VALDOSTA —
Lowndes County Schools recently implemented new grading guidelines for students. These guidelines have left many parents upset with what appears to be a lack of accountability.
For example, the guidelines state that “zero’s are unacceptable” and students will be allowed to keep testing until they make a passing grade because to do otherwise indicates that the “teacher is giving up on the child.” According to administrators, this is to ensure that students learn the material and are not just working for a grade, and that the playing field is leveled for all students.
Back in the day, failing grades used to be a sign that there was something wrong. Either the student had a learning disability or there was a social or personal issue preventing them from performing well in school. Teachers then contacted parents to ensure that proper testing was performed and that the student was given every opportunity to succeed, while still on the same scale that everyone else was measured.
These new guidelines may have been implemented with the best of intentions to ensure that all children do well, but education is supposed to be earned. Just because all students don’t earn A’s doesn’t mean they won’t be successful in their lives and careers, but not everyone is destined to be a CEO.
While teaching children that if they work hard, they can achieve anything in life has worked for many generations, the Lowndes’ lesson appears to be that every child can be lazy, not do their work, not study, etc., because they’ll be given multiple chances and do-overs.
Rather than expecting excellence every day, the standards are being lowered. The new policy may help students and schools’ test scores in the immediate future, but it may set them up for failure later in life. Employers rarely give do-overs.
What We Think
School policy fails expectations
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School’s out so watch out!
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Thumbs up
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Thumbs Up. thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Dr. Brian Hickox. Valdosta’s newest chiropractor overcame great odds to open his practice last week. Born with partial vision, an assault robbed him of the remainder of his sight. Despite these odds, he followed his dream to become a chiropractor. School took him twice as long, at seven years rather than the usual three and a half to complete, but he reached his goal. The story of Brian Hickox should be an inspiration to us all. It proves that we may lack sight, we may have to overcome difficulties and disabilities, but that doesn’t mean we have to lack vision.
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School’s out so watch out!
