What are school administrators thinking?

[djmixon]

Here is an article regarding Houston ISD's new policy which allows students to FAIL a core curriculum class (i.e., Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, etc) and still PASS the grade. . .

I am sorry, but this is nothing by liberal coddling and will only lead to disaster!

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/education/2494551

[nomadicdragon]

Here is an article regarding Houston ISD's new policy which allows students to FAIL a core curriculum class (i.e., Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, etc) and still PASS the grade. . .

I am sorry, but this is nothing by liberal coddling and will only lead to disaster!

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/education/2494551

Do we really need more stupid morons in the world who think they can get away with anything?


sorry... done my s hort rant..

[Jenne]

I think this says it all:


the new promotion policy offers more flexibility and avoids branding students as failures when they fail just one class.
Uh, ahem. I thought failing A class means you ARE a failure--in THAT class...and have you seen what you have to do to get an "F" these days--precious little. LOL Basically not show up, b/c a lot of h.s. classes give credit for showing up!

ITA...this is just blatant numbers fiddling--trying to keep the "dropout" rate down--and making them look good on paper so as to get more $. Because typically, h.s. don't get paid if students are held back...and here they are getting $ for tutoring...

[LadyOak]

Scary thought....More to carry

[Immrama]

The answer is, They are not thinking. I don't know if they think they are doind students a favor by allowing them to fail a core class and still pass. I mean really. It's a core class for a reason. There are enough uneducated and illiterate people running around as it is. We as educated people, and especially teachers and school administraiters should push to increase the education standards and make sure everyone has a good basic grounding in those core classes such as Math, Reading and Writing, and of course the Sciences. The fact is you simply can not function in todays socisety without some basic knowedge of these subject areas. Teachers and administraiters should not stand to see standards lowered just so more people can pass. We as educators have lost sight of our purpose. It is not how much money we can get the shool, how many people pass our classes and what our graduation average is. We as eucators exist for the sole purpose of teaching and educating young children and adults. By passively condinging failure we lower the standards we have for them. While it might not be explicitly stated, that is the message we are sending. As soon as we allow students to fail a core class and pass.. well just imagine what will happen. I know and my mom knows since she's worked in the public school system teaching English for almose 30 years. She's failed more than one student in her day. Why? Becuase they fail to reach a level of proficieny in speaking, writing and understnadning the English language. A skill it is surely essential to have to survive in society and in the workplace. What kind of a favor would we be doing if instead of being forced to repeat the class, they are allowed to let that failure slide. They don't learn anything and are crippled by our apathy. So instead of turning out well educated young men and women we are turning out partially educated individuals who have barely rudimentary reading and conversation skills, reasoning skills and other things. By failing to push towards excelence, the only ones we are harming are the ones we are there to help; The students.

[djmixon]

I think it would be very interesting to see how many athletes benefit from this policy. . .

[Immrama]

*snorts* how about all of them. When my mom went to Michigan State, she being an English major working in their turoring program and was trained to help althetes with papers and English classes. Her first year she was assigend to two different athletes. her instructions were to make sure they passed the class by any means necessary. In other words, if she had to write their papers and do their work for them.. so be it.. the university would look the other way. She refused of course. They did pass the class but just becuase she took the time to teach them and make sure they learned the material. She did them a favor really. they passed and benifited becuase they did it on their own.. I wonder how many other tutors took the time and energy to make sure their athletes LEANRED the material instead of taking the easy way out and doing it for them.

[dragonspirit 69]

This is so sad :sadman: I can't think how it makes the teacher feel to fail akid for all the right reasons then see them pass anyway. I know I would be steaming mad if it were me. ( as the teacher ) And If I ( as the student ) came home thinking that it was ok to fail a core subject well I hate even now to think what my mother adn father would do to me. :holycow:

And now that I'm a mother there is no way I will ever let my daughter think it's ok to fail any class. Even gym . every class has a purpoes adn without them the kids will never beable to take care of theirselves. I know I'm not going to take care of my daughter for the rest of my life. Though I love her dearly I will push her to find her limits adn be a productive member of society. Letting kids do this ( pass with out passing ) will cripple our countries future. And that scares me.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant but I'm just in shocked. :fpatricks

[djmixon]

Well yes it is scary. . .you are talking about the fourth largest city in the country. . .

