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Friday, June 27, 2014
Starr's Friday Bad News: Higher number of students received failing grades on the Algebra tests - Starr to Add 15 Points for Everyone
Superintendent Joshua Starr's plan is to simply add 15 percentage points to the results of every test to make up for the high number of low and failing grades on the Algebra exams. (We are not making this up. This is not an article from The Onion.)
MCPS Bad News for a Friday Afternoon Press Release:
...In the process of reviewing the results of Algebra 1B semester exams, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) staff discovered that a higher than expected number of middle and high school students received low and failing grades on the tests...
...Because students had no control over this loss of instructional time, the semester exams were recalculated...
Unbelievable, but creative, and nobody had to hack into the MCPS system to improve their grade. Will the achievement gap be similarly solved? I hope so, because solving it by improved teaching and student engagement is just so last century.
This is the Starr way, lower the bar for everything. High school diplomas for professionals, who needs degrees? Soon the kids won't even need passing grades to graduate.
This couldn't be covered up because parents were already protesting in large numbers. The Parents' Coalition was already receiving complaints from parents whose children were being told to sign up for $300 summer school classes after they PASSED Algebra 1B with excellent grades. They passed the class, but failed the semester exam.
So here we go again. Parents have brought the math exam failure problems to light for at least 3 years now. Who is being held accountable? What significant changes have been made?
This talking around the issue and moving the bar has solved nothing. This is the problem with public schools there's never any accountability. Taxpayers keep doling out more and more funds every year. Yet as problems continue to arise and student achievement plummets, no one ever loses a job.
Who heads the math department? Bet there's a nice fat salary. Time to look at these areas where MCPS continues to fail and hold those at the top of the pay scale accountable. Easy to blame teachers when they just do what they are told to do.
Teachers don't just 'do as they are told.'. Teachers elect the leadership of the MCEA, which is very influential in runnning the school system. The teachers are in charge at MCPS. MCEA is at the secret budget table, form which the public is excluded. The MCEA is heavily involved in these curriculum issues. The teachers are driving this.
Unbelievable, but creative, and nobody had to hack into the MCPS system to improve their grade.
ReplyDeleteWill the achievement gap be similarly solved? I hope so, because solving it by improved teaching and student engagement is just so last century.
This is the Starr way, lower the bar for everything. High school diplomas for professionals, who needs degrees? Soon the kids won't even need passing grades to graduate.
DeleteSo, a student can be a slacker
ReplyDeleteThere’s no need for a hacker
You don’t have to reach a star
Starr will instead lower the bar.
Even Jerry Weast didn't do anything this dumb. Or if he did, at least he covered it up.
ReplyDeleteThis couldn't be covered up because parents were already protesting in large numbers. The Parents' Coalition was already receiving complaints from parents whose children were being told to sign up for $300 summer school classes after they PASSED Algebra 1B with excellent grades. They passed the class, but failed the semester exam.
DeleteMaybe Starr would just barely pass, if we added 15% to his job performance.
ReplyDeleteSo here we go again. Parents have brought the math exam failure problems to light for at least 3 years now. Who is being held accountable? What significant changes have been made?
ReplyDeleteThis talking around the issue and moving the bar has solved nothing. This is the problem with public schools there's never any accountability. Taxpayers keep doling out more and more funds every year. Yet as problems continue to arise and student achievement plummets, no one ever loses a job.
Who heads the math department? Bet there's a nice fat salary. Time to look at these areas where MCPS continues to fail and hold those at the top of the pay scale accountable. Easy to blame teachers when they just do what they are told to do.
What a way to STEM the tide
ReplyDeleteOf all the students left behind
Cook the score and let them pass
Then charge them each $300 cash.
Teachers don't just 'do as they are told.'. Teachers elect the leadership of the MCEA, which is very influential in runnning the school system. The teachers are in charge at MCPS. MCEA is at the secret budget table, form which the public is excluded. The MCEA is heavily involved in these curriculum issues. The teachers are driving this.
ReplyDelete