Tallahassee blew up
today as they decided truth in advertising was not important. For the second
year in a row they made it so schools that drop can only do so one letter
grade. But that’s not all look at what the state board members, who voted
against the deception are saying.
From the Tampa Times: Board members Sally Bradshaw, John
Padget and Kathleen Shanahan opposed the measure.
"I don't understand when it became acceptable to disguise
and manipulate the truth simply because the truth is uncomfortable,"
Bradshaw, a former chief of staff to Jeb Bush, said in opposition to the
recommendation.
Vice chairman Padget joined Bradshaw's point of view.
"A C is a C. It's not a B," Padget said, stating he
supports truth in advertising.
Shanahan worried that the grading system had lost its meaning
under multiple changes to the formula. She suggested the time had come for
major revisions.
"We've overcomplicated the model, and I don't think it's a
statistically valid model" any more, Shanahan said, questioning the
reliability of the grades. http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/florida-board-of-education-approves-school-grade-formula-change-again/2131681
This is the same system that is for vouchers, merit
pay, charter schools and odious teacher evaluations. Florida is broke friends
and needs a complete overhaul.
Like it or not, our current school grading system is a creature of politics. We would like to think that we can lay down the gauntlet with 'failing' schools, but we quickly retreat when we realize that sanctions produce a real set of consequences. We have already seen that happens when we shuffle students from failing schools into schools that receive higher grades. In spite of our claim to support rigorous standards, we opt to change the rubric to avoid having to close schools or move students to other schools.
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