Questions for 2019 BOE Candidates from Madison Partnership for Advanced Learning
Cristiana Carusi, Seat 3
1. Every MMSD plan (AL, ELL, Special Ed, BEP) seems to have specific challenges with
implementation at the school level. What will you as a board member do to better understand these issues and get the information you need to assess these situations? How will you ensure that issues with implementation and unmet student needs get addressed?
In order to understand the challenges with implementing these plans, the board needs
more information than the updates currently provided by the MMSD administration. As a
board member, I will visit schools, shadow students, and talk with staff and principals to
better understand these challenges. I will also engage with advisory groups and
community advocacy groups like MPAL.
The board isn’t responsible for the day-to-day operation of our schools, but it must hold
the MMSD administration accountable for reporting on progress and challenges. While I
appreciate that it takes time for plans to result in better outcomes for students, this
accountability needs to include meaningful data on student outcomes as well as plan
implementation. The board must discuss progress at open meetings. When progress
reports are posted but not discussed, the community loses opportunities for greater
understanding and input.
2. In a February Madison365 article, Superintendent Jen Cheatham wrote:
“A superintendent, no matter how determined or talented or passionate simply cannot
succeed without a Board that clears the path for success.” How do you interpret this statement from a board member’s perspective?
Board members and superintendents should work together to set and realize goals,
steward financial resources and craft policies. That said, the board and superintendent
have distinct leadership roles in this collaborative relationship. According to the
Wisconsin Association of School Boards, “...the school board has the final authority to
determine what needs to happen, and the district administrator and staff are given a
degree of leeway to determine how to make it happen.” From a board member’s
perspective, Superintendent Cheatham’s statement blurs these roles. The
superintendent is accountable to the board, and board members are accountable to the
citizens they serve.
3. In 2018-19, 5,661 MMSD students (21% of all students) were identified as advanced
learners in one of the five domains: specific academic areas, general intellectual,
visual/performing arts, leadership or creativity. This included 8,503 AL designations as
some students are identified in multiple areas. Disparities by race, income and language
have improved slightly but still need significant work. Providing consistent and systematic advanced instruction (beyond math) to advanced learners continues to be a challenge at most schools. Please explain your thoughts on how schools can address both the critical work of helping students reach proficiency while allowing students to move beyond that level when they are ready.
All students need to be adequately and appropriately challenged and held to high standards. Exceptional education, which includes helping those students who need interventions to reach proficiency and those who are advanced learners, must be a priority. I agree that consistently offering advanced instruction within and across schools is an issue that needs to be addressed, and MMSD must strive to offer more programming, not diminish offerings in order to be consistent. Differentiated instruction can work to a point, but some students will require interventions or opportunities for acceleration in order to be appropriately challenged and supported. MMSD must provide adequate staffing to support all learners.
4. How can MMSD effectively measure success for its advanced learners?
MMSD should look at multiple measures of success for advanced learners. Test scores
– in particular, growth scores broken down by schools and demographic groups – can
help us better understand if advanced learners are making progress. That said, we need
to acknowledge the limitations of these tests, especially since they give us no insight into
advanced learners’ growth in science, social studies, creativity, the arts and leadership.
Classroom assessments should be part of measuring success. MMSD should look at
success in high school honors and AP classes, as well as advanced coursework in
earlier grades. School climate is important for advanced learners, who may feel isolated,
unsupported or disengaged if they are not adequately challenged. While we need to
monitor equitable identification of advanced learners and participation in advanced
coursework, student outcomes are the most important indicator of success.
5. The current 2019-20 proposed budget includes Strategic Equity Projects. One proposal
addresses a recommendation made by the Advanced Learning Advisory Committee
through the Office of Civil Rights resolution process to address racial disparities in
access to and preparation for advanced coursework. This recommendation includes increasing the Advanced Learning staff to 1.0 FTE (from current 0.5 FTE levels) for every K-8 school in order to provide a talent development program for underrepresented students and a systematic structure for advanced learning in every school. If elected, will you support funding this recommendation?
I support increased staffing for addressing racial disparities in advanced learning. The
OCR resolution requires the district to increase access to advanced coursework for
Black and Latinx students. In order to get there, we need to do a better job of identifying
and serving underrepresented advanced learners well before they reach high school.
However, I am not able to commit to the full staffing increase without knowing how much
it will cost, and the board has not been given this information. Additionally, the board
needs regular updates and opportunities for input on the OCR resolution process, and
they need to hear directly from underrepresented students, parents and staff.
Furthermore, the community needs to be informed. The 2018 article by the Simpson
Street Free Press on this topic was the first time many members of the public heard
about the OCR investigation and resolution, despite the fact that the investigation began
in 2014 and Superintendent Cheatham signed the resolution agreement in October
2016.
6. How can MMSD increase genuine engagement by stakeholders (students, families, staff and community members) in processes both at the district and school levels?
I fully appreciate the need to reach out to groups who may not come to open, public meetings, and school board members need to go out into the community and hear from underrepresented constituencies. That said, the board should listen directly to stakeholders, and open meetings are required for more than two board members to be present. Stakeholder engagement meetings need to include open-ended questions and opportunities for constructive criticism, as well as positive feedback. MMSD administrators and board members should spend most of their time at these meetings listening to stakeholders.
At the school level, staff, students and families must be given opportunities to be heard, solve problems together, and meaningfully participate in school leadership. School- based leadership teams should include democratically-elected staff representatives, as well as family and community representation.
