School's Out?

Tim Lincecum makes his Sad City debut

Here at Sad City we get a good deal of interesting emails that run a gamut of topics.  Tips, people who want to be contributors, ideas for posts, people wanting us to review/read stuff, invites to check out craft fairs, people with other blogs, people with Hartford stories, etc, etc, etc.  In time they all get read, and while we probably forget to reply sometimes, we do try. Once in a while we will get a really juicy tip that requires a follow up.

Last week we got an email of just that sort regarding the Hartford Schools grading system.  The Hartford School system (like many other urban schools) is no stranger to controversy.  The most recent blowup occurred in late February when Mayor Segarra waited until the 11th hour to question the selection of a new school superintendent.  Just another day in Hartford politics.

Anyway the email we received has to do with the grading system in Hartford schools and involves mandatory average bumps and how students have learned to game the system in a way no doubt many shortsighted teenagers would.  Why wouldn't they? The whole education system they have been brought up in is one concerned with "juking the stats" and meeting rate goals.  The main thing many have learned from the system is the most important thing is how to work the system to meet the minimum standards.

Email to the Mayor's Office was referred to contacts at the Hartford School system.  Multiple emails to the Hartford Schools contacts were not replied to. The verbatim email follows;

"The Hartford schools have a new computer program called Power School. The program tracks everything; attendance, grades, GPA, etc.  Teachers set up their grade book by entering assignments and giving each assignment a weight toward the final grade.  (For example homework could be 20%, classwork 20%, quizzes 20% and exams 40%.)  The program keeps a running average for each student.  However, just before the marking period ended in January teachers were instructed to go into the program and manually override the average of every student receiving a failing grade to a minimum of 55.

Students who never show up to class receive a 55.  Students have figured out that in a four marking period course they must earn a 75 one marking period to pass the course.  Then they do not have to return to class.  In a two making period course they must ear a 65 during one marking period to pass the course.

This improves the graduation rate doesn't it?  Makes Adamowski look good doesn't it?"