One of the challenges the new Chancellor must address and correct is the "academic fraud" issue. While graduation rates keep going up, the "college and career readiness" rates are abysmally low, with 3 out of every 4 high school graduates are subject to no credit remedial course work and many employers complain that the high school graduates are found lacking in academic skills to do the job properly.
The academic fraud is due to DOE pressure on schools to raise their graduation rate "by any means possible". That includes "credit recovery" programs that lack any rigor or even an instructor!, scholarship quotas that require up to 85% of the students in the classroom to pass, and Principal pressure to pass failing students or get a negative evaluation.
In yesterday's New York Post there was an Opinion piece by a retired teacher who worked at John Dewey High School and described how the DOE stubbornly refused to take action against the Principal for her "easy pass" program that skyrocketed the graduation rate but hurt students academically. You can read it Here.
Academic fraud is pervasive throughout the school system and is a running joke. Until and unless the new Chancellor addresses the academic fraud issue, all other changes will not alter the educational landscape where students graduate unprepared for the real world.
27 comments:
The Danielson Rubric is used strategically by administrators as a stick so adcoerce teachers into raising grades and to collude with them in academic fraud. As such, danielson is the " raisin d'etre" for a malevolent evaluation system...,The emperor (mayor) really has no clothes.
At the DOE: get removed as principle or AP for being ineffective or worse and get bumped up to TWEED with a big fat raise and a meaningless title!!!
Chancellor needs to clean house! All of that money should be going into the schools!!!
This happens so often!
...fake reality...
I teach middle school. No joke. I pass everyone. I have not failed a student in a decade and have not been asked why kids have all passed.
Colleagues have asked. And I have said because I don’t want to hear it.
Pay me and don’t bother me.
If the kids are morons then sobbed it.
How else can the city increase graduation without credit fraud, bs credit recovery, getting rid of teachers who do not pass 85 percent of their students etc?
This is why I decided to just walk into the principal's office and ask him/her to do my grades for me until last June. Principal brings me in around April and gives me 5 classes to teach. Apparently, he had 2 full programs that were covered by ATRs all year. He didn't want to hire people and just used ATRs.
I taught 5 classes but after a few disagreements he/she starts calling my ATR supervisor and they started the u-ratings and bs ineffective observation. Admin wanted to play.
In June I failed (don't recall exact number) about 85 percent of the students. Some were seniors that needed to graduate. Everyone was up in arms. UFT rep at school sat me down 5 times and told me that I needed to pass students. I refused.
We had a standoff. Principal called me a disgrace and brought in my district UFT rep and even had UFT central calling me. I was pressured by everyone to "not hold students' grades hostage". My argument was if I am ineffective then how would I explain to my mom that 85 percent of the students passed? My mom is my hero.
Long story short I held the principal's rating and the school's rating in my hand. If I go down then we all go down. I told the principal I want to be effective but the only way I can be effective is if I know my students passed. Let me tell you this: IT WAS A BATTLE. Principal still would not budge.
Long story short principal blinked. They had to observe me in late June after ratings day to get me to effective. I passed 90 percent of the students and we both walked away "effective". It was a win-win situation.
I even just called the principal a few weeks ago to see if he wants me back. He said "do not ever call me again." I think he/she are still angry but I am not sure why.
Thanks to all who responded about the dean going back to the classroom. Today is his first full day with a full program. He told me last night he has a trick or two up his sleeve. Should be fun to see how this unfolds. I promised him I will not dean if the admin attempts to make me a dean.
Continued from 7:15
Nobody would believe what happened this morning. They officially gave the dean his program and 5 classes. He outright flatout said "NO". He will not go back to teaching 5. Flatout refused and rumor has it he went into the principal's office and reported that he is a gangbanger. Turns out he straight up blood.
Principal was just told from higher ups or investigations that this former dean/ teacher is not to be in the classroom or near students. He is now sitting outside the principal's office. This is getting good.
Brilliant.
Are you making this up @ Shady? I don't believe it.
@6:40am seems like your the moron. learn to spell idiot. @shady your wrong... he be a blood!
most teachers are gangbangers! this is nuffin new.
Dwarka has changed grades, and has handed credits as candies but she is still the Principal. Everybody looks the other way.
In response to Shady, I understand your frustration, but you should never use the kids as a weapon. How would you like it if a teacher did that to your child? You're just sinking to the level of administration when you do that. You could have really ruined some kids' lives by not allowing them to graduate. I have to say shame on you for your actions, and I'm glad you weren't my kid's teacher.
Continuation from 7:15 & 10:11 a.m.
