MVTimes January 28, 2016

community B11

The High School View

The High School View is staffed and prepared entirely by students from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, and published on their behalf
by The Martha’s Vineyard Times, with the generous assistance of the sponsors whose names appear below.

Prospective principals visit

pal is the principle teacher. the students themselves than the regional high school, but
If you’re going to provide test scores — someone who there are parts of it that he
instructional leadership wants to know what we’re does support.
you have to be able to do it planning in student council “I’m a strong advocate
BY DANIELLE HOPKINS and I love that challenge. program based in New York. by example.” and who goes to the field of the underlying teaching
Principalship here is espe- “I started the school from Senior Lee Hayman toured hockey and football games.” practices that accompany

A
n open discussion with cially exciting because it’s a scratch,” she said. “The hard- both candidates around the When Mr. Williams [proficiency-based learning].
the two candidates for new place, a new school with est part of a new place is get- school. “I liked them both. was working in Maine, the I believe it represents the best
the regional high school new faces to learn, and a new ting to know the people and They both asked questions state legislature mandated in what we know in educa-
principal position was held community.” If given the job, tional research today. That’s
at the school on January 14 Ms. Dingledy’s family would what I want to bring to the
and 15, allowing the voices move to the Island. She has school,” Mr. Williams said.
of both students and staff two young children; one is Both candidates were
to be heard. Candidates Ms. starting kindergarten. pleasantly surprised with
Sara Dingledy and Mr. Da- Mr. Williams is a former how much our school al-
vid Williams toured the principal of York Middle ready has to offer. Ms. Din-
school on separate days, School in York, Maine and gledy was especially pleased
and were introduced to the former assistant principal of with our performing arts
school community. Newmarket High School in department. When asked
Ms. Dingledy is the cur- Newmarket, N.H. Mr. Wil- about department funding,
rent principal of Westchester liams had planned to take a she said, “Every department
Square Academy of New York year off to spend more time should have equitable fund-
City, and former assistant with his children, but a friend ing. However, depending on
headmaster of The Brook- of his, an Island resident, saw the budget, it makes sense
lyn Latin School. She has an ad for the position open- for departments requiring
dreamed about living on the ing at the high school. Mr. more equipment to receive
Island ever since she came as Williams knew that he could more funding.”
a kid in the ’70s. not pass up the opportunity. Student Samantha Hargy
“One of the biggest at- “I got to learn a little bit said, of the search, “I don’t
tractions of the job here is more about the Island, and PHOTO BY ALI BARLETT want someone who will
getting to live here,” Ms. the more I talked to people, Left, principal candidate David Williams speaks to students and faculty on Thursday, January 14 come into our school and
Dingledy said. “But I love the more I fell in love with it,” in the library conference room. Sara Dingledy does the same on January 15. make a million changes
being a principal no matter Mr. Williams said. trying to improve it. We
where I am, whether it’s the Ms. Dingledy helped estab- building their trust.” and seemed genuinely in- proficiency-based learning have a great school and we
Bronx, Brooklyn, or Martha’s lish the school she currently The day before, Mr. Wil- terested in my opinion,” she on transcripts and report really don’t need to change
Vineyard. The role of being works at, as part of a New liams had said, “I have a said. “I’m looking for a can- cards. He does not plant to much. What we do need is a
a principal is challenging Leaders for New Schools, a firm belief that the princi- didate who cares more about implement such learning at leader.” HSV

Standardized testing: Pass or fail?

dedicated to their education exhausting. Some have cried. Ms. Lowell-Bettencourt
and to developing their skills Some have not been able to said, “Although standard-
as lifelong learners. In my sleep. Some refuse to come to ized tests are a measurement
BY LIVIE JACOBS are times when I recog- work on such a task for such a opinion, the standardized school. The pressure it puts tool that have been used to
nize behaviors in them that long period of time. Yes, there tests don’t contribute to ei- on children is, in my opinion, judge schools for their ef-
This is the second of a two-part series. show stress. While we care are times in life when most ther of these goals.” absurd and unnecessary. fectiveness, focusing solely
about children and their adults have to take tests — a West Tisbury School prin- Childhood is a time to play. on these tests is not a healthy

W
hen he spoke about well-being, there is research driving license, perhaps for a cipal Donna Lowell-Betten- There are thousands of stud- way to measure any school.
standardized test- that suggests failure teaches job interview, and of course court said, “Because the test- ies that show how integral With my staff, I analyze the
ing at his school, Tis- children important lessons in academia. But I can’t think ing is based on the standards play, music, art, and other data from these tests along
bury School principal John about life. Parents and edu- of any other situation where we teach, we are technically creative and physical endeav- with data from other assess-
Custer said, “I am aware of cators both want to support it’s part of the norm.” teaching students content and ors are to brain development, ments of student growth
individuals who do strug- children to be successful. Elementary string instruc- skills that will be required in social development, problem and achievement in far more
gle with academic anxiety. I Because students are differ- tor Ms. Jephcote wondered testing at all times.” solving, and success in life.” areas to identify areas where
have heard that it has grown ent, there is not a one-size- about the bigger picture for Mr. Custer discussed the Ms. Jephcote noted, “Some we can improve.”
at the high school level, un- fits-all approach.” music students and increased use of school time for testing: years of the 90s, there were Ms. Dunn concluded, “It
fortunately. I also know that Deb Dunn, a teacher at the amounts of standardized “We have not needed to cut 250 students in elementary would be adequate to have
high schools are responding Martha’s Vineyard Public testing. “Are they held up time from the unified arts at strings. We certainly could students take standardized
to this and supporting stu- Charter School for 23 years, as exemplary students for the Tisbury School. The Is- not schedule that many tests one or two times in
dents better. At the elemen- discussed the effect testing what they are doing, or are land is fortunate to have com- lessons now. While these their school career — per-
tary and middle school lev- has on children’s mental they scrutinized for being munities that value education numbers ebb and flow for haps in fourth or fifth grade,
el, it is less of an issue. We health. “I do see that the test- less dedicated to their more — all aspects of it.” a variety of reasons, testing and again in eighth or ninth
are fortunate on this Island ing causes anxiety for chil- important subjects and miss- Ms. Dunn said, “For these certainly contributes. Math — or 10th grade. Beyond
to have small schools where dren starting in about third ing valuable academic class standardized tests, kids feel class time has doubled over that, the testing is excessive
we can get to know chil- grade. As much as the schools time?” she asked. an intense pressure to per- the last 15 years. Language and has proven nothing.
dren well, and also have sol- try to normalize it, taking Mother of two Island el- form. And whether or not arts time has increased simi- Our world standing aca-
id partnerships with parents. standardized tests is not nor- ementary school children, they’ve been told, many see larly. There are 22 students demically as a nation has
That helps support healthy mal,” she said. “There are few Ms. Famariss said, “I feel it as a measure of how smart on a waiting list to join the not changed in all the years
students.” He went on, “I to no other experiences in our very lucky that my children they are, and whether they program simply because we we’ve been testing. Doesn’t
have two children, and there lives when we are asked to have teachers who are so are worthy or not. It is utterly cannot schedule them.” that tell us something?” HSV
Editors in Chief: Christopher Aring, Olivia Jacobs, Kaela Vecchia-Zeitz • Assistant Editor In Chief: Casey McAndrews, Zachary Bresnick • Art Editor: Sophie Bonneau Web Editor Jack Davin
Photography Editors: Molly Houghton • Assistant Photography Editor: Elizabeth Dourian • Masthead Art: Sophie Bonneau • Faculty Adviser: Dan Sharkovitz

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