[Chibi-Fallon]

Well you guys all have a vaild point and in a *good* school district this would be such BS but not in Houston. The schools are awful. Kids are dropping out right and left. I think the idea is that maybe if they can pass the 9th grade they'll stay in for a little longer.
They're not looking to send these kids off to Harvard. They're trying to make sure they can function and get a job that pays at least decently and not have to live below the poverty line and have more kids just like themselves.
Maybe that's a defeatest attitude but you have to start somewhere with these kids, especially if they're not getting the support from home (and if you're dropping out, you're not getting support).

[Immrama]

I think there ar ebetter ways to motivate studetns to stay in school and succeed than condoning failure. It seems as though these are the students that need the higher standards and need to be believed in more than any other and what are we doing? the exact opposite.

[Regulus]

Here is an article regarding Houston ISD's new policy which allows students to FAIL a core curriculum class (i.e., Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, etc) and still PASS the grade. . .

I am sorry, but this is nothing by liberal coddling and will only lead to disaster!

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/education/2494551
Uh huh, your acusing anyone in houston TX of being liberal? Sorry but thats laughable.

[djmixon]

Uh huh, your acusing anyone in houston TX of being liberal? Sorry but thats laughable.

PULEEZE. . .We haven't had a Conservative in a major municipal office in Houston in a long time. . .

There are far more liberals here than you might think. . . Remember the Chicken Democrats that ran away instead of standing to serve their constituents? Redistricting will happen anyway, with or without them. . .it has to. . .our population has shifted. . .

I am conservative, but not affiliated with any party. . .I vote the issues, not the party!!! I am not blind to the successes or failures of each side, but I and I alone will determine what I believe in and what I vote for. . .not some party platform.

As for Texas not having liberals, you must not live here. . .otherwise, you would know differently!

Of course, that is my opinion, yours results may vary. . .

[Mab]

Here is an article regarding Houston ISD's new policy which allows students to FAIL a core curriculum class (i.e., Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, etc) and still PASS the grade. . .

I am sorry, but this is nothing by liberal coddling and will only lead to disaster!

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/education/2494551

AMEN
please.....they'll get passed, and then they will sue the school district b/c they're 30 years old & can't read. GEEZ!!
:strike:

[Chibi-Fallon]

AMEN
please.....they'll get passed, and then they will sue the school district b/c they're 30 years old & can't read. GEEZ!!
:strike:

When's the last time you heard of someone who was poor with a frivolous lawsuit? :lol: Or any lawsuit for that matter?
And I suppose that's really only funny because it's sad. Maybe somewhere someone has done that, but for the most part if you can't read a) you don't want to admit it and b) you don't have the money or the education to know how to go about filing a lawsuit or the fact that you can file one.
Not to mention that considering you can't even get a decent job you've probably got bigger problems them a lawsuit.

[SpikesPet5150]

So wait... these are core classes right? Which means like.. 9th grade english, etc? So... they expect them to be able to pass 10th grade english when they just pass them after failing 9th grade english?? How does that make sense??? Most core classes you *need* the previous years experience and education to be able to pass the current class.

UGH. The schools today need to focus on education, not money. And believe me, I understand that schools *need* that money. My high school was an alternative school, so we didn't get a whole lot of government funding. We had to share books with 4 or 5 other people sometimes. We had to make our own assignment papers. It was pretty hard at times.. but I actually got an education there. I didn't at the normal high school I went to.

Lets just hope that this forces the kids into more studying.
~Bree

[djmixon]

When's the last time you heard of someone who was poor with a frivolous lawsuit? :lol: Or any lawsuit for that matter?
And I suppose that's really only funny because it's sad. Maybe somewhere someone has done that, but for the most part if you can't read a) you don't want to admit it and b) you don't have the money or the education to know how to go about filing a lawsuit or the fact that you can file one.
Not to mention that considering you can't even get a decent job you've probably got bigger problems them a lawsuit.

you don't have to read to hire a lawyer. . .there are enough shyster personal injury lawyers out there advertising on TV all day (and night) long. . .all they need to know is how to distinguish numbers. . .and be able to talk. . .and make their mark. . .damnable liberal litigious society!!@!!!!!~