The Indiana Senate is hearing a bill tomorrow that would ban social promotion for third graders who aren't up to proper reading levels. What do you think?
I think it is pathetic that the state of Indiana would need a bill for this. If teachers and principals did their jobs, students that were not proficient in school would not be passed to the next grade. We all know there are teachers that want to get rid of the "problem child" and don't want to deal with the extra work to get them where they need to be. I understand that there are students that require a great deal of assistance, special classes, etc, however, too many kids are passed on and never have the chance to catch back up.
As a district, I'd like to see all our kindergarten students tested upon their initial enrollment for reading readiness. If they lack prerequisite skills, they could be placed in a developmental kindergarten class for filling the gaps. This would prevent their arriving in 3rd grade with no reading skills. Catch 'em early. Grade 3 is too late.
Often district administrators block retention of low performing students. It is done for various reasons. This is not always the case, but can happen at any time or from any level. I agree with the idea of keeping low performing students back - at every grade level. If this were done on a regular basis we wouldn't have so many low performing students.
Above statement is so true! To try to make themselves and the district look good, some principals have bullied teachers with the threat if they cannot TRULY justify failing a student, they will be called downtown to explain. I worked for a principal who did not believe in failing students. We were ready to go to the mat about some retentions only to find out she sent the students on against our reccommendation!
What do you do when you have a 13 year old in the third grade? I have problems with this proposal but I do think age appropriate students could sometimes benefit with another year.
If you have a 13 year old in 3rd grade then clearly there are behavioral issues because they don't care or there are learning disabilities and should be tested. In todays paper: ehttp://www.indystar.com/article/20100120/NEWS04/1200373/Education-officials-reveal-big-reformsither
Didn't we learn not to label students? Why is it ok to do that to teachers? What about those students that are 13 and in 3rd grade? If the teacher is honestly giving it his/her all to educate this child should they be punished for that student bringing the classroom testing scores down and possibly jeopardizing their job?
I actually am really excited about the reforms. I think 10% of teachers give 90% of us a bad name, and evaluating progress from year-to-year will show that. Any fool will be able to see when there are the odd cases (the hypothetical 13-year-old 3rd grader, for example), but in general, most of us will get recognized for the great jobs we do! I think its been a long time coming.
When I was a 6th grade LA teacher, the district policy was that students could not move forward if they did not pass LA or math. However, EVERY student I failed was passed against my recommendation. Law or no law, social promotion will continue.
I taught 3rd grade in FL. If a student didn't pass the reading FCAT, they didn't pass 3rd grade. They were allowed the opportunity for Summer School, then given a test at the end of that. If that test wasn't passed, they were retained in 3rd grade. After being retained in 3rd grade for 2 years, the teacher would do a portfolio showing the progress of the student, and then the administration would decide if they could be promoted to 4th grade with "good cause". I had a student that turned 12 in my class, who had failed the FCAT twice, and was going to be moved on with "good cause", but she passed the FCAT that year! She eventually was able to be placed back in the grade she should have been in based on her age, due to her hard work and dedication. That was just one example...believe me I saw the other end of the spectrum as well. It doesn't do the students any justice to just move them through the system. Sometimes a student needs to have another year with the same material, and a new teacher, to make it click.
Sped students have modifications for standardized testing. Additionally, based on their IQ and if they are diagnosed as special needs, they may not be working towards a diploma. They will be on a certificate of completion track.
Special Ed students whose IEP's state they are on the non-diploma track (certificate of completion) do not take the ISTEP. Right now, IPS has too many Special Ed students who are on the HS Diploma track, but unfortunately they lack the innate ability to ever complete the Core 40. We have spec ed high school students who are attempting to earn a high school diploma, but they have IQ's in the 50's and 60's. Yes, it's sad, but these students will never pass the ISTEP or pass the Core 40. IPS has no provisions for these 'gap' students.
Students who are so mentally disabled that they are placed full-time in self-contained sped classes should not be earning credits. Tech HS is the only IPS high school with a GAP Program for these kids. Every high school in IPS should have a GAP Program for the students with IQ's in the 50's and 60's. Then, they would not be forced to take the ISTEP or the ECA's which they can never pass.
