Ruh-roh, Raggy! We're in real trouble now!

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The following news article means trouble! The short of it is that students are now going to be graded on their ability to demonstrate certain skills and abilities (competencies) rather than just on a numerical average and their ability to take tests (or freeze up during them). The article below explains the details. Can you imagine that... students passing because they are competent! What a novel concept.


New Gilford (NH) grading system intended to raise the bar

By HARRISON HAAS hhaas@citizen.com

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Students at Gilford (NH) High School will be graded a little differently than years past. Rather than being graded strictly on averages, every student will now need to demonstrate certain skills and abilities before receiving credit for classes (what a novel concept).

Earlier this year, GHS Principal Ken Wiswell approached both the Gilmanton and Gilford School Boards explaining the new grading that will start in the fall of the upcoming school year.

"What we're trying to do is tell the students this is important," said Wiswell at the June meeting. "It's not about just what [students] can produce and do while in the classroom."

Traditionally students in high school have been graded on a point scale and by the end of the year have an average with a letter grade corresponding with that number. With the new system, there is no overall average to be factored in, which will require all students to complete all items of work (another novel idea). Each subject will have a list of competencies, or list of skills and abilities, in which students will be given a number grade for each competency (we've written and rewritten them for years and years - no one ever really tested them). Students will be evaluated based on their ability is to perform a specific task, their work related skills in each subject along with behavior during classroom sessions. The average of those totals would then be taken and that would be the ending grade.

"There will be no more blowing off a test, having students say, 'If I fail this, I still pass the class'," Wiswell said. (Right, and if 30 percent don't make it under the new program, then what?)

Each department will have a list of standard abilities and skills, ranging from a list of three in basic courses and up to possibly six or seven in more advanced. GHS will be writing their own list of skills and abilities required for courses since every school is different (why? I still say we need a national Core Curriculum with local supplementation) that has this grading system, making each school write their own.

There are four different tiers mapped out in the mission competency rubric (buzz words), which explains the grading and what is expected of each student. The four tiers are similar to the state's standardized testing formats: advanced, proficient, partially proficient and below proficient (it sounds to me like only the top two tiers matter).

"Not asking students to have their hand up all day," said Wiswell. "We're going to evaluate students every two weeks." (Teachers have nothing else to do.)

Wiswell said that if the rubric is read over completely, there is nothing that any student can't do (so everyone passes? Is that raising or lowering the bar?). Minimum grade that a student can earn with be 59, which differs only one point from the previous 60. In order to receive credit for classes, students must master each one of the competencies per class (so now every student will be a good hire). Students not fulfilling all skills and abilities in a required course, will have to attend "competency recovery" classes after school or over the summer (but it was said there is nothing that any student can't do). Any student unfulfilling (must be admin-talk) more than one item on the skills and ability list will not receive credit for the course and will have to repeat the course. The additional time needed for competency recovery will be provided by the faculty who will be paid in a stipend based system.

Teachers will need to actively evaluate students every five days throughout the year. One of the purpose of the delayed opening Wednesdays for next year will help teachers adjust to the new grading system and provide them with education development time (if meeting after meeting isn't scheduled instead).

"This is setting all the students up to being better citizens, " said Derek Tomlinson in the June meeting. "I really like this, and I'm glad we're bring this in." (I really would like to hear the results after the first year.)

This past year, the school was asking teachers to give information about students who did pass, but would have failed one of the competencies. That information will be evaluated before the start of the next school year.

"I think it makes for a better product over the long run," said Wiswell. "It's not your grandfather's high school." (Yeah, it was a lot more rigorous then.)

He said it can be overwhelming at times for our teachers changing over to the new system. (Gee, you think? Maybe there will be time left over to prepare and correct.)

"The more we talk about these things, the more we'll be successful in doing things," Wiswell said.

Superintendent Dr. Paul DeMinico commented at the meeting that this system "really personalizes every student and follows them through."

Complete information about the new grading system will be available online before the 2009-2010 school year and in the next year's school handbook.

Do You Think Maybe It's Time...

Do you think maybe it's time...?

