Students Can't Get an F at West Potomac High (schools, statistics)

[tgbwc]

I work at a FCPS elementary school and this was the topic of a lot of discussion the other day. Most did not think the policy was a good idea. One question people were wondering: Does the "Incomplete" grade eventually turn into an "F" if not completed? I just read the article and couldn't tell. The policy focuses on assignment which are not done satisfactorily. What about those that are not done at all? Does that student get a chance to "redo" something if not attempt was made the first time?

[Alicia Bradley]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

I work at a FCPS elementary school and this was the topic of a lot of discussion the other day. Most did not think the policy was a good idea. One question people were wondering: Does the "Incomplete" grade eventually turn into an "F" if not completed? I just read the article and couldn't tell. The policy focuses on assignment which are not done satisfactorily. What about those that are not done at all? Does that student get a chance to "redo" something if not attempt was made the first time?

At most colleges, it would just stay an "I" (which would mean the student would not get credit for the course and thus not be able to graduate, meet the requirements of a chosen major, or whatever). I mean, think about it (not talking to tgbwc specifically, here - just generally musing) - do you think they'd actually matriculate a high school student who had 'I's in courses (s)he needed to graduate?

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

Please, completing HS don't mean a thing nowadays. Two of my classmates from TC Williams have served time since graduating. Giving a thug an HS diploma makes them no more likely to do good than putting a Porsche emblem on my Honda Accord makes it perform like a Porsche.

Of course there are high school dropouts who lead successful lives, just like there are people with PhDs or law degrees who end up in prison. But when you calculate the numbers, people who drop out of high school are more likely to end up behind bars. You can argue cause and effect if you want, but the numbers are what they are.

High school graduates, on the other hand, provide both economic and social benefits to society. In addition to earning higher wages, which results in attendant benefits to local, state, and national economic conditions, high school graduates live longer (Muennig, 2005), are less likely to be teen parents (Haveman et al., 2001), and are more likely to raise healthier, better-educated children. In fact, children of parents who graduate from high school are themselves far more likely to graduate from high school than are children of parents without a high school degree (Wolfe & Haveman, 2002). High school graduates are also less likely to commit crimes (Raphael, 2004), rely on government health care (Muennig, 2005), or use other public services such as food stamps or housing assistance (Garfinkel et al., 2005). Additionally, high school graduates engage in civic activity, including voting and volunteering in their communities, at higher levels (Junn, 2005).

http://www.all4ed.org/files/archive/...s/HighCost.pdf

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by Caladium

The principal at West Potomac High School in Fairfax County has decided there will be no more 'F' grades at his school. Students will receive incompletes on assignments, allowing them a chance to redo work that would have received an F. The policy does not apply to seniors.

What do you think of this idea?

West Potomac students get chance to avoid

So basically they are saying it is okay not to turn in an assignment on time? If you don't turn in an assignment on time you get a reduced grade, if you don't turn it in at all you get an F, that was how it was when I was in school, there were no incompletes with a chance to do it over. Ridiculous and extremely unfair to the kids who are concerned about their grades and turning in their work in a timely manner. JMO

[JD984]

If I read correctly, the principal at West Potomac is relatively new; has advanced degrees in education; and had been an Assistant Principal at TJHSST prior to his appointment at West Potomac. I expect it would have been easier for him just to remain as an AP at TJ, where the administrators worry more about students over-extending themselves than failing their courses.

He comes to a school that has both a proud tradition and a lot of at risk students, and it appears that he's trying to do something to improve the retention rate at the school. I guess everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but perhaps others should walk in his shoes a while before they second-guess his willingness to try something different on a trial basis.

[claremarie]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

You can argue cause and effect if you want, but the numbers are what they are.

The numbers are what they are because failure to complete high school is a marker for a set of behavioral characteristics that are associated with adverse life outcomes. You can wave a magic wand and turn high school dropouts into high school graduates, but that's not necessarily going to transform those individuals into law-abiding, productive citizens.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by claremarie

The numbers are what they are because failure to complete high school is a marker for a set of behavioral characteristics that are associated with adverse life outcomes. You can wave a magic wand and turn high school dropouts into high school graduates, but that's not necessarily going to transform those individuals into law-abiding, productive citizens.

Of course--a piece of paper doesn't magically change behavior. However, a high school diploma is arguably a prerequisite for financial independence. Without that, there is practically zero chance of the student turning into a productive member of society.

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by claremarie

The numbers are what they are because failure to complete high school is a marker for a set of behavioral characteristics that are associated with adverse life outcomes. You can wave a magic wand and turn high school dropouts into high school graduates, but that's not necessarily going to transform those individuals into law-abiding, productive citizens.

[Yankeesfan]

Originally Posted by claremarie

The numbers are what they are because failure to complete high school is a marker for a set of behavioral characteristics that are associated with adverse life outcomes. You can wave a magic wand and turn high school dropouts into high school graduates, but that's not necessarily going to transform those individuals into law-abiding, productive citizens.

Yep.

[Yankeesfan]

Failing a class is actually pretty hard. You have to totally blow it off to do that badly. It's not like there are good kids all over the place who have a bad day that wrecks their total score. NOT failing more kids at younger ages is part of the problem -- kids who don't learn to read and write in elementary school get promoted to the next grade instead of being held back so they can learn what's needed.