of children with dyslexia I know how important it is to identify dyslexia as early as possible. WA state law RCW 28A.300.700 and 28A.320.260 require schools to perform screening for all K-2 students. Getting the right interventions implemented early is so critical for dyslexic students. There are a lot of great resources out there but the key is early identification.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, and International Dyslexia Association is shining a light on success stories. 📚✨

Here is one:

"Kendra Thomas would tell herself, 'I can’t be a writer, I can’t do this, I can’t do that—I’ll never be a straight-A student.' She didn’t think of herself as an intelligent person. But three published books and one play later, despite her struggles with dyslexia and ADD, Kendra is a successful principal at a school in Texas working on her dissertation and a fourth book."

Let's spread awareness that children with dyslexia can achieve a successful, literate life! 🙌📖

Thank you LA VOZ for the endorsement!

Tony Gonzalez for Richland Schools thank you for the endorsement. So glad we had the opportunity to meet during the election. Support from someone with your values, integrity, and care for our schools & community means a lot to me.

Please vote. Awesome lineup that cares about our community and our students.

League of Women Voters Q&A. My Q&A starts at 38:06.

Remember to VOTE.

Vote for Gene if you want to bring focus back to all student outcomes, recover lost learning, improve special education, bring parents back into the schools, restore transparency, and establish trust. I’m confident my 33 years of Navy and corporate leadership experience driving continuous improvement and solving complex problems, my parenting experience in RSD, my advocacy for student achievement, and my 5 years on the Special Education Task Force enable me to lead the effort to make the necessary changes to transform Richland into an Academic Center of Excellence. I know everyone can rally around a student outcome, teacher supportive, parent inclusive approach. If you agree, and want to be part of the crew that turns the RSD ship around then vote for Gene Nemeth. Thanks for your support and consideration.

/watch?v=xv-zkCS7OXc

2023 General Election Candidate Forum: City of Richland and Richland School Board Mark your calendars for November 7—it's General Election Day in Washington State! Northwest Public Broadcasting is proud to collaborate with the League of Wo...

Great weekend started with participating in the Down Syndrome Association of Mid-Columbia (DSAMC) Buddy Walk with Team "Rockin with Rory". The volunteers that organized the walk did a fantastic job and really put on a great event raising awareness and garnering community support. Local companies that supported demonstrate how fortunate we are to live in such a giving community. So glad we had the opportunity to participate and support!

Great program that needs to be front and center in RSD. Boeing stepping up to offer great careers w/o the attached college requirement. With outreach might be opportunities for more local partnering. Programs like these offering great career paths just like UA Local 598 offers need more visibility, earlier and more often in our schools.

High school program produces Boeing-ready grads in two years The two-year program teaches teens to build airplanes for an average salary of six figures a year, per graduate, at Boeing and other manufacturing companies eager for new employees.

I am extremely grateful to receive the full endorsement of UA Local Union 598 Plumbers and Steamfitters. Our community is blessed to have the Local 598 which has a rich history here in Tri-Cities and stands ready to help train and shape the next generation of professional tradesmen.

Can’t say enough about how fortunate I have been to not only work beside but also be mentored by members of the Local 598 when I started my journey at the Hanford site in 2016. I believe one of the many important aspects of high school is to have a robust Trades program because it offers students the opportunity to pursue classes they want to learn, ultimately driving success and achievement higher. Below is a little synopsis of Local 598’s history and importance to our community.

The Local 598 union is steeped in history, in tradition, and in pride. Local 598 was chartered in 1944 to support the Manhattan Project at the Hanford Site and its members played a vital role in constructing and operating the Hanford reactors. The union has a long history of fighting for good wages, safe working conditions, and fair treatment for its members.

Local 598 is steeped in tradition and is a proud member of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada, one of the oldest and largest unions in the world. Local 598 members are trained to the highest standards of craftsmanship and professionalism and dedicate over 1 million dollars per year for training.

