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Started By
Message
Spinoff: Grade changes in places other than EBR
Posted on 5/11/14 at 8:28 am
Posted on 5/11/14 at 8:28 am
My one year experience at a "B" rated school:
Teacher (new to this school)institutes classroom rules and expectations for quality of work.
Students don't like it.
Students complain to school administration (many of whom exaggerate/lie about the class/teacher).
Administrator talks to teacher - makes excuses for students. Scolds teacher.
RESULT - students have classroom expectations lowered. Teachers authority is permanently undermined by administrators. Students do not perform well in class through semester.
End of semester:
Teacher submits final grades. Class averages in low to mid 70's.
Administration raises all final semester grades without consulting with teacher (a violation of LA state statute).
Teacher discovers the grade changes when a parent contacts through email to question her daughters grade.
Teacher confronts the administration with disapproval of the grade changes and the way they did it - totally bypassing the teacher.
Administration deflects and blames teacher citing numerous student and parent complaints - but in the name of "confidentiality" won't reveal to the teacher who complained. Principal resorts to personal insults and accusations toward teacher.
Admits to authorizing grade changes because there were "too many D's".
After a few weeks with no resolution - teacher takes it to Parish Asst. Superintendent who, after a few traded emails, tells teacher to take the issue back to the school administration.
Principal observes the teacher for the second semester - score drops by almost a full point (4 points possible).
Teachers contract not renewed.
Teacher takes issue to Superintendent.
Parish HR rejects complaint due to official policy - filed in a password protected area of parish website - stating that teacher had only 5 days after initial complaint to principal to take it to the next level. (Basically, a "ignorance of the law is no excuse" excuse).
HR justified grade changes anyway due to another policy - if 30% or more of students fail a test, the test must be thrown out, the material retaught, and the students retested. Since there was no time to reteach and retest after issuing the mid-term exam (due to Christmas and the end of the semester), the mid-term exam (15% of the final grade) could not count against the students. (They ignore the part of the policy which states that if the teacher can prove to the administration the material was taught appropriately then the test will count...).
Students are aware of this testing policy.
Teachers SLT (evaluation) is based on this test - a test students know can be thrown out if 30% of them fail it.
What about students who studied and earned a passing or even an A on the mid-term exam? School system says sometimes "things just aren't fair".
In the end:
School administrators broke the law.
Students have higher grades than they should have.
Parish Policy is more concerned about time limits than integrity of grades.
Teacher is thrown out.
School:
Denham Springs High School
Subject: Chemistry
I post this as a public service - many people spend money to move east of BR for supposedly better schools. Be careful.
Teacher (new to this school)institutes classroom rules and expectations for quality of work.
Students don't like it.
Students complain to school administration (many of whom exaggerate/lie about the class/teacher).
Administrator talks to teacher - makes excuses for students. Scolds teacher.
RESULT - students have classroom expectations lowered. Teachers authority is permanently undermined by administrators. Students do not perform well in class through semester.
End of semester:
Teacher submits final grades. Class averages in low to mid 70's.
Administration raises all final semester grades without consulting with teacher (a violation of LA state statute).
Teacher discovers the grade changes when a parent contacts through email to question her daughters grade.
Teacher confronts the administration with disapproval of the grade changes and the way they did it - totally bypassing the teacher.
Administration deflects and blames teacher citing numerous student and parent complaints - but in the name of "confidentiality" won't reveal to the teacher who complained. Principal resorts to personal insults and accusations toward teacher.
Admits to authorizing grade changes because there were "too many D's".
After a few weeks with no resolution - teacher takes it to Parish Asst. Superintendent who, after a few traded emails, tells teacher to take the issue back to the school administration.
Principal observes the teacher for the second semester - score drops by almost a full point (4 points possible).
Teachers contract not renewed.
Teacher takes issue to Superintendent.
Parish HR rejects complaint due to official policy - filed in a password protected area of parish website - stating that teacher had only 5 days after initial complaint to principal to take it to the next level. (Basically, a "ignorance of the law is no excuse" excuse).
