LA School Districts lowers standards to let failing students graduate

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
That is kind of my point. What is the point of passing them? It is a school ranking thing for them. This decision had nothing to do with the well being of the kids. They failed. If any of them have a brain at all, they realize they failed and that the administration is simply adjusting the scale to make them feel better.

Off the top of my head, your career prospects are WORLDS better with a high school diploma than without one. That's why so many end up getting a GED later in life. Better to just give them the diploma now so they can go on to be successful instead of letting them flounder about (possibly sink into criminality) before learning their lesson and going and getting a GED. Like I said, they passed all their classes.

I am tired of everyone needing to feel better. Maybe it's time the should TRY harder. Life isn't all smiles and rainbows, and if that is how they are being raised to graduate then even with a "passing" D grade they are in for a world of hurt when they realize nobody else they run into will give a second thought to their rainbows of idealism and bliss.....

Diplomas only unlock so many career opportunities, just because they were given a diploma, doesn't mean it will be smooth sailing from then on. Yes, I'm sure the district was trying to raise its failure rate, but like I said, it's a good call. Or at the least a neutral one. The students technically passed, so give them the diploma. They won't get into college with those grades anyways.

ETA: The better question should be, why was California punishing students for doing the bare minimum?

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
That is kind of my point. What is the point of passing them? It is a school ranking thing for them. This decision had nothing to do with the well being of the kids. They failed. If any of them have a brain at all, they realize they failed and that the administration is simply adjusting the scale to make them feel better.

Off the top of my head, your career prospects are WORLDS better with a high school diploma than without one. That's why so many end up getting a GED later in life. Better to just give them the diploma now so they can go on to be successful instead of letting them flounder about (possibly sink into criminality) before learning their lesson and going and getting a GED. Like I said, they passed all their classes.

I am tired of everyone needing to feel better. Maybe it's time the should TRY harder. Life isn't all smiles and rainbows, and if that is how they are being raised to graduate then even with a "passing" D grade they are in for a world of hurt when they realize nobody else they run into will give a second thought to their rainbows of idealism and bliss.....

Diplomas only unlock so many career opportunities, just because they were given a diploma, doesn't mean it will be smooth sailing from then on. Yes, I'm sure the district was trying to raise its failure rate, but like I said, it's a good call. Or at the least a neutral one. The students technically passed, so give them the diploma. They won't get into college with those grades anyways.

All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again. A diploma won't do jack for them once they are out in the world. If they can't "pass" to graduate, the employers that look for a diploma will likely not hire, or fire them shortly after hiring once they realize that they are not smart enough to do the job.

What is sad is that these kids are not held to higher standards earlier in life so that they are NOT set up for failure when it comes time for graduation.

These guys are just putting a band-aid on their failure to teach these kids, all the way up to the age of a 22 year old still not graduating from high-school. They need to put their focus on the younger generation and teach them to care enough to try harder and be successful.

This is simply another case of those that fail are given a pass to fail some more.....

a reply to: Vasa Croe

All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again.

Maybe, maybe not.

Not everyone is great in school, doesn't mean they will fail in life.
Wonder how many of these graduates are going to go into the military, or get construction jobs.

Or who will go into a community college for a couple years and be able to mature and do school right.

Do we want to close the doors on them or keep some open?

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again.

Maybe, maybe not.

Not everyone is great in school, doesn't mean they will fail in life.
Wonder how many of these graduates are going to go into the military, or get construction jobs.

Or who will go into a community college for a couple years and be able to mature and do school right.

Do we want to close the doors on them or keep some open?

I didn't say close the door on them. I said hold them to higher standards. If they choose to fail then that is their choice and they live with the consequences of that choice.

What I said is I am tired of having to make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Just because at the end of what is supposed to be their schooling, they suddenly feel bad that they are failing does not justify changing the rules. Sorry kiddo....you had 12, and in some cases 16, years to get this right. I am all for giving someone a second chance, but not changing the rules just to make them feel better.

I mean, it isn't like this is 1 or 2 kids....the article said that 22 THOUSAND are in this boat....22 THOUSAND! That is a school fail on the highest order.

I would say make the school district hire them all.....then they could see how well they educated their new employees....sink or swim and put your money where your mouth is.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again.

Maybe, maybe not.

Not everyone is great in school, doesn't mean they will fail in life.
Wonder how many of these graduates are going to go into the military, or get construction jobs.

Or who will go into a community college for a couple years and be able to mature and do school right.

