By Larry

September 2, 2008 9:30 AM | Link to this

I don’t understand why recording a grade other than the one earned by the student, isn’t considered misrepresentation or falsification – which is specifically prohibited in the Code of Ethics (Section 3, paragraph (d), standard 4.4).

Regardless, I wish the PSC luck in trying to figure out what the Doc Neace law actually means. The way I read it, anyone can legally and ethically assign any grade they wish and my State Representative didn’t (or couldn’t) interpret its actual meaning.

By Jeff

September 2, 2008 9:57 AM | Link to this

It happens far more often than Admin would like to admit.

These insane ‘no grade below 60’ rules are just the tip of the iceberg.

Quite simply: If the teacher has told you beforehand that a certain behavior will lower your grade and you do the behavior, you should EXPECT that your grade would be lowered. This goes for the Nease example as well as talking during a test - even if you’ve already turned yours in - and recieving a zero on it for cheating, among other things.

By jim d

September 2, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this

Larry,

I believe we’ve had this discussion in the past.

Please define EARNED

By V for Vendetta

September 2, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this

It all boils down to outlining expectations from the beginning. If you do that, and make it crystal clear to the students AND parents what you expect, then you will rarely find yourself without cover. Of course, there are times when Admins will “strongly suggest” that you alter a grade, and like Jeff mentioned, it DOES happen far more frequently than any of them would like to admit, but, overall, if you are clear about your expectations up front, then no one will argue with you. They’ll be unable to argue with you.

The not giving grades for behavior or physical actions stuff is complete bull poop. My parents had to endure such grading practices and they turned out just fine. I had to endure such grading practices and I turned out just fine (arguably!).

Parents who railed against the practice were typically parents of sleepers and irresponsible kids who couldn’t remember to bring their books to class. Should I be allowed to give a student a grade of zero for not brining his book to school? YOU’RE DANG TOOTIN’! Instead, I have to do some round about “open book” quiz and ask inane questions and then grade it—just to punish ONE repeat offender. Stupid.

Doc Nease stood up for what he believed in and he was fired for it. Jim is right, defining it is the hard part. Perhaps if we stopped listening to the tidal wave influx of parental complaints we wouldn’t need to have these types of conversations. Any admin who says you can’t tell the difference between a legit complaint against a teacher and a BS bunch of vindictive dog poo is a liar. Parents are just like their kids: you can tell the good from the bad REAL quick.

Oh, and Jeff, I totally understand what you mean about the “no grade lower than 60” garbage. If that’s not the stupidest thing I’ve heard since I’ve been teaching, I don’t know what is.

By Larry

September 2, 2008 11:13 AM | Link to this

Jimd – that’s exactly the problem with the Doc Neace law; it doesn’t. Previously, it was as simple as applying a grading scale to the number of correctly answered questions OR evaluating classroom work, provided that’s what is being graded. Incidentally, a GCPS performing arts class syllabus is a perfect example of the difference.

I remember telling Doc Neace supporters to change the law if they didn’t like it, and that’s exactly what happened. If anyone can explain what this law really means, I’d be happy to voice an opinion, but that’s not currently possible because the legal meaning of an earned grade isn’t defined.

By Leia

September 2, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this

Actually, the student got a zero for a lab that he didn’t do, because he fell asleep during class. The grade wasn’t a disciplinary tactic; the student earned a 0 by not do any work!

When will parents and students start taking responsibility for their actions?

By Leia

September 2, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this

Actually, the student got a zero for a lab that he didn’t do, because he fell asleep during class. The grade wasn’t a disciplinary tactic; the student earned a 0 by not doing any work!

When will parents and students start taking responsibility for their actions?

By Leia

September 2, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this

Actually, the student got a zero for a lab that he didn’t do, because he fell asleep during class. The grade wasn’t a disciplinary tactic; the student earned a 0 by not do any work!

When will parents and students start taking responsibility for their actions?

By jim d

September 2, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this

Larry,

So what you are saying is that provided a teacher had a syllabus that had been signed off on by both his superiors, as well as the student, that required class participation they would be entirely in the right to provide the student with a zero for non-participation? Hmmm, wasn’t that the case with Neace?

Would that not define an “EARNED GRADE?”

By TheBlogger

September 2, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this

Two separate issues are combined in this blog (as is often the case)….

