Last week, the New York City Department of Education announced a new grading system for all schools under their domain. It's got everyone's panties in a twist. Well, not everyone's. If your school got an A you're probably pretty happy. But our school, our beloved school, the one that has a really wonderful student population and a fantastic leadership in it's principal and vice-principal received a D. (And yes, I fully realize that a wonderful student body and great principal don't automatically make a school worth an A grade).
There have been meetings. Notices sent home explaining the harebrained way they figured out this grade. Reassurances. More notices. A packet from the DOE that we picked up at Parent-Teacher conference this week explaining this whole thing in further detail.
And the thing about these explanations is that I still can't figure out how they arrived at their D grade. I have a basic understanding of it but not a real working knowledge. And the explanations are so dry they make my open-enrollment material from work seem like a real page turner.
The one thing I've learned from this is that schools earning three C's in a row or a D will "face consequences." Is this what they mean?
"Remember when we had a warm classroom and running water?"
Classes held in a cave in China (via Reuters).
There have been meetings. Notices sent home explaining the harebrained way they figured out this grade. Reassurances. More notices. A packet from the DOE that we picked up at Parent-Teacher conference this week explaining this whole thing in further detail.
And the thing about these explanations is that I still can't figure out how they arrived at their D grade. I have a basic understanding of it but not a real working knowledge. And the explanations are so dry they make my open-enrollment material from work seem like a real page turner.
The one thing I've learned from this is that schools earning three C's in a row or a D will "face consequences." Is this what they mean?
"Remember when we had a warm classroom and running water?"Classes held in a cave in China (via Reuters).
3 Comments:
Don't feel bad. Our school, which is supposed to be one of the best on the Island, received a D too. I don't understand how they were graded either. I think the whole thing sucks.
I went online and sent you what I hope helps you understand the grading. My school got a C (my principal said it was a high C which is supposedly better than a low C). If you're satisfied with the administration,the teachers and the way the school is run then I wouldn't worry too much about the D. One thing I could tell you... this year the principals were allowed to choose to enpower the schools. There were a few different choices and my principal chose to enpower our school herself. This allows her to do pretty much what she wants to do. Yesterday she made an announement that we are no longer using balanced literacy and will be teaching phonics the way it needs to be taught and that in January we will be getting Basal readers and will go back to the basics. Finally! This is how we learned to read and was a good system. Why the Dept of Ed chose to F*** with it is beyond me and many of my colleagues. Ok let me get off my soap box.
Marilyn, I was so happy you weighed in on this matter since you are on the front lines. Going to read your email now....
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