From a reader,
There is definitely district pressure to counsel non-grad 4th year high school students to the alternative high schools so that they don't hurt our graduation rate.
Students affected are usually students who didn't come to school and when they do, they can be behavior problems. Many have been beat down by the emphasis on testing and the direct effect on meeting graduation requirements.
Being in a traditional high school setting doesn't work for them, and for some, the flexibility of the alternative settings has worked for them. FSCJ used to have a great program, Pathways, that not only graduated students but prepared for work after high school. Unfortunately, FSCJ cut the program to focus exclusively on post-secondary education.
As long as school grades are based partly on 4 year gradation rate, the schools will continue to push the non-grads out to help their graduation rate.
The main emphasis for the district is to save the Ivory Towers jobs by encouraging schools to counsel these non-grads out. Little regard is given as to whether or not this practice benefits the affected students.
There is definitely district pressure to counsel non-grad 4th year high school students to the alternative high schools so that they don't hurt our graduation rate.
Students affected are usually students who didn't come to school and when they do, they can be behavior problems. Many have been beat down by the emphasis on testing and the direct effect on meeting graduation requirements.
Being in a traditional high school setting doesn't work for them, and for some, the flexibility of the alternative settings has worked for them. FSCJ used to have a great program, Pathways, that not only graduated students but prepared for work after high school. Unfortunately, FSCJ cut the program to focus exclusively on post-secondary education.
As long as school grades are based partly on 4 year gradation rate, the schools will continue to push the non-grads out to help their graduation rate.
The main emphasis for the district is to save the Ivory Towers jobs by encouraging schools to counsel these non-grads out. Little regard is given as to whether or not this practice benefits the affected students.
Yet another way that administrators care about numbers and not students.
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