One is regarding if administrators should be allowed to force teachers to change a grade (or even change a grade on their own). Currently, this does happen more often than anyone wants to admit. Administrators may change grades to help a star football player, to pacify a parent and/or lawyer, etc.

Another issue is the teacher recording a grade that accurately reflects the student’s performance on an assignment. IMHO, this is where the “Niece” rule comes in. If a teacher clearly communicates expectations of students and clearly communicates the grade correlating to their performance, then I see no problem with Niece or anyone failing a student for sleeping through a lab.

I believe that there should be a State law prohibiting any administrator from changing a student’s grade given by a teacher. There is just no valid reason for doing this.

By Larry

September 2, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this

Jimd, Neace said classroom work “could” affect grades and it can IF the overall grade includes grades for classroom work. I didn’t see anything wrong with the way he worded it, either. What you can’t do, or at least couldn’t do before the new law, was change the grade of a test or assignment that didn’t include classroom participation.

Leia, it wasn’t lab work, it was an assignment started in class, completed at home and turned in the next day - and the student did complete it.

I keep coming back to what happened to my son. I pulled both my kids out of school for what was subsequently declared an invalid reason, so the absences were unexcused. The first day back, my son sat for a Geometry test. Although he had missed the last unit and weekly review, he was the only one in the class to get a perfect score. Missing a couple days for unexcused reasons is far worse than falling asleep in class, so I am forced to conclude many would feel justified to alter his test score to reflect his absence from class. Just like Neace’s student, my son’s grade would have reflected something other than his understanding of the subject.

Considering all the cries for parental involvement, failing my son on a test he completed perfectly because I DID teach him at home, is a really counterproductive reaction.

More to the point PLEASE tell me what the new law means. If my daughter finds herself in the situation my son was in, I don’t think I have any legal way to get the grade changed.

By SallyB

September 2, 2008 2:15 PM | Link to this

Summer school…6 or so years ago [last time I was involved in summer school] Dekalb County Middle School….students attending were from various county middle schools… Most if not all failing grades assigned by teachers were changed..en masse.. by summer school administrator!!!! Teachers were told beforehand by summer school secretary that no one would fail!!1

Teachers took concern up the line all the way to superintendent at the time. Guess What!!!!Nothing was done!!!!

By Jane

September 2, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this

When I was in 10th grade I got a report card with a “D” in Band. Heartbroken, since I had changed instruments at the band directors request at the beginning of the semester I asked why? The Director informed me that since I was not as good as my sister (who had been playing the instrument for 4 years) she got an A and I got the D for less than 3 months on the instrument. I was devistated. My father was none to happy and he and the band director had a discussion about comparing his daughters not being acceptable. My grade was changed to a B - Not what I wanted but I lived with it and after that year I got out of band. This was a teacher that abused his power and graded unfairly.

By Stacey

September 2, 2008 3:49 PM | Link to this

I’ve been out of high school 20 years but even back then it was VERY common for the administrators to have the grades changed of star athletes. Sadly this is neither new, isolated, nor going to be eliminated, IMO.

I realize it’s not the same thing, but I got an F on a paper in my Freshman Comp class. There was no explanation on the paper, just a huge red F. I waited after class to talk to the professor who told me I need to make an appointment to see him during office hours. When I went to see him in his office he told me (in so many words) that I was in college and if wasn’t able to look at my paper and see that it was garbage that maybe that was not the place for me. I took the paper to the dean of the department who changed the grade to a B+. When the dean questioned the professor, the professor claimed that my paper made no sense because it didn’t address the main issue presented. The dean agreed with me in that I answered the question that I gave very compelling points to answer the question that was asked, which turns out, was not what the professor meant to ask. The B+ grade did stand but I found out later in the semester that the F’s that others in the class received on the same paper stood because they did not press the issue with the dean.

By Becky

September 2, 2008 4:08 PM | Link to this

Larry, I went through the same thing that your son did about 25 years ago..We were only allowed to miss 10 days per quarter..I missed 12, had a signed Doctor’s excuse, an overall B average & was failed for that quarter because of be absent to many days..

By gwarfan

September 2, 2008 4:08 PM | Link to this

maybe the teacher was boring as all get out and put the kid to sleep. But if student got a zero for a lab that he didn’t do, because he fell asleep during class that would be different because he did not do the work.

