Standards in NYC schools have been lacking for years in many schools according to so many readers here and press reports. Well, now having virtually no standards is about to become policy and it is somewhat understandable during a pandemic but still, some of this is rather troubling.
From Sue Edelman in the NY Post:
They call it “Operation Graduation:” NYC educrats thinking up creative ways to graduate as many high school seniors as possible in a school year fractured by the coronavirus crisis.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday he will shutter all school buildings through June, a decision immediately challenged by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who insists he makes such decisions under a state of emergency.
But Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza has already begun rallying his troops to salvage the graduation rate, which was 77.3 percent through August last year, and to pass younger students on to the next grade.
“We’re going to have to make big decisions in the upcoming weeks regarding promotions and graduations,” Carranza told a webinar for Brooklyn principals last week, one note-taking attendee told The Post. “We need to start to think how are we going to justify promotions and graduations.”
“Never waste a good crisis,” the chancellor told the school leaders.
“We need to rethink the way we grade students. Maybe we should grade them on a pass/fail basis, whether they master the material or not, instead of with traditional grades.”
Carranza kept repeating this mantra: “Flexibility and patience.”
A Bronx elementary school teacher said the writing is on the wall: “We’re under the impression that we’re passing everyone if schools are going to be closed for the rest of the year.”
That means letting some students — those who don’t log on for remote instruction, don’t pay attention or don’t do the work — off the hook, teachers told The Post.
The city Department of Education has Fed-exed about 70,000 iPads to students, leaving some 200,000 kids still lacking devices and/or Wifi, spokeswoman Miranda Barbot said Saturday. The DOE aims to deliver the rest “by the end of the month,” she said.
With many students still without online access, others playing online hooky, state standardized exams canceled and the Regents exams waived, the pass rates are likely to soar.
High school administrators have begun citing “Operation Graduation” in emails to colleagues.
The rules are loose at some schools. If a student and his or her parent cannot be reached online or by phone, the kid gets a pass, a Brooklyn high-school teacher said staff was told.
“There’s no justification to fail the student if you haven’t done successful outreach to the parent. The kids and their parents just have to not answer the phone and, voila, they pass,” the teacher said.
“We are getting reports of groups of our most troubled kids hanging out in the streets, drinking, smoking weed, fighting. But these kids are going on the ‘Operation Graduation’ lists.”
There's more but you get the picture. How can we possibly be fair here? There are great kids that are trying and there are truly needy students who are undergoing tragedies at home and school could not possibly be a priority. However, there are others are taking advantage of the situatipon and are doing nothing.
12 comments:
It seems as though we should all just point to our collective heads and say "I don't know if I've had a bigger decision than that when you think right?...Someone said its totally up to the teachers, and it is. I don't think we've had a bigger decision. But I'm going to surround myself with greatest minds. Not only the greatest minds, but the greatest minds in numerous different subjects, including the businesses of education and reason, and we are going to make a decision and hopefully it’s going to the right decision. I will say this, I want to give grades as soon as we can, we have to give grades, Jeff. [Principal asks, 'Can you say sir, what metrics you will use to make that decision?'] “Uhhh, the the metrics is right here" [and teacher points to his/her/their head]
And that, fellow NYC teachers, is how this veteran will be doling out grades. What a country.
I'd assume our passing rates per grade level and school graduation rates will remain about the same this year or perhaps even go up.
That means the usual barriers to passing and graduation will be adjusted and/or waived. The particular adjustments and waiving may take different forms at different times and in different schools.
It is just that simple.
So why are we doing all this work? If everyone MUST pass why are we doing all this garbage. I'm not passing everyone.
Ok, so we need to contact the uft and say we are no longer giving or grading work, no longer teaching, no longer being bothered. It clearly doesnt matter. Have them tell the csa to get admin off our backs immediately since everyone must pass.
When are UFT going to realize that the UFT is a paper tiger? Telling UFT anything I guess is fine but what do you expect them to do?
I know my principal is probably doing back flips knowing kids don't have the Regents anymore as a barrier to graduation. He'll hold tenure over all the newbies and indirectly threaten all the tenured teachers and he'll play the you have to feel sorry for the kids, they're just ghetto kids and we can't expect much from them card.
Meanwhile, corony deaths are a half of the seasonal flu for this year and I count 4 freedoms in Bill of Rights violated.
"Never let a crisis go to waste."
--Rahm Emmanuel and Carranza too!
My dues are being cancelled for the summer as soon as I find out how. If anyone has any advice on that process , please post it.
nychoiceny
That opt out website is newchoiceny
Families that need a digital device were told to sign up ON A WEBSITE (You need a digital device to do that) and then stay tuned for EMAILS with updates about shipping to yr home. Sticking around for the shipment doesn't work for the homeless residents & is tough for workers.
Remote learning doesn't work.
@4:07 PM - Many students and parents have cell phone that have internet service. They can also call a number. No excuse to not be able to request on. The only excuse would be illness.
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