Saturday, December 28, 2019

Principal Henry Shandel Of Marie Curie Middle School In Queens Proposes A Questionable Grading Policy



























Principal Henry Shandel of Marie Curie middle school in Bayside Queens has sent teachers a proposed grading policy that allows students who fail to complete assignments to make up the work or get an alienate assignments up to the grading deadline.  According to the Daily News article here is what the Principal wrote to the teachers about his proposed grading policy.

: “For late/missing work due to student failure to complete an assignment on time, students must also be given multiple opportunities to make up or turn in work regardless of due date and without academic penalty, up until the end of the current marking period."

To me Principal Shandel's letter to the teachers is just another example of academic fraud to jack up the passing and graduation rate of the school and push undeserving students into the next grade or high school without the academic tools to legitimately advance in grade. 

Teachers were understandably upset since they knew that the Principal was not interested in giving students a quality education but simply wanted to pass as many students as possible. According to the article  The Principal's grading policy removes student accountability and weakens teacher control of student grades.  Not surprisingly, the DOE supports the Principal and their public relation mouthpiece hypocritically said the following according to the Daily News article.

“We are laser-focused on students mastering academic content and the draft policy as written is academically sound and was distributed to teachers to solicit their feedback," Education Department spokeswoman Danielle Filson said Thursday.

This is just another example of academic fraud proposed by a Principal that weakens teacher control and reduces student accountability,and supported by the DOE that hurts student academic achievement to make them look good statistically,  plain and simple.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

So following this principal’s logic, I should be able to pay all my bills when I feel like it, without penalty.

I just always question whether the screwing up of children is on purpose or are the adults in charge really that stupid?


Anonymous said...

This is not news to teachers.

We have a similar policy in my school.

You cannot fail students for attendance. (Even if a no show in class, they can do a 'packet')

You cannot fail for missing homework. (HW is now not required)

Students can make up work until the end of the marking period. (Or the 'Packet' can be substituted)

Students are now graded on 'mastery' and not on quantity of work. (See Jumprope gradebook)

Said "mastery" above is a fudge term that can mean literally anything, so no one will fail anyway.

Any teacher who 'fails' a student has to create a detailed report showing 'interventions' along the way, and if you do not have such a narrative, you cannot fail them.

Any teacher who insists on failing any student will be targeted for elimination and low ratings.

You get the point, and this is the reality in my school. Mind you, none of this stuff is written down by the admins. They have a flowery sounding grading policy.

Instead, they verbally tell us those policies, or intimate them and back them up with obvious targeting of teachers who do want to hold the line academically.

Last year they excessed a newer popular teacher just so they could excess the teacher above her whom they wanted to get rid of desperately. That's how heartless our admins are.

Anonymous said...

What a shame. Years ago I substituted at that school. Great atmosphere, high levels of students accountability... different Principal.

Anonymous said...

So in the same vein as when I ask my asshole principal to differentiate our PD like we have to do for the kids we should ask for unlimited informals until they score us as highly effective across the board. If we are prepping them for the real world then I guess we should change the real world to what all the snowflakes would love. TROPHIES FOR EVERYONE!!!!

Anonymous said...

I agree with everyone. People who encourage these things should not be in education. This shows no care or respect for students. People who inflate grades clearly shouldn't be teachers. I was not rehired at my school when they did a rehiring because I gave kids honest grades. This was the way they got rid of the teachers who had actual standards. I know a gym teacher was hired who passed everyone and trust me, he wasn't a great teacher. I wouldn't change what I did anyway. It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. Also, too much compromising eventually becomes surrender. We are all surrendering and the country is going to be a disaster in the not so distant future.

Anonymous said...

Then why have due dates at all? Just turn in whatever you want whenever you feel lie it. It's how the world works, too, right?

Anonymous said...

This is actually in the DOE academic policy which is why the DOE is supporting the principal. Our chapter leader showed it to us when our principal asked us to do something similar.
The issue should be with the DOE. It's so convenient to blame a principal, when we should do our due diligence prior.

Anonymous said...

I have a similar "accept everything, whenever" policy at my school but I still do include due dates. I have instituted my own policy with my classes in which I score the late submissions late. I try to stick to the same time frame as the late submission. If a submission is one week late, I will wait one week to grade it, etc. If it is a month late, I will wait one month to grade it. I have not been called into the principal's office for this yet but when I am, I will throw the policy right back at him.

The stupidity of no due dates is so ludicrous that nobody can deny that NYC DOE is just a vast money pit with no interest in educating people. Can administrators get any more dim-witted? People who were not smart enough to work at fast food restaurants years ago, are now administrators in the DOE. Our current students will be administrators in the DOE in a few short years. Yes, it is going to get worse.

Anonymous said...

Work habits will be always be low when people do not care about the work they are doing.

Shady said...

@4:05 You are so correct. If you read the comments above every school is doing this and now they target one of 1800 principals. Yeah that will make a difference. Everyone is in the same bed but some sleep on different pillows.

This is why I laugh whenever I hear a principal is cheating. Everyone is cheating. Chancellor is cheating. Councilman are in the same bed. Mayor wants and needs cheating. BUT we all have to say we are against cheating.

NOT ME. I come out and say: 1. We all have no ethics. 2. pass all students . 3 graduate every student . 4 cheat cheat cheat

just leave me the fuck alone and do not bother me... two weeks ago I applied for an IEP withe state ED and HR... you want to observe me then accommodate me. I get nervous when being observed, needed extended time to have an effective lesson etc...

My principal was told to investigate me and question me about my intentions. I told her I just want to be left alone.

Anonymous said...

At my school the principal wants Jupiter grades due tomorrow - on Good Friday. Many of the points mentioned are occurring at my school as well. The academic policy supports these. Am so happy my kids went to school outside the city where they were held accountable for the work unless there were exceptional circumstances. Presently, graduating college and was held accountable for work completion. This is why so many students cannot make it in college.