Catch 'em early! Kindergarten students arrive with varying degrees of readiness and prerequisite skills for learning. Screen all kindergarten students upon their enrollment for levels of readiness. Those who lack readiness skills go into developmental kindergarten classes; the others go into the regular kindergarten classes. Same number of students in kindergarten whether they're all in regular kindergarten or sorted into development kindergarten. There would be little to no extra cost involved.
That readiness thing goes both ways. I have a son who start kindergarten at IPS. I taught him to read before because I didn't send him to preschool so I wanted to make sure he'd be okay. They made him sit there and color letter worksheets just like the kids who'd never seen a letter. Of course he was bored out of his mind. Eventually, he started acting crazy and not sitting still and they said it was because I wasn't making him mind. I told them I had no trouble getting him to learn or behave for me and that he was bored. Then they said maybe he needed Ritalin. I switched him to a charter school and they let the kids who can already read do 1st or 2nd grade lessons. They do the same thing for math but my son was always normal for math, not ahead like for reading. And guess what? he doesn't act out. He sits in his chair and does his work. I wish IPS would do like that so my son could go to the same school as his friends in the neighborhood. But they want to do everything they own way and then blame the parents. And I know most teachers try real hard. But guess what? most parents try real hard too. I just wanted to say that because you're all talking about making sure the kids who are behind don't get pushed ahead. You also need to worry about the kids who are ahead being kept back.
The above poster is correct. If a student receiving special services is mainstreamed into a regular classroom, they take ISTEP and their scores count (if they are on a diploma track). Does it bring the overall score down? Absolutely, but not by much. These students do fall through the cracks and there are not enough services for them.
To the mother that just posted, are you aware that you can request that your child be tested for the gifted/talented program? If he receives a certain score, he can attend Merle Seidner Academy if accepted and he will receive plenty of work that is geared towards his capabilites. Just a thought! :-)
I'm not the mother above, but Sidener is only for 2nd grade and up, and even then, her son still wouldn't go to the same school as his neighbors. A couple of the magnet programs are good too, but again, she'd still have the neighborhood issue. If that's her only beef with the charter school, she's probably better off staying put. Or moving.
If Title and Special Ed. teachers actually worked with students, then other students would get the instruction and opportunities they need. We have too many Title and Sp. Ed who are not working with students. They may be doing paper work, they may be surfing on-line, they may be driving between schools, but they do not spend instructional time with students.
Why would you rely on a Title I or Special Ed teacher to do your job? They are there for SUPPLEMENTAL services. They do have full case loads in addition to doing more paperwork than you will ever dream of in the form of testing, IEP's, conferences, etc. Yes, some neglect their caseloads, but for you to say that if they worked with their kids then the other students would get the opportunities they need. You are a teacher regardless of the child's academic level or ability level. What a shame and an embarassment that you made the statement you did.
I am a Special Education Teacher. I teacher Title Math. I work with students all day and then come home and work on their paperwork all evening. I am offended by above poster who thinks otherwise. I spend the whole day on my feet teaching my students. So what I am saying is that I actually work with students and most, if not all teachers I work with do the same. Thank You!
In order to implement this proposed new law would require a pay cut on the part of teachers. How much of a pay cut are teachers willing to take in order to retain students in the third grade? I also know a special education teacher who is teaching AVID. I think that is illegal also.
I don't teach AVID, smartass. No need to be disrespectful. We all have our opinions and from what I see in the building, AVID is a joke. I'm sure many would agree.
Whatever. We have Sp. Ed. teachers and Title teachers who do not work with or teach children. They fake their work and the administrators do not hold them accountable.
I'm sure there are regular ed. teachers that do not teach the children as well. There is always going to be a bad apple(s) in the bunch, unfortunately.
Title teachers who do not work? Please tell me where I can find this school? I work as hard as any teacher in my builidng and I am a Title teacher who goes above and beyond the cal of duty. I buy shirts, belts, do afterschool support of an extracurricular activity, etc.
