New mandatory grading standards in Dallas. Have they lost their minds??

[tannybogus]

Key points in the new grading policy:

1- Teachers cannot give a zero on an assignment unless they call parents and make "efforts to assist students in completing the work."

2- Students who flunk tests can retake the exam and keep the higher grade.

3- Teachers must accept overdue assignments, and their principal will decide whether students are to be penalized for missing deadlines.

4- Homework should be given only when the grades will "raise a student's average not lower it."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/081508dnmetdisdgrades.48e6cc22.html

I don't even know where to start..... :wtf:

[zeemike]

1. I know where to start

Get rid of those right wing thugs that are undermining education in this country

[hobbit709]

2. WTF? take 2

Why don't they just hand them a diploma and turn them loose before school even starts.
This is just their way of decreasing the dropout and failure rate to make them look good.

Edited to add. Why Johnny Can't Read has become they don't want Johnny to be able to read because reading makes you think, and when you start thinking you start questioning and that is the last thing that TPTB want.

[ixion]

3. the continual dumbing down of AmeriKKKa

pretty soon they'll all be staring in wonder at their marvelous new invention: the candle.

[4lbs]

4. I never really thought that the movie "Idiocracy" would actually become real...

but every day, it's becoming more and more prescient.

[skooooo]

11. Are you kidding? It's a documentary practically. nt

[tridim]

27. Meh.. Go have a Vitamin Water(tm) and relax

It's got electrolytes.

[malaise]

5. I can't believe I'm reading this

Take your children and run.

[tannybogus]

6. I would have had to quit teaching.

My head would have exploded from all the students who would have taken advantage of this

and smirked at me when handing in late assignments, retaking tests, and doing nothing.

[billyoc]

7. Not me. I would LIVE for the day I got to say "OK, good luck on those SAT's"

"jerkoffs!". :rofl:

[4lbs]

8. Well, when Bush said No Child Left Behind...

he really meant it I guess. Any way possible to make sure the kid gets rammed through K-thru-12, regardless of what was actually learned.

Something that's missing in the pre-College school curriculums is critical thinking and analysis. To me that's more important than rote memorization of facts and figures.

[malaise]

9. i would have resigned the day I was given those regulations n/t

[druidity33]

10. just, wow...

Maybe they didn't have enough time to play the war-preparing video games.

Children in the US have to get their 6.5 hours of TV a day somehow... we wouldn't want homework to get in the way of their absorption into Commercial society.

really just incredible...

K&R

[lilymidnite]

12. Raising a whole new generation of BushBots

With no critical thinking skills.

If they could they'll have to outsource the McJobs in 20 years, because no one will have skills to do them.

Mission Accomplished

[CatsDogsBabies]

13. This is too much extra work for teachers

I teach at the College level but can't the extra time involved in calling parents before givine a 0 grade or letting students have multiple attempts at assignments, hand things in late (which many more would probably do if they knew there was no penalty), etc. ALl this is just a way of creating more work for the teacher and gives the teacher incentives to just not give a 0 (instead of having to spend the time chasing up the student and parent), to not give homework, to pass all students when they take a test, etc.

The trend seems to be in the opposite direction in colleges, less grades inflation, clear standards, holding the students to these standards.

[RB TexLa]

23. DISD is about to have fewer teachers, the board meets this afternoon to declare

a financial emergency, which is the procedural thing they have to do before staff cuts.

[Bill McBlueState]

24. We may see a lot of kids getting 1% on assignments.

It's essentially the same as a 0, but won't require a phone call.

[tbyg52]

39. *May*? ;-> nt

[WindRiverMan]

14. This explains why Texas is a red state.

[seabeyond]

15. i dont know if this is knee jerk reaction from posters or actually think about it, BUT

i am going ot go thru the list

my kids are in texas school and i think they are kick ass. today i have meeting with principal who is always receptive with parents so i can talk about the start of year for two sons.

the first one my kids started doing last year. they dont do homework i get a call..... and i LOVE it. i KNOW whne they did not get something done and i can implement a punishment. keeps me aware of what child are doing. otherwise too hard to stay on top of things.

2 and 3..... my thought, why should they get out of and not have to turn in. i have been a believer if they dont turn in, teacher has to make them do it even if they dont get a grade. it is about learning the material. if they have to take the test ten times, do i care. no. i am about the learning, not about a kid passing or flunking. just has not been my riority, sorry all. i want the kid to get the stuff

and 4..... well dont know or that is about. i have not heard a thing

actually 3 and 4 has not been implemented in the school, 2 really hasnt been either but kids can turn in homework late with 10 deducted for being late.

the OUTRAGE from some posters seems like not thinking it thru

[tannybogus]

25. I taught and I thought it through.

As a teacher I had about 150 students. There were students who legitimately needed help. I tried as best I could to give them more help and opportunities to succeed.
However, there were scads of students who didn't care. I taught 9th grade and they were particularly interested in a brazillion other things. They knew how to do the work, and they didn't CARE. So I'm supposed to spend almost all of my time trying to reach parents about every child for those assignments.
Retake the tests. No problem. They don't want to pay attention and study this time. They will do it on the second test or maybe the third - whenever it suits them.
And I'll accept late assignments. If it's two weeks late or two days late. So what. They can decide when to turn it in because I have to take it.
Homework? How will I know if an assignment will raise or lower a student's grade unless they do it and I check it. I tried not to give meaningless assignments.
Doing that for 10 students would be hard enough. But 150? I'll just whip out all those calls in my free time.:sarcasm:
If this sounds uncaring, it's not. It's reality. This puts a tremendous burden on the teacher to track after every child all the time. They don't have to worry about it, and if something goes wrong their parents can just blame the teacher.
I meant it when I said I would quit. I wouldn't be able spend my time teaching but juggling to keep up with a brazillion things that should have been done. So your child would then be sitting in class doing busy work at best while I chased down his or her fellow students who were too lazy or busy to try.

