The following is from Teacherboy
Pratt-Dannals said: "They’re earning it. These aren’t give-me grades by any means." What utter nonsense!!! And Ed knows better.
These kids come to class bringing with them no supplies; but they are certainly armed with a culture of entitlement. "I need a pencil. Anyone has paper? Where's the Kleenex? I need a Band-Aid. Could I borrow an eraser? Have you guys heard the latest Beyonce song? My mom wants to know when I'm getting Grade Recovery." It is an unfortunate attitude that they have been allowed to develop over the years, so we ought not to be surprised that they are not prepared for college or the real world. They possess neither the requisite skills to succeed nor the will to improve, and do not care about being serious in the classroom. It's as simple as that.
With Grade Recovery, students no longer have to listen to the teacher, take notes, study them at home, complete homework assignments, prepare for exams, or answer questions in class. But here we have Kelly Coker-Daniels spewing foolishness like "That’s a statement that the teachers believe she is doing this work and holding the children accountable and making sure the mastery occurs.” Earth to Kelly: Mastery is NOT occurring, and the children are NOT being held responsible for ANYTHING!! Just like Ed, Kelly knows better .... but seems to be saying the right things to appease her boss.
These kids act like jerks, goof-off during class-time instruction, do not attend tutoring sessions, and expect to pass the course. So in order to avoid the extra headache, teachers simply give them a "C" and move on. That is what Grade Recovery has caused - social promotion. Nothing more!! If that were not true, I would not now have 9th graders who do not know that California is on the West coast, cannot add 3/4 + 1/5, and are unable to tell me that 1/2, 0.5, and 50% are really the same number. We have cultivated a society of dunces.
Grade Recovery ought to be reserved for the kids who have behaved, tried real hard, but simply cannot master the material in the stipulated time-frame. We should be helping THEM, not little Johnny who wastes time every single day, fools around, is always in trouble, produces no homework, takes no notes, is always tardy, does not attend tutoring, is disrespectful, disrupts the other students who want to learn, tries to be funny, skips class, and fails every exam.
By coddling these kids, this school board led by good old Ed is sending the wrong message to our children and their parents that actions have no consequences. It’s high time we rid ourselves of any board member who believes in Grade Recovery for every student. We are fast becoming the laughing stock of Florida and by extension, the United States. Shame on us!!
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-12-10/story/student-grade-recovery-increases-duval-teachers-question-its-message#comment-519814#ixzz1gE7qNsmB
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