I think the best thing about the proposal would be that parents HAVE to let their child be kept behind. In the school where I was (not IPS), the teacher believed a student should be held back (based on academic performance but also maturity). The principal supported it. The parent, on the other hand, disagreed- and he has struggled even more in the next year.
What bothers me, though, is that there has to be a cutoff. Will they give 3rd graders a DIBELS test, and 100 words/min is passing but a student with 99/minute won't be able to go on? I think there has to be at least a little flexibility unless the threshold is very low.
Also, this is a prime example of Bennett's idiocy if he thinks the necessary remediation would be completely cost-free.
Retention is not an option! Educators and legislators are stuck in the 19th-century! "Think outside the box!" Today's students need one-on-one attention and the money is going to these useless instructional coaches and their useless paper shuffle. Get teachers in the classroom and lower class size! Look at the research! Study the evidence! Look at the overweight number of personnel at the Ed building! It's obscene! These students have issues that are not addressed with "F'" and retention. A creative teacher, with a reasonable schedule and class size, can come up with "Plan B," "Plan C," etc. assignments and skills exercise to assure success for all! Educate the legislators and leadership---Arne Duncan, Tony Bennett, Mitch Daniels, and Superintendents. The teachers have been targeted since the 60's with "Johnny Can't Read" campaigns---50 years later and "Johnny" still can't read! Keeping him back?? Where are your creative, critical thinking skills!
Instructional coaches are part of IPS's plan to meet AYP under NCLB, the program has to stay in place until changed by the DOE/IPS. I am a special education teacher and have seen some lazy teachers in all subject areas; this falls on the backs of lackluster adminstrators. Adminstrators need to walk around the building and make observations on staff. The new head of Arlington was one of the "no show special education teachers", she should of been "shipped" off to work at a charter school.
The recent deplorable graduation rates testify to the fact that NCLB is not working. The author of that bill has promised to review and revamp it. Einstein said, "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity." Continuing a failed program is insane! Zemelman, in his book, "Best Practices", says that teacher-centered classrooms are out of date---they're dinosaurs! Our high-schools are "drop-out factories," because we're going in reverse to failed practices like retention: there are strategies like collaborative learning, etc. Lets barrage those dinosaur legislators and Arne Duncan and his ilk with their "test, test, test" dinosaurism!
I agree that teacher-centered classrooms are out of date, but I don't think collaborative learning, student-centered learning, project-based learning, etc. are mutually exclusive with standardized testing. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be micromanaged. But saying, "teach how you want, just make sure they get this and this and this" is a good idea. Now, whether or not current standardized testing is the best way to measure whether students have learned "this and this and this" is debatable. But then let's tweak the tests, not do away with them.
I be a fiend and BFF of the Cassandra Shipp, she be doing good, we both gotten our degrees from IWU to help the poor chillen of the IPS. Cassandra dresses nice, hair are perfect, and girl her nails be shinning. I be an administrator in IPs and I be doing good and teach teachers like they treat me, trash. I be written up teachers each week, don;t mess with us girls. Bridgewaters and White be liking us and telling us not to take any lip from teachers, who don't know how to teaching or give me lip.
Blogmaster, I know you don't like to delete posts, but this kind of racist garbage attempting to pass itself off as "humor" has no place on a public forum!
I agree. The "I be a fiend" comment above goes way beyond petty and tacky. It's just hateful and ignorant and ugly. I know it's probably not a teacher who posted it (at least I would hope) but the idea that someone could work in IPS and find humor in mocking negative racist stereotypes is nauseating. No wonder this district is in such sad shape.
Whomever posted the above comment was obviously trying to be a racist. (They probably think it was innocently funny.) If it was a teacher in the district, I would hope they retire soon. Racism hurts us all. No wonder we have issues in tis district.
And so you are assuming that the person who made the racist comment is someone near retirement age? Racism is not a condition of age. There are young racists and there are older racists. Perhaps the person who made the comment has an age phobia. For many people wisdom and tolerance come with time.
