Debate 10/6/08

There were many points, both good and bad, brought up in the debate at seminar this week. My position was a parent of a student who is low achieving. As a non-supporter of this plan, I feel that it will inhibit the learning of my student. As our group mentioned at seminar, grade inflation is one of our main concerns. With this, even if our low achieving students are improving in test scores they will not be looked at highly by colleges and therefore may not even get accepted into a college of their choice. Another problem I have with this plan is the two-year probation proposal for low-functioning schools. If you plan to hire a completely new administrative staff and faculty, how do you determine that the newly hired teachers will be any better than the previous ones? In connection with Woolfolk in Chapter 3, our students could be permanently harmed if you decide to hire a completely new staff. I also believe that holding our students back a grade if they do not meet the "standard" is invalid. Do you not think that acknowledging to the students themselves that they are "not smart enough" would make them feel stupid? There have been some cases when students who have worked with higher achieving students were better prepared later in their education. Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you are 100% sure that this plan will be successful? If you can't, I suggest not implementing it.