Could Oregon be better than No. 48 in high school graduation?
theoregonian.com
by Betsy Hammond
Source:LINK
Key Points: This article reminds us that reporting grades and academic information is really important. Also, that our national reportings are not as accurate as they should be and they mislead a lot of individuals that may refer to them. This information could be used to motivate Oregonian students to continue to grow academically and continue to increase our graduation rates.
Relevance: Considering our state's graduation rate is the third worst in the country we need to make sure as future educators we do our best to report accurate scores and information. This is even more important when it comes to students in special education because a big percentage of them do not tend to graduate with standard diplomas and we need accurate information for funding programs.
Audience: Educators, administration, family members of students
Ale, I find it interesting the article stated the low graduation rate can motivate students to work harder academically. I think there are students who would see it as a motivating challenge, however, I think many students would find it disheartening. My experience with giving students’ information such as you’re in 9th place out of 10, can be defeating for the student. I try to look at each student individually and help them set personal goals. I do very much agree with you that we need to be recording information and scores accurately. This is the best way to see where our students are going and communicate quality information to the next teacher in their educational journey. Good post :)
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting article. We have all heard how low our graduation rates are and where that compares nation wide but I have always been sceptical of comparative statistics. This is especially true when comparing state to state graduation rates. I also try to avoid the "it just feels like" we should have better graduation rates line of thinking. Competeting for a higher spot on this list means that other states will be lower. It seems that we should be more concerned with producing young people who are prepared to live moral/etical lives and produce in society. Graduation does not by any means guarentee this outcome.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that our system has driven districts to lie about their graduation rate. It doesn't just make that district look bad, but speaks ill of the rest of the districts too. I understand the reasons behind employing competition in schools but it just seems downright petty to try and boost your self esteem by reporting that your district has more kids graduating when in truth, the situation is not as black and white as this article makes it out to be.
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