How did a discussion on social promotion disintegrate into this drivel? It's about our students! There are ways to help students be successful; there are alternative assessments for teachers to measure student skills. Who's talking about dumbing down---tweaking tests? Oh, my, we're stuck in neutral!
I grew up in the world before standardized testing, and it was horrible. You could go to one school and be "advanced" and move to the next town over and be way behind because everybody taught different things. There were state standards, but nobody followed them. We can't go backward. Again, we can improve standardized testing, but the only way we can do away with them completely is with some radical change of the system, like vouchers or something that abolishes the need for schools and grade levels to be standardized.
TEACHERS, stop belittling each other!!! We know that the real situation is our leaders downtown. We cannot help ourselves, if we continue to allow them to compromise our intelligence in this manner.
What I would like to know is why is a student with a 59-67 IQ being put in a classroom with other students. I can see half of a day for social interaction, but is this a government thing from Washington, Indiana,or IPS? This is so unfair not only to the low IQ student, but to the students in the classroom.
They're not. You're making it up. You might suspect the student's IQ, but if you knew for sure, you would be sending it to the Star instead of here. If a student has an IQ below 75, they are mentally retarded.
I think it is pathetic that the state of Indiana would need a bill for this. If teachers and principals did their jobs, students that were not proficient in school would not be passed to the next grade. We all know there are teachers that want to get rid of the "problem child" and don't want to deal with the extra work to get them where they need to be. I understand that there are students that require a great deal of assistance, special classes, etc, however, too many kids are passed on and never have the chance to catch back up.
ReplyDeleteAs a district, I'd like to see all our kindergarten students tested upon their initial enrollment for reading readiness. If they lack prerequisite skills, they could be placed in a developmental kindergarten class for filling the gaps. This would prevent their arriving in 3rd grade with no reading skills. Catch 'em early. Grade 3 is too late.
ReplyDeleteCan they do this for Math, English, Science, and History at the 8th Grade level as well.
ReplyDeleteTo many students who are not prepared are winding up in High School.
Often district administrators block retention of low performing students. It is done for various reasons. This is not always the case, but can happen at any time or from any level. I agree with the idea of keeping low performing students back - at every grade level. If this were done on a regular basis we wouldn't have so many low performing students.
ReplyDeleteAbove statement is so true! To try to make themselves and the district look good, some principals have bullied teachers with the threat if they cannot TRULY justify failing a student, they will be called downtown to explain. I worked for a principal who did not believe in failing students. We were ready to go to the mat about some retentions only to find out she sent the students on against our reccommendation!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do when you have a 13 year old in the third grade? I have problems with this proposal but I do think age appropriate students could sometimes benefit with another year.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a 13 year old in 3rd grade then clearly there are behavioral issues because they don't care or there are learning disabilities and should be tested. In todays paper:
ReplyDeleteehttp://www.indystar.com/article/20100120/NEWS04/1200373/Education-officials-reveal-big-reformsither
Didn't we learn not to label students? Why is it ok to do that to teachers? What about those students that are 13 and in 3rd grade? If the teacher is honestly giving it his/her all to educate this child should they be punished for that student bringing the classroom testing scores down and possibly jeopardizing their job?
I actually am really excited about the reforms. I think 10% of teachers give 90% of us a bad name, and evaluating progress from year-to-year will show that. Any fool will be able to see when there are the odd cases (the hypothetical 13-year-old 3rd grader, for example), but in general, most of us will get recognized for the great jobs we do! I think its been a long time coming.
ReplyDeleteIt won't make an ounce of difference.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a 6th grade LA teacher, the district policy was that students could not move forward if they did not pass LA or math. However, EVERY student I failed was passed against my recommendation. Law or no law, social promotion will continue.
I taught 3rd grade in FL. If a student didn't pass the reading FCAT, they didn't pass 3rd grade. They were allowed the opportunity for Summer School, then given a test at the end of that. If that test wasn't passed, they were retained in 3rd grade. After being retained in 3rd grade for 2 years, the teacher would do a portfolio showing the progress of the student, and then the administration would decide if they could be promoted to 4th grade with "good cause". I had a student that turned 12 in my class, who had failed the FCAT twice, and was going to be moved on with "good cause", but she passed the FCAT that year! She eventually was able to be placed back in the grade she should have been in based on her age, due to her hard work and dedication. That was just one example...believe me I saw the other end of the spectrum as well. It doesn't do the students any justice to just move them through the system. Sometimes a student needs to have another year with the same material, and a new teacher, to make it click.
