Tell me what you think...I'm so mad at the school right now.

[youthere]

My daughter is attending Jr. High School this year. She has been a straight A honor roll student all year long. She has also not received any demerits. She has not missed a single day of school NOR has she been tardy once.

The school has not hosted one event or special "reward" for any of these accomplishments. I have no issue with that.

BUT: I found out yesterday that the school is taking all the kids who showed a 12 month (or greater) improvement on the Basic Skills Test to a swim/pizza party (and my daughter was one of them). The kids who didn't show that "improvement" don't get to go. They have regular classes..except they'll be having substitute teachers because the regular teachers are attending the "party". The party is today-I found out about it last night.

I think this is horseshit.

1.) There was never any notice sent to parents about this swim/pizza party (a minor issue but I was more than a little pissed that the first I heard of it was last night.)

2.) In the weeks leading up to the ITBS, the school continually harps on the kids about how important it is for the kids to "do their best" on the tests...and IMO a trip like this sends the message "YOUR BEST IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH"

3.) The school published and posted a list of ALL the students and posted a YES or NO by their names and that is how the kids found out if they got to attend or not.

4.)The kids who didn't show the "improvement" get to sit in class with substitute teachers and busy work rather than getting proper lessons from their regular teachers. (Not that I'm dissing substitutes)

5.) If you aren't "rewarding" or "celebrating" the hard work the kids have put in all year (ie: honor roll, no demerits etc.) WHY would you celebrate or reward performance for 1 WEEK? Not to mention the fact that kids who normally perform very well, and might have had just one bad day during the testing week lost out.

6.) Isn't it saying loud and clear that THE ONLY thing that matters are these tests?

Tell me what you think.

[RevCheesehead]

1. Kids are also clever enough to pass along the word:

Make sure you screw up your first test. If you improve on the last one, you get pizza.

[proud2BlibKansan]

48. Teachers know that trick as well

:evilgrin:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Disgusting

I'm against all this testing anyway, because it doesn't allow people who learn and process information in other ways to show it.

But to post this on a board for all to see--disgusting.

And who ever heard of taking kids out of school and not alerting the parents far ahead of time? For one thing, some kids might not have swim suits--so even if they could go to the party, they would be left out.

Bad form all the way around.

[youthere]

4. At the begining of the school year you sign a blanket permission slip..

So you don't get bombarded with them throughout the year...not that they take that many trips.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. But something like swimming

requires special clothes. Also some folks can't take the chlorine--but I could see kids wanting to go anyway.

[youthere]

Oh I absolutely agree with you...

I would think they would have needed special permission for this as well.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

20. Since I've never been able to swim

or even float unaided (severe form of aquaphobia), it would actually be important for any supervisor to be aware of this fact before taking me to a pool. I could see a child with aquaphobia being thrown into the pool "for fun" with an unsuspecting adult thinking nothing of it until it was too late.

[youthere]

29. My daughter (the one going on the trip) ..

is allergic to chlorine..not deadly allergic, but she breaks out in a rash if she doesn't shower well afterwards. Now, she knows this and always takes care to shower afterward, but what if she were the kind of kid who didn't ?

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. Those don't hold up in court

Most districts gave those blanket slips up years ago.

[youthere]

42. I won't ever be signing another one..I can tell you that.

[ATK]

3. the kids didn't seem to be learning anything with their real teachers

and effort doesn't pay the bills when you have a job...it's a lesson that should be learned when you're young

[youthere]

5. Well you've got a point there.

[LibDemAlways]

6. That's BS. What about kids who gave it their all

but didn't quite make the cut? What about the kid who had a headache or a problem at home on his/her mind? Rewarding kids for some sort of arbitrary "improvement" on standardized tests, when so much of the outcome is influenced by outside factors, is ridiculous. And publishing the names with a "yes" or "no" by them is a total invasion of the kids' privacy.

I would be tempted to show up at the principal's office and raise hell.

I am a former teacher, so I am sympathetic to educators, but I see all sorts of bullshit going on at my daughter's middle school, too. Problem is most parents keep their mouths shut for fear of retribution against their kids. I spoke up loudly about problems I saw back when my daughter was in elementary school, but she paid the price in getting the least desirable teachers each year. The principal hated me and took it out on her.

[youthere]

8. Surprise! The principal is away on the trip today..

I'm preparing my email to him that I will be copying the Superintedent on as well.
The more I think about it the more pissed I get.

I probably wouldn't have known a thing about it except my daughter was bummed out last night because a friend of hers can't go.

[LibDemAlways]

14. I would follow up the e-mail with a phone call - just to

make sure he received it. It's awfully easy to press the "delete" button.

The school administrators I see at my daughter's school will go out of their way to avoid a confrontation.

[youthere]

15. will do..

thanks for the advice. I'm trying to put together something that doesn't sound nasty or insulting. It's hard right now.

