Virginia Parents Fight for Easier Grading Standards
Jan. 23, 2009
To the grade grubbers go the spoils. And the grade grubbers in this case are rabble-rousing parents in Virginia’s Fairfax County. Residents of the high-powered Washington suburb have been battling the school district’s tough grading practices; chief among their complaints is that scoring a 93 gets recorded as a lowly B+. After forming an official protest group last year called Fairgrade and goading the school board into voting on whether to ease the standards, parents marshaled 10,000 signatures online and on Jan. 22 gathered nearly 500 supporters to help plead their case. After two hours of debate, the school board passed a resolution, a move critics consider a defeat in the war on grade inflation. (Read about students getting paid for good grades.)
At most schools in the U.S., a score of 90 earns you an A, but in Fairfax County, getting the goods demands a full 94. Merely passing is tougher, too, requiring a 64 rather than a 60. Nor do students get much help clearing those high bars if they take tougher courses. Compared to how many districts weight GPAs for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses, Fairfax County’s half-point boost is peanuts. The result, protesters say, is that Fairfax kids are at a disadvantage on multiple fronts: snagging good-driver insurance discounts (which often factor in a student’s GPA), earning NCAA eligibility, winning merit scholarships and – oh yeah – getting into good colleges.
[parental boasting] Hannah got all A’s this semester.. her average for the year is all A’s too. (and for the record.. an A=94 or better in our school district! 🙂 )
Melinda Got all A’s and one B, and Rockwell is doing great in Kindergarten.. (although we need to work on his “sight words” more.)
Way to Go Hannah and Melinda! and keep up the good work Rockwell, your doing great!
We are so proud of our kids.[/parental boasting] And you are right, Shel.. Hannah did not get her spelling ability from me(!).
We Attended the “science Olympiad fun night’ at north Augusta last night.
It was very fun, and educational to boot. Kids now days need to get their hands on their physical realm more than ever.. and that is what they did last night! Very fun.
Go to smartkids.sc/blog to read up on what we were doing.
Also.. I have to mention [parental bragging] that Hannah came in third place in the school spelling bee. Unfortunately for her, only the top two get to go to the state competition. (frown) That said, and cudo’s for doing so well, but she might have done better had she told us that she was given a study guide a couple weeks before the event instead of a couple days!
Good Job Hannah.
Wow.
just Wow.
I’m so moved by the Inauguration of our new president. Not only Obamas speech, but the intense, unbridled passion and enthusiasm of the crowd, even in that cold, cold weather.
Go Obama!
Hannah Acolyted for the first time last Sunday. She did a great job, although she forgot to hand out the offering plates, and had to be prompted. Other than that, A1.
After MANY years in storage… I broke out my Aurora Model Motoring (thunderjet) cars and track. (I’ve only been lugging it around for 25 years…) Boy does this take me back.. All the hours kids now-days spend in front of video games, I probably spent in front of this track. We took the video if semi darkness so you could see the lights on the cars. It all still works.. and quite well! The kids love it! (I guess that makes the lugging worthwhile 🙂 When we are done, we will have two identical tracks, mirror imaging each other, so 4 people can play, two on each side. We have about 12 working cars, and parts and bodies to make about 30 more. When we are not playing, it has ropes that take it to the ceiling.
Click on picture for video (Quicktime, 2.5meg)
Hannah and I made a whirlwind trip to what was promised to be the great white north. When we picked up the rental car, I told Hannah.. “now watch the thermometer, because its all down hill from here”, as it was at ~65 degrees.
Well.
When we finally arrived at Dave and Whitney’s house.. it read 65 degrees. in Indiana. At 7:30 at night.
So much for the snow.
However, we did stop at a truck stop for a break, and played a game of bowling. It was worth 75 cents.
On the way to D&W’s we decided to trust GPS, and take some side roads. Well, we learned that Google maps is quite good at mapping everything from roads to farmers fields, and I also learned all about “traction control”. we also learned that there are strange roadside memorials in the boondocks. At night. In the fog.
Somehow, I managed not to take a picture at D&W’s. How that happened, I don’t know. I guess we were too busy visiting! It was good to see them, and talk. its great to keep in touch on the forum, it makes it like you were never really away from each other. but nothing can take the place of seeing each other in the flesh.
The next afternoon, we did arrive at Grandma’s house. Here is Grandma telling a story to Hannah. It had to do with her school days. She told a story on how she attended a integrated High school (in the 40’s) and that one time when they wanted to have a dance, but the place they wanted to reserve would not allow the black students to attend! so, as mom put it “they went somewhere else!”
Merry Christmas Dad. I’ll always remember you. Love, me. (And Im still looking for my pictures of dad that I had posted at the funeral. Whoever gathered them for me, Thank you, but can you please return them now?
And Merry Christmas Mom! kiss kiss kiss. I love talking to mom. She is so original, and interesting.
And here is the family Get together.. For the record, Kimm and Jeff got the Donkey. (the donkey was “all stars” and had the names of the baseball all star players around the base.)(click for a larger version) Man, seeing Kimm and Jeff’s kids.. you realize how quickly time goes by. yikes!
So, after this, and a nice day lounging around at Melinda’s and Mom’s and visiting with Steph and Elden, We had a uneventful trip back to the south. Just the way it should be.
Then, later that week, we all went a bit east.. to visit the latest cousin! Ethan Oliver was born on the 28th, to Kathi’s sister Christine. ( I might have to correct that date !)
So we got to visit on New years Eve right before she left the hospital. Again, my picture taking was a bit of a failure, because they all wanted to check out the baby.. no time for posing, so thats my excuse for not having a good picture (smile).
let me say, he is quite a cute baby.
Let me count… OK, my kids have 14 cousins on my side, and 6 cousins on Kathi’s side. And still counting! Kathi’s side is good for another 2 or 3 I’m sure. Thats’a lotta cousins!
Doting.
Mom seems happy!
And later, we blew off some fireworks! I learned this setup from Cousin Pete. (gluing wick to all of them. (Make sure you fray the end of the wick you want to light first)
Ohhhh.
Ahhh.
Hannah making a dragon (I think).
And last, but not least, Kathi wanted me to take a picture of the tree that came from cutting off the top of Aunt Stephanie’s tree a couple years ago.
The thing is taking over!