ReplyDeleteTo the first poster-
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to fight a principal who refuses to let you retain a child.
What is the DOE's stance on SpED children (namely, MO)?
Sped students have modifications for standardized testing. Additionally, based on their IQ and if they are diagnosed as special needs, they may not be working towards a diploma. They will be on a certificate of completion track.
ReplyDeleteSo do these children count on our ISTEP?
ReplyDeleteSpecial Ed students whose IEP's state they are on the non-diploma track (certificate of completion) do not take the ISTEP. Right now, IPS has too many Special Ed students who are on the HS Diploma track, but unfortunately they lack the innate ability to ever complete the Core 40. We have spec ed high school students who are attempting to earn a high school diploma, but they have IQ's in the 50's and 60's. Yes, it's sad, but these students will never pass the ISTEP or pass the Core 40. IPS has no provisions for these 'gap' students.
ReplyDeleteStudents who are so mentally disabled that they are placed full-time in self-contained sped classes should not be earning credits. Tech HS is the only IPS high school with a GAP Program for these kids. Every high school in IPS should have a GAP Program for the students with IQ's in the 50's and 60's. Then, they would not be forced to take the ISTEP or the ECA's which they can never pass.
Catch 'em early! Kindergarten students arrive with varying degrees of readiness and prerequisite skills for learning. Screen all kindergarten students upon their enrollment for levels of readiness. Those who lack readiness skills go into developmental kindergarten classes; the others go into the regular kindergarten classes. Same number of students in kindergarten whether they're all in regular kindergarten or sorted into development kindergarten. There would be little to no extra cost involved.
ReplyDeleteThat readiness thing goes both ways. I have a son who start kindergarten at IPS. I taught him to read before because I didn't send him to preschool so I wanted to make sure he'd be okay. They made him sit there and color letter worksheets just like the kids who'd never seen a letter. Of course he was bored out of his mind. Eventually, he started acting crazy and not sitting still and they said it was because I wasn't making him mind. I told them I had no trouble getting him to learn or behave for me and that he was bored. Then they said maybe he needed Ritalin. I switched him to a charter school and they let the kids who can already read do 1st or 2nd grade lessons. They do the same thing for math but my son was always normal for math, not ahead like for reading. And guess what? he doesn't act out. He sits in his chair and does his work. I wish IPS would do like that so my son could go to the same school as his friends in the neighborhood. But they want to do everything they own way and then blame the parents. And I know most teachers try real hard. But guess what? most parents try real hard too. I just wanted to say that because you're all talking about making sure the kids who are behind don't get pushed ahead. You also need to worry about the kids who are ahead being kept back.
ReplyDeleteThe above poster is correct. If a student receiving special services is mainstreamed into a regular classroom, they take ISTEP and their scores count (if they are on a diploma track). Does it bring the overall score down? Absolutely, but not by much. These students do fall through the cracks and there are not enough services for them.
ReplyDeleteTo the mother that just posted, are you aware that you can request that your child be tested for the gifted/talented program? If he receives a certain score, he can attend Merle Seidner Academy if accepted and he will receive plenty of work that is geared towards his capabilites. Just a thought! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not the mother above, but Sidener is only for 2nd grade and up, and even then, her son still wouldn't go to the same school as his neighbors. A couple of the magnet programs are good too, but again, she'd still have the neighborhood issue. If that's her only beef with the charter school, she's probably better off staying put. Or moving.
ReplyDeleteIf Title and Special Ed. teachers actually worked with students, then other students would get the instruction and opportunities they need. We have too many Title and Sp. Ed who are not working with students. They may be doing paper work, they may be surfing on-line, they may be driving between schools, but they do not spend instructional time with students.
ReplyDeleteWhat yourself! I am a Title I teacher and ALL of our Title I teacher teach a full teaching load!!
