{"id":9980,"date":"2010-04-05T23:41:10","date_gmt":"2010-04-06T04:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=9980"},"modified":"2010-04-06T00:25:40","modified_gmt":"2010-04-06T05:25:40","slug":"arlington-charter-school-fighting-to-stay-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/04\/05\/arlington-charter-school-fighting-to-stay-open\/","title":{"rendered":"Arlington charter school fighting to stay open"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arlington charter school fighting to stay open<\/strong><\/p>\n

April 4, 2010<\/p>\n

By TRACI SHURLEY
\ntshurley@star-telegram.com<\/p>\n

ARLINGTON — Educators at Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington say they’re
\nclose to turning the low-performing school into a place where teachers and
\nstudents consistently meet expectations.<\/p>\n

But first, the charter school’s officials must persuade the Texas Education
\nAgency not to close it July 1.<\/p>\n

Principal Kathi Johnson will head to Austin this week to plead with state
\nofficials to give the school one more chance.<\/p>\n

Personnel changes, curriculum improvements and better financial
\naccountability will be the pillars of Johnson’s argument.<\/p>\n

“There was a lot to do coming into this school because a lot of the
\ninfrastructure wasn’t in place. So, we had to work on that while
\nsimultaneously working to increase the TAKS scores,” said Johnson, who took
\nover in July 2008.<\/p>\n

“I feel like we’re poised right on the edge here of turning the school
\naround,” she said.<\/p>\n

In March, Jean Massieu was one of three charter schools whose accreditation
\nwas revoked by the TEA. In Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott’s
\nletter to Johnson, he noted “serious and persistent deficiencies” in the
\nschool’s special-education program and a 2009 Financial Accountability
\nReview rating of “substandard.”<\/p>\n

Additionally, the school has been rated academically unacceptable for four
\nconsecutive years for failing to meet passing standards in writing, social
\nstudies and math on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.<\/p>\n

Scott wrote in his letter, “While it saddens me to take this action, given
\nthe expectations of state law and my concern for the long-term education of
\nthe students served by Jean Massieu Academy, I am compelled to move forward
\nwith this action.”<\/p>\n

Where deaf kids feel at home<\/p>\n

Jean Massieu started in 1999 to serve deaf children, their siblings and
\npeers. Over time, the student body has grown to include students who aren’t
\nhearing-impaired who struggled or did not feel safe in the large public
\nschool system, Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Today Jean Massieu has about 100 students in pre-kindergarten through grade
\n12. Thirty percent are deaf and 40 percent qualify for special-education
\nservices. Students are bused in from as far as 25 miles away.<\/p>\n

The classrooms are spread throughout a 60-year-old former church building in
\ncentral Arlington. It doesn’t take long to notice what makes the school
\nunique. Teachers use sign language throughout their lessons, whether it’s
\nhelping a middle school student with a social studies handout or reading a
\nstory about seahorses and porcupines to kindergartners. All students learn
\nAmerican Sign Language as a foreign language, and teachers say the fact that
\neveryone knows it helps deaf students feel at home and confident.<\/p>\n

Johnson beams with pride as she walks through the hallways.<\/p>\n

“Once you spend time at this school, you realize it’s a really special place
\nand you’ve got to be here,” she said. “The kids are what keep you coming
\nback. They’re just wonderful and they deserve the best.”<\/p>\n

To that end, administrators have replaced about 90 percent of the teaching
\nstaff in the past two years. The number of teachers who are considered
\n“highly qualified” under federal guidelines has jumped from 48 percent last
\nyear to 84 percent this year.<\/p>\n

The school, which has been under the guidance of a TEA conservator since May
\n2008, has also implemented a new curriculum, Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Because of the small classes at Jean Massieu, students get more individual
\nattention than they would in public schools, said Samanatha Welch, a senior
\nwhose mother is a bus driver for the school. The class size is a big help
\nfor her, she said. Welch will graduate this spring and doesn’t want to think
\nabout what happens if the state doesn’t give Jean Massieu a reprieve.<\/p>\n

“It made me cry,” she said. “I really don’t want to see our school going
\nthrough that. Our school is really good.”<\/p>\n

Working to stay open<\/p>\n

Officials are working on a variety of measures aimed at keeping the school
\nopen.<\/p>\n

They applied to be evaluated by TEA under Alternative Education
\nAccountability, a different set of guidelines used to evaluate and rate
\nschools where many students are identified as being at risk. Administrators
\nthink such an evaluation would help rise above the academically unacceptable
\nranking. They are expecting to find in May if they can be measured in that
\nway.<\/p>\n

Johnson said Jean Massieu went through a difficult time after the school’s
\nfounding principal left in 2005. There was a lack of administrative
\nexperience, and senior teachers essentially ran the school until Johnson was
\nhired, she said.<\/p>\n

Johnson said the school has also been working with state auditors to better
\nunderstand strict special-education guidelines, and she believes that it is
\nin line with requirements. She plans to present that information at the
\nrecords review.<\/p>\n

A state conservator’s report for February listed special education as an
\n“ongoing concern,” and Jean Massieu is not in compliance with all federal
\nspecial-education requirements, said DeEtta Culbertson, a TEA spokeswoman.<\/p>\n

