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Dallas ISD: a microcosm of America today
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A few months ago, just before this present school year started, Dallas ISD released some new grading policies. Here are some of the key points:
•Homework grades should be given only when the grades will "raise a student's average, not lower it."
•Teachers must accept overdue assignments, and their principal will decide whether students are to be penalized for missing deadlines.
•Students who flunk tests can retake the exam and keep the higher grade.
•Teachers cannot give a zero on an assignment unless they call parents and make "efforts to assist students in completing the work.
"SOURCE: Dallas ISD records
This is NOT a joke. These rules are now in place in Dallas ISD.
Kent Fischer, a local Dallas Morning news reporter, wrote in an article dated Aug. 16, 2008: "School officials said the new guidelines are needed to ensure that all district teachers operate under the same rules and to create a "fair system" for grading students."The purpose behind it is to ensure fair and credible evaluation of learning – from grade to grade and school to school," said Denise Collier, the district's chief academic officer.
Some teachers said the new rules offer kids too many loopholes. "It's like we're sending the message to kids that deadlines don't matter, studying is optional, and no matter how little you do, you're still [going to] pass all your classes anyway," said Ray Cox, who teaches world languages at Franklin Middle School.
The intent may have been to create a uniform grading policy, but the result was to lower standards, said Dale Kaiser, president of the teachers' group NEA-Dallas.
The school board and superintendent "talk about elevating standards and holding high expectations for kids, but we're telling the kids that whether they do the work or not is irrelevant," he said."
Imagine what kind of student will graduate from DISD. Possibly the kind who will overspend their credit cards and miss a few payments and expect the government to bail them out? Possibly the kind who will buy a home which costs more than they can afford, miss a few payments and actually get a government bailout?
Meanwhile, what about the students who actually do their homework and study and pass the test the first time? Do they get to retake that test for a higher grade? What if they grow up and pay their mortgage and bills on time and do everything right? What prize do they get? Well, the honor of paying the taxes that will pay for the bailout of the slackers!
But wait!! There's more!!! Have you heard about the recent Dallas ISD budget deficit? $64.5 million in the hole. Seems somebody mis-figured the cost of hiring 750 teachers this past year? Really? Since when do teachers earn $86,000 a year? I'm wondering if the person in charge of monitoring the DISD budget was also a DISD graduate?
I do believe this person lost his job, but so did approximately 600 teachers in order to try to recover from the deficit.
The time will come .... and it is getting closer and closer now .... when those who do their homework and study for tests and pay their bills on time and show up at work and live a responsible life, will either throw up their hands and join the slackers ... or maybe move somewhere else and set up a society based on hard work and rewards for achievement. At one time, that place was Texas!! And America!! Hmmmm .... not so much anymore.
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