Saturday, December 1, 2007

Current issue #5

Current issue #5
New York Grades Set Off Debate on Judging Schools

By ELISSA GOOTMAN and JENNIFER MEDINA
Published: November 27, 2007

Presented by: Nathan jean-jacques

Summary:
The principals from coveted high schools weren’t pleased by the idea of an A through F grading when the chancellor announced the plan last year.
According to Randy J. Asher, principal of Brooklyn Tech:” the decision is ridiculous.
In the other hand, Mayor Bloomberg sees the report cards as a punitive tool against principals. He claims that it is the best way to ”hold a principal’s feet to the fire”.
The grades have given life to a debate concerning school’s assessment.
The architect of the report cards, James S. Liebman claims that he had received emails with the expected question:” How could my school get this grade?” Experience dictates that the grading system has not succeeded in two states where it had been instituted: Florida and California.
The grading system weighs heavily on students’ progress over time, which makes it sound ridiculous that a school like The South Bronx Academy for Applied Media is rated A with just 17percent of its population meeting grade level standards in reading. On the advice by Kati Haycock, director of the Education trust the peer group comparison scheme was abandoned. “We argued as strongly as we could that I a terrible idea,” said she.
Randi Weingarten, president of the UFT, said,” our advice influenced them minimally”
The grades released have triggered a call for change in the city’s plan to assess schools.
Diane Ravitch, historian of the city’s schools, said; it is reductive to give a school, which is a complex organism, a single letter grade. It doesn’t clarify, it oversimplifies”

The implication for my teaching:
Although the report card outcome was favorable; however one lousy report will not change my school’s philosophy and vision. The education of the whole child is our objective. We will continue to collaborate in the best interest of the students because the board of education’ politicized and vindictive approach is detrimental to learning and especially to the learners.

1 comment:

Allymac said...

I am not a fan of this grading as it creates unfair competition among educators. I am sure that there is another way for school reform. Maybe the mayor can support us a little more and also give schools the necessary funding for programs that are needed.