“There’s obviously some things that still need to be addressed,” Culbertson
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

Johnson said the school is also on firmer financial footing. The 2009 report
\nthat Scott referred to in his letter dealt with financial figures from the
\n2007-08 school year. In June 2009, Jean Massieu signed a contract with the
\nRegion 11 Education Service Center to oversee its business office and
\nfinances.<\/p>\n

Parents and students have also been writing to elected officials and the
\nTEA, telling them what the school means to them. They also wear “The Deaf
\nShall Be Heard” shirts in support of the school.<\/p>\n

Teacher Flora Morales is hoping the TEA gives Jean Massieu more time. After
\nsubstitute teaching at the school, she got her first job out of college in
\nJanuary. She says she worries that her students would “shut down” in a large
\npublic school and be isolated into a program for deaf students.<\/p>\n

She knows the school has had trouble in the past, but she’d like to put
\nScott’s concerns about the children’s futures to rest.<\/p>\n

“The way it’s going from this point forward, I think they’re going to be OK.
\nThere’s no reason to worry,” she said.<\/p>\n

TRACI SHURLEY, 817-390-7641<\/p>\n

Source:
\nhttp:\/\/www.star-telegram.com\/2010\/04\/04\/2088771_p2\/arlington-charter-school-fighting.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arlington charter school fighting to stay open April 4, 2010 By TRACI SHURLEY tshurley@star-telegram.com ARLINGTON — Educators at Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington say they’re close to turning the low-performing school into a place where teachers and students consistently meet…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[2978,4056,268,21,4013,87,4055,24,3697,2193,951,267,4052,92,4053,3694,17,4054],"class_list":["post-9980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-administrators","tag-alternative-education-accountability","tag-arlington","tag-austin","tag-charter-school","tag-children","tag-commissioner-robert-scott","tag-deaf","tag-deetta-culbertson","tag-educators","tag-jean-massieu-academy","tag-jma","tag-principal-kathi-johnson","tag-school","tag-taks","tag-tea","tag-texas","tag-texas-education"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-2AY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10719,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/05\/30\/arlington-charter-school-gets-a-reprieve-from-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":9980,"position":0},"title":"Arlington charter school gets a reprieve from Texas","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Arlington charter school gets a reprieve from Texas BY ROBERT CADWALLADER May 27, 2010 Special to the Star-Telegram ARLINGTON -- The Jean Massieu Academy has averted a July 1 shutdown after state officials determined that the charter school has improved its poor academic and financial performance. The Texas Education Agency\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16771,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/11\/24\/jma-head-of-arlington-school-for-deaf-children-departs\/","url_meta":{"origin":9980,"position":1},"title":"JMA: Head of Arlington school for deaf children departs","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"November 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Head of Arlington school for deaf children departs November 22, 2011 BY ROBERT CADWALLADER rcadwallader@star-telegram.com ARLINGTON -- The superintendent who has helped Jean Massieu Academy, a charter school primarily for deaf children and their families, improve its financial and academic standing with the state has departed the charter school for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9698,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/03\/14\/jean-massieu-academy-in-arlington-ordered-to-close-in-summer\/","url_meta":{"origin":9980,"position":2},"title":"Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington ordered to close in summer","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington ordered to close in summer By TRACI SHURLEY and EVA-MARIE AYALA tshurley@star-telegram.com, eayala@star-telegram.com ARLINGTON -- The state ordered the Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington to close this summer after revoking its accreditation as a school district, the Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday. School officials have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9687,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/03\/14\/jean-massieu-academy-asks-state-to-reconsider-closing\/","url_meta":{"origin":9980,"position":3},"title":"Jean Massieu Academy asks state to reconsider closing","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Academy asks state to reconsider closing ARLINGTON -- Jean Massieu Academy, a charter school in Arlington that serves mostly deaf children and their siblings, has asked the Texas Education Agency to reconsider its move to revoke the school's accreditation and to close the school. The state agency announced Wednesday that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9679,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/03\/11\/arlington-charter-school-will-close-after-losing-accreditation\/","url_meta":{"origin":9980,"position":4},"title":"Arlington charter school will close after losing accreditation","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Arlington charter school will close after losing accreditation March 10, 2010 By TRACI SHURLEY tshurley@star-telegram.com The Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington will close this summer after having its accreditation as a school district revoked, the Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday. The charter-school campus, which serves primarily deaf children and their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14251,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/05\/05\/free-fun-fair-day-dfw\/","url_meta":{"origin":9980,"position":5},"title":"Free Fun Fair Day – DFW","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 5, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Jean Massieu Academy Free Fun Fair Day Open to public Saturday, May 7, 2011 Snow Cones, Hot Dogs, Bounce Houses,\u00a0Enrollment\u00a0Info, Arts & Crafts, Science Station, Lemonade, Petting Zoo, Student performances Jean Massieu Academy 831 North Center Street Arlington, TX 76011 PHONE 817-460-0396 FAX 817-460-9867 For more information, contact Principal Kathi\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/fun-fair-day-jpeg-791x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9980"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9990,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9980\/revisions\/9990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}