Do we want to close the doors on them or keep some open?

Oh..meant to add that construction and military do not require a high school degree.

100 years ago students in 6th grade were learning Latin, Greek, Calculus.
What the hell happened?
Did our children suddenly become less intelligent?
Or does the system itself reward failure and encourage mediocrity?

The whole country did this with "No Child Left Behind" legislation.

deux.

originally posted by: BigBrotherDarkness
The whole country did this with "No Child Left Behind" legislation.

deux.

Dumbest thing ever. I don't understand how others can't understand that not everyone is as intelligent as everyone else. Some will fail and some will make straight A's. Not everyone is equal. Some will never amount to anything and others will. Some kids should be left behind because they refuse to try, others are not smart enough to succeed in school. That does not mean they won't succeed in life.

Retarded how this is handled.....completely retarded.

a reply to: maddy21

....and some people wonder why some of us think the school system is broken! If the kids aren't actually learning, why are we spending all of that money?

originally posted by: LadyGreenEyes
a reply to: maddy21

....and some people wonder why some of us think the school system is broken! If the kids aren't actually learning, why are we spending all of that money?

Exactly...

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines had suggested that the district spend $15 million in the 2015-16 school year on a graduation initiative to help failing students. Some ideas included offering online classes to make up credits and expanding summer school.

$15 Million to come up with the plan of just letting them pass....someone's pockets are getting fat.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again.

Maybe, maybe not.

Not everyone is great in school, doesn't mean they will fail in life.
Wonder how many of these graduates are going to go into the military, or get construction jobs.

Or who will go into a community college for a couple years and be able to mature and do school right.

Do we want to close the doors on them or keep some open?

Oh..meant to add that construction and military do not require a high school degree.

For the most part, the military does require one, at the least a GED< and usually diploma -

US Military Enlistment Standards

There would have to be a serious dearth of enlistees for them to start taking people with neither a diploma or a GED.

Construction wouldn't require one, but what standard of work is the result? It's as you said, lowered standards in school set us up for failure later. Either the people won't be able to hold a job, or they will have a lower quality of work, most likely. So, construction people would be producing poor quality.

Completely agree that this is part of an agenda. Uneducated people are easier to control, after all.

Why even educate. Lets see how low we can go.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: LadyGreenEyes
a reply to: maddy21

....and some people wonder why some of us think the school system is broken! If the kids aren't actually learning, why are we spending all of that money?

Exactly...

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines had suggested that the district spend $15 million in the 2015-16 school year on a graduation initiative to help failing students. Some ideas included offering online classes to make up credits and expanding summer school.

$15 Million to come up with the plan of just letting them pass....someone's pockets are getting fat.

Big time! They all demand more and more money, to "help the children", but the children aren't being helped. We could resolve a lot of the budget issues by dissolving the public education system. Privatize it, and it would work. That's how it used to be; towns paid a teacher, and the people expected results for their hard earned money.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

When I went to school, there was simply no such thing as a "D".... Anything below 70% was considered "Failing" or an "F". Maybe Texas is/was different.

This wasn't that long ago. I graduated in '97.

I was not a good student mind you, teaching me how to "average" was probably the worst thing they could have ever done. I scrapped by with a "c" average from pretty much the fourth grade on.

Still, looks as if I'm leaps and bounds ahead of what are considered "passing" students of this day and age.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Well, it gets a bit tricky when kids that could succeed fail, simply due to their environment in which they were born. If a child needs school supplies but mom or dad needs to pay the electric bill instead? That kid is going to struggle. If a kid could use tutoring but the parents have no way of allowing that via transportation and scheduling? That child is going to struggle.

I think many in the educational system, realize that a lot of potential is going to waste due to no fault of the child's own... that punishing the child due to these circumstances; when it's something they can't help; is unfair. It's unfair because children are not in control of their home life nor the quality of it... that responsibility falls squarely on the parents.

I think the no child left behind business; falls under the above line of thinking. Why punish a child's future, because of a present condition that they cannot help?

When looked at it in such a light; it's an understandable law they slapped down. Is it fair and just? No, but it does give children an opportunity to succeed educationally in the future when they do get to be in control.

I suppose the bottom line is; which is worse? An ideology that says toss em out with the bathwater and let it be sink or swim... or an ideology that says if we let them swim on there's less a chance they'd sink given the opportunity... and a possibility they may go further if not hindered by things out of their control earlier on in life.