HR justified grade changes anyway due to another policy - if 30% or more of students fail a test, the test must be thrown out, the material retaught, and the students retested. Since there was no time to reteach and retest after issuing the mid-term exam (due to Christmas and the end of the semester), the mid-term exam (15% of the final grade) could not count against the students. (They ignore the part of the policy which states that if the teacher can prove to the administration the material was taught appropriately then the test will count...).
Students are aware of this testing policy.
Teachers SLT (evaluation) is based on this test - a test students know can be thrown out if 30% of them fail it.
What about students who studied and earned a passing or even an A on the mid-term exam? School system says sometimes "things just aren't fair".
In the end:
School administrators broke the law.
Students have higher grades than they should have.
Parish Policy is more concerned about time limits than integrity of grades.
Teacher is thrown out.
School:
Denham Springs High School
Subject: Chemistry
I post this as a public service - many people spend money to move east of BR for supposedly better schools. Be careful.
10
Posted on 5/11/14 at 8:32 am to EST
I believe. Mobile, Al - teacher told to pass certain student or it could effect her career. Teacher resigns and moves to private school to teach.
Posted on 5/11/14 at 8:34 am to EST
I'd rather you didn't hide behind the notion that you're doing something benevolent.
I actually took chemistry at Denham Springs, so unless you tell me this happened recently or 20 years ago, you're full of shite.
ETA: want to give me a cite on that state statute?
I actually took chemistry at Denham Springs, so unless you tell me this happened recently or 20 years ago, you're full of shite.
ETA: want to give me a cite on that state statute?
This post was edited on 5/11/14 at 8:36 am
Posted on 5/11/14 at 8:41 am to EST
How were you involved in this experience? Were you a teacher, student, parent? When did this happen?
Posted on 5/11/14 at 8:43 am to sec13rowBBseat28
He might answer, but I suspect this is an extremely one-sided story without any substance.
Posted on 5/11/14 at 8:45 am to FalseProphet
I think this happened recently, and he was the teacher IIRC. The OP started a thread about it a few months ago asking for others' experience with a principal overriding grades.
This post was edited on 5/11/14 at 8:46 am
Posted on 5/11/14 at 8:47 am to Dorothy
We always here how the teachers never get any support from the administration and how their hands are tied. Why don't teachers speak out to the media about things like this?
Posted on 5/11/14 at 9:14 am to sec13rowBBseat28
quote:
Why don't teachers speak out to the media about things like this?
The world of education can be a small one--especially when you're branded a troublemaker by administrators.
Posted on 5/11/14 at 9:24 am to FalseProphet
quote:
He might answer, but I suspect this is an extremely one-sided story without any substance.
I taught in both EBR and Livingston during my years teaching, I will definitely call BS on this story.
Posted on 5/11/14 at 9:34 am to sec13rowBBseat28
quote:
We always here how the teachers never get any support from the administration and how their hands are tied. Why don't teachers speak out to the media about things like this?
We see an example in the OP and the responses have been overwhelmingly "you're full of shite". I'ld like to see an investigation into this to get the full story (because I can see how it could be true as well as how it could be bullshite), but it's not going to happen because it's really not that big of a news item.
Posted on 5/11/14 at 10:01 am to Bard
If only the teachers had a union to help fight these kinds of problems.
If stories like the one in the op are true, they have themselves to blame for allowing it to continue to happen and for not speaking out. There's no way in hell I could work in an environment like that and not do something about it.
If stories like the one in the op are true, they have themselves to blame for allowing it to continue to happen and for not speaking out. There's no way in hell I could work in an environment like that and not do something about it.
Posted on 5/11/14 at 10:02 am to sec13rowBBseat28
quote:Your question by itself proves how naive and out of touch with reality you are.
Why don't teachers speak out to the media about things like this?
If a teacher went to the media to complain about his school or system administration, that teacher would be blackballed, not only in that system but most likely statewide.
For a teacher to go to the media, it would have to be a case where the person has decided to change professions.
quote:So sad.....especially in a thread about education.
