Posted by Pauline on May 18 2008 at 10:58:34:
In Reply to: Question about state-required subjects... posted by Margi on May 17 2008 at 18:18:04:
>>>>...I have a friend in a PA school district which requires her to show evidence that she has taught every subject every year, and this is burdensome on her. Does her school district have the legal right to demand that?
No, they do not. The PDE does not believe that the law requires that every subject be taught every year. Remember also that the law requires "samples of work", not the whole body of work. OTOH, the superintendent does need to decide if the student has had "a program consisting of instruction in the required subjects for the time required ... and in which the student demonstrates sustained progress in the overall program", so you can see these two things are at cross purposes.
If your friend finds the district´s "show us something in each subject" requirement burdensome, she might be going overboard - there may be an easier way to show the subjects than what she´s been doing.
If it is the district´s common practice to check for evidence of each subject, then she may have to make a stink about it to get them to agree that such evidence is not needed. There are several options for your friend to consider:
OPTION 1) Submit a portfolio without something for every subject, and if the school district calls you on it, point out that it is not required by law, and suggest they call Sarah Pearce at the PDE to check on it. This option does mean that you´ll be on the defensive. It´s not a good choice if you aren´t comfortable defending your position (though that is actually easier than you´d think, if you act calm and rational yet firm, and know the law, and ask for the PDE´s help).
OPTION 2) Take the offensive up-front. Discuss it with Sarah Pearce first. Then include a note (probably as part of a cover letter), pointing out that you have not covered all the subjects this year, possibly adding that missing subject x was covered previously in grade Y and missing subject z will be covered in the future, and that if they have concerns about this they should contact Sarah Pearce to understand the PDE´s interpretation of the law. Include SP´s contact info.
OPTION 3: Put *something* in for every subject, no matter how lame. It doesn´t have to be a major effort. Color in a map for Geography, read a book about an aspect of the human body for Physiology and put the title in the book log, include a brochure about a ski trip for phys ed, etc. If you consider your child´s whole life, for the full school year (July 1 to June 30), you´re more likely to come up with things you´ve done anyway. Think summer camp, local festivals, church or scout programs, subjects that come up in free play, and so on. This is the "don´t bug me about the subjects, I´ve given you something so you can check the box on your list, so leave me alone" approach.
OPTION 4: Write a *brief* summary of what you´ve done in each subject, much like the objectives. Things like "PHYS ED: Johnny´s Phys Ed program emphasized lifetime fitness. He enjoyed riding his bike, going on nature hikes with the family, and swimming at our local pool in the summer. He tried ice skating for the first time, and went on several ski trips." Generally speaking, IMHO, no further "proof" of activities like these is required. You *could* include photos of them, or brochures about them, or require Johnny to write essays or poetry about them. But that would be redundant. You can also include statements like "Geography and Civics were integrated into our study of U.S. History". You´re stating that you did teach these things, but not necessarily providing a sample of this work, as it may have been done orally or it may be of a nature that doesn´t lend itself to portfolio samples (like phys ed). Of course, you will have to have *some* samples of work of some kind, but this approach shows the superintendent that you *did* study all of the subjects, even if some of them are not represented in the samples of work or log. More and more people seem to be using this approach, especially if they go the "disposable portfolio" route, where you submit copies of the materials rather than the originals. Copying the ski brochure and the theater program and so on isn´t worth it if you can simply list these activities.
REMEMBER: You don´t need do cover a subject exhaustively to put it in your portfolio. You don´t need to provide "evidence" of everything you´ve done. You can show that a subject has been covered by including a sample of work, but you could instead use an entry in the book log, a standardized test score, or a summary of work written by the parent.
WORD TO THE WISE: If you decide to take a stand and not include evidence of each subject, be aware that, while with the help of the PDE your district will probably back down, there is a chance that they will disagree with the PDE´s interpretation of the law. It´s best to think though in advance how you will deal with this possibility. Stand and fight, or give in and give them a coloring page or worksheet on the disputed subject. Everyone will decide differently. Only you can judge your district´s obstinance and your energy to cope with it. Sometimes it´s worth taking a stand. Sometimes it´s worth making gradual change in that direction instead.
HELPFUL HINT: I like to think of the required elementary subjects in seven basic groups, rather than individual subjects, as there is quite a bit of overlap, and it´s just less overwhelming. They are:
--English (spelling, reading, writing)
--Arithmetic
--Science
--Social Studies (history of the United States and Pennsylvania; geography; civics)
--Health/Safety/Physiology
--Physical Education
--The Arts (music, art, etc.)
So, to sum up: You are not required to teach every subject every year, according to the PDE´s interpretation of the law. Thus you should not be required to show each subject in your portfolio. If you choose to show a given subject, remember that you do not need to show exhaustive coverage of the subject, and that there are many ways to show that the subject has been taught.