[k8conant]

9. Improvement always means you weren't doing well enough in the first place...

so how was your daughter one of them? It sounds as if she was doing well all year. In other words, if someone did perfectly on the first test there's no room for improvement.

in any case, the whole thing stinks, especially the posting of the YES and NO for the whole school.

[youthere]

12. I guess it means she learned a lot this year and not much last year!

And you know..you brought up something that I hadn't even thought of...a student could have scored well above their grade level, and still "helped the school" but still not have qualified for the trip.

[Critters2]

21. That was my first thought on reading the OP

Kids that were doing consistently well get screwed, right along with kids who weren't doing well at all. The only ones rewarded were those who did poorly at first, but improved. There's something wrong with that.

Oh, and my second thought was, "No permission slips or heads-up about a swimming party?! Who's running this school?!"

[youthere]

25. Exactly!

The jr. High has a website where they post all notices, they do not send home any notes or mailings and I check the website on a regular basis. There was nothing posted about this. I asked my daughter last night when they decided to do this and she said the proncipal made an announcement the week before the standardized tests.

[Rosemary2205]

10. Where to start.

I was a kid who was on a day to day basis an extremely good student but totally stunk at the standardized testing -- my brother had a learning disability, studied his buns off and still struggled just to pass the tests -- so I empathize with the "left behind" kids.

Jr. high just seems a little early to be giving kids a message of "if you can't measure up to society's expectations you'll be left behind". In fact, it seems like the worst time possible to tell kids they just don't fit in.

And let's hope they didn't take the kids to the pool WITHOUT parental permission.........

[youthere]

13. We sign a blanket permission form at the beginning of the school year..

that is supposed to cover all school sponsored activities.

[Rosemary2205]

18. That school would hate my guts.

I would demand a separate permission slip for each and every activity -- simply for the fact "I" am the parent. "I" choose, not "THEM". IMHO the very fact you would never have known about your child going swimming if she hadn't been bummed out about the friend shows a complete and total disregard by the school for your parental responsibilities for the health and safety of your child.

IMHO that's as big an issue as posting on the wall which kid is acceptable and which isn't.

Sorry for the rant...... I'm funny that way. :) :)

[LibDemAlways]

31. You're right. "One persmission slip fits all" is bullshit.

I have vetoed a few field trips over the years - one involved a hike along a winding mountain road - and would never have wanted the school to think I was giving them blanket permission for anything.

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. That's heartless and CRUEL. Some kids do poorly on tests because of nerves...when the rest of the

time they do well in school. IMCPO...there should be a WHOLE SCHOOL END OF THE YEAR PARTY FOR EVERYONE or NO ONE.

Posting a list of the names was NASTY! Shame on them! Nothing like revealing who did well on the test and who didn't.:eyes: That's awful.:(

[youthere]

17. I absolutely agree..

I can't help but think of my son who struggles with reading. But he improved SOOO much this year and is finally reading at grade level. Been slightly behind grade level for years...with all his hard work and improvement he still wouldn't have qualified for this trip (had he been in jr. high-he's still in elementary)

[nonconformist]

16. What bothers me the most about this is your point #6

I see the same thing in my sons' schools - I have a 2nd grader and a 6th grader.

It's ALL ABOUT THE TESTS. That's it, nothing more. It seems to me that all schools care about any more are test results and attendance (so they can get all their funding). I could rant forever about this.

[youthere]

22. There is so much to be angry about with this...

but yes, the message is loud and clear..you can be a failing student but you still get a reward if you shine during this one week. Or on the other hand a terrific student who might have had a headache gets doodly squat.

[Midlodemocrat]

19. Contact the media.

Media outlets LOVE stories like this. Posting those children's names is simply cruel.

At the elementary school here, we used to have one of those light box things (think Times Square) where the administration posted all the names of the kids who passed the "Math Hall of Fame" :eyes:

So, in other words, it was like a reverse spelling bee; one child (my son for instance) might NEVER pass the Math Hall of Fame.

I threatened to unplug the fucker every single day until it was taken down. OR I said I'd call the news stations.

They took it down.

[youthere]

23. Any kid that had a NO beside their names led to the assumption..

they didn't pass the standardized tests.

[renate]

24. normally I will defend teachers and schools to the death

I am SO impressed with the work they do.

But WTH? Posting kids' names? HELLA NO.

And rewarding scores on standardized tests rather than effort sends the 100% wrong message. Unless the message they're trying to send is "don't bother doing your best."

It's nice that they're doing something for the kids--I'm sure whoever came up with the idea was well meaning. They certainly did choose the wrong thing to reward, though.

[youthere]

28. And I agree it was probably well intentioned, but ..

not very well thought out.

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. Yes I am not defending this school either

Bad idea.

[donco6]

47. This whole thing is a dumb idea.

And from a school admin. perspective, they deserve the flak they're getting on this one.

[Missy Vixen]

26. Pizza/swim: Cheap reward for those NCLB funds! n/t

[July]

27. I, were I in your shoes, would give my kid a day off.

The amount of real work that will be done on that day is likely similar to the work that gets done in those last few days of school.

