Hey...Teacher....Leave Those Kids Alone!

There is talk at Plano I.S.D. regarding a new grading policy for their middle school students. Not only will the student not be penalized for late or incomplete work, he or she will not receive a lower grade when caught cheating. This is especially troubling considering the fact that Plano is a high performing school district which hires only the brightest and most qualified employees!

Not surprisingly, many parents and school officials have a problem with this! The debate touched off last Fall when Plano I.S.D. began to allow students to retake tests and make-up completed work at no penalty to their grades.

"A lot of the times, our grading practices are things we do just because that's the way we've done them historically," said Jim Wussow, who oversees the district's secondary curriculum. "We've been examining why we do what we do."

I can certainly appreciate the fact that priorities need to be shifted with regards to education. I believe that financial responsibility courses should be mandatory for High School Students. As well, a larger focus on vocational training for students who would otherwise use their chemistry training for cooking meth! But, the idea of lessening student accountability, when lack of personal responsibility seems to be at the core of America's problems, seems absurd.

"We have thought that whenever we assess how a student is learning, we assign a grade to that," said Susan Modisette, Plano ISD's director of secondary curriculum and instruction. "Rather than me assign you a grade, as a teacher, I'm going to give you some feedback so that you have practice time to master that skill. That's where homework comes into this."

Unfortunately, with large class sizes and unruly students, teachers must have a benchmark for grading their students. They cannot simply pick up on a student’s “vibe” or subjectively assess a student’s learning through class discussions.

And the arguments of these administrators are entirely missing the mark when addressing the lunacy of overlooking cheating! You do not want to punish your precious little snowflakes with a “0” when they are caught cheating? Maybe they should just go outside to dust erasers and all will be forgotten? The only way to deter cheating is to hit them where it hurts….and that is with their grades, while at the same time, punishing them in other ways…they sure didn’t have a problem doing it to me!

Students will be “graded” their entire lives, and although homework sucks, the act of completing an assignment is fostering a sense of responsibility within the student. We are "graded" on completion of "assignments" throughout our lives.

It’s funny how the same people calling for these types of new and progressive policies, are the same who loudly question why were are behind China, Japan, and Belarus in Math and Science scores. I doubt China is considering the same ideas! Again…the insanity of liberalism! Throw more money at the schools, while at the same time, lower the students’ responsibilities.