ReplyDeleteWhy would you rely on a Title I or Special Ed teacher to do your job? They are there for SUPPLEMENTAL services. They do have full case loads in addition to doing more paperwork than you will ever dream of in the form of testing, IEP's, conferences, etc. Yes, some neglect their caseloads, but for you to say that if they worked with their kids then the other students would get the opportunities they need. You are a teacher regardless of the child's academic level or ability level. What a shame and an embarassment that you made the statement you did.
ReplyDeleteI am a Special Education Teacher. I teacher Title Math. I work with students all day and then come home and work on their paperwork all evening. I am offended by above poster who thinks otherwise. I spend the whole day on my feet teaching my students. So what I am saying is that I actually work with students and most, if not all teachers I work with do the same. Thank You!
ReplyDeleteIf a Special Education teacher is also teaching Title Math, then IPS is guilty of supplanting funds.
ReplyDeletehow so?
ReplyDeleteIn order to implement this proposed new law would require a pay cut on the part of teachers. How much of a pay cut are teachers willing to take in order to retain students in the third grade? I also know a special education teacher who is teaching AVID. I think that is illegal also.
ReplyDeleteInclusion?
ReplyDeletePlease....who actually teaches anything in AVID? In my experience, it is a joke. It's social hour for the kids.
ReplyDeleteYep. Not illegal. Besides, that is the least of the worries in IPS.
ReplyDeleteRE: "Please....who actually teaches anything in AVID? In my experience, it is a joke. It's social hour for the kids."
ReplyDeleteI guess YOU are the only real "teacher" in IPS then? Thaks so much for the info wise one!
I don't teach AVID, smartass. No need to be disrespectful. We all have our opinions and from what I see in the building, AVID is a joke. I'm sure many would agree.
ReplyDeletePlease accept my apology.
ReplyDeleteWhatever. We have Sp. Ed. teachers and Title teachers who do not work with or teach children. They fake their work and the administrators do not hold them accountable.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are regular ed. teachers that do not teach the children as well. There is always going to be a bad apple(s) in the bunch, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteTitle teachers who do not work? Please tell me where I can find this school? I work as hard as any teacher in my builidng and I am a Title teacher who goes above and beyond the cal of duty. I buy shirts, belts, do afterschool support of an extracurricular activity, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think the best thing about the proposal would be that parents HAVE to let their child be kept behind. In the school where I was (not IPS), the teacher believed a student should be held back (based on academic performance but also maturity). The principal supported it. The parent, on the other hand, disagreed- and he has struggled even more in the next year.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me, though, is that there has to be a cutoff. Will they give 3rd graders a DIBELS test, and 100 words/min is passing but a student with 99/minute won't be able to go on? I think there has to be at least a little flexibility unless the threshold is very low.
Also, this is a prime example of Bennett's idiocy if he thinks the necessary remediation would be completely cost-free.
Retention is not an option! Educators and legislators are stuck in the 19th-century! "Think outside the box!" Today's students need one-on-one attention and the money is going to these useless instructional coaches and their useless paper shuffle. Get teachers in the classroom and lower class size! Look at the research! Study the evidence! Look at the overweight number of personnel at the Ed building! It's obscene! These students have issues that are not addressed with "F'" and retention. A creative teacher, with a reasonable schedule and class size, can come up with "Plan B," "Plan C," etc. assignments and skills exercise to assure success for all! Educate the legislators and leadership---Arne Duncan, Tony Bennett, Mitch Daniels, and Superintendents. The teachers have been targeted since the 60's with "Johnny Can't Read" campaigns---50 years later and "Johnny" still can't read! Keeping him back?? Where are your creative, critical thinking skills!
ReplyDeleteInstructional coaches are part of IPS's plan to meet AYP under NCLB, the program has to stay in place until changed by the DOE/IPS. I am a special education teacher and have seen some lazy teachers in all subject areas; this falls on the backs of lackluster adminstrators. Adminstrators need to walk around the building and make observations on staff. The new head of Arlington was one of the "no show special education teachers", she should of been "shipped" off to work at a charter school.
