How do we properly educate our sons and daughters if the educators are more interested in bragging about success than actually achieving it? According to school board directors Manuel Alfonso and Paul Stepanoff, and teachers' union president Mitch Anderson, some teachers have complained that the administration has been pressuring them to inflate student grades.
Acting Superintendent Dr. David Landis even sent a memo to the board acknowledging that Anderson had "received a few comments by teachers about principals passing students on to the next grade level without the full support/recommendation of the teachers".
This is just the latest embarrassment, following the stacked math study committee, middle-of-the-night early bird teacher contract, Integrated Math fiasco, hidden survey results, and repeatedly ignoring the Sunshine Act. Welcome to the Quakertown Community Scandal District.
Alfonso found allegations of two types of grade manipulation: Principals telling teachers "you have too many C's and D's, we need more A's and B's", and some administrators passing pupils to the next grade level when they should repeat. How many students have "benefited" from this policy? Which families should be warned that their kids may be at risk? Even the students themselves may not be aware - until they again struggle, and don't understand why.
The district's "mastery learning" encourages teachers to give retests, or allow students to redo assignments, or complete "extra credit". Pupils can take the exact same test up to three times, with only the highest score counted. Our kids appear to be learning more than they actually are. And the administration and board take the credit.
You would think that serious accusations like these would call for some type of investigation, if only to show the community that no manipulation actually exists. But not in QCSD. Alfonso and Stepanoff proposed hiring an independent outside company to survey the teachers, and find out how pervasive the problem really is. Stepanoff even offered to pay for it himself. They were voted down 6-2!
Prior to the vote, Landis wrote to the board "Adding another topic such as grade inflation (to the district's priority list) will detract from the ability of the Administration and Board to focus on the district's priority goals". Instead, he urged teachers to follow the district's complaint policy. Yeah, right. File a grievance about your bosses, and risk your reviews, promotions, and job. Even 15-year board member Nancy Tirjan said that she had never heard of a teacher using this procedure. What a surprise.
And, as usual, the board's priority is to defend themselves: an investigation would "undermine" the administration. Director Linda Martin was "insulted and offended". And with usual board heavy-handedness, she chided teachers to "stand up and be counted and not hide". Here's a newsflash - they don't trust the administration, or most board members, whose policies caused this mess in the first place.
Someone has to investigate, and tell the community what is actually going on here, since the board refuses to. Teachers must be protected from retaliation. And the administration and directors must not be able to interfere. Enter Anderson. He stated that teachers are indeed afraid of repercussions, and he plans on doing a survey of his own, even if the board does not. The district's worst nightmare - a survey where they cannot control the data, or hide the results.
Compare all of this to Hatboro-Horsham, which has a system allowing students and parents to check all grades. H-H Principal Dennis Williams told The Intelligencer "Open and honest communication about grades with students and parents is the best safeguard". Where is that sentiment here?
And if our district has been deceitful with grades, contracts, and surveys, in what other areas have they been misleading us? With an election upcoming, don't be surprised if the board uses your money to hire a public relations company to deflect the widespread criticism.
If the rhetoric from the administration and board about the alleged progress of our students is untrue, they owe everyone an enormous apology - and a pile of resignations - starting with president Kelly Van Valkenburgh. Incumbent board members Phil Abramson, Nancy Tirjan, and Linda Martin should be soundly ousted in the May 15 election.
And there must be a firm common-sense policy instituted at once to prevent anyone from interfering with our teachers' honest opinions of their students' performance. The solution isn't to base everything on just test grades, without regard to homework or class participation, as the district has proposed. That is merely saying we don't trust our teachers to properly evaluate the kids. Well, if they can't, what are we paying them for? Some students just aren't test-takers, but display a thorough knowledge of the subject every day in class. They must be acknowledged, not punished.
Grade manipulation hurts everyone, and students suffer the most. They may not receive the necessary help indicated by a low grade. And since the pupil does not have the proper foundation to move to the next level, the cycle will just continue. Students bumped up to undeserved A's and B's face a rude awakening down the line.
Teachers also suffer. Aside from being asked to compromise their ethics and honesty, they are setting themselves, or their fellow teachers, up for failure. Principals tend to hold teachers responsible if too many students receive poor grades. But if they are handed students who have not been properly prepared, teachers may be forced to either continue the inflation, or have a poor record themselves. In the long run our society also suffers. American high school graduates already are eclipsed by many foreign nations. With tricks like grade manipulation, we are fooling only ourselves.
The teacher survey might even show that such manipulation is rare. And all the commotion could have been avoided if the board was merely open to scrutiny. But by shutting out the community that elected them, they continue to be their own worst enemy. Replacing current board members will get desperately-needed reform underway, but it can not come quickly enough for our kids.