Finally, Local 598 is steeped in pride. The union's members are proud of the work they do and the contributions they make to their communities. The Local 598 motto “We Do it Right the First Time” is a testament to the high quality and safe work they perform all the time.

Local Union 598 is a community, family based organization where its members are very proud of the communities they live and work in.

As I stated in an earlier post, Richland schools are struggling but the education crisis is not just being felt in Richland, it is nationwide. Covid accelerated the decline but the decline was already underway prior to Covid. The Nation's Report Card (https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/ltt/2023/) provides a lot of great information from analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a longstanding standardized test. The article highlights the benefits of standardized testing and describes the decline in student performance using informative graphics. There are highly effective school districts in the U.S. that use data to make decisions and operate as high reliability organizations (HROs). These HROs perform periodic self assessments (i.e., consider I-Ready screening a self assessment) to gauge performance. Used right, standardized testing provides vital information about the individual (student), facility (school), and the institution (District). It points out trends, strengths and weaknesses, and provides starting points for causal analysis. Highly effective school districts (i.e., could be considered HROs) use these tests to find and rapidly address systemic weaknesses plus apply best practices across their school district. To be effective you have to be willing to spend a lot of time looking into the details as soon as results are available, use established methodologies to assess, and do all of this with the mindset student achievement is on the line. This is where RSD falls short. There is no rapid response, only years long investigations followed by years long development of corrective action plans that may never see the light of day or be fully implemented (e.g., curriculum and SPED audits 2018).

For me, once data is available I would get interested parties/experts together to review data, identify district/school/grade strengths, weaknesses, and trends, perform high level causal analysis, develop solutions/interventions, and then implement (easier said than done) corrective actions and best practices. The student level should be handled immediately by the parent, teacher, and student working collaboratively with support from leadership within the responsible school to ensure any required intervention is immediately implemented. This model is effective and is being applied in the U.S. Without standardized testing, critical information like this would not be available to help resolve systemic issues. Even the current Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, believes in the use of standardized testing.

"Appearing at the 2021 legislative conference of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Cardona said giving school districts flexibility in how and when they administer the exams — as the department has already given — was the right thing to do. “One size does not fit all,” he said. But he said, student data obtained from the tests was important to help education officials create policy and target resources where they are most needed. When federal funding is distributed to states, he said, “we have to make sure we are laser-focused on addressing inequities that have existed for years. ... Every bit of data helps.”"

Like I said earlier, the use of standardized testing should not be marginalized or disparaged but appreciated for all the vital information they provide to help ALL students reach their potential.

Can't believe I had to perform a public records request again to obtain the recent Fall 2023 K-8 universal screening data. Why were the results not briefed at the recent school board meeting? The I-Ready results and SBA results were available well before the meeting so should have been included or at least added to the future agenda. Were results not disclosed because they do not show year over year progress in student proficiency? Universal screening results should be made public as soon as available. If elected, one of my first actions would be to change this practice and ensure school leadership publishes results right away, notifies the community results are available, and briefs the results at the very next school board meeting. To address the non-availability of information, I would champion a Parent/Teacher Tiger Team to rapidly develop a user friendly, robust dashboard that contained testing history and other relevant metrics to show the community RSD's progress towards meeting their goals. Tools like Power Bi could be used so data can be trended and properly displayed. So much to be done yet nothing is being done. Last year I requested the board post all of RSD's testing history to avoid public record requests but that fell on deaf ears. Contributing to the lack of progress, school’s are setting academic goals way too low. My opponent, Jill Oldson, accepts academic goals with end of school year 2024 targets at 40% (see example below) so it should not come as a surprise that schools are seeing increases in the number of students being several grades below current grade level.

Excerpt from 2023 - 2024 school goals
“In the 2023-2024 school year, # # # # # # Middle School students will go from 36% of students meeting standard (on grade level or above) on the Spring Math iReady Diagnostic to 40% of students meeting standard by the end of the 2024 school year.”