ReplyDeleteThe recent deplorable graduation rates testify to the fact that NCLB is not working. The author of that bill has promised to review and revamp it. Einstein said, "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity." Continuing a failed program is insane! Zemelman, in his book, "Best Practices", says that teacher-centered classrooms are out of date---they're dinosaurs! Our high-schools are "drop-out factories," because we're going in reverse to failed practices like retention: there are strategies like collaborative learning, etc. Lets barrage those dinosaur legislators and Arne Duncan and his ilk with their "test, test, test" dinosaurism!
ReplyDeleteRe: Social Promotion
ReplyDeleteCassandra Shipp is scheduled to be the principal of Arlington soon. Now that is social promotion for real.
I agree that teacher-centered classrooms are out of date, but I don't think collaborative learning, student-centered learning, project-based learning, etc. are mutually exclusive with standardized testing. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be micromanaged. But saying, "teach how you want, just make sure they get this and this and this" is a good idea. Now, whether or not current standardized testing is the best way to measure whether students have learned "this and this and this" is debatable. But then let's tweak the tests, not do away with them.
ReplyDeleteI be a fiend and BFF of the Cassandra Shipp, she be doing good, we both gotten our degrees from IWU to help the poor chillen of the IPS. Cassandra dresses nice, hair are perfect, and girl her nails be shinning. I be an administrator in IPs and I be doing good and teach teachers like they treat me, trash. I be written up teachers each week, don;t mess with us girls. Bridgewaters and White be liking us and telling us not to take any lip from teachers, who don't know how to teaching or give me lip.
ReplyDeleteBlogmaster, I know you don't like to delete posts, but this kind of racist garbage attempting to pass itself off as "humor" has no place on a public forum!
ReplyDeleteI agree. The "I be a fiend" comment above goes way beyond petty and tacky. It's just hateful and ignorant and ugly. I know it's probably not a teacher who posted it (at least I would hope) but the idea that someone could work in IPS and find humor in mocking negative racist stereotypes is nauseating. No wonder this district is in such sad shape.
ReplyDeleteWhomever posted the above comment was obviously trying to be a racist. (They probably think it was innocently funny.) If it was a teacher in the district, I would hope they retire soon. Racism hurts us all. No wonder we have issues in tis district.
ReplyDeleteexcuse me. "this" district.
ReplyDeleteAnd so you are assuming that the person who made the racist comment is someone near retirement age? Racism is not a condition of age. There are young racists and there are older racists. Perhaps the person who made the comment has an age phobia. For many people wisdom and tolerance come with time.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you guys even responding to or talking about the above post? You are giving that person what they way....let it go.
ReplyDeleteI really meant retire or quit or move on or leave or find another job. You get my meaning. Stupid racists are everywhere. Sad really.
ReplyDeleteHow did a discussion on social promotion disintegrate into this drivel? It's about our students! There are ways to help students be successful; there are alternative assessments for teachers to measure student skills. Who's talking about dumbing down---tweaking tests? Oh, my, we're stuck in neutral!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the world before standardized testing, and it was horrible. You could go to one school and be "advanced" and move to the next town over and be way behind because everybody taught different things. There were state standards, but nobody followed them. We can't go backward. Again, we can improve standardized testing, but the only way we can do away with them completely is with some radical change of the system, like vouchers or something that abolishes the need for schools and grade levels to be standardized.
ReplyDeleteTEACHERS, stop belittling each other!!! We know that the real situation is our leaders downtown. We cannot help ourselves, if we continue to allow them to compromise our intelligence in this manner.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would like to know is why is a student with a 59-67 IQ being put in a classroom with other students. I can see half of a day for social interaction, but is this a government thing from Washington, Indiana,or IPS? This is so unfair not only to the low IQ student, but to the students in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThey're not. You're making it up. You might suspect the student's IQ, but if you knew for sure, you would be sending it to the Star instead of here. If a student has an IQ below 75, they are mentally retarded.
ReplyDeleteOuch! What an insult to the graduates of the Notch Johnson School for Orphans and Retards.
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