The Dumbing Down of "Big D"

There really aren’t too many things that leave me speechless. However, I was stunned today to see the new grading policy that the Dallas ISD has approved for the coming school year. Nothing the Dallas ISD does should surprise any of us anymore but this new grading policy is a new low for one of the worst school districts in the state and, probably, the country.

According to an article written by Kent Fischer, and published this morning in the Dallas Morning News, the DISD has passed standardized grading guidelines that will not punish students for late work, failure to turn in homework, or failing tests. That’s right, folks. This year in the DISD your child can refuse to do his homework, fail his tests, miss all his deadlines, and still expect to pass with flying colors. Some highlights, or lowlights, if you prefer, of the new DISD policy read like this:

•Homework grades should be given only when the grades will "raise a student's average, not lower it."

•Teachers must accept overdue assignments, and their principal will decide whether students are to be penalized for missing deadlines.

•Students who flunk tests can retake the exam and keep the higher grade.

•Teachers cannot give a zero on an assignment unless they call parents and make "efforts to assist students in completing the work."

Isn’t that just wonderful? How great is it that only homework that raises a student average is allowed to count? Where was this policy when I was struggling in Trig in high school? Hey, here’s a question…how do you get an average in the first place if, say, little Johnny fails to ever turn in an assignment to start with?

I see complete disaster looming for the classroom teacher here. It is already next to impossible to get rid of trouble makers that destroy the learning environment. Now, if the kids are not even required to do their assignments, what are teachers going to use to keep a disciplined and orderly classroom environment? They’ve got nothing and don’t think that the kids won’t know it. I also see huge repercussions in athletics. How does the UIL deal with students that are allowed to remain eligible in Dallas who never turn in an assignment? Hey, who cares as long as our QB stays eligible, right?

The shame of all this is that it is really damaging to minority students. The DISD is less than 10% white. What DISD officials are saying is that they believe black and Hispanic students can’t do the same work as their white counterparts. They have decided to lower the standards for these kids when exactly the opposite is what is needed. I’m no fan of the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world but, in my opinion, THIS is the sort of thing that should protested long and loud. By having not just low but NO expectations for these kids, the DISD is only sending the message that “you can’t do it” and “we’ve given up on you”.

I fully understand many of the issues facing the DISD. I, myself, teach in a school district where the combined minority population makes up the majority of students. Often, there is a parenting malaise that is hard to overcome. Many times, school is seen as just a place to deposit the kids for 6-8 hours a day. The importance of education just is not stressed in many of these homes. That may not be politically correct to say but it is true. These factors are difficult to combat. Giving up, however, is not the answer. All the DISD has done is ensure that these kids will be asking, “Do you want fries with that?” for the rest of their lives.

My best...