Some teacher egos get a little bent out of shape though at times. I had a histroy class where I could sleep everyday and still get an A and it p** off the teacher. If someone falls asleep make them stand the rest of the class or send them to the office.

By SallyB

September 2, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this

Stacey In my freshman Eng. Lit class the professor returned a paper to my roommate with a big F and a short note that said something like, *”There are 3 misplaced commas, 2 mispelled words, and a run-on sentence!!” F!

It was not changed!!!!,

By Amy C

September 2, 2008 4:41 PM | Link to this

As long as it is stated in the syllabus at the beginning of the year, I see nothing wrong with reducing someone’s grade because they did not participate in the classroom portion of it.

By catlady

September 2, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this

I am dead-set against grades being changed unless there was an error in calculation. Teachers should give a copy of their grading plan to the principal. If it passes muster, that is it. And teachers should have a great deal of discretion about what occurs in the classroom. I don’t need a two bit principal with a masters from Podunk U diploma mill and 3 years of teaching experience tell me how to run my classroom or measure a student’s achievement!

Teachers SHOULD be able to grade on classroom behavior/effort. For example, if a teacher expects a student to be able to discuss a point in class, and the student cannot due to being ill-prepared or asleep, then that is a valid zero. A teacher should not lower (or raise) a grade due to a student’s clothes (or lack of :) unless that is part of the class (say, home ec or speech or something).

You define the expected behaviors (ie staying awake, answering questions, giving an impromptu debate) and those that are not met are graded accordingly. You cannot be vague (particpates in class)

This “nothing below 60” is crazy. We are told if our students are not making good grades it is our fault for not providing the accomodations (dumbing it down, assigning less work, giving a peer tutor) that will “make” them a “good” student. And then we wonder why they are in high school reading like a 4th grader!

I had a parent try to change a grade once. I was out from having surgery and she called the data person and told her I had authorized that her son have an A. Luckily the office person called me and I told her that the woman was lying. She tried it with other teachers as well.

My mother worked under a principal who told her once to change a grade. She told him he could do it, but she would report him to the professional standards group. The grade was left untouched. That was 30 years ago. Once she had a threatening student that they refused to move until my dad spent a few days in her classroom with a baseball bat, observing class. Then they decided to “inflict” the student on another teacher. He ended up threatening her and finally being put out of school.

Supposedly we can have a student taken out of our room, too, but I have only once heard of it happening, and I think it was because the teacher’s HUSBAND came down and threatened the principal because the student was punching the pregnant teacher in her belly!

By Time for ed change

September 2, 2008 5:18 PM | Link to this

TheBlogger: I believe that there should be a State law prohibiting any administrator from changing a student’s grade given by a teacher. There is just no valid reason for doing this.

First, we must agree that there are teachers who use their power inappropriately and that there are, sadly, some teachers who basically hate students.

Examples:
A teacher who, when questioned by parents as to why a student is failing a class, produces quizzes all marked “0.” When note is made that some answers are, in fact, correct, her response is that she only gives two grades “0” or “100.” She refuses to change grades, so should the students she selects to fail live by her (insane) guidelines?

Fast forward a few years…same teacher declares that a student may present a project but the maximum grade will be a 4 (out of 100). Student was out with the flu for several days, during which she apparently called the student to present, so she started the “clock” on the lose 10 points per day penalty. (She didn’t, however, give notification when the student returned to school and asked for make-up work.) Twelve days before the end of the semester, she agreed to assign an alternate assignment.

Parent schedules a conference with teacher to discuss near-failing grades. Teacher explains that student is not meeting her expectations (akin to the band story above) but the teacher is not able to produce ANY graded materials from the student.

If administrative intervention wasn’t possible in these cases, the loonies would rule the roost. This IS why there must be the option for administrative overrides, although there should be a procedure documenting the change and reasons for the change.

And there should be correlating notes in the teacher’s permanent record and a PDP instituted IMHO.

By Crystal

September 2, 2008 5:19 PM | Link to this

There are usually “seperate” grades for class participation. If you don’t particiapte, then you deserve a zero. However, it would be wrong to change the grade on a homework assignment, test, etc because the student fell asleep. Give the kid a zero for that day (for non-participation), send them to the office, notify the parents etc. If you are sleeping you can’t obviously be participating.

