Punished by rewards

You've seen it before. Schools get back their FCAT results and start having parties and passing out goodies to celebrate success.

It happens in Texas, too. But now that state's education commissioner is warning against such practices, saying the rewards could inadvertently lead to the disclosure of individual students' scores. And that's a no-no.

The problem, it turns out, is that most kids in Texas pass the TAKS exam. So when the schools do nice things for them, the children who are excluded are by process of elimination identified as students who failed.

"Principals aren't intentionally trying to violate the privacy rights of children, they have just not thought through what they're doing," Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe told the Dallas Morning News.

Motivation for some, it appears, is not motivation for all. Wonder how often that happens here in Florida. Eric J. Smith, are you looking at this issue, too?

Times photo

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Comments

[justthinking]

Oh my, when are we going to stop being politically correct? Students already know which of their peers are the "not so bright" and which are the "brains"! I guess we shouldn't allow teachers to ask students questions in class, right? Because when a student answers incorrectly or refuses to answer all the other students will know!!!!!

[justthinking]

Oh my, when are we going to stop being politically correct? Students already know which of their peers are the "not so bright" and which are the "brains"! I guess we shouldn't allow teachers to ask students questions in class, right? Because when a student answers incorrectly or refuses to answer all the other students will know!!!!!

[DH]

Can I barf now? Will everyone make the football team? Is everyone in the class play with the same number of syllables? Does everyone sit first chair in the orchestra? Lets all live in the land of make believe..where evryone wins even when they lose. I actually treated my children like this...when they were in pre-school!
Face the ugly facts...intellectual abilities differ. Reality has a place in my world. Those who fail to join me in the real world can take the next unicorn over the rainbow and live happily ever after in their delusions.

[DH]

I just thought the use of rewards violated the standardization procedure. Why would not that be the issue? If one school offers a car raffle while another a free ice cream, isn't the power of the reward substantially different? Why hasn't that aspect been discussed? Whatever happened to standardization of setting and conditions? Could it be that noone cared because good scores are all that mattered, by hook or by crook? Commissioner Smith, Texas is no example to follow.

[DH]

Will this be applied as well to end honor roll as not all make it? I say ending sport team exclusions, dramatic production exclusions, and fine arts exclusions displays the same problem. Will Texas be ending these practices as well? No more college scholarships for excellence in academia or athletics or fine arts will be allowed under such thinking...or is it a lack of thinking that permeates such hairbrained ideas? Of course this is just my opinion that everyone is not the same, regardless of the bologna being put out there to promote such a misconception. I am glad I don't live in Texas!!!!!

[not again!]

NCLB rears its ugly head... again.

[Barfing]

I am hopeful that Commissioner Smith can identify bologna when he sees it.
How cn Florida follow this pathetic idea when we have a mandatory retention policy? Will retainees undergo the Witness Protection privileges an dundergo cosmetic surgery and start anew in a new state where their past does not follow? WHY would someone want Smith to look at this idea???WE have enough problems..why add a terrible idea to our set of concerns??? Will there be no more scores at tahletic events or stats kept on the players becasue they inadvertently tell us who performed less well? STOP THE MADNESS. Time to barf again..bye.