<p>The main problem with schools is that we have a liberal media bent to spend all our resources getting our worst students to some arbritary minimum level while ignoring our best students and almost best students; thus not allowing them to reach their full potential.</p>
<p>Its a fear of making a publicized mistakes that render our policy so stupid. Sure, if suzie stupid has parents who don’t make her do homework, then she’ll do badly in school, but when its at a school where everyone else is doing fine, you better believe the news media will be there glamourizing her (and her parents) failure rather than the more mundane fact that the average academic performance at that school may be quite high.</p>
<p>let’s get rid of the “everyone makes an A” idea and go back to everyone should start with a C and if you can’t cut it you fail and if you do well, your grade goes up.</p>
<p>I actually have a 12 year old in middle school and the math teacher is thinking of having him repeat math cause he has a C! Sorry, but this is stupid. if he sucks at math, fail him. but where in the world did our society get the idea that a C is bad and if you aren’t a 4.5 GPA, you can’t get into a good school.</p>
<p>I have kids making A’s in classes that they never do any work in and making Cs in classes that they bust their butts in. Teachers and administrators, do your job and stop passing the buck.</p>
<p>^ Agreed. I think you may have heard of this, but a few years ago some state or district was considering getting rid of tests altogather, on the rationale that it was bad for a child’s ego if he scored low. But I absolutely agree that students should deserve their just deserts and not just pushed on to the next level.</p>
<p>I have no problem with tests. I think they should be used to evaluate teachers as well as students. Last year, we got a new Alg II teacher and she was a terrible teacher. Although the class was filled with brilliant kids, they kept failing her tests – because she wasn’t TEACHING. It wasn’t until THE PARENTS (not the school) made a HUGE deal to the administration that something was done. The administration does NOT “mind the store”. Each teacher is treated as if her classroom is a personal kingdom with no oversight at all.</p>