[lucyjoy]

Seriously, they've dropped the scale so low its stupid. My 11 year old is passing science with 46%. Let's see, he's doing below half and that's passing? He failed both tests but had 2 extra credit points so he's passing. Sure, whatever.

Passing spelling with a whopping 53%. Sure, okay, he can spell and understand half the words-good enough.

I seriously am starting to wonder if there is any point to sending kids to school anymore.

[ajjhmf]

There are days I wonder the same thing...

[momraine]

I am right there with you. My P is failing reading and math and they didn't want to write her up for giving a kid a black eye? We are looking at homschooling her after Christmas.

[SAHmom]

The worse thing is that as a parent, I can no longer warn my kids that IF there grades are bad, they will be held back a grade level. My kids KNOW "No child left behind" thanks to the school! Oh, and along with that vent, I can't use summer school, either, because they have got to be at the WAY bottom to even get the letter for summer school.

I seriously am starting to wonder if there is any point to sending kids to school anymore

Aww, but if there aren't AT school, then they are at HOME, kwim? Ekk!

[waited2long]

Weren't there enough kids graduating highschool, not knowing how to read? This sounds like a really, really stupid policy!

[crick]

It's the stupid No Left Behind thing...sigh!

I really hope Obama's cabinet revises this act and puts forth a much better one regarding our education policies in the US.

[lucyjoy]

Yes, no child left behind=leave all the kids behind

All we have to do is lower the educational standards so low that every kid suceeds except they don't know how to balance a check book, read a job application, or make correct change. UGH!

[momraine]

Here they will hold them back but only in certain grades and only if they fail the TAKS test. Though if they fail it they will tutor them and give them two more chances to take it. Like in third they have to pass the reading test, and I can't remember the rest of the grades. They also have to pass the 11th grade test to graduate. Anyway, P's teacher came right out and said she falls through the cracks. She passed last years test on the first try by two points. So she can't get extra help and because she has no diagnosed learning disorder, she gets no help. They tested her for Irlens and they say she has it and gave her a purple overlay to use for reading, but that still does not qualify her for any help. We are really, really frustrated.

[greenrobin]

I am really surprised--and I'm a teacher! I had no idea that they were lowering passing standards. Here, it's still a 70 for no pass/no play. And we still have summer school. And we hold kids back if they can't make the 70 in 3 or more academic classes.

We have problems, sure, but we're trying.

[crick]

I don't hold this kind of thing against teachers really...it's the educational process in general. I hate our cirriculums and I know it's based on previous year test scores, which I'm told is fueled by the "ACT". That I do hate...very much!

I don't have middle school/high school yet, but I do hope we don't have a low passing level b/c in the end all it does is hurt the kids.

[kretzklan]

I think that to hold my kids back it would be a battle royale...for sure. If the parent asks - it should be done if there is any supporting evidence. I don't mind that my DS tests are "modified" - he does have trouble with written directions...however when does that stop? He's not going to find a job where they will read aloud everything he's supposed to read for himself!

[Joy2566]

my school has a very hard scale. 67% is an F. I have a student who, no matter what modifications I make, rarely makes above a 60%. He is in 11th grade, and the parents think he will do just fine in life, if we can just get him to pass. I don't think the school, or his parents have done this child any favors. He is not even capable of filling out a job application.

[lucyjoy]

My son's online school requires 70 to pass but s is passing with 46%. It's beyond stupid. I think I need to start investigating if this is state, county, or district regulations and start making some noise.

This is NOT providing kids adequate education. I'm also rethinking the home education for S.

[chanibelle]

I was listening to NPR today about the same thing. I think you can listen to the podcast ( Dec 2 around 2ish),but same topic. Our kids aren't getting a quality education and even if you send them to the best schools ( private ) they still aren't able to compete with other countries. I wonder why this is.

Has anyone ever heard of a new program where they are paying kids $50 per every "A" they get?

Its a good incentive,but don't we want kids to be lifelong learners?

Where I live we have the WASL and its all test based so it just memorizing facts and figures which I agree is a good idea,but I know when I entered college,I was not prepared to write a critical thinking essay to save my life and I did get "A's" in high school.

[crick]

This might be just me but I think that the special group of "Sue Happy Parents" has had a lot to do with the dumbing down of our educational system, along with the NCLB act, and the lack of funding.

I'm happy to have the IEP for my son who is dyslexic and he does need the help in order to keep up. He does need the services provided and having been a product of services myself from the 70's-80's, I can see the big improvements made in this area.

However, I still expect him to learn, to do his homework, to behave at school and to make the most of his education. I expect all my kids to do this. Sometimes they don't, obviously! But they'll hear about it...

I also expect the teachers to discipline when kids are not behaving, or at least be able to give consequences. I expect too, that if a child doesn't do the work, he shouldn't get rewarded for that.

However...thanks to Sue Happy Parents, the school systems today do not have much control over this aspect. It is unreal what has to happen these days for a kid to get suspended or expelled from the schools in my district. They have a 4 strike rule and yet, what constitutes as a "strike" is very vague so it doesn't get documented as such when Sue Happy Parent goes in to the school to say "How dare you give my Johnny a strike for hitting a kid. I'm positive my Johnny wouldn't do that and if he did, the kid obviously hit him first". Or whatever...Sue Happy Parent doesn't need much to happen before they march up there to complain. Johnny got an F on his essay? Sue Happy calls teacher to demand a change to a B because Johnny just had a really bad week and was tired. Uhm..hello?

Sue Happy benefits though if their child does reach the 4th strike and is expelled. I didn't know this (and still need to research it) but according to a retired teacher aunt of mine here, if a school expels a student, the funding to transport that student to another school comes out of THEIR budget. UHm...HELLOOOO?

Sue Happy also votes down all the funding increases for our school systems and then complains that the school isn't good enough for precious Johnny and then to "make up" for such atrocious "service", they volunteer at the school to further make sure that precious is getting the education he needs.

These parents are contributing to the death of our educational system just as much as all the other stuff, and then look where we are. Us other parents that are not like this and want more? Expect more? Sigh...

Sorry..soapbox stuff for me...stepping off for now.