Posted on 08/31/2009 10:23:21 AM PDT by blueglass
Nearly a third of Chicago public high school teachers say they were pressured to change grades this past school year. "You can't completely be honest in grading students, otherwise the failure rate would be off the chart." They said the squeeze was put on them to pass failing students, to give ill students a break or to help athletes.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
"You can't completely be honest in grading students, otherwise the failure rate would be off the chart."
There are lots of things we can't be honest about, because, well there just are...
This is not just a Chicago problem...it’s nationwide
“It’s in the culture of the schools,’’ wrote one experienced high school teacher who raised numerous grades under pressure...”
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Well the reason for the abysmal academic performance IN THE FIRST PLACE is in the “culture” all right, but not the school culture.
B
And, guess who was in charge? Arne Duncan.... Obama’s Education Secretary.
Well, why not just fail them?
Obama and his ilk will make sure they get just as much as the kid who works hard in school and works hard in college anyway.
Response: Then the "pupils" are admitted to college under special programs, they receive high grades so they can be admitted to graduate and professional schools where they are passed on. They then are publicized as genius to show that they can do it. They then are hired under special programs and when they cannot perform they then become "community organizers" and are elected to office, where they further harm our society. All because the once dominant culture wants to prove it is warm and has a good heart.
My 1st thought too.
1/3 felt pressured; 1 in 5 actually changed a grade.
Well, why not just fail them?
Gasp !
And damage their delicate Self Esteem ??
God forbid.
She is a 4th grade grammar teacher ranting about the stupidity of kids. I do not see or sense cynicism in the very long post.
If this is a representation of the Chicago teachers, we are indeed in trouble.
(If anyone can show me where Lindatart was obviously spoofing, please point it out)
wachdagz cnat cownt
lindatart wrote:
It is about time somebody got the courage to expose the practice of grade changing in cps. You are correct, it is in the culture of the schools. I have been told to give extra assignments to bring the students grades up notwithstanding, that most of the children do not complete the extra work. The attitude of most principals is: If the student is not learning than the teacher is not teaching. It is immaterial that other students are passing and have completed all assignments and projects. It is the dumb bell that never does anything that is rewarded with treats. It is the child that bullies others that receives special attention/incentives from the principal.
Last year I had 4th grade after being in special education for almost 20 years. (I did not get along with the new counslor)I was shocked and distrubed at he number of students that could not write a complete sentence. They did not know the 7 parts of speech, how to multiply pass 4, and most of the students begin a senctence with the world and. It took me the entire school year to teach and was a conjunction AND IT JOINS SENTENCES TOGETHER. (wasn't they suppose to learn that in 3rd grade?)Many of the teachers (myself included) have been pressured to change grades. IT IS A COMMON PRACTICE!!! Principles take their orders from people that is a long way from the schools. Therefore have no know of what is going on in these schools. principles take advantage of teachers that are not tenture and CONSTANTLY THREATEN THEIR POSITIONS IF THEY DO NOT COMPLY WITH THIS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY. In most of the elementary schools, the principle is mommy and the teachers act like children as oppose to mature adults. Principles do not like teachers that do not go for the ‘buy in’ regardless of how it is harming our children. Speaking of the union, there is a union delegate in every school. They are elected by the teaching staff. It is safe to assume that they are as quiet as a rat walking on cotton because they have received some perk from the principle and they are not going to speak up or out about anything. Also, the principle tells the teacher who to vote for. It could be the principle's sister, friend or sorority sister therefore the union contract becomes a worthless sheet of paper. TEACHERS THRIVE IN AN ENVIROMENT OF MEDOCORITY. I have left serval schools because of this. I cannot stand it. They are easy to control and many of them are afraid of the principles. Especially on the westside which is a contributing factor of why those schools are so bad not to mention the poor curriculum, lack of enrichment programs, stupid parents, LSC members that is more interested in what they can get from the schools i.e. extra food from the lunchroom, they are usually ASSURED of getting extra books when they arrive, free coats and other supplies. Also, promised that their dumb children will get into a better high school that they do not qualify for. In many of these homes, education is not a priority the BLING IS and many of these children were born with drugs in their systems, so what do you expect? If you have HIGH EXPECATIONS OF YOUR STUDENTSYOU ARE BEATEN DOWN BY THE STAFF AND PRINCIPLE AND BLACKBALLED. I know this to be true because it has happened to me!!! All of the problems that occur in high school is because they had a poor education on the elementary level. If someone could clean of these elementary schools (and they have VAST PROBLEMS on that level) they would come into high schools able to read, write and compute, not to mention technology skills, they high schools would not be so bad and the students would be complete and yes compete with other students on their level. Special education should come into high school with realistic goals and realistic expectations on their iep’s. What happened to vocational training for students. Just because a child is unable to understand Emc2 does not mean that you would not pay him 90.00 per hour to repair your car or hook up your computer system. I could say a lot about this lousy system. However, I do have a solution to this problem.
1. Get rid of Daley.
2. Bring Paul Adams or other administrators like him to take over the Board of Education. Make them an offer that they cannot refuse. (Look at Jody Weiss!)
3. Expand alternative education on all levels. To many students come to school to destroy and disrupt. Based the alternative schools on the Pace model that they use in the surburbs. It works and allows the other students to learn in a safe enviroment. (This would not be in violation of Corey H.)
4. Hire REAL ADMINISTRORS FROM OTHER STATES OR REGIONS. MOST OF THE PRINCIPLES ARE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE AND THEY TAKE CARE OF THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES. We need new blood to stop this old garbage.
5. Allow the LSC’s to evaluation the principle BUT NOT HIRE THEM. Many members in the poorer communities have limited and I do mean LIMITED KNOWLEDGE WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATIONAL ISSUES.
6. Aigen the elementary curriculum with the high school curriculum so that there would be a smooth transition once a child graduates from 8th grade.
There is more that I could add but I am going to hang my hat here.
i m a publik scewl teechur. We were informed last year that we no longer hold high school students back. If a child fails 9th grade English he will take 10th grade English the next year. English classes will double at some point to make up for the failed year. I am not happy with this and asked for an explanation. After all, if a student does not master 9th grade English, how can he complete 10th grade English? Our “curriculum coordinator” asked me for evidence to support my idea that holding students back is more beneficial.
We don need no damn edukayshun! We have de offishal OBAMA UNEMPLOYMENT KIT.
This kit contains: Ski Mask, Hand Gun, 500 rounds of ammo, glass cutter, hot wire kit, tire iron, brass knuckles,switch blade knife, and a 32 page booklet titled “How The Man Keeps You Down”.
“Change you can believe in”
“Our “curriculum coordinator” asked me for evidence to support my idea that holding students back is more beneficial.”
Beneficial for whom? The student, or the teachers union?
The atrocious grammar in the comment you copied leads me to believe that the writer is indeed a Public School Teeecher.
I don’t know. Her new thing (trending everywhere) is to throw that line out. Give me a study to prove it’s effectiveness and we’ll consider it. Yeah right. The old way of reading, writing and arithmetic worked just fine. So did corporal punishment and failing students who do not make the grade. We don’t need facts and stats to prove anything.
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