It's been awhile since I've been on to comment or post and there is good reason. I'm drowning in paperwork. Our district is clamping down on student retention. This is part of a statewide effort to retain fewer students. This was a major topic in my book but it seems things are moving onto the next step since the book was published. Different districts have different alphabet soups, but they all mean the same thing. As your education insider, I thought I should report on the changes and how it might effect your child.
The statewide (and nationwide) change comes in the form of special education. It used to be that you had to have a certain gap between ability and performance to the classic "learning disabled" label in special education. That has changed. Now, all students must go through a tiered system of interventions before they can be eligible for testing. At each stage, we must document a lack of progress in those interventions. I have spent the last few weeks in those meetings and catching up on that paperwork as those meetings are picking up. Some of you have heard this song and dance before, so let me fill you on the bigger news.
Our district has mandated that we hold these meetings for any student in danger of being retained. This is the proverbial double-edged sword. From my perspective, it is frustrating to see students that were held back without any meeting to try to intervene. On the other hand, I have been in the teacher's chair. At the high school level, a majority of students fail because they don't turn in work. Correction, 100 percent of students fail because they don't turn in work. Now, why don't they turn in work? Well, in some cases they can't read well or don't understand what is going on. In other cases, they are just plain lazy.
So, on our campus, one of our grade levels has a current failure rate of more than 50% among English speaking students. Who's to blame? I've been on the wrong end of that blame game before. I've been on campuses where a maximum failure rate has been established. In other words, they will tell you that no more than 20 percent of any class can fail. If any class goes above that then you must justify why that has occurred. I'm not about to ask those teachers to justify themselves because I've been there. I've also seen those students in action. However the process I described is not only asking them to justify themselves in the general sense, but with each individual student.
In each case so far we are seeing a general theme. First, how did the student get to the current grade without knowing more? Secondly, what is going on at home? Finally, what kind of learning environment are they currently in? The problem is that all of these questions melt together. Teachers in the past know the drill. If they fail too many students they will be under the microscope. Given the deficits are students come to school with you could easily retain half of the class in first grade. Teachers don't because of what I mentioned above so they must handpick the ones that are absurdly far behind. The problem is that when they get to the third grade they must take the TAKS test and the balloon payment is due. Sooner or later, you get a class full of students that are far behind. When you are far behind you either become frustrated or apathetic. When you are frustrated and apathetic then you misbehave. A class that misbehaves becomes a bad learning environment.
The Fort Worth Star Telegram reported on the sad state of schools in FWISD. I taught there for a year and can attest to the fact that those schools aren't a shining light of educational brilliance, but they hardly deserve the label. No one does. HISD happens to be second in the number of low performing schools, but if you've learned anything know this. Our campus was recognized last year and a hair from exemplary. We will probably do well to be acceptable this year. Did we become incompetent overnight? In essence what you have is a case where you are being given SPAM and being asked to make filet mignon. You can probably make some pretty mean hamburger helper with that, but if you start with prime rib it's a lot easier to make a good meal.
Lord, Scott....if a politician actually told someone " your kid is not destined to be a college graduate or a politician", their heads would probably explode.
OTOH, someone *should* have told Sarah Palin's parents that. ha!
Carguy, you should hear my 32-year-old son's opinions on this. He hates seeing every kid get a trophy "just because". He said, "sometimes you lose. Deal with it."
I love my kid. ;-)
In a word, yes, but what politician is going to stand up and make that suggestion?
Shortstuff and Freeportguy wrote: Freeportguy is right: too many parents have forgotten (or never realized) that sometimes the BEST thing you can do for your spoiled rotten kid is to tell them NO. And make it stick.
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And if that doesn't work, hit 'em with the stick.
OK Scott, should we be doing something similar to what they do in the UK? The kids take "O" levels when they are about 16 which determines college track or trade school.
Let's face it: not every student in this country is college material and those who are not should focus on vocational education.
These days if a kid shows up and manages to stay awake in class - no, actually if the kid manages to just show up - he or she will get an award at the end of the year.
EVERY child gets a certificate for something. Gotta build up that kid's self-esteem, you understand. Gag.
What is happening is that children are not learning the truth: that self-esteem is built personally within by ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING. You can't give it to them or what they have is actually false.
I've heard too many stories of college students who are totally deflated when they can't do the work and get rotten grades because they've been coddled their entire lives and made to feel "special" and "gifted".
I think they've all been carried around on silk pillows their entire lives.
The latest things to make me absolutely gag: I understand someone now sells helmets for babies learning how to walk, and knee pads for babies learning how to crawl.
Whatever happened to kids climbing trees or building forts or learning how to actually DO something? We've wrapped them in bubble wrap and all they can do is sit in front of a video game. I have watched the Duggar family occasionally and while I do not agree with what they do or with all their beliefs, what I do agree with: those kids learn how to do things for themselves. And they are taught respect.
Freeportguy is right: too many parents have forgotten (or never realized) that sometimes the BEST thing you can do for your spoiled rotten kid is to tell them NO. And make it stick.
Of course but what politician wants to go on record as saying that some kids can't learn what other kids learn. Furthermore, what do we do when those kids that "can't learn" begin to all look the same? The key is that it ain't about can't. It is about won't (or parents won't)
Shouldn't there be more emphasis on identifying those for wham a purely academic education is a total waste and bring those individuals into a "tradeschool" track.
Between watching "Jay Walking", following the Sarah Palin "Book Tour", and reading your articles on education, I'm gettin' kinda bummed out.
Recently, I have been depressed over the fact that I'm 58 years old. Now, I looking at that and putting it in the "asset" column.
The only answer to this is the "two track" education we have discussed here where the "problem" and slower students are identified and seperated so they don't hamper the education of the other 60-75%. Any chance this will happen in YOUR lifetime?
The same thing is happening in other countries as well.
Could it be that we (as a society) have become so over protective and over rewarding at the smallest achievement that we've sucked the life, ambition and interest out of those kids in the process?
Why should they feel any differently since we grandt them with anything they want at the first whine?
"I want what's best for my kids". Right, but doesn't this also include NOT giving in to everything they want?
Kids need stimulation, they need to be hungry (not litterally) for learning in order to succeed. Apathy is not an option!