Lowest Common Denominator

No this is not a math class....this is the current trend of things in too may schools across both Texas and the nation.

In a knee jerk reaction to low performance on state mandated tests as well as drop out rates, schools are jumping on every possible solution regardless of whether it is practical - logical - or proven.

10% of all students are not doing homework ...... response - give them a longer day with more classes and study hall and expect a change in results.
RESULT:
Sounds to me like the 90% taking care of things just got punished for doing what was right.

Low scores on state mandated tests - so eliminate honors class for the high performing students - dump them in a class being taught to the level of the weakest student so you can claim you are covering every objective for the state test with every single student. Never mind that you are short changing the group of students most likely to graduate from a university. Do not challenge them so they are really ready for the first days at a 4 year university. This writer awards the AnalRetentive Master award to multiple school boards in the state of Texas following this asinine pattern of reasoning.

And because every single student in the entire system always is perfect and always cares and always put 100% effort into it, then any score below passing on a state mandated test is 100% the fault of the teacher.

With the requirements for being certified in critical areas like math - physics - chemistry - biology already very tough in Texas and only a few classes from a degree in these areas and at least $10k to 15K more in the business world,

The in vogue thing is to blame all failures in these subjects on the teachers.

Gee Einsteins...... lets see how this works ..... take the jobs the hardest to fill in public schools.....and usually filled by people who want to teach.......lay all the blame on them....all the while paying at least 10k less than what many of them would make in the business world.

And the geniuses in Austin and in Obamacation can't understand why every university in the state is not graduating scores of new math and science teachers.

Please someone invent a drug that induces common sense. Then lets spray every TEA employee, every state legislator, the governor, every superintendent, principal, and every school board member with it .

Sadly public education reasoning has become like the IRS and the old fashioned outhouse.

It is all about the paperwork....and most of it is crammed full of crap

Battle Lines

Time to start watching your state office holders and letting them know you want the technology requirement for graduation to be reinstated. Do not let them tell you they do not know about it. It passed UNANIMOUSLY despite the reassurances they gave some letter writers. Let them know you are willing to vote them out of office. Maybe we need to vote them out and make it clear that dumbing down the educational requirements for graduation benefits NO ONE!!

Sadly Perry was not beaten in the primaries. We can not count on him to help education since he signed HB3 despite the email and phone calls to his office.

(I will be reposting that number if/when the bill passes to him that repeals the previous stupidity)

Later we will address the stupidity of the end of course testing.

The Dumbing Down of Texas Education

Well the governor despite letters - emails - phone calls from across the state chose to sign HB3 into law on Friday June 19th. Health and freshman speech teachers will have to work to keep their jobs as their is no longer a requirement to teach either.

Now a student has to understand and choose to take the college prep route. Students can completely fill a schedule with music art and drama while preparing little for college. Vocational programs benefit from the CTE parts of the bill but still fall short of funding or enough teachers to go around.

In a rush to give the students free choice...catering to desires instead of needs, we will have students graduating into a technology driven workplace that have never been required to work with technology or take a technology class regardless of whether was Microsoft Office training , basic Web Design, Animation, Video Production, Desktop Publishing or even Computer Programming.

Couple this with the number of middle schools eliminating GT math and science classes and the result is college prep students who milk their schedule will still be anywhere from 6 to 9 hours less college credit upon high school graduation than the seniors were 5 years ago.

Lets see - less credits earned- Yes- this qualifies as dumbing down even the GT kids.

Yes you read it right - there are multiple middle schools across the state dumbing down and eliminating any type of advance /honors/Gt classes in grades 6-8. This is not what is coming - this is what has already happened. To protect sources, I will simply say I know of multiple schools where GT in the middle school is GONE. Administrators not wanting to have to work out a schedule - have turned back to all core subject classes being a one size fits all. Not a great idea when you are preparing students for high school and are lowering the standards to the lower students when there is a fast approaching spell of state mandated subject level tests. In some middle schools - the word is lower the expectations across the board and get as many of them through as possible to High School. (pass the buck)

Some of these same middle schools have administrations telling them to take the technology classes and let the kids have fun - treat it like PE - if they show up give them 100. Yea - I am sure that is what the TEKS say. And they wonder why freshman struggle at the high school level.

Well lets see- they have dumbed down the material making the GT kids restless. Now those kids enter high school expecting to cruise through classes like they did in middle school - and when they hit a GT English or Math class - well - its like running their train into a brick wall. Then the entire group of freshman are in a situation where they may sign up for high school computer classes and then are upset when it is not a time for fun and games and playing on the internet.

Sounds to me like not only a lower level of education - but a higher risk of frustration, acting out , behavior problems and more.

Also leads to teachers leaving the profession as I witnessed directly when a medium size school lost an experience teacher in a core subject. The teacher did not get the support they deserved and a group of 10 or 11 students were allowed to run wild to the point the teacher left the profession. No administrator thought it through about breaking that core of 10 or 11 kids and holding the STUDENT accountable. No - the administrators saw this as a failure on the teacher's part despite her previous years record of a very high percentage of her students passing the state mandated test. Anyone who spent time with this teacher knew of their passion for teaching as well as their success at both high school and junior college level. Sadly that is a teacher lost now- in a critical subject area. The school lost out as well as the students who face that state test each year to come.

I know this - Austin needs someone to shake the stupidity out of the legislature. In 2010 - I intend to help vote some of it out of office - including the governor. Maybe a turnover in large numbers will remind those people.... They work for us.... Time to quit working against us.

So be prepared Austin - teachers are not going to go quietly into the night. Parents should read up and be aware of how education is going the wrong direction.