We always here how
Posted on 5/11/14 at 10:10 am to LSURussian
quote:So they should just keep their mouth shut and just take it. Not surprised to hear you say that.
If a teacher went to the media to complain about his school or system administration, that teacher would be blackballed, not only in that system but most likely statewide.
For a teacher to go to the media, it would have to be a case where the person has decided to change professions.
Posted on 5/11/14 at 10:13 am to CollegeFBRules
quote:
I taught in both EBR and Livingston during my years teaching, I will definitely call BS on this story.
Didn't know you taught school - when? what subject?
I taught high school math for the past 11 years - retired in Oct because I couldn't do proper diligence to all the new red tape involved with converting to the common core standards and still do justice to my students.
I always had too many 'Fs' and Ds - but nobody ever changed one. I was told by my principals that it was illegal for them to change any grade. I did change one of them for non-academic reasons and I won't go any further than that. I was not harassed to do it - just presented with some personal information.
I refused to change any other grade where I felt much more 'pressure' than on the one I did change. I never felt real harassment nor reprisals over the issue.
Any principal who would actually change a grade without the teacher's approval would be playing with his job, imho.
Loved the classroom experience - hated the red tape.
This post was edited on 5/11/14 at 10:14 am
Posted on 5/11/14 at 10:17 am to EST
My father taught for nearly 30 years. In the last ten years he took a job teaching gifted and talented classes and he loved it. His final year, they cut back the program, so he went back to teaching regular classes. He retired a year later, because he couldn't stand the culture anymore. I hadn't heard stories of grades being changed, but according to him, the discipline was non-existent. Schools were against suspending or expelling students because it negatively affected the grade of the school. He had no recourse if a student was acting up. If he sent them to the principals office, they were just sent back to the classroom. Schools are failing because they are desperately trying to keep up the facade that they are doing better. I went from watching my dad make the final three for teacher of the year in the entire state, to quitting mid-year to take a private sector job after a long career because of this.
Posted on 5/11/14 at 10:19 am to sec13rowBBseat28
quote:And I'm not surprised that your critical thinking ability is so weak that you wrote the above statement thinking it was a logical conclusion to be made from my post.
So they should just keep their mouth shut and just take it.
A teacher going to the media to complain, which is what you wrote a teacher should do, is one of the stupidest statements I've ever read on here (or maybe I should spell it 'hear' to make you feel comfortable).
Your statement is Spidey or Sleeping Tiger worthy, in fact.
This post was edited on 5/11/14 at 10:20 am
Posted on 5/11/14 at 10:22 am to LSURussian
quote:Well, I disagree. Seems the media is the only thing the school admins are afraid of. If a teacher has gone through all of the proper channels, why not try the media. The teacher can always remain anonymous.
A teacher going to the media to complain, which is what you wrote a teacher should do, is one of the stupidest statements I've ever read on here
Instead of blasting me, how about you tell us what you think they should do.
This post was edited on 5/11/14 at 11:07 am
Posted on 5/11/14 at 11:13 am to sec13rowBBseat28
Some have spoken out in the media.
WAFB just did an expose' with teachers speaking in anonymity .
See the WAFB thread for link
WAFB just did an expose' with teachers speaking in anonymity .
See the WAFB thread for link
Posted on 5/11/14 at 11:16 am to sec13rowBBseat28
quote:
The teacher can always remain anonymous.
Do you really think a teacher complaining about a specific situation like this is going to remain anonymous?
Also, you're a little confused about how teachers unions work in non-union states. Unions function more as professional liability carriers than anything else. There are no contracts between schools and unions; thus, unions don't have much teeth (except as a voting/special interest bloc) in right-to-work states.
This post was edited on 5/11/14 at 11:23 am
Posted on 5/11/14 at 11:16 am to doubleb
quote:There's no way in hell that can be true. Because Russian said:
Some have spoken out in the media.
WAFB just did an expose' with teachers speaking in anonymity .
quote:
teacher going to the media to complain, which is what you wrote a teacher should do, is one of the stupidest statements I've ever read on here
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