L.A. Schools Boost Class Grades For Good State Test Scores

Los Angeles Times:

High schools are offering a new deal at 39 Los Angeles campuses: Students who raise their scores on the state's standardized tests will be rewarded with higher grades in their classes.

Read the whole story: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[SoCalifTeacher]

11:10 PM on 05/27/2011

Testing is in April/May. School year is over 6 weeks later. Test results aren't available until August. What am I missing here?

[Kevin Wendland]

10:34 AM on 05/28/2011

teachers can go back and change grades whenever we want. So what I do is give the students 1 week when school comes back in session to show me their CST results. If they are advanced or proficient, I "enhance" their grades and submit it to the registrar to be changed. I have been doing this for about 4-5 years now.

[graffitijoe]

08:27 PM on 05/27/2011

Yeah!

I hope the improvement is real and sustained.

[amgnme]

06:28 PM on 05/27/2011

Another brilliant idea! Let's tell these unmotivated, disruptive students that it is OK to mess up in class all year but as long as they do well on the standardized test (which most can do with their eyes closed) their grade will be raised to an undeserved grade. And if they don't care about their grade at all, maybe they can just use it to torment the teacher. Really? And what about the hard working student that earned an A and will not benefit from doing well but had to endure the antics of the unmotivated student along with the teacher? Why are we punishing them? It seems the people coming up with these "great ideas" don't give any thought to the consequences of their actions (no common sense either). Long term, the lesson they are going to take with them into their work and personal life is "what's in it for me?". This is not a cure:not even a temporary one.

[Kevin Wendland]

12:23 AM on 05/29/2011

How else do you want teachers to motivate students to try on a test that has zero repercussions for the students? And remember these are the same tests that everyone wants to use to evaluate if you are a good teacher or not. It's the same test that is used for the stupid value-added formula. It's the same test used to determine if you meet API.

I don't like enhancing grades for a test, but when all of those other items are known facts, what did you expect would happen?