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Old 10-22-2010, 07:42 PM
 
4,359 posts, read 4,202,005 times
Reputation: 5800

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So, first term grades are in and nearly half of my students are failing my class.

The vast majority of them are taking my subject because the district has decided that ALL students are on the college track unless their parents sign them out and move them to the general track. All must meet the standards for entering the state university system, no matter what they plan to do after high school. This means advanced math and science and foreign language for every student, even those who have tested as EMR and who read on a fourth grade level, according to their IEPs.

I'm expecting to be questioned about the grades, and I'm going to explain that I'm trying to teach the students what a rigorous course is like and why rising to that level will help them succeed in college. I have expressed concern in the past about how to motivate students who didn't ask to take this subject, don't like it, won't need it, don't plan to go to college, and don't need it for graduation, as they can change to the general track the week of graduation if they fail to pass their college-track subjects. The administration did not have an answer, much less any strategies, for teaching advanced subjects to students who have no interest or aptitude, poor prerequisite skills, and serious academic and cognitive challenges.

It seems clear to me that the most of the students who are failing should not have been put in the class until they had received the necessary remediation from the district that would enable them to be successful. Being at least on a seventh-grade level would help, but over half of our students also failed the state English exam given to sophomores. Nearly as many failed the Algebra exam, even though they have been put in remedial math for a year or two before being allowed to take the tested subject.

In my mind, it is bordering on educational malpractice to put the students into classes where they cannot be successful because they have not yet mastered the prerequisites.

Most of the students who are really college-bound have A's or B's. They are increasingly expressing frustration about their classmates who are becoming more disruptive due to being in a class where they cannot understand what is expected of them.

I nearly do a back flip trying to ensure that my students have every opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge and demonstrate mastery:
I have after school tutorial sessions at least twice a week.

I am available before school for about half an hour every day.

Students may also come in during my planning period (if I get one--another gripe for another day).

I offer unlimited retakes on performance tests and I hold written tests for a week to allow for students to get help or study and finish them later.

I gave them their exam over two days so that there would be no excuses about being tired from doing the district's mock-up of the state tests, which are untimed and may last well over four hours for a test that is designed to take two-hours.

My grading system ensures that students will have a passing daily grade as long as they don't miss any assignments.
Most of the students who are failing have missed at least one test, are scoring low on daily assignments, and have not come to tutoring. I don't know what else to do.

My concern is with the administration at both the school and district level. It would be obvious that putting ALL students in the band or on the basketball team would be inappropriate. Different students have different aptitudes and interests, as well as widely varying background knowledge and skills. Most people would agree that requiring a physically disabled child to run hurdles would be cruel if the child did not specifically seek out that challenge. So why is my district so eager to put mentally challenged children in Algebra 2, Chemistry, and Spanish when they cannot yet read, write, or do math on a sixth-grade level?

In my opinion, this practice will only increase the drop-out rate, as students are denied the opportunity to learn what they believe will help them in life and are instead forced to take classes where the subject matter is boring and incomprehensible. It does no good to raise standards if you don't first meet the children where they are and help them bridge the gap.

I teach in an inner-city school where the population is nearly 100% free/reduced lunch, mostly having single parents who had their first child in middle or high school, where about 20% of the students become parents themselves before graduation, and where the graduating class is about a fourth as large as when they entered as freshmen. (I am teaching increasingly large numbers of students whose parents were in my classes less than 18 years ago when I began at this school. It's distressing to see how many of them have not been able to break the cycle of generational poverty.)

I would like to hear from others who may be in a similar situation or where a workable compromise has been reached.
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Old 10-22-2010, 07:52 PM
 
11,642 posts, read 23,832,402 times
Reputation: 12273
Quote:
Originally Posted by lhpartridge View Post
So, first term grades are in and nearly half of my students are failing my class.

The vast majority of them are taking my subject because the district has decided that ALL students are on the college track unless their parents sign them out and move them to the general track. All must meet the standards for entering the state university system, no matter what they plan to do after high school. This means advanced math and science and foreign language for every student, even those who have tested as EMR and who read on a fourth grade level, according to their IEPs.

I'm expecting to be questioned about the grades, and I'm going to explain that I'm trying to teach the students what a rigorous course is like and why rising to that level will help them succeed in college. I have expressed concern in the past about how to motivate students who didn't ask to take this subject, don't like it, won't need it, don't plan to go to college, and don't need it for graduation, as they can change to the general track the week of graduation if they fail to pass their college-track subjects. The administration did not have an answer, much less any strategies, for teaching advanced subjects to students who have no interest or aptitude, poor prerequisite skills, and serious academic and cognitive challenges.

