Post: #13

Gag is pretty good. The first news we heard after and still don't know is our Ross Sterling Student. Is he out of GCISD for good, relocated, don't know, waiting on money pockets Sultis?

WE don't know and don't have internet at home. COMCAST

HELP

Post: #14

Carwash, GCCISD is closed indefinitely. A full assessment will not be possible until all power is restored. The Baytown Sun reported today that schools will not reopen until ALL campuses are up and running.

Common, I agree that in the final analysis, the students must be held accountable. Sadly, though, responsibility was taken off the students some time ago, and not just by the parents; school administrations have also taken the responsibility off the students. In HISD, each principal may set his/her own grading policy. Many schools no longer give zeroes for work that is not done. If a student does not do an assignment, the lowest grade the teacher may record is a 60. Yes, a 60 is recorded for doing absolutely nothing. Also, points may not be deducted for late work. Many teachers disagree with this policy, but their hands are tied; they must follow the grading policy.

Post: #15

I agree with you but I still place the bulk of the problem on parents. I think that Baytown is hypocritical. The community *says* that our educational goal is for kids to pass TAKS and go on to higher level learning yet they do not want to put in the work *as a community* to meet those goals. Meeting those goals would entail accountability at all levels and an understanding of rigor. I think that most parents are fine with that until it has an undesirable effect on *their* child. For example, lower grades, a larger workload, extended projects and assignments, and increased out of school assignments.

In GCCISD, we have similar policies as HISD. Here, the 3 day late work policy was put into place because of angry parents. More specifically, influential angry parents. These are the same parents that expect their children to go on to college without recognizing that attention to due dates and prioritizing is an essential skill of college preparation. Here, students are not allowed to receive a grade lower than a 50 the 1st and 4th 6 weeks. While I understand the reasoning for this practice, rewarding students with grades they did not earn is not teaching them anything. I also find it ridiculous that this district allows students to pass a year long course for the year if they failed the first semester as long as the average is high enough the second to even it out. Even though the child did not master the concepts of the first semester, they get the credit for the ENTIRE course. That is absolutely unacceptable to me, but, I must do what the district outlines. I could go on and on with the double standards and hypocrisy I have noticed in this district over the many years I have worked in GCCISD.

It would be difficult at first but if the district really wants to see improvement they will set high standards and KEEP THEM. I know that once students got used to higher expectations and understood that they were required to abide by them they would rise to meet the challenge. It doesn't feel good to fail. Success, on the other hand, feels awesome. This would also help us catch up to more successful districts where education is the priority and lifestyle choice of the majority of the community.

I agree with you that administrators and teachers have faulted students in this area. Sometimes, it is easier to back down to an unreasonable and demanding parent rather than fight the good fight. Administrators do not always back up teachers who are doing the right thing. This is wrong. I have been verbally abused as have most of my colleagues by parents who treat us as though we are simple servants who are simply here to do their bidding. I don't think so.

If the district would put rules/expectations into place and BE CONSISTENT there is nothing to argue or fight about. That being said, if a parent still has a complaint that is unjustified and doesn't want to follow the standard for rigor and accountability set by the district they should then be invited to enroll their child in a private school or homeschool.

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Wait a minute....

I think that just sunk in...

Let me get this straight....

If a child does not do an individual assignment the teacher must write in a 60 in the gradebook??

ARE YOU JOKING?

What about the kid that did the assignment and only earned a 50? That's the height of BS!

Post: #16

That is right...no grade less than a 60 in the GRADEBOOK. I try not to give much personal information on here, but I taught in GCCISD for twenty-two years and have taught in HISD for four years, so I know this is true from first-hand experience. If a student does an assignment and makes a 50, 42, or 25, a 60 is entered in the gradebook. If the student does absolutely nothing, a 60 is also entered. Points may not be deducted for ANY late work, whether daily assignments, major grades, or projects. I challenged this policy. The gradebook is an official state record, and this policy requires teachers to falsify a state record. I met with Gayle Fallon and the Chief Executive Officer of HISD to discuss the issue. I also contacted TEA; according to TEA, the law only addresses the final grade--there is no precedent for grades in the gradebook. The law also states that a principal may change a grade if the teacher did not follow the district grading policy. Since principals in HISD form their own grading policies, teachers are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Post: #17

Ugh.

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

That makes me SICK!

Good for you for challenging it! That is most definitely the biggest load of crap I've ever heard!

YOU WIN!!

Post: #18

You think I care what you beleive.
I had witnesses at my table that heard her bad mouth teachers an administrators. You were probably one of the teachers she was talking about from the lack of common sense shown around here and your eagerness to defend such an inept person.