By Tony

September 2, 2008 5:37 PM | Link to this

Grading practices of teachers and schools are as haphazard as possibly can be. A few days ago we discussed report cards and how an “A” from one teacher was not the same as an “A” from another. I’m glad some writers have pointed out how unfair some grades can be.

As a teacher, I would have bristled at the suggestion that I change a grade. That happened to me my first year of teaching. It seems the star athlete was excluded from a state track meet because he had an “F” in science. At least that is what the head coach told me. It turns out the student had more than one “F”, but since I was the new kid on the block I would be the easiest to influence. I reported the “pressure” to the principal, who much to my surprise was outraged at the coach’s attempt.

The use of numerical grades on a percentage is extremely flawed and gives a disproportionate weight to the use of zeroes. Math teachers of all teachers should quickly see how unfair this grading scheme is, yet they are more often locked into this tradition than others. As a teacher and as a principal, I have seen the reprehensible use of giving zeroes to students by teachers on power trips. The other issue I have with grading in this format is that many teachers do not understand the descriptive statistic they use for determining a final grade. Often, the final grade is not a reliable indicator of the student’s mastery of the material. (Straight A student fails CRCT, remember).

Grades should indicate how much a student has learned. This is difficult. Although I was appalled at the firing of the physics teacher over the grade change issue, I did feel like there were better ways for that situation to be handled by the school and the teacher.

One of my classroom practices involving grades allowed students to have another chance if they failed a test. The students could come and study with me after school. Then, they would be allowed a retest. Their new grade replaced the old grade. I felt like this approach encouraged students to do their best. Zeroes were not allowed in my gradebook. Students had to complete the assignment if it was a test or lab report. If the missing assignment was for something like homework, as long as the student did well otherwise, the outstanding grade could be dropped.

Teachers have many strategies for grading that encourage students to do well. The use of zeroes is a very poor one. Grades should only be changed by teachers except under the most unusual of circumstances.

By Dr. Craig Spinks

September 2, 2008 7:03 PM | Link to this

KUDOS to Ms. Diamond and the AJC for maintaining this site and for its increasing use by GA educators! The whole TRUTH about our public school system will eventually out and will set us educators and GA PUBED free!

By TheBlogger

September 2, 2008 7:10 PM | Link to this

Time for ed change

Sorry, but now you introduce a different topic into this blog. Namely, you are introducing inept teachers.

Teachers that are inept should be removed from teaching way before any grades are posted permanently on any student records. That is the job of the administration.

Again, there is no reason for administrators to change any grade of a student. That is not the job of the administrator.

If the administrator does their job and retains good teachers that grade properly, then they don’t have to worry about changing student grades (which isn’t their job).

It is rather simple if you think about it.

By catlady

September 2, 2008 7:11 PM | Link to this

I like the idea of “no zeros” but sometimes you cannot get students to make things up. Or they expect to wait until the last week of class, and then they want “special assignments”.

I think a reasonable syllabus reviewed by a reasonable principal should work. Clear expectations should be communicated and followed.

I DON”T think teachers should have to take very late work and devise “grade enhancement” work. That is not how the world works, and we should be teaching our students more than just the subject matter.

Does this mean some students will get “discouraged?” Yeah, if they let their most important job (school) get out of hand.

The scenario I had the most trouble with as a parent: There is a teacher at the high school who demanded that her students have A CERTAIN KIND OF SUBJECT DIVIDERS in their notebook. (Each day without those dividers was 10 pts off the grade) Getting dividers sounds do-able, except in our small town with 3 places you could buy dividers, there were none after school started. In fact, I searched in a 50 mile radius until I found some. Most parents won’t do that. THAT should have been stopped, or kids allowed to make their own dividers.

By TimeForHeadsToRoll

September 2, 2008 7:47 PM | Link to this

If a student earns a grade then thats that. You cant go back and lower it. What you can do is create a grade for participation and if thats a D or F then so be it. That will allow the student to consider his options before, during and after so the grade he gets is his and its final.

I think all students should be graded for homework, test scores and participation. Thats how it was when I went to school and I learned.

By TimeForHeadsToRoll

September 2, 2008 7:47 PM | Link to this

If a student earns a grade then thats that. You cant go back and lower it. What you can do is create a grade for participation and if thats a D or F then so be it. That will allow the student to consider his options before, during and after so the grade he gets is his and its final.

