Nothing succeeds like success!

The Dallas Independent School District has gone absolutely bonkers. The powers that be are implementing new rules that all teachers must follow. These rules include:

1) Teachers must accept late work with no penalty to the student.
2) Homework grades, if they are dragging the student's grade down, must not be counted.
3) Students who fail a test must be allowed to retake the test, and the higher grade will count.
4) Teachers cannot give a zero on an assignment unless they call the parents and make "efforts to assist students in completing the work."

The changes are part of a switch to "effort-based grading" and are designed to give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate that they've mastered class material. Sounds to me like it's "no-effort-based grading."

The district staff came up with these rules over the summer. A letter to the editor in yesterday's Morning News raised a valid question: "Was it over a round of margaritas?" Also in yesterday's News was a quote from Superintendent Michael Hinojosa who said that in the long run, the rules will help more students to succeed. Succeed at what? Figuring out how to get by with doing nothing? Hinojosa's definition of success must be very different from mine!

"Teachers give new rules an F." The Dallas Morning News; August 15, 2008; p. 1A.
"Grading changes defended." The Dallas Morning News; August 16, 2008; p. 1A.
"You'd have to be tipsy to agree." The Dallas Morning News; August 16, 2008; p. 18A.