(FICTION) Big Changes for Education to be Implemented at Sparta High (FICTION)

Today, January 21, 2011, Dr. Jon Jones held a press conference with Mr. Tiedens' E-Writing class. Jones is from the U.S. Department of Education and was hired by President Barrack H. Obama for school improvement. 

Jones spoke about the No Child Left Behind Act (N.C.L.B.) brought forth by former president George W. Bush. The main goals of this act were to increase graduation rates, predominately at high school levels; to increase ACT and SAT scores; and it also allowed the authority for unilateral changes to be made.

According to Jones, the ACT scores have been stagnant for the past three years. While the WKCE test, the state test in Wisconsin administered to tenth graders, has improved score-wise, Jones firmly states that this improvement is not enough. 

 Effective February 1, the Sparta administration and faculty will be replaced by a team selected by the Department of Education. The teaching union must comply with the changes in accordance with N.C.L.B. Teachers will continue to receive pay until the end of their contract year. This means that, by June 30, all former faculty and administration will no longer be employed by the Sparta School District.

Also effective February 1, all co-curriculars will be suspended until further notice, as well as all work permits. Jones said that there was a chance of co-curriculars being reinstated if improvements of 25% all across the board are met.

"We need to focus on education," Jones said when asked about the suspension of co-curriculars.

School days are being lengthened from the original 7:45AM to 3:06PM, lasting from 7:45AM to 5:00PM. Buses will run their normal routes for the elementary and middle schools, as these changes are only being implemented at the high school. The school year for high school students is being lengthened to July 1st, and Jones has already said that seniors will graduate by July 1 regardless of what occurs. If students progress well enough, the school year will resume on September 1, as normal. However, if progress is not high enough, the students will take only a ten-day break and will resume classes on July 11. 

"Students are our future," Jones says, explaining the changes.

Planning for possible non-compliant students and parents, five additional police officers will be brought in. Their primary function will be to target non-compliant students and parents, as well as employers who still employ students. These officers will not be Sparta natives, and are selected by the Department of Education.

 Further changes go on to the abolishment of open campus. Classes will be reorganized and periods will be lengthened. Technology will be replaced with a return to "old-school" academics. 

Three major areas of needed improvement are science, math, and reading, according to Jones. These are three areas where countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea are exceeding America. The changes being implemented are based off of the educational systems of the aforementioned countries.

Attendance is mandatory, even if a student is ill. An infirmary will be set up so that ill students can still be present to learn. Juniors and Seniors will be required to take the ACT at the end of June. Final Unit exams will be administered at the discretion of the departments, and all students must pass.

 As classes are being lengthened, study hall will be removed. Study time will be scattered throughout the day. The amount of science, reading, and math classes will be increased. Jones says that elective classes may be put on the chopping block in order to increase improvement in the aforementioned areas. Foreign languages, however, stand a good chance of avoiding the chopping block as they are shown to increase performance in science, math, and reading. Grad groups will be continued, and Jones seeks to increase the number of A.P. classes offered at Sparta High School as well as enhancing all curriculars across the board. 

When asked about the health of the students, Jones said that physical education classes would be continued, and students would be provided with a snack in the morning and afternoon as well as a lunch.

"We can't wait anymore," Jones said when asked about the period of data collection being only six months instead of a year or more.

In Wisconsin, Sparta is the only school district implementing these changes. However, the changes are also being implemented in five other states. These states are California, Michigan, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Florida.