Of course; we live in a society that will cut education and increase military spending without batting an eye that could go towards everything children need to succeed once they step on school grounds, the same way we spend on and train troops to succeed when they step on foreign grounds... but that's another ideological matter altogether.

originally posted by: theMediator
I'm sorry that since I can't write a story, I guess I can't really repair computers, build a tunnel or compose a song then? That's what I sense the system is telling me.

The two are more related than you think. It's all about being able to organize your thoughts and execute a sequence step by step. Planning out what chip solders you're going to do and what sort of bios changes you need to make, and maybe what hardware swaps you're going to do is really no different than writing a story, they both involve organizing your thoughts into a logical order, an order that if communicated to others makes sense.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: theMediator

A D is 60% in a class.

I'm almost certain this isn't the case, but the private high school I went to had their own grading scale.

100-99 = A
98 = A-
97-96 = B
95 = B-
94-93 = C
92 = C-
91-90 = D
Under 90 = F

While we were allowed to get a D in a class, our cumulative GPA needed to stay above a 3.0 to not get kicked out for poor academic performance. And the material was tougher than most high schools too. Of the 114 people in my class, every single one of us graduated (I was actually the lowest in my class at a 3.2 since I was going through the "it's cool to be stupid" phase).

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again. A diploma won't do jack for them once they are out in the world. If they can't "pass" to graduate, the employers that look for a diploma will likely not hire, or fire them shortly after hiring once they realize that they are not smart enough to do the job.

A diploma will do a grand bit more than not having one. You need a diploma to join the military. That is one option that is now available to them. Just because a diploma's worth has dropped in the last so many years doesn't necessarily mean it is worthless. You go try living without a diploma and see what happens.

What is sad is that these kids are not held to higher standards earlier in life so that they are NOT set up for failure when it comes time for graduation.

These guys are just putting a band-aid on their failure to teach these kids, all the way up to the age of a 22 year old still not graduating from high-school. They need to put their focus on the younger generation and teach them to care enough to try harder and be successful.

No, they are giving them a diploma because they earned it by passing all their classes.

This is simply another case of those that fail are given a pass to fail some more.....

NO ONE IS FAILING. A D isn't a failing grade.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again.

Maybe, maybe not.

Not everyone is great in school, doesn't mean they will fail in life.
Wonder how many of these graduates are going to go into the military, or get construction jobs.

Or who will go into a community college for a couple years and be able to mature and do school right.

Do we want to close the doors on them or keep some open?

Oh..meant to add that construction and military do not require a high school degree.

As ex-military, I can tell you that you are 100% wrong on that. You need at least a GED to join the military.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again. A diploma won't do jack for them once they are out in the world. If they can't "pass" to graduate, the employers that look for a diploma will likely not hire, or fire them shortly after hiring once they realize that they are not smart enough to do the job.

A diploma will do a grand bit more than not having one. You need a diploma to join the military. That is one option that is now available to them. Just because a diploma's worth has dropped in the last so many years doesn't necessarily mean it is worthless. You go try living without a diploma and see what happens.

What is sad is that these kids are not held to higher standards earlier in life so that they are NOT set up for failure when it comes time for graduation.

These guys are just putting a band-aid on their failure to teach these kids, all the way up to the age of a 22 year old still not graduating from high-school. They need to put their focus on the younger generation and teach them to care enough to try harder and be successful.

No, they are giving them a diploma because they earned it by passing all their classes.

This is simply another case of those that fail are given a pass to fail some more.....

NO ONE IS FAILING. A D isn't a failing grade.

I don't need to live without a diploma. They are not hard to get, and with the way schooling is now, they are actually giving them away to those that don't deserve one in order to get funding for the next year instead of focusing on actually graduating an educated class.

Ok...semantics aside, a "D" is not a failing grade for them, but they would not graduate with a "D" either under the current rules. They are making a "D" a diploma worthy status. I would say not graduating is failing, but you are correct, a "D" is not a failing grade.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Vasa Croe

All it is doing is delaying the inevitable of them failing again.

Maybe, maybe not.

Not everyone is great in school, doesn't mean they will fail in life.
Wonder how many of these graduates are going to go into the military, or get construction jobs.

Or who will go into a community college for a couple years and be able to mature and do school right.

Do we want to close the doors on them or keep some open?

Oh..meant to add that construction and military do not require a high school degree.

As ex-military, I can tell you that you are 100% wrong on that. You need at least a GED to join the military.

Correct....a high school diploma is not required....a GED will suffice.