Reply to Not Ward 3 - What changes are you looking for so that you would want to attend local school

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Here's my list. Just two points.

1. Teaching at grade level. Currently Kramer MS (my IB) teaches below grade level.
You can achieve teaching at grade level only if you:
a) do not promote to next level kids who do not show basic level skills at the end of the year. This would turn in keeping in current level about 25% of kids each year on average.
b) introduce a two-level teaching at least for Math and English (Math and test-in advanced Math/ English and test-in advanced English)

2. Enhanced security. Full-time professional security officer on duty. Camcorders in main common areas and lockers.

Parent IB for Kramer MS[/quote]

Please read again my message (above) if you are truly interested in the topic of this thread. Not only did I state what we want, but also said measure that parents of proficient students in Ward 8 have identified are requested since so many years... 
For political reasons, and against good sense and teaching/learning basic principles, DCPS has never supported or introduced the measures I mentioned a) & b). Teachers are often intimidated by parents (and sometimes kids in HS) and just let them move to next grade level to avoid confrontation.

DCPS introduced DC-CAS but has never enforced the common sense principle that all kids "below basic" in, let's say English and Math,  should not move up to the next grade. Decision is delegated to teachers and Principals, who have little incentives to get kids to repeat the school year (they do not want to confront the parents; they do not want to keep in the school for more than the due years the lower performing kids -- who are often disruptive too) .

DCPS should get rid of political conditioning and take a stand on this matter: "Below basic" students (in Math & English) should not be allowed to move up to the next grade. Since they are instead allowed to move up, in schools like Kramer where the "Below basic" are about 25% of the student population, the consequence is only one: the following year class will teach below grade level.

The good and proficient students are unprotected in our schools. "Below basic"  are allowed to progress to the next level. At the same time, honor advanced separate classes for proficient/advanced students are not introduced...

Hope this helps to understand what we (my partner and I; the parents of proficient kids from my neighborhood) think: we either want DCPS to take a stand against the malpractice of allowing "Below basic" students to progress; or we want advanced/honor separate classes for our proficient kids.

[/quote]

The problem with this (and let me be clear that I 100% understand your frustration) is that the only thing worse than social promotion is not promoting kids socially.  It's tragic when students graduate from HS and can barely read at a 4th grade level.  However, it's even worse when they drop out.  And being held back a year, not advancing with his (or her) peers is almost a guarantee that the student will drop out.  A barely literate HS graduate can eventually get a job as a grocery checker or gas station attendant.  Is it a path to college?  No, but it's a job.  A HS dropout is a criminal waiting to happen.

This isn't my opinion, this is reality.  [/quote]

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