Changing Grading May Change Failure Rates

I mentioned yesterday in my post about the system that grading can help students be more successful. Now, I’m not talking about lowering standards or making grading less stringent; I’m saying we can help kids by not dooming them with our grading practices.

Here are a few things to consider:

It’s the System

This morning as I read through online newspapers around my state, I cam across this article detailing how one school has created a small block of time to help students pass classes with a special emphasis on freshmen. While I applaud the efforts, I wonder why so much pressure is placed on the high school to “get kids through” as my administrator told me one day at my school.

In some continuous improvement classes I took, notably Deming’s influential work, I had one stat pounded into me: the system is at fault 96% of time, people 4% of the time. Granted people create the system, but changing the system could be an answer.

Curriculum Work

At last, I will be able to prepare for my classes today!

The last three weeks have been nothing but department and building issues; “putting out fires” is what I tell people I’ve been doing. We have one English position to fill, which will be filled with a substitute until the five day hiring window closes. I think all of the new teachers are feeling pretty good about the start of the year, and I’m feeling pretty good, too.

No Students But Plenty of Meetings

School starts on Tuesday, but this week was full of meetings, trainings, and planning. I am very much ready for the students to arrive; I’ve worked so many hours these past few days that I just want to get this show on the road.

We still have one more position to fill in my department, so that’s a bit distressing. We’ll have to begin the year with a substitute. This could’ve been solved quite a while ago, but (in my opinion) the slow reaction time of the principal reacting to a couple teachers leaving the building has created a situation bad for students and teachers alike. One of our new teachers has prepped all week for two classes only to have those changed yesterday to two new preps. Ugh!

However, two of the assistant principals have logged quite a few hours helping out my department get ready. Kudos to them.

Also, on the bright side, our three new teachers so far are excellent! They are energetic, positive, and working hard to be ready. I’m really looking forward to this year starting.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll have a bit more of substance to write, but today I think I’m going to relax and watch a movie.

Long Day & Another Joke

Today we had an entire day of meetings and then I was pulled into another because my department is short two teachers with five days before the kids arrive. We lost one teacher because of an involuntary transfer, and we still do not have a journalism teacher (no qualified applicants). It’s getting desperate.

We may have a solution, but at this point nothing is a great one. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I hope it brings me two teachers.