[Xithras]

30. FYI, #3 may be illegal.

FERPA prohibits schools from publically releasing any information about the academic performance of minor students. Posting a long list with a "Yes" or a "No" by their name, when that flag is determined by a test score, is no different than posting an "A" or an "F" to a public board. It's a relatively minor violation, but it is still illegal.

The school should have simply notified everyone with a "yes" privately.

[youthere]

33. Good to know. I will certainly mention that.

[sandnsea]

32. A reward program has to be incremental

The really worst part of this is that the faculty is so stupid that they don't know how to implement a successful reward program. If the goal were to improve test scores, then there should have been weekly incentives all along, including honor roll and demerits.

And now the teachers will line up and tell me I'm just a stupid parent who doesn't have the appropriate degree to know that it's the parents' fault that these kids didn't get to go to the party.

[youthere]

34. Incentive? What's that?

Swim party aside, this school has the most ridiculous demerit program I have ever heard of. In this school a demerit is a demerit. Demerits must be "served" the day they are received, and 3 demerits gets you a detention. Three detentions gets you a week suspension. (And it goes on from there).

So a kid who forgets an assignment is given the same "punishment" as a kid who punches another kid. A demerit. There is no difference between academic and behavioral demerits.
"Serving a demerit" consists of sitting at the "Table of Shame" at lunch time. No talking allowed.
It is literally the most messed up system I have ever seen.

[sandnsea]

45. I took my son out of one of those

He was serving detentions without even knowing why he was serving detentions. Not only did they get a detention for any minor infraction, like forgetting a pencil, but they also had to get a notice signed by the parent. Forget the note, another detention. So when you've got a kid with minor learning disabilities, (which the school wouldn't acknowlege even though they were diagnosed at 3 years old), and memory function is a key part of the learning disability - well it was just a disaster. We moved him to an old-fashioned school that disciplined the big things and let the little things slide, he did great from then on out. I've also seen successful schools that had positive incentive programs, on a weekly/quarterly basis. These punitive schools never work, but you'll never convince the law and order types of that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. Wow lots of problems here

First of all, the school is taking your kid off of school property without telling you? That's a great big no no.

Secondly, no, they cannot publish these names like they did. HUGE privacy law violation. The parents of every kid on that list have the right to file a complaint.

And yes, this is sending a bad message about the tests.

[youthere]

38. I just pulled up the FERPA guidelines.

I will certainly be using it when I contact the school.
As for taking the kids off school grounds..I don't know that I can raise hell about that..I signed a blanket permission slip at the beginning of the year (something that will NOT happen again).

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Well like I said those blanket slips have caused all sorts of

legal problems for schools. Most schools don't use them anymore.

And that schol has an obligation to let you know when they take your kid anywhere, whether you signed a blanket note or not. That is what you should complain about. What if there had been an emergency and you needed your kid? What if the place they went had a fire and your kid ended up in the hospital?

And complain about the privacy violation as well. In my district, we can't even put kids work up on bulletin boards and put their name on it! I can't even imagine how stupid a school district administration is to allow a list of names of kids who "passed" a test to be public information!! You need to take that to your school board. It is a HUGE Ferpa violation, really.

Good luck and please let us know what happens.

[Henryman]

37. Do you get a refund???

My girls go to a private high school in Chicago. ($8K per year each for tuition.) The school pulls stunts like if they meet the school's fund raising goal they get a day off from school. I always ask if I get a day's refund? In your case, the school had to pay for substitute teachers while the regular teachers basically play. Not fair.

[youthere]

41. good question.

Our school is always whining about their meager resources and it doesn't make sense they would squander them away on substitute pay that wasn't absolutely necessary. A point I will also be making when I tell them I will not be participating in any of the fundraising drives they host each year. Our district does 2 each quarter and it's always magazine sales or pizza sales or gift wrap or crap like that. They aren't raising money for anything specific, just raising money to "help our school". When they tell me specifically what the fundraiser is for, then I will help.

[Goblinmonger]

40. Thank NCLB

the emphasis is now on making sure that those that are not "proficient" become proficient. Which means that the top students are not an emphasis anymore. I teach public high school. NCLB pisses me off on so many levels. The "good" news is that very soon it will become more expensive than the amount of federal money to implement NCLB initiatives and states will tell the feds to fuck off.

[youthere]

43. Well the way this school did this...

the student can still be "proficient" and not get rewarded for it.

[Goblinmonger]

44. Right

But you have to give the kids that are not proficient a reason to become proficient. Many of them are not proficient not because of a lack of ability but a lack of motivation.

I'm not saying the pizza party is right, just saying that NCLB creates a mindset that encourages the middle.

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. "Proficient" and "Making Progress" are 2 completely different things

NCLB requires proficiency. This school is merely looking at progress. That's what makes this story so odd.

[youthere]

50. Yep..I know...

As far as funding goes "proficient" is all that matters. I don't know what the deal is with the 12 month improvement.