I think all students should be graded for homework, test scores and participation. Thats how it was when I went to school and I learned.

By Lee

September 2, 2008 7:50 PM | Link to this

Regarding the above comments: There appears to be a large percentage of teachers and administrators who do not conduct themselves in an ethical manner. No amount of new regulations or posturing by the PSB will change that - only a change in personnel will.

Regarding the Doc Neace episode:

• Reading between the lines, I think there was friction between Neace and his principal long before the sleeping student episode.

• It matters not that Neace had a policy signed by parents, students, and principals. If the policy was in conflict with the SCHOOL SYSTEM policy, the system policy takes priority.

A couple more things to remember:

• The boss may not always be right, but he is always the boss.

• Choose your battles wisely.

By HS Teacher

September 2, 2008 8:02 PM | Link to this

I personally witnessed the Supt of a county—I will leave nameless—come to school the day before graduation and demand that teachers change grades in the mid 50s so 5 students could graduate.

The new law states that no one can make a teacher change a grade, but an Administrator may—there is to be a paper trail to show what happened. It also shows that if an administrator pressures a teacher it is a PSC violation. I did report a Principal THREE times after he insisted that the school system stated no student was to get lower than 50. But he was wrong and I called his hand to show me where it stated that in the Board Policy and of course, he was not able to do so.

He is no longer a Principal. He even blocked my email to teachers at his school, but I just sent them a paper copy of the law through the mail.

Students do not fail my class, they fail the state standards and requirements.

The incident in Gwinnett Co was that a student slept through a class, yet the next day, he brought in perfect work for the class. He cheated by copying from another student—thus his grade of Zero. That Science teacher was welcomed in a neighboring county.

By Time for Ed Change

September 2, 2008 8:59 PM | Link to this

TheBlogger:

No, I wasn’t changing topics, but was responding to your call for a State law prohibiting any administrator from changing a student’s grade given by a teacher.

Yes, I agree it IS the job of administration to remove inept teachers. Unfortunately, that often moves glacially - IF there is an effective administrator willing to take on the battle. Administrators may inherit problems or receive problem teachers by transfer from other schools.

Should the students in those teachers’ classes (through perhaps three years of the PDP process) should suffer the consequences of poor administrative decisions?

Your “state law” would lead to that. As HS Teacher notes (and I suggested), there should be clear documentation of the reason for an administrative change. (And “he’s the starting quarterback” would not qualify…)

This means that your child might not be penalized when he/she “lucks into” the teacher on a first-year PDP!

By thomas

September 2, 2008 9:37 PM | Link to this

Time for change,

Why does a teacher you have a disagreement with over a grade deserve to be on a PDP? Is it that serious? People disagree all the time. Two parties can get together, even if an outside mediator has to help (the principal), to work out differences without somebody’s career being put in jeopardy. A break in communication doesn’t necessarily mean some awful evil has occurred. You yourself even said that the scenario over the assignment was worked out after the two parties got together, discussed the situation and reached an amiable understanding.

I find it interesting how parents are so quick to criticize, berate, belittle, insult, degrade, and slander teachers over the least little things.

By Just a citizen

September 2, 2008 10:00 PM | Link to this

From an administrator’s point of view, you would be absolutely appalled at some of the hair-brained grading schemes that teachers employ to grade students. Some of them include such ridiculous grade inflation, that nothing could be accurate. Then there is always the question “My child made straight As but failed the graduation test, CRCT, etc. Why?” How can that be defended?

Then at the other end of the spectrum we have the unreasonable teachers where no one ever makes an A and only a few make a B. And as administrators we are supposed to defend both of these practices and teachers expect us to accept these things as perfectly ok. As an administrator I have never been asked to have a teacher change a grade. I have been asked by parents to speak with a teacher to defend a grade given. Because of the lunacy that exists with these made up systems, I cannot defend them. I leave it up to the teachers.

By EducatorX3

September 2, 2008 10:23 PM | Link to this

HS Teacher…. The incident in Gwinnett Co was that a student slept through a class, yet the next day, he brought in perfect work for the class. He cheated by copying from another student—thus his grade of Zero.

