Why is it so important that students march in unison?

According to KOB TV, link, the APS Policy and Instruction Committee undertook what APS "spokeswoman" and Executive Director of Communications Monica Armenta describes as "... one of the trickiest, most complex issues we take on all year". 

A third of students attending APS will not graduate. I suspect there are more than a few tricky and complex issues.

It's hard to believe a school calendar is one of them; I mean really, how hard can it be?  The board and administration have only themselves to blame. It is they, who relentlessly insist that 98,000 children can, and should be made to, learn in unison, a thought choir if you will.  Even if you could do such a thing, why would you want to?  When again in their lives will they ever have to think and work in unison?

"The biggest challenge really is balancing what parents and students want with what we have to have in place by state statute," Armenta said.


The decision to move spring break is going to be unpopular with parents and students, so if the administration and board can pass the blame along to the NMPED, it takes the heat off of them. Armenta would like to create the impression that state statutes are driving the decision to move spring break. 

What they would really like to do is to improve performance on standardized testing by providing more uninterrupted learning before students take tests. They can't just admit that's why they want to do it, because when test scores improve, they want to take credit.

They can't take credit if they've already admitted that the move was justified by the increases it would stimulate.

Armenta did touch on the truth tangentially, when she admitted,

"Moving spring break back a month will allow us to handle all the state mandatory testing without an issue,"

The issue is not a statutory but she would like interest holders to believe it is.

In future, when their communications department points to improved test performance, the delay in testing that was the impetus will be long forgotten.  They will allow an impression to be created, that they are responsible for increasing student test performance.

Just like when they raised graduation rates by adding a fifth year to the traditional four-year graduation plan.  They "raised" gradation rates without actually raising performance.

Just like when they raised graduation rates by dropping from the statistical cohort, students who had already failed the 9th grade; students who were the least likely to graduate.  Again, graduation rates climbed, though real performance did not.

It looks like they're doing better and
that's what its all about.

It all about improving APS' public perception.




photos Mark Bralley