Principal Changes Student Grades
A Philadelphia Principal Alters Grades. Why?
Teachers are not happy that their principal changed over 90 grades from F to passing. Are students the reason for the failures or the teachers?
Student Accountability Eroded
Teachers at North Philadelphia claim that when principal changed their students' grades this eroded student accountability. Grade point averages changed. The school district launched an investigation. The principal violated district policy. Grade changes are to be reported to a superior and they were not.
Principal Patricia Randzo
Principal Randzo admitted to changing the grades of 90 of the 1016 students but she had reasons.
- Teachers failed to follow district policy.
- Teachers failed to document the reasons for the failure.
- Teachers failed to show they had contacted parents.
- Teachers failed to provide support.
Randzo says, "We have to make sure students have all the interventions they need to pass and students need to be given enough time to make up their work and improve their grade." [Susan Snyder, printthis.clickability.com, April 26, 2007]
Teacher's Union vs. District
For a long time, teachers have been in conflict with administration on documenting the reasons for failure. Teachers are to provide documentation on tutoring attempts, contacting parents and offering help. Randzo defends the grade changes because the students had made up work successfully in an after-school program and in some cases, the teachers agreed to the changes.
Six Teachers
Randzo states the 90 changes affected six teachers and that one teacher failed all but one of her students. Anyone in the teaching profession knows that failing all students is a reflection on the teacher. One staff member stated, "If you're failing that many, you need to look at what you're doing in your class. I think some teachers have lost focus of why they went into the profession to begin with, and she's trying to bring them back to reality." [Susan Snyder, printthis.clickability.com, April 26, 2007]
Teaching Methods
Students today do not learn by the lecture method. Thirty years ago they did but, today, students are visual and spatial. They learn by seeing and doing. Some are left-brained and some are right-brained. Many classrooms to not take this into account.
Teachers tend to teach the way they learn. If they learn by lecture, they teach by lecture. If they learn by doing, they do. If they learn by seeing, they teach visually. The problem is that today--most students learn visually and spatially and teachers must teach students the way they learn.
Single Sex Classrooms have now received approval by the U.S. Department of Education. The evidence is overwhelming now that boys and girls learn differently. Boys do not learn the same way as girls. Girls enter the classroom quietly, get straight to work, prefer more discussion time, are more focused and do more than is asked. Males, on the other hand, are louder, and ask more questions. Male and female teachers also have an impact on students.
Changes in education are coming quickly and Thomas Frey predicts the future. Students will benefit from them.
Related articles: Left-Brain, Right-Brain, Learning Styles, The Brain and Learning.
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
