Selling $1 candy bars didn’t raise enough money for the school. Rather than try and sell something people might actually find of value, school officials decided on a sure-fire tactic: sell test scores.
That’s right!
A twenty dollar donation gets your child not one, but TWO ten point bumps on their tests. Silly me: here I was thinking that education was about . . . well educating kids. But it’s all about the money.
The principal justifies this:
Extra points on two tests won’t make a difference in a student’s final grade, she said.
It’s wrong to think that “one particular grade could change the entire focus of nine weeks,” Shepherd said.
When was the last time this lady stepped foot into a classroom? Everyone knows, except her, that tests count for the biggest percentage of a childs overall grade. Often times between 60 and 70%. That is why they are called TESTS.
Guess what this shining example of leadership for our children just did?
- Students who actually earned an A (90 or above) just learned that their slacker C student companion got the same grade as they did. So why study?
- Students can now slack off because parents can simply give $20 to the school and all is well. Why study?
Actually I remember a time when students would get expelled from school for offering money in exchange for higher grades. Now it appears that schools believe this is an acceptable model. Hope and Change!
The school board argues that it needs the money because money is simply not available. OK, Fine. Sell t-shirts. Sell sweaters. Sell something that might be of value. But don’t send kids the wrong message simply because you’re facing a tight budget.
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