Certainly not a goal you would expect in a district supposedly striving for excellence, right! I organized the 2022 and 2023 District summary and grade breakdown results together for Math and Reading so you can make easier comparisons between years. Note the school is only providing the 3 level placement in standard view not the 5 level placement (which is better). Now for observations.

Math
- At grade level (green) remained constant from 2022 to 2023
- RSD had a higher percentage (33% vs 29%) and number of students (2580 vs 2335) that are two (2) or more grade levels (Red) below current grade level in 2023 versus 2022
- Proficiency level peaks in 5th and 6th grade. While 7th and 8th graders declined in both years. It is good the 7th and 8th grade scores were higher in 2023 than 2022 but what is causing 7th and 8th graders to decline? What are we doing in 5th / 6th grade to move proficiency in the right direction but why does the trend reverse immediately following 6th grade?

Highest Elementary School - 31%
Lowest Elementary School - 8 %
Highest Middle School - 40 %
Lowest Middle School - 19% (two tied)
Homelink - 41%
PCOA - 15%

Reading
- At grade level (green) proficiency increased 1% (39 - 40%) from 2022 to 2023
- RSD had a higher percentage (29% vs 26%) and number of students (2300 vs 2162) that are two (2) or more grades below current grade level in 2023 versus 2022; Not a good trend so what are the causes?
- Proficiency level rises from K and peaks in 3rd grade. Why do scores drop off in 4th and never achieve the peak observed in 3rd grade? What is causing this trend? It would be interesting to segregate data between students who received structured literacy vs students that did not or even group students by specific curriculums.

Highest Elementary School - 53%
Lowest Elementary School - 27 %
Highest Middle School - 60 %
Lowest Middle School - 36% (two tied)
Homelink - 60%
PCOA - 40%

Overall, RSD made no gain from 2022. Of more concern is the trend that a higher number of students in 2023 are 2 or more grade levels below current grade level than seen in 2022. Math performance was significantly worse than reading. I thought RSD spent the remaining ESSER funds on Summer programs to recover lost learning in math? How was effectiveness measured? Are we not getting the fundamentals into long term memory by year end because the Spring to Fall drop off is significant? This should be explored more and corrective measures implemented before the end of this school year to mitigate regression going into Fall 2024. Imagine being a teacher where only 8% of your math students are ready for their current grade level. How do you get the other 92% caught up and back on grade level without additional resources and intervention?

Some people, including my opponent Jill Oldson (Jill publicly stated this on several occasions), do not believe in universal screening or state universal screening is somehow unfair. Per OSPI, universal screening is a key component of the MTSS framework and directly supports the data-driven decision making component of MTSS. I-Ready and other sources should be used along with progress monitoring data to make decisions about instruction, movement within the multi-level prevention system, intensification, and disability identification (in accordance with state law). If you remove screening, which is key in the MTSS framework, then what are you replacing it with? WA state adopted MTSS and is committed to full implementation. OSPI states schools should screen at least three times per school year so why would a sitting board member disparage one of the key components of the MTSS framework without defining an appropriate, evidence based replacement? I wonder if Jill would say the same things if scores were good? I-Ready or other approved screening tools offer an objective measurement of education and provide a source to identify areas requiring intervention, which is so critical in early grades because learning gaps that are not filled in Elementary school are most often never recovered. I have personal experience using the detailed reports from universal screening available for each student to identify my children’s strengths and weaknesses then work with school and at home using a variety of online tools and plain old pencil and paper to fill in these holes. It works but takes time, energy, effort by the student & parent, and partnering between teachers and parents to be successful. The analysis and lessons learned from this screening should be used to find gaps, reteach topics where required, identify students requiring Level 2 or Level 3 intervention, develop learning plans for these students, get parents involved, use alternate resources to assist w/ learning paid for by the district, and initiate progress monitoring. The most important factor is to START intervention as soon as the need is identified.

