Lightning Lig gghtnin htningStrike Taking Miami-Dade by Storm
Dr. Michael M. Krop Sr. High • 1410 Countyline Road • Miami, Florida 33179
Naela Foureau opinion editor For the first time in seven years, Krop is no longer an “A” school. Students, faculty and parents alike were taken aback after learning Krop has decreased by two letter grades over the summer, going from an “A” to a “C.” However, this didn’t come as a surprise to everyone. In spite of strong communi-
ty opposition to the provision, Senate Bill 1642 was passed in May 2014. This bill provides for a new rubric that includes the element of “learning gains” as part of school grade evaluation.These learning gains consider the two Florida Standards Assessment English Language Assessment (FSAELA) tests, as well as Algebra I, geometry and Algebra II endof-course exam (EOC) scores. The rubric also finds those who score in the lowest 25
percentile to assess whether or not their score has improved from their previous test scores. The new formula penalizes schools whose performances neither improved nor worsened. Krop was one of those schools. “Before January of last year learning gains were irrelevant because all the school benefited from was the kid who scored a 3 or higher,” Assistant Principal Humberto Brito said. “Now teachers have to do two things: Get students to pass
September 2016 • Issue 1 • Volume 19
the test and show that the students who failed still learned more than they did last year.” The earlier rubric only considered six categories: FSAELA scores, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies EOC scores, graduation rate and acceleration success (AP, IB dual enrollment or industry certification exam scores.) Now learning gains take up four new categories; FSAELA total learning gains for all scores, FSA-ELA total learning gains for the lowest-scoring 25 percent, mathematics EOC total learning gains for all math scores and mathematics EOC total learning gains for the lowest-scoring 25 percent. “Now instead of those total points being divided by six, those total points are now divided by 10, which is going to make your end number smaller,” Brito said. “It’s not that hard to see why the scores dropped. If we would’ve applied the numbers of those six categories and divided them by six as the old scale would, I am positive that Krop would’ve
gotten an “A” again this year.” Several teachers have voiced concerns with the new criteria, including history teacher Eric Hafter. Hafter believes changing the criteria in the middle of the school year is unfair to teachers who have to change their curriculum. He says that Krop’s lower grade will subsequently hurt the surrounding community. “That’s like changing the rules of a sports match during halftime,” Hafter said. “People tend to go to higher graderanked schools, our new grade will cause students to leave and property values to go down.” Although Brito agrees that Krop’s new grade may hurt the community and school funding, he still thinks the change was necessary. “I think it’s a good change. Professionals should be held accountable for everyone they affect, not just the higher scoring students,” he said. “I believe that if you’re a good teacher, you should get all your kids to learn something and not ignore your low-scoring kids.”
HEALTH
Zika virus brings changes in South Florida Nathaniel Manor, feature editor Jonah Muchnick, business manager American citizens feared that the Zika virus would come close to home, and for South Floridians, Zika has arrived. According to the CDC, Zika is not life-threatening to most. But the threat it poses to unborn children is terrifying. Zika has been linked to microcephaly, a medical condition that inhibits development, resulting in an abnormally small head. While most Zika symptoms resemble that of a bad flu, its connection to microcephaly makes it dangerous for pregnant women. Since scientists don’t know how long the virus can last in an infected person’s system, officials at the CDC cannot determine whether it is safe for women who were previously infected to become pregnant later, although they
say it is unlikely that Zika will have a lasting effect. In Miami-Dade, public schools took steps in August to prevent the spread of Zika among students. Schools in or around Zika zones made long sleeved uniforms available to students and sprayed campuses with pesticides. For Krop students, the effects of Zika arrived for this month’s OneBlood Blood Drive. For the first time in the drive’s history, OneBlood required all donors to submit a parental consent form allowing the organization to declare their blood Zika-free and further research the virus to find a cure using their donated blood. “Tubes are taken at the end of the donation to test for diseases,” Activities Director Michelle Russell said. “Zika is now included in the test, which has never been a worry for the staff.”
We need everyone in our community to ‘Drain and Cover’ so that we can prevent mosquito breeding and protect residents from the bites and diseases they may carry.” –Alina T. Hudak, Solid Waste Management While OneBlood has always required donors to turn in a parental consent form, a new Zika consent form is necessary for a student to donate blood this school year. Without it, the organization doesn’t allow participants give blood, regardless of other completed forms. Unlike other forms, which only need to be submitted once a year, the Zika form has to be turned in every time a student wants to donate blood.
The Zika zones in Wynwood and Miami Beach were sprayed to kill Zika-infected mosquitoes before they hatch. The CDC has already lifted the warning for pregnant women in Wynwood, but still advises caution. Consequences of the spray are unknown, however, and in South Carolina the same pesticide was used and resulted in the deaths of millions of honey bees. According to EPA, the
pesticide Naled poses no threat to humans and little threat to wildlife. The Florida Health Department stated that the best way to prevent mosquito bites is to drain mosquito-attracting water from things like garbage cans and flower pots, and to cover skin with long sleeved clothing. “We need everyone in our community to ‘Drain and Cover’ so that we can prevent mosquito breeding and protect residents from the bites and diseases they may carry,” Department of Solid Waste Management Director Alina T. Hudak said in an interview with CNN. Another important way to prevent Zika contraction is to practice safe sex and to cover up any open wounds. As with any illness, if you think you may have Zika, see a doctor and get tested.
TWO SIDES TO ONE MIND
The perfect gift for every occasion!
More inside:
• To get into Columbia, go to Costa Rica- page 5 • Twins brings SL experience to Krop- page 7 • Rock vs. Rave- page 12 • Little sleep causes lots of problems- page 15 • Lebrun named new A.D.- page 18
• Let your choice be heard- page 5 • 10 things about Dr. David Buncher- page 8 • Harry Potter returns- page 13 • Soaring EpiPen prices- page 16 • More than just a player- page 19
Pages 10 - 11
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