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November 30, 2022 | Stories from St. Louis Park Public Schools
The SLP Communicator, published monthly, centers the stories and voices of students, staff, and our community. District-level news and information will be shared in school newsletters.
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Message from Superintendent Osei | |
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One of the intentions I set for myself this year is to embody a spirit of gratitude at all times. I am grateful for many things. At the top of the list is always my family, our students and staff, and each of you who make up our school community. Thank you for your continued commitment and support of St. Louis Park Public Schools.
There is so much I appreciate about our school community. We believe in the brilliance of all of our students. We work together to create learning environments that foster love and connection for the students we serve. And, we are a school community that appreciates, values, and supports our educators.
As I have shared before, I firmly believe public education is the key to the success of our democracy, and we have a responsibility to produce citizens who are prepared to positively contribute to society. In order to prepare our students to positively contribute to society, it requires all of us to work collectively to support our students and educators.
I am grateful to live, work, and send my children to school in a community that cares for each other and supports the healthy development of every student. I look forward to our continued partnership in support of each of our students and our district mission.
In community,
Astein K. Osei, Ed.D.
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Share the Mic Podcast with PAT President Nathan Tangen: To go far, we have to go together
Park Association of Teacher President Nathan Tangen and Superintendent Dr. Astein Osei talk about the unique collaborative relationship between the teachers' union and the school district. Tangen talks about the infectious nature of living out the district's strategic mission. To go far, we have to go together.
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Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts
- Interviews with students, staff, and community members
- Conversations about what matters to the SLP community
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Connections to the SLP Strategic Plan
- New episodes every month
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Listen to episodes 1 and 2 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. | | |
Why do so many SLP students opt out of testing? | |
St. Louis Park High School has a significantly higher opt-out rate than our neighboring school districts. | |
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St. Louis Park High School has a significantly higher opt out rate than our neighboring school districts. We want to help staff, families, and students understand how these tests can benefit students and schools and how opting out can actually have unintended negative impacts.
Let’s break it down
The state uses proficiency data to help identify which schools need additional support and recognize those making fantastic progress. But when students opt out of testing, they are marked as “not proficient” by the state, significantly lowering apparent proficiency levels. It impacts everything from students’ college-ready scores and understanding of academic progress to school enrollment and perception.
It’s not that SLP students aren’t proficient, it’s that many are not testing
At nearly all schools, the proficiency levels of SLP students in both math and reading is higher than the state, sometimes much higher. While opting out is somewhat of a problem at the Middle School where 11-18% of students opted out of each MCA test in the spring of 2022, it is a large problem at the High School, where 38-65% of students opted out of MCA testing last year. When this large group opted out, the overall proficiency for the High School dropped over 12% for math and over 15% for reading. These drops make it appear that the High School is lagging behind others in the state, when in fact it is above or similar to other districts across the state.
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There are a variety of beliefs about standardized tests
Movements across the country have encouraged families to opt out without understanding the impact it has on students and schools. Some movements, for example, are based on the premise that standardized tests are racially biased against Students of Color. We acknowledge that some tests can be biased or used inappropriately to disadvantage Students of Color, however, through St. Louis Park Public School’s strategic plan for racial equity transformation, we remain committed to ensuring our testing practices benefit students. Ultimately, we believe these tests provide vital information on how the district as a whole is or is not providing rigorous instruction for all students.
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SLP Staff Spotlight: Dr. Lee-Ann Stephens
Equity Development Coordinator | Teacher
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Dr. Stephens was the 2022 Cultural Jambalaya Diversity Award Winner for her leadership with Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR) | |
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Dr. Stephen's why for working in SLP
I have been in education for over three decades in a myriad of roles, but I find the most joy in investing in the brilliance of our students to be critically conscious thinkers, courageous leaders, and catalysts for change. St. Louis Park has not only given me permission to do that, but has compelled me to do so.
The SLP core value Dr. Stephens most resonates with:
Collective responsibility. Embodying the collective and urgent responsibility of anti-racist practices enriches a work and learning environment and community.
I am a firm believer in collectivism, particularly in the work of anti-racism. It is all our responsibility to do the work of anti-racism and when we remove ourselves from the responsibility of the work, then we are complicit in perpetuating racism.
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New Language and Culture Program
Includes Arabic and Ojibwe
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The idea to expand the culture and language program was driven by teachers who had a dream to provide a more inclusive education. Students were asked what languages would be of greatest interest, and principals helped to finalize plans. Throughout this collaborative effort, different models were explored before making the decision to expand the culture and language program to have specialists teach Arabic and Ojibwe.
Spanish continues to be an important part of the culture and language program, but the inclusion of more languages provides an opportunity for students to grow their worldview. Arabic was selected as one of the languages taught because it is fast growing with more than 274 million speakers. The other language that was selected was Ojibwe. Ojibwe holds significance to the people and land that St. Louis Park Public Schools resides on.
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During 10-week rotations, students learn from culture and language specialists, who teach 30-45 minute lessons through lived experience and ancestral knowledge. Culture and language specialists elevate members of the community who provide their expertise and wisdom.
Ojibwe culture and language specialist Samantha DeFoe notices how excited students are to see her when she arrives to lead lessons. For more than two years, Ms. DeFoe has been the chairperson of the American Indian Parent Advisory Committee (AIPAC), but she found herself wanting to do more to represent and share her culture.
“This position provided the opportunity to bring forth some of my ideas! The Ojibwe language was once taken from many of my ancestors, along with our culture and identity. It is important to teach it now and bring it back while raising awareness that we’re still here,” she said.
Ms. DeFoe has taught lessons about powwows, food, and artifacts. She has also incorporated important history about the Sandy Lake Tragedy and the Seven Grandfather Teachings. The lessons taught provide quality culturally relevant instruction aligned with state and national standards.
“Providing students opportunities to learn more languages is in direct alignment with our mission. It prepares students to be more globally aware,” said Dr. Patrick Duffy, Director of Curriculum and Instruction.
Throughout the year, St. Louis Park Public Schools will continue to share updates about what is happening in the culture and language program.
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What is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program?
The International Baccalaureate (IB) aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. Aquila, Peter Hobart, and Susan Lindgren are officially authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization to provide all students a rigorous and diverse education through the IB Primary Years Programme (IB-PYP). In January of 2016, St. Louis Park Middle School was designated as an IB World School, and St. Louis Park High School offers IB courses for students 16 to 19.
IB uses a learner profile to describe a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academic success. The learner profile represents a set of characteristics that are developed within our students to promote internationally-minded citizens. Our students demonstrate these skills throughout the IB Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme.
The Learner Profile enables students to become:
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- Communicators
- Risk takers
- Principled
- Thinkers
- Open-minded
- Caring
- Balanced
- Knowledgeable
- Reflective
- Inquirers
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Using these attributes, students will begin the journey of life-long learning and become active participants in a global society. Read about each level and what it means for students.
What is the Primary Years Programme (PYP)?
The PYP offers an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework that builds conceptual understanding. It is a student-centered approach to education for children ages 3-12. It reflects the best of educational research, thought leadership, and experience derived from IB World Schools.
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6425 W 33rd St | St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Phone: 952-928-6000 | Fax: 952-928-6020
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