Bottom line, the school board is not prioritizing student achievement and is not talking about it enough. I am a firm believer in the adage “You get what you inspect, not what you expect” which is why universal screening results should be utilized not marginalized. Without change, RSD will continue to struggle and risk not filling in vital student learning gaps.

Mark your calendars for these 2 events. Great opportunity to meet candidates.

I think it is a positive RSD is finally going to examine and explore our substandard math performance over the 2023/2024 school year but something a bit more aggressive needs to be done now. Why? Experience in RSD shows that a corrective action plan developed after the 2023/2024 school year will take 3 or more years to implement so many students will graduate before seeing any changes. Completely unacceptable. There are too many students not operating at grade level proficiency. Just look at the goal for one of our middle schools. Even if the goal is reached over half of the middle school students will not achieve grade level proficiency by the end of the 2024 school year. This is where the "Tiger Team" concept should be adopted. Setting goals where half of our students do not meet proficiency levels should be questioned.

Where is the accountability for NOT recovering lost learning with these funds? Where is the objective evidence demonstrating $$ spent versus learning recovered? Almost no $$ spent on programs dedicated towards student learning recovery.

Another damaged sign plus one stolen. Disappointing to have to keep replacing signs.

Good opportunity to learn about RSD’s newest curriculum.

UPDATE: Watch the recorded presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/live/SK3IsCfeAxk?feature=share

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Come and hear from the co-founders of RSD's newly adopted Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum, CharacterStrong and PurposeFull People, and learn about the meaningful impact it will have on your students!

The CharacterStrong and PurposeFull People Community & Family Night will be 5-6 p.m. Tuesday, August 22 in the Richland High School Auditorium.

CharacterStrong creates a positive school culture driven by engagement, belonging and well-being. More than 3.2 million students worldwide have benefited from this curriculum.

This past week two of my children finished Phase II of the DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) program at University of WA. It is an amazing program and helps increase the success of people with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers. This program supports their scholars year round and into college. The program has so much to offer. We have been advertising the program since my children applied and were accepted in 2021 so more RSD parents and staff can become aware of this opportunity and have their students apply. My daughter spoke at a board meeting after completing Phase I last year to increase awareness. If accepted the program starts the junior year of HS. The program helps with navigating the whole college process or post secondary school career and how to advocate for yourself while in college.

Questions? Please reach out and I’ll help as much as I can getting you the right information or POC. The program has expanded and their website (attached) has a wealth of good information and resources.

As an example of what the Scholars do during their week, yesterday they had to brief their parents and staff on their experiences working behind the scenes with staff members at the renowned Burke Museum. The Scholars even got to stay on campus for a week and get the whole college experience! Next year my children will hopefully volunteer to be DO-IT interns and give back. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.

https://www.washington.edu/doit/programs/do-it-scholars/do-it-scholars-program #:~:text=DO%2DIT%20Scholars%20is%20a,fields%20of%20study%20and%20employment.

The DO-IT Scholars Program | DO-IT [scald=2890:sdl_editor_representation {"link":""}] Program Summary DO-IT Scholars is a comprehensive program that empowers students with disabilities to succeed in challenging fields of study and employment. Toward this goal, the program provides students: access to technology, peer support, mentor....

SETC has technologies that can change the learning experience for students with disabilities. I know from personal experience. My children used assistive technology for years and it helps. Often parents do not know or understand what is available and how it could benefit their student. I believe every parent with a child on an IEP should be given a user friendly handbook that shows what assistive technology is available, how it can be used, and the potential benefit. Until my wife found SETC and contacted them in 2018 we had no idea there was so much assistive technology readily available and all you have to do is get the District to ask. Parents can contact SETC directly for a short consult to get some ideas on technology available or search the website and you can request they be part of your child’s IEP team. If requested, SETC will perform a thorough evaluation of your student. We did this and it was invaluable and altered my children’s outcomes. Don’t miss out on this fantastic resource.

The Accessible Learning Experience Podcast - AEM Center Turn learning barriers into learning opportunities through accessibility and Universal Design for Learning.