The DOE continues to waste precious funds on their ridiculous "Accountability Program". According to the Daily News, the "Accountability Program" wastes $352.8 million dollars. Money that could be better used to reduce classroom overcrowding, increase classroom supplies, and bring better technology for the classroom. Part of the "Accountability Program" are those phony school report cards that do not reflect the real conditions of a school. Tweed spends almost $3 million dollars annually on these phony report cards. In this post I will concentrate how high school Principals can "play the system" and improve their school's grade.
An example of how it works. A principal can improve their school's graduation rate by simply changing grades of seniors, against the teachers' wishes or knowledge, to push them out of the school. Pissed off mentioned how her ex-Principal, Suit, secretly passed 300 Math students to get his pensionable bonus and improve the school report card. Unfortunately, high school Principals know how the game works to improve their school's report card and do what is necessary to keep their job.
The most common ploy the high school principals use is to artificially increase the school's graduation rate. This can be done by two methods. The first method (motioned previously) is for the Principal to change student grades, without teacher approval or knowledge, and graduate them. Unfortunately, what Suit did is probably quite common throughout the school system. The other way is to push otherwise failing students into the "credit recovery program" that can give them full classroom credit by simply writing an essay or two. Imagine, a student fails to show up all year or sleeps in the class and can get credit for that class by doing a simply project or two! Finally, many devious Principals have instructed their staff not to report incidents to outside authorities. One high school Principal in particular has been cited by Tweed and NYPD about the failure to report incidents. However, the Principal's failure to report incidents in the school worked to the school's advantage when it came to the school's report card. Go figure.
It is a pity that real accountability is not practiced at the schools or at Tweed where non-educators continue to waste money on their pet projects. "Children Last" continues.
update: please list all the tricks that principals use to raise their school's grades other than real progress. Pissed off already commented on one.
In the early 1970s there was a commission called the the Knapp Commission to investigate police corruption. I hope and pray that one day when this nightmare of a regime is over there will be a commission to study what has and is being done by Tweed in the years that have had total control of the school system.
ReplyDeleteMy turd of an ex principal at my school which deservedly earned an F
this year after being the only school in the system last year not to have a progress report card grade played all these tricks and more that you describe and still got an F! Shows you what a moron he is. Where is he today? At another HS, of course, but not as principal.
Where is the accountability? Why aren't these principals being fired for doing such unethical and illiegal things? Where is the press? Where are the parents who will soon discover as if they don't know already that the diploma "earned" by their darling children is as worthless as used toilet paper?
Here's one to add to your list--stduents are being told they may get a credit for going to library tutoring fifteen times.
ReplyDeleteThigns are getting more and more outrageous every day.
pissed off:
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't surprise me at all.
Credit recovery = "8" days in July, one hour class...Again, I said, "8" days in July, one hour class. That supposedly equals one semester, (5 months), of school.
ReplyDeleteThen there's "seat time". Kids can get credit for taking up space in a classroom. How about mid winter recess classes such as "Social Studies Boot Camp" where the kids can earn a credit in a week? Talk about "creative solutions"!!
ReplyDelete