At the July 26, 2009, Board Meeting, charges were made that information obtained in a FOIA request appeared to indicate that Manual High School has such an excessive absenteeism rate that grades for the 2010 graduating class appeared to have been padded.
These latest charges against Manual High School were made in an on going effort to encourage the BOE to discontinue the John Hopkins Program at Manual High School.
The Program is believed my some to be an indicator of lowering academic standards in the District. However, according to a statement District 150’s Superintendent recently made in a local business magazine, Manual is “going to continue with the John Hopkins Model”.
These latest charges against Manual High School were made in an on going effort to encourage the BOE to discontinue the John Hopkins Program at Manual High School.
The Program is believed my some to be an indicator of lowering academic standards in the District. However, according to a statement District 150’s Superintendent recently made in a local business magazine, Manual is “going to continue with the John Hopkins Model”.
3 comments:
Emerge, I am not certain that getting rid of the Johns Hopkins model will end the grade inflation. I believe those are two separate issues. However, I do believe that the attendance records of individual students matched with their grades should lead to some questioning about how such high grades can be earned with such poor attendance. Today or later this week I will send you the twelve pages of spread sheets that I compiled. The "raw" data would not provide a clear picture of the problem. I spent many hours compiling the data so that board members and administrators could form "informed" opinions about the problem--if they so choose.
I did have a lengthy visit with Sharon and Taunya Friday night. I was extremely happy to have the opportunity (that I should have created before and this time was a chance meeting) to clear the air. I sincerely mean (and I believe Sharon knew it before and knows it know)that my respect for her has not changed and I so wish that I agreed with Sharon about Manual--I would very much like to be "on the same page" with her. Professionally (not personally) we have a ways to go. (I don't mean to slight Taunya in these comments--it's just that Sharon and I had spent more moments of time together discussing 150, etc., up to the moment she became Manual's principal. Not that my opinion should matter to anyone but me--I know I have no official place in these decisions. And, no, that fact doesn't seem to deter me from spouting off on the subject. I will be anxious to learn what measuring stick Dr. Lathan will use to decide if Johns Hopkins is or is not working.
Sharon:
Have you gotten any feedback from BOE members on the information you provided?
Did you ask that the matter be put on the Agenda in an effort to start a formal investigation?
No, I have not received any feedback. No, it has never occurred to me to presume to have enough "whatever it takes" to have anything put on the agenda or to start a formal investigation. I gave all board members and all administrators at the last BOE meeting a copy of what I just sent you. If that data isn't enough to cause them to take some interest in the subject, I have to assume that they don't see a problem. Frankly, I really don't expect them to respond to me.
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