Just how far has the academic bar been lowered?

[somethings]

@AustenNut

If a student earns a D or F from a teacher, principals are requiring teachers to provide documentation of all of the interventions they have provided (including outside of the regular class time), parent contacts they have made (calls, letters home, and conferences), etc. There is a substantial burden of proof placed on the teachers, no matter that the kid hasn’t turned in any homework, rarely turns in classwork, doesn’t submit any projects, and usually has low or failing test grades. And when the teachers do have extensive documentation, that still doesn’t mean that the administration won’t decide to promote the student to the next grade anyway (which is usually what happens in my experience). Students realize that they don’t have to do the work and they’ll be promoted anyway.

My experience exactly, in a large district in Texas, Title 1 campus.
On the day before and the day of the end of each quarter (report card grade due day), several students go to the admins complaining about me not giving them passing grades, then the admins ask me to meet with them and explain the extra steps I have taken for these students - extended time, one-on-one tutoring, contact parents, make-up work, test retake, etc., which I have done and have documentation of all. The question the admins always ask me that annoys me the most is “Is there nothing else you can do to help this student succeed?” My answer is a firm NO. I’m one of very few teachers who hold our ground. I can see my students’ grades in their other classes. Those who complain about me failing them have low grades (30-50) in multiple classes through the grading period; however, on the last two days of the grading period, their grades in other classes go up and they pass. I understand why most of my colleagues chose the easy way but that’s against my belief.
Even after I refuse to bump their grades to 70 (passing), the admins require teachers to give the students alternative assignments. The students have 3 weeks to complete these assignments and their grades will be changed to 70 for the grading period. They can still go to the admins to complain about these alternative assignments being “too much”, “too hard”, “not fair”, etc.
I feel that the concept of “earning”, that one must put in work to receive something in return, is diminishing rapidly.