This is not the way I heard the story. The story I heard went like this… Project had been assigned for several days. The student in question had the project at home. Teacher told students to use the second half of a block class to “work on the project.” Since the student had his at home - completed - he had nothing to do, so he slept. Next day the project comes in. He gets a score of 100, but it is marked down to 50 for sleeping.

In the version I heard, the parents wanted the kid punished for sleeping in class, but not by cutting a grade that is supposed to tell parents how a student is performing academically.

Anyone know for sure what happened????

IMHO, all students should get two grades in every class. One grade represents what the student has demonstrated in regards to mastering the standards. The second grade should represent the work habits, study skills, and behavior of a student. It is possible for a student to demonstrate mastery of the standards without having good work habits. In fact, many profoundly gifted students do just that.

If a student can make 100 on the test without having turned in the homework, it is a problem of work habits, not academic performance.

By Time for change

September 2, 2008 10:28 PM | Link to this

First, I am both a parent and an educator, with many friends and family members in education, so I’ve heard stories from “the inside” as well as from parents’ viewpoints.

I wasn’t suggesting that the teacher should be on a PDP for “a disagreement over a grade.” In each example, a child was failing (or in danger of failing) the class itself NOT (as Tony as others explained) because they hadn’t mastered the material but because of their teachers’ “issues.”

Do you think scenarios like these occur only with one student? (Only 0’s and 100’s on quizzes…not being able to substantiate grades, even after requests are made….) No, these teachers had significant patterns of such behavior, but with administrative weaknesses and transfers, no changes were made.

Also, you interpreted “amiable” - my comments were not in that vein - interesting that you are so quick to automatically defend ALL teachers and attribute all those negative traits to parents? Believe me, I’ve seen - and worked with - teachers who fit all those adjectives as well.

Rather than meeting nicely and reaching “an amiable understanding,” situations with teacher one required the involvement of several others in the school over many weeks. Other parents contacted me with their concerns about reports their children were bringing home about how much this teacher obviously hated my child. Would you consider that a “least little thing?” The fact that the students commented that this teacher “pretty much hates all kids” but treated my child worst of all is what triggers my call for PDPs for these teachers.

(BTW, many teachers at this school are amazed this person is still in the classroom and ponder how large her complaint folder must be.)

By high school teacher

September 2, 2008 10:33 PM | Link to this

This discussion is quite interesting. Very recently I completely changed my grading practices. I realized that grades in my class showed more of what a student did rather than what a student learned.

What should a grade reflect?

I decided that they should reflect what a student learns, not what they do. I also realized that many of my assignments were little more than hoop-jumping; they didn’t demonstrate a student’s mastery of a skill, they just demonstrated a student’s ability to produce an assignment that I wanted them to do.

Now, all of my assignments are based on the standards.

By Friend of GCPS teacher

September 2, 2008 10:36 PM | Link to this

My understanding of the situation is that it was a lab day in physics. In order to complete a lab, you must first conduct the experiments and collect data. Since the student slept through class, it was fairly obvious that the student himself could not have collected the data. Therefore, when the student presented a completed lab report, it was obvious that he had violated the cheating policy and a zero was the consequence. (Didn’t hear if the student who provided the data was identified and/or disciplined….)

By Parent

September 3, 2008 12:39 AM | Link to this

Teachers aren’t perfect and there should be administrative oversight to all grading practices. Over the years, with a highschooler now, I’ve seen, read, and heard crazy stuff from teachers, parents, and students. Teachers are not perfect, so we shouldn’t create laws that rely on their supposed pristine moral, ethical, and fair judgment.

Behavioral issues are not academic. Punishing a student for not bringing a book to class is ridiculous. Let him fall behind, fail tests, and punish himself. Notify parents of the lack of book. If they don’t care, then you’ve done your part. My son must be at bus stop by 6:15am each morning. Some nights he has homework until midnight, 2am, etc. He surprisingly (to him, not me) fell asleep one day this year. Chronic sleepers should be dealt with by teachers, counselors, parents, etc. Chronic book neglecters should also be dealt with in the same way.

Teachers need to get out of the habit of punishing students for every little infraction, find the big picture, and actually teach the students. If Admins have to help them see the light, then so be it.

And, for god sake, we need to quit protecting the bad teachers that plague almost every school.

Someone commented on a previous post that Neace had all sorts of issues aside from this one incident. They mentioned that he punished students that finished their classwork too early, for example. That is exactly the kind of teacher that needs oversight and ideally, to leave the profession altogether.

