The following link (which I hope works, not sure if I did this right!) goes to a May 5th indystar article on the topic of school grading. The ensuing blog is quite interesting.
http://iphone.indystar.com/posts/22936
As far as I know, and I need to do a lot more research, the school grading system was initially part of Dr. Bennett's attempt to meet federal criteria for Race to the Top. This article, from the Indianapoli Business Journal, highlights the rift between the teachers unions, primarily ISTA, and Dr. Bennett.
http://www.ibj.com/article?articleId=19326
This is the link to the entire Inagural State of Education Address, which I was fortunate to be able to actually attend.
http://www.wfyi.org/liveVideo/DOEVideo.asp
It's becoming apparent to me that Dr. Bennett is at least partially modeling this system after the current system in Florida. This link directs you to the Florida Department of Ed. web-site.
http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/
This is true - Jeb Bush's policies have been advocated by some of his own education "wonks" here in Indiana, influencing Bennet's plans and agenda.
ReplyDeleteI understand accountability, but I think that putting in a letter grade system shows how low the expectations are for our parents. Was the old system really that complicated?
ReplyDeleteMike, I'm still reading into the old system on the d.o.e. site, and so far, I'd say no, it's not really that complicated! It's hard for me as I research this to truly figure out what Bennett's motivation is.
ReplyDeleteChris