The superintendent came into the building today to interview the dean who claimed to be a bloods gang member. Shortly afterwards 2 investigators came into the building and sat with the dean. He told them he does not want to be in the classroom because he is a dean and a gang member.
By 1 p.m. everyone left the building and the principal was told that he had to tell the dean that he must teach the rest of his classes. Seems like the city really wants to punish this guy. No mercy. The dean flipped out. He told me "they do not know who they are messing with". He then went into the bathroom. It is all on camera. Two student crips walked into the bathroom at 1:20 p.m. or so and both of the crips were jumped by the dean. He beat up both students. Police were notified and the dean was arrested around 2 p.m
I am shocked this has not made the news as of tonight. All of this just to avoid teaching 5 classes. I am in shock.
Obviously, this is a fake story. Back to my pending resignation at under 40 years old.
They are covering stuff all over the city.
Yo Shady...
That is some next level gangster level stuff. I mean the part about you and the principal. Wow. I would never have thought to do that, should definitely consider it though I don't know if I would have the balls to do it.
Props to you.
Also, I hope that part about the dean is just fiction. Though, I can't say I'd be surprised if true.
Shady 712
Congratulations
My admins wanted me to recreate grade books after they passed a kid who failed. They asked me if I knew who Ernst and young is to try to intimidate me .I told them they were not investigating me. Are you investigated ?
A year later, admin is harassing me .Sent me for psych test .I passed btw.
Joke is that now they are being investigated for academic fraud.
Discrimination. Hiring unlicensed teachers and coordinator.
Whistleblower protection and ADA protection from human rights..
I hope they feel the squeeze in the genital region like I felt with their false allegations .Etc .
Summer coming soon. Next season will be my last .Waiting for the 55/30
I remember I had to cover a credit recovery class. Actually, I've covered a few over the years. These "classes" are jokes. Kids who barely went to class, or did but did nothing, sit in front of a computer to "read" content and take a "quiz." If they pass the quiz, they get credit. There was only one kid in my entire history who ever did all the work and I only agreed to grade her work because she just came in from Honduras, was a nice kid, and was thrust upon these things in an unfair manner.
Most of the time kids would fail the quizzes. But of course, they got to retake them a few times till they "passed."
I'm not surprised by what happened at Dewey. The reality is, this is going on at a lot of places. The DOE knows about it and does not care. They encourage it! Whatever it takes to pass more kids.
I hope the new chancellor puts this to bed, but something tells me that nothing will change any time soon.
i love you, shady.
I wish you would start your own blog.
My face hurts from laughing so much!
Besty Combier pioneered the paperwork that lead to a teacher being returned to her job with full back pay based on the failure of the DOE to legally determine probably cause. This ruling though by a trial court will have significant impact in cases in which teachers were unlawfully brought up on charges. I am surprised that this is not being discussed by the educator community. I hope many 1983's will be filed in the federal Courts against the DOE and hopefully against NYSUT for their years of bad lawyering and failing to properly defend teachers.
A para in my school will use hooked on phonics with a kid who needs language credit without a language teacher for years.
Our living environment teacher went out on maternity leave a few weeks ago ..gone for the rest of the year. No more labs. Only did bohack paper labs, and regents coming. No replacement. Subs show films. I know some kids will sit for regents.
More academic fraud
@6:12
Thank you so much. It is the only way I can entertain myself otherwise this is a system meant to break us and make us go mental. I am glad you get me but if I end up in Belleview come visit me...Thank you!!!
I still have another 5 years to go before I get paroled. Currently, I am on my 20th year from a 25 year sentence I was handed. Started out in Clinton in the Bx where I did 6 hard years in a maximum security setting before being transferred to Irving, medium security spent 6 years there. Currently, an ATR with a neck tattoo saying ATR. Oh crap, have to cover my next class. Bring just rung.
I agree with @6:12,Shady--you are funny. I check back daily to see if you have added any more "tales from the crypt" stories.
6:40, Cool! Thanks for helping us high school teachers! (sarcasm) If this is really how most middle school teachers operate, a whole lot of nonsense in my 9th grade class is now explained.
I think shady is that guy who use to post a few yrs back about life as an atr. He had great advice. Make sure you leave the building once a day is something I’ve always done and hope all teachers follow. What was that guys name? I’m a 23 yr vet with only a few yrs left. Enjoying my hard earned sabbatical and hope to last until 2021. God bless!
I think shady is that guy who use to post a few yrs back about life as an atr. He had great advice. Make sure you leave the building once a day is something I’ve always done and hope all teachers follow. What was that guys name? I’m a 23 yr vet with only a few yrs left. Enjoying my hard earned sabbatical and hope to last until 2021. God bless!
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