[seabeyond]

30. i am now running off to meet principal of kids school to chat with her about ects... she did for

youngest just entering her middle school. how wonderful it was and how much i appreciate it as he brought home his progress report with all a's. last week i touched base with the teachers asking how he was doing, any issues, anything we needed to work on and anything they want from me , let me know. their enthusiasm wa a blessing

sons confidence has jumped WAY up and is doing extra projects and making suggestions on future projects

so i cant really get into your post right now.

but i would like to come back and touch base with you on the post you made

thanks for the information

i think i will ask prinicpal about her thoughts on this too. see just what it is really about. cause i am not seeing a revolt from teachers at this school

they all work so damn well together

[tannybogus]

32. No problem.

I didn't mean to sound so evil or be hard on you. I've taught when these things weren't mandatory, but

I had some rules on each of those problems. Also, I didn't think the kids were stupid or malicious. They just

didn't have their minds on school. :hi:

[rurallib]

16. Gee, any responsible parent would put their kid in a private school

'spose that was what they wanted to happen?

[Ranting_Wacko]

17. As a Dallas native...

... I wish I could say I'm totally shocked.

I could actually get behind #4 since - as an honor's student - most of the teachers gave you more busy work rather than giving you more challenging assignments. Eliminating homework for a student who obviously knows the material would actually make sense.

The rest of it though... that does nothing to prepare teenagers for college.

Oh wait! We ARE still trying to get them into college, aren't we?

[CrispyQ]

19. Only the rich kids get to go to college.

There are no more middle class kids & the poor kids have to feed the MIC.

Welcome to DU, Ranting_Wacko! :hi:

[tbyg52]

34. Hey, Ranting_Wacko!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

We're trying to do whatever keeps the powers that be off our backs. What gets measured gets done.

[redqueen]

42. As another Dallas native...

Welcome to DU!

Also, I agree with your comments there. :hi:

[CrispyQ]

18. This is why one third of college students need remedial classes.

Recently, there has been a commercial playing on TV that shows a young man raising flags on a flag pole. There are many flags, (20 or so?) & the final one he raises up the pole is the US flag. The text reads something to the effect of "So goes education, so goes our country." That's a paraphrase, but you get the idea.

I read an article, wish I'd bookmarked it, that stated that many American parents believe their children are doing well because they are doing a peer to peer comparison of their child's grades. It stated that when you compare American students to students in other developed countries, we fail miserably.

A dumbed down populace is easier to manipulate. They've got us where they want us.

[K Gardner]

20. This is why I homeschool - that and the public school's "drug your child if he/she

doesn't sit still" policies. According to the parent meeting at one school here, with 1st graders, they will start with this class "teaching to the SATs".

[sinkingfeeling]

21. That's about what we have here at the university I work for. You know everybody must now have

a great GPA on their resume. Personally, I believe I was better educated by the end of junior high school.

[LanternWaste]

22. Dallas is also cutting 750 teaching potions...

Dallas is also cutting 750 teaching potions due to a budget shortfall. It's a pickle alright.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

26. I agree with #4.

The rest is bullshit.

[SoCalDem]

28. Another reason why many people are giving up on teaching..

I had a great teacher who told us on day one..

"I am not your Momma... School is like a buffet.. It's all here for you, but YOU choose... I get paid whether you choose to learn or not.."

of course NCLB has changed this...and teachers are now servants..

[nichomachus]

29. I was driving out in a rural area the other day

and I saw a sign "Hope Valley Christian School -- Limited Homework"


And I thought "That explains an awful lot."


For the record, I went to a Catholic school -- back when we rode dinosaurs to school -- and the hallmark of the nuns was that you had more than enough homework. If one nun thought another wasn't giving you enough homework, she'd pile on more.

Best thing that ever happened to me.

[smoogatz]

31. The only difference between this and current policy in public schools

and universities all over the country is that the new Dallas "rules" are so overtly over-the-top. It's the logical extension of grade inflation, and prety much what you get when you hire MBAs to run schools and universities. You can't fail the students--they're paying customers.

[tbyg52]

33. The retake and keeping the higher grade

is simply not fair to students who studied and made their grade the *first* time. Retake, OK, but max of 70 or so.

I don't have a problem with letting parents know a student is not turning in work, but "efforts to assist students"......? Like what? Sitting them down and moving their pencil hand for them? It doesn't sound like they are talking about having trouble with the material, but just plain not turning things in.

I've heard of trying to eliminate busywork-type homework, which I agree with - its purpose should be to provide needed practice. But saying it can only affect the grade in an upward direction????

The "policy" on late assignments is that the principal will decide what credit they get? Does s/he really want to get down to this level of detail? Why don't they just say 10 points per day late, or something like that?

[Orsino]

35. Raising the next generation of low-information voter. n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

36. Expect it to be applied in white, well-to-do neighborhoods.

Nonsense schemes like this, standardized testing, etc. exist to help the rich, white kids.

[NeedleCast]

37. Creating a group that is completely unprepared for the real world

They will be eaten alive.

[tbyg52]

41. That is the truth.

Many teachers now spoonfeed to make sure the students do well on the standardized tests. The students get to where they expect it. They are *not* going to get it in real life.

[Subdivisions]

38. Takes almost all the incentive from a student to succeed. Why bother? After

all, they're going to pass you no matter how bad you fuck up or don't care.

Alex Jones is right. What is happening is a scientific taking over of our entire society and culture by the elites.

[ColbertWatcher]

40. Looks like they're trying to get around NCLB. n/t

[madmom]

43. the dumbing down of America continues!!!!