By Parent

September 3, 2008 12:43 AM | Link to this

high school teacher, I wish more teachers graded like that. This year, with him starting school as a Freshman at Duluth, his classes are accelerated and we’ve been very pleased with the grading practices of the teachers. Less busy/daily work, more applied knowledge, analysis, and definite learning! That’s what school should be all about.

By Michael

September 3, 2008 12:47 AM | Link to this

I have taught in DeKalb & Gwinnett Co. Both have told me that no student should fail no matter what. Why do you think we have such a high drop out rate in Georgia? Most DeKalb Co. 8th graders are functioning on a 2nd grade level!!

By Algonquin J. Calhoun

September 3, 2008 12:48 AM | Link to this

The practice of retroactively changing a grade for some undesirable behavior that has nothing to do with the test, paper, whatever from which the grade was derived is utterly unacceptable. The teacher,and I am one, University professor, has the right and responsibility to factor deportment into a final grade. However, changing grades already given is nothing more than silly, childish retribution. Firing the teacher was the proper thing to do!

By Parent

September 3, 2008 12:57 AM | Link to this

I DON”T think teachers should have to take very late work and devise “grade enhancement” work

Actually, “grade enhancement” work is how my jobs have always worked. We meet at work, determine whether solutions have worked, and collaboratively improve, fix, or scrap the whole shebang. And, there are deadlines and DEADLINES, where flexibility and problem-solving ability far exceed any requirements for turning in a paper on time, perfection on first attempt, etc. Even businesses understand that humans are human. There will be mistakes and room for growth. Why is it that schools take such a punitive stance in the primary learning years?

Who learns more: 1) Kid fails project, but teacher notes errors and requests resubmission. 2) Kid fails project, but teacher gives F and returns work.

Kid #1, imho, learned much more than Kid #2 ever will in that class. I’m also willing to bet that Kid #1’s next project will be more on par with teacher’s expectations.

By lovemy4kids

September 3, 2008 2:57 AM | Link to this

Grades and home school - an interesting mix. It occurred to me when I first began home schooling, that there is a profound difference between the goal of educating a child and accrediting a student’s education. The public and private schools are in the business of the latter, while the home school parent/teacher emphasizes educating the child, since the home school is UNACCREDITED. Arbitrary standards and grades do not educate a student, but merely serve as a convenient method for pre-sorting individuals and labeling them for the ease of consumption by government, businesses and colleges. In an accreditation system, the standards are fixed, whether they are suitable for the student or not. Those that don’t “fit” are “failures”. The goal of education is individual-centered. The teacher takes into account the individual’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, and learning style and he is taught accordingly. The individual is valued and he is motivated to make the most of his God-given resources and talent. There are no failures. Tests may be used, but they are merely feedback on what the child has or has not yet mastered/understood. They are a tool. This incredible freedom available to home schools can produce superior results when compared with public/private accredited schools. My 5th and 6th graders’ composite score was in the 92nd and 95th percentile, respectively, on the ITBS.

By Yeah its me

September 3, 2008 7:18 AM | Link to this

I am a HR director for a large corporation, home today with a sick child. I want all the parents who are busy making excuses to know that you are raising lousy workers.

Larry, Rules are rules. If a system says that unexcused absences merit a O on missed work, then so be it. I am so tired of employees who want this rule waived for them or that rule bent. Not the way ti works… “No you have to wait until you earn your vacation time, is one of my most commonly sent emails.”

Parent, When our public relations director sends a press release on a time sensitive matter, there is no second chance to get it right. I think that in the primary grades, there ought to be repeated efforts to make sure a child masters material. That said, we are passing along far to many children who simply can’t/won’t/don’t do the work.

At our company, jobs that a decade ago only required a HS diploma and a little experience, not require a college degree. It isn’t that the the work has gotten so much more difficult, it hasn’t, but we have consistently found that to have a chance at a decent work ethic, a college degree is necessary.

By Larry

September 3, 2008 10:35 AM | Link to this

I have to wonder how many people read my post and somehow interpreted “The first day back, my son sat for a Geometry test” as referencing a day he didn’t attend school or, even more inexplicably, how a student could sit for a test on a day they were absent.

Hopefully, this would be a very small number.