[Bon of Babble]

Imagine how many "ghost" students, as they call them, are in all the other schools that haven't yet been investigated?

You have no idea.

They are marked "present" every single day so the school doesn't lose the ADA $$ and to keep up staffing (which is calculated as to how many students are enrolled, student numbers drop, pink slips appear).

I say this as a 33 year veteran of the public schools - but there are FReepers here who have told me I "don't know what I'm talking about."

[cgbg]

I believe what you are saying.

When big bucks are involved, all organizations start acting like a back-street alley whore on a Friday night.

[Leaning Right]

Ghost students, you betcha. But my school district went one better. Any grade lower than 50% was automatically changed to 50%.

So let’s suppose I gave four tests during a quarter. A student was absent for two of them, and didn’t bother to make them up (not unusual). And let’s say that student scored 72% on the other two.

I enter: 0+0+72+72. The average is 36%. The student should fail.

The computer reports: 50+50+72+72. The average is 61%. The student passes. And the superintendent gets to brag about the district’s low failure rate.