Posted on 01/23/2018 2:39:17 AM PST by markomalley
As assistant principal is among several members of the staff at DuVal High School who’ve been removed from the school amid a grade-fixing controversy in the system.
The announcement comes in a letter to parents from Prince George’s County Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Maxwell, after a state audit brought the Lanham, Maryland, school’s graduation rates into question.
Those employees taken out of DuVal — as well as the school’s principal and registrar who were removed last year — have been placed on administrative leave. Acting principal John Brooks remains in place at the school.
“Mr. John Brooks will continue serving as acting principal through the end of the 2017-18 school year,” Maxwell told the school in the letter.
In 2016, the year DuVal had a 92 percent graduation rate, close to 7 percent of students shouldn’t have received their diplomas, according to the audit ordered by the Maryland State Department of Education. For another 27 percent, there wasn’t enough documentation to verify graduation eligibility.
In 2017, the audit found 16 percent of graduates couldn’t have their final standing verified, and 4 percent shouldn’t have received diplomas.
Investigators also heard from staff who claimed that grading policies were violated so that students could be offered additional chances to graduate.
“Due to evidence of intentional violations of those policies and procedures, changes to staff were made at the school,” said John White, a spokesman for Prince George’s County Public Schools.
The DuVal situation was part of a broader look that auditors took at high schools in the county, and graduation rate irregularities were also found at other schools.
Some staff members also alleged that pressure was put on teachers to help boost graduation rates.
In a May 2017 email from a DuVal guidance counselor to teachers, obtained by WTOP, students at risk of not graduating were listed, and the counselor wrote: “If there is any last minute, (rub a genie in a bottle), assistance you can help our future scholars, please assist.”
Some said the email showed pressure was being put on staff to pass students. Ed Burroughs, a member of the Prince George’s County Board of Education, took it one step further and said the pressure was being put on the school’s administration from the district level.
“I am waiting to see accountability in the senior staff level,” said Burroughs.
The school system denies that senior officials are to blame for what took place at the school.
That little diversity graph was interesting. Apparently the long term benefits of diversity do NOT include academic excellence or integrity
Once there was discussion about tying salaries to performance, this stuff was inevitable. “Social promotion” has gone on for decades (as anyone who has managed “preferred minorities” can testify), but only recently have the tools emerged to expose it so easily and quickly.
These policies seriously harm race relations, as the tokens awarded meaningless diplomas and degrees then go out into a world where they have little economic value. They figure they have the same “qualifications” as their non-preferred peers, yet never earn as much (if they are hired at all). Rather than examine the root cause, they attribute it to racism - and pass that sentiment along to each following generation.
Google photos of Duval HS MD and all will be revealed.
Hey I got my degree from D’versity of Maryland!
Any bets on which party got the votes of these “eddikaters”?
Very common results for these types of schools. Diversity actually has a very negative effect on education success, especially with a heavy African student population. Generally, the Africans drag down all other groups by their incessant racist attacks on the good students. Fear of the African klan attacks then becomes a concentration detractor for all other groups.
Psst, when fixing grades, don’t suddenly graduate all your seniors. Move it up a couple of points to show improvement but not so much you get caught. Apparently, the bit administration hoodlums aren’t any smarter than the little hoodlums.
One of the closest high schools to my house.
“One of the closest high schools to my house.”
Sorry to hear that.
Grade-Curving Bongmasters.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Why didn't they bus in 60% white students, to reflect the nation's population?
social promotion has been sold as a caring tool... what the school systems isn’t saying, is social promotion is a money saver.
They actively DO NOT WANT children to repeat grades,as it steals from their budget.
They don’t care about these children... not one bit.
My town seems to want as many students as possible; we used to have someone monitor students who appeared to be traveling in each morning from other towns (and throwing them out), now I think school districts want students for any money (federal, state) that comes with them.
Summer school seems to be a big money-maker as well.
more students = more money.
But you don’t get paid more money, particularly from fed dollars if it’s the same student who keeps repeating. That student is taking up valuable space
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