Cristiana Carusi, Seat 3
1. Every MMSD plan (AL, ELL, Special Ed, BEP) seems to have specific challenges with
implementation at the school level. What will you as a board member do to better understand these issues and get the information you need to assess these situations? How will you ensure that issues with implementation and unmet student needs get addressed?
In order to understand the challenges with implementing these plans, the board needs
more information than the updates currently provided by the MMSD administration. As a
board member, I will visit schools, shadow students, and talk with staff and principals to
better understand these challenges. I will also engage with advisory groups and
community advocacy groups like MPAL.
The board isn’t responsible for the day-to-day operation of our schools, but it must hold
the MMSD administration accountable for reporting on progress and challenges. While I
appreciate that it takes time for plans to result in better outcomes for students, this
accountability needs to include meaningful data on student outcomes as well as plan
implementation. The board must discuss progress at open meetings. When progress
reports are posted but not discussed, the community loses opportunities for greater
understanding and input.
2. In a February Madison365 article, Superintendent Jen Cheatham wrote:
“A superintendent, no matter how determined or talented or passionate simply cannot
succeed without a Board that clears the path for success.” How do you interpret this statement from a board member’s perspective?
Board members and superintendents should work together to set and realize goals,
steward financial resources and craft policies. That said, the board and superintendent
have distinct leadership roles in this collaborative relationship. According to the
Wisconsin Association of School Boards, “...the school board has the final authority to
determine what needs to happen, and the district administrator and staff are given a
degree of leeway to determine how to make it happen.” From a board member’s
perspective, Superintendent Cheatham’s statement blurs these roles. The
superintendent is accountable to the board, and board members are accountable to the
citizens they serve.
3. In 2018-19, 5,661 MMSD students (21% of all students) were identified as advanced
learners in one of the five domains: specific academic areas, general intellectual,
visual/performing arts, leadership or creativity. This included 8,503 AL designations as
some students are identified in multiple areas. Disparities by race, income and language
have improved slightly but still need significant work. Providing consistent and systematic advanced instruction (beyond math) to advanced learners continues to be a challenge at most schools. Please explain your thoughts on how schools can address both the critical work of helping students reach proficiency while allowing students to move beyond that level when they are ready.
All students need to be adequately and appropriately challenged and held to high standards. Exceptional education, which includes helping those students who need interventions to reach proficiency and those who are advanced learners, must be a priority. I agree that consistently offering advanced instruction within and across schools is an issue that needs to be addressed, and MMSD must strive to offer more programming, not diminish offerings in order to be consistent. Differentiated instruction can work to a point, but some students will require interventions or opportunities for acceleration in order to be appropriately challenged and supported. MMSD must provide adequate staffing to support all learners.
4. How can MMSD effectively measure success for its advanced learners?
MMSD should look at multiple measures of success for advanced learners. Test scores
– in particular, growth scores broken down by schools and demographic groups – can
help us better understand if advanced learners are making progress. That said, we need
to acknowledge the limitations of these tests, especially since they give us no insight into
advanced learners’ growth in science, social studies, creativity, the arts and leadership.
Classroom assessments should be part of measuring success. MMSD should look at
success in high school honors and AP classes, as well as advanced coursework in
earlier grades. School climate is important for advanced learners, who may feel isolated,
unsupported or disengaged if they are not adequately challenged. While we need to
monitor equitable identification of advanced learners and participation in advanced
coursework, student outcomes are the most important indicator of success.
5. The current 2019-20 proposed budget includes Strategic Equity Projects. One proposal
addresses a recommendation made by the Advanced Learning Advisory Committee
through the Office of Civil Rights resolution process to address racial disparities in
access to and preparation for advanced coursework. This recommendation includes increasing the Advanced Learning staff to 1.0 FTE (from current 0.5 FTE levels) for every K-8 school in order to provide a talent development program for underrepresented students and a systematic structure for advanced learning in every school. If elected, will you support funding this recommendation?
I support increased staffing for addressing racial disparities in advanced learning. The
OCR resolution requires the district to increase access to advanced coursework for
Black and Latinx students. In order to get there, we need to do a better job of identifying
and serving underrepresented advanced learners well before they reach high school.
However, I am not able to commit to the full staffing increase without knowing how much
it will cost, and the board has not been given this information. Additionally, the board
needs regular updates and opportunities for input on the OCR resolution process, and
they need to hear directly from underrepresented students, parents and staff.
Furthermore, the community needs to be informed. The 2018 article by the Simpson
Street Free Press on this topic was the first time many members of the public heard
about the OCR investigation and resolution, despite the fact that the investigation began
in 2014 and Superintendent Cheatham signed the resolution agreement in October
2016.
6. How can MMSD increase genuine engagement by stakeholders (students, families, staff and community members) in processes both at the district and school levels?
I fully appreciate the need to reach out to groups who may not come to open, public meetings, and school board members need to go out into the community and hear from underrepresented constituencies. That said, the board should listen directly to stakeholders, and open meetings are required for more than two board members to be present. Stakeholder engagement meetings need to include open-ended questions and opportunities for constructive criticism, as well as positive feedback. MMSD administrators and board members should spend most of their time at these meetings listening to stakeholders.
At the school level, staff, students and families must be given opportunities to be heard, solve problems together, and meaningfully participate in school leadership. School- based leadership teams should include democratically-elected staff representatives, as well as family and community representation.