It seems clear to me that the most of the students who are failing should not have been put in the class until they had received the necessary remediation from the district that would enable them to be successful. Being at least on a seventh-grade level would help, but over half of our students also failed the state English exam given to sophomores. Nearly as many failed the Algebra exam, even though they have been put in remedial math for a year or two before being allowed to take the tested subject.

In my mind, it is bordering on educational malpractice to put the students into classes where they cannot be successful because they have not yet mastered the prerequisites.

Most of the students who are really college-bound have A's or B's. They are increasingly expressing frustration about their classmates who are becoming more disruptive due to being in a class where they cannot understand what is expected of them.

I nearly do a back flip trying to ensure that my students have every opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge and demonstrate mastery:
I have after school tutorial sessions at least twice a week.

I am available before school for about half an hour every day.

Students may also come in during my planning period (if I get one--another gripe for another day).

I offer unlimited retakes on performance tests and I hold written tests for a week to allow for students to get help or study and finish them later.

I gave them their exam over two days so that there would be no excuses about being tired from doing the district's mock-up of the state tests, which are untimed and may last well over four hours for a test that is designed to take two-hours.

My grading system ensures that students will have a passing daily grade as long as they don't miss any assignments.
Most of the students who are failing have missed at least one test, are scoring low on daily assignments, and have not come to tutoring. I don't know what else to do.

My concern is with the administration at both the school and district level. It would be obvious that putting ALL students in the band or on the basketball team would be inappropriate. Different students have different aptitudes and interests, as well as widely varying background knowledge and skills. Most people would agree that requiring a physically disabled child to run hurdles would be cruel if the child did not specifically seek out that challenge. So why is my district so eager to put mentally challenged children in Algebra 2, Chemistry, and Spanish when they cannot yet read, write, or do math on a sixth-grade level?

In my opinion, this practice will only increase the drop-out rate, as students are denied the opportunity to learn what they believe will help them in life and are instead forced to take classes where the subject matter is boring and incomprehensible. It does no good to raise standards if you don't first meet the children where they are and help them bridge the gap.

I teach in an inner-city school where the population is nearly 100% free/reduced lunch, mostly having single parents who had their first child in middle or high school, where about 20% of the students become parents themselves before graduation, and where the graduating class is about a fourth as large as when they entered as freshmen. (I am teaching increasingly large numbers of students whose parents were in my classes less than 18 years ago when I began at this school. It's distressing to see how many of them have not been able to break the cycle of generational poverty.)

I would like to hear from others who may be in a similar situation or where a workable compromise has been reached.
College for everyone is one of those ideas that sounds great when politicians deliver it in a speech. After all, who isn't for a better education for everyone? But the reality is that not every student is capable of college level work and not every student has the desire to go to college.

The end result of policies like this is that none of the students get what they need.
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Old 10-22-2010, 08:50 PM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,214,150 times
Reputation: 27718
One suggestion is to contact their parents and explain their grades and the different tracks they can take. Maybe the parents aren't aware that they have a choice. Maybe the kids aren't aware that they have a choice.

Other than that you're kinda stuck with what you have.
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Old 10-23-2010, 09:55 AM
 
73 posts, read 73,741 times
Reputation: 34
It borders on the criminal how college has been oversold in the USA.

Mainly as a diversion for the masses as elites shipped real jobs elsewhere.
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Old 10-25-2010, 06:16 AM
 
Location: USA - midwest
5,944 posts, read 5,567,780 times
Reputation: 2606
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buffchik View Post
It borders on the criminal how college has been oversold in the USA.

Mainly as a diversion for the masses as elites shipped real jobs elsewhere.

^^^
This!
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Old 10-25-2010, 06:25 AM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,131,722 times
Reputation: 10691
I think in your situation the problem lies with NCLB and the focus on testing. There is no possible way kids can pass these tests if they aren't exposed to the concepts so they stick everyone in advanced classes and hope they pass. Being an inner city school you are more at risk for losing funding because of this stupid program in NCLB.

I see nothing wrong with requiring kids to take these classes as long as it is presented at appropriate levels. Our school requires chemistry for all kids-the severely disabled kids attend another school in our district so they are not included in these requirements. You can take general chemistry, which is taught from the same book, has fewer labs and spends several days on one chapter. You can take honors chemistry that works from the same book, has more labs but doesn't spend as much time on each chapter. You can take AP chemistry which moves almost at the pace of a college level class and is mostly lab work and expects the kids to do most of their reading at home. We also have a CIS (College in School) class that is a college class that dual counts for high school credits and college credits.

I guess if you expect more out of kids you will get more and exposing them to concepts and ideas that are slightly beyond them is how kids learn and grow academically.
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