The two stories below were in today's news. I hope there's a wake-up call here: (1) "Chastity Turner, 9, was sitting on her grandmother's porch washing her dog when someone opened fire from a van in the 7400 block of South Stewart Avenue on the South Side.

Chastity was shot in the back or neck and later died at the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital. Three other people, including her father, were wounded in the shooting.

A 31-year-old man and 17-year-old boy were taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County with gunshot wounds to the back. The victim's grandmother, Tanya Turner, says that shootings happen constantly in the neighborhood.

"She told me this morning, she said, 'grandma, I'm going home, it's not safe around here,'" said Chastity's grandmother Tanya Turner. "I said, 'baby, it's not safe no place now.'" (http://cbs2chicago.com)

The grandmother was right, but some places are safer than others. Gangs are a scourge! The First Amendment includes "...the right of the people peaceably to assemble," which includes the word "peaceably." With the average lifespan of a gang member reaching something like 21 years old, maybe it's time to do away with them and take the cities back. If gang members see them as their family, maybe it's time to do something to get back the real concept of family - we should have real fathers and mothers instead of sperm donors and baby incubators. I get so #@!&*%# frustrated. That's a great goal in life - to flash finger symbols and kill someone on a perceived slight or whim. The movie "Logan's Run" offered a "perfect existence" until age 30, at which time people were "renewed" (executed). Very few of my former students would accept that, which in a way is almost exactly what gangs are offering (except many don't make it to 30).

(2) From the Columbus Dispatch: "A Columbus firefighter admits that he took his two dogs to the basement, tied them up and blasted them with a rifle so he and a girlfriend could vacation without paying to board the animals.

"I think it was the thrill of the kill for him. He has shown no remorse for this."

Firefighter David P. Santuomo, 43, pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of animal cruelty and one count of possession of a criminal tool -- for taping a 2-liter plastic bottle onto the gun as a makeshift silencer.

He was convicted of 'needlessly killing ... a companion animal" on Dec. 3, according to the charges filed 10 minutes before the hearing in Municipal Court. One dog was shot six times in the head.

Santuomo, who did not give a statement in court, will spend 90 days in jail, pay $4,500 to cover the cost of his investigation and serve five years' probation, Judge Harland H. Hale ruled.

'This is a travesty and abhorrent behavior to those in this community who work to save the lives of animals,' said Jodi Buckman, executive director of the Capital Area Humane Society."

And here we are, policemen for the world and we can't even tend to our own gardens! Interestingly, I don't see guns as the problem but "people"! Who in his right mind would do something as above?

I don't have the answers, but I sure have lots of questions....

Later.

"It's Company Policy...."

(SEE UPDATE FOLLOWING ENTRY)

"It's company policy!"

Those words go hand in hand with "zero tolerance" (which, in turn, goes hand in hand with zero common sense), and when there is no common sense, we're in big trouble! Anyone can do anything without thinking and excuse it by saying, "It's company policy" (or "I was just following orders.")

In what has to be any business's nightmare, a recent news story caught my eye, and I guarantee you that from the resulting negative publicity, amends will be made! I will let the article from The Grand Rapids Press speak for itself (bold areas are mine):

Family angry when paralyzed Marine Joshua Hoffman is denied free entrance to Michigan's Adventure

by Ted Roelofs | The Grand Rapids Press

Quadriplegic former Marine Joshua Hoffman waited in a van at Michigan's Adventure, hoping to see fiancee Heather Lovell in the park for an hour or two. Her father, Rockford resident Joel Lovell, explained to park staff that Hoffman is paralyzed and cannot talk. He assumed Hoffman would be admitted free.

But Lovell was told he would have to pay admission for Hoffman and the nurse tending to his medical needs. No exceptions.

"He went to Iraq for all of us and took a bullet in the neck. He sacrificed everything for his country," Joel Lovell said.

"I was just kind of stunned."

According to Heather Lovell, she and Hoffman planned to rendezvous from their home near Middleville on May 29 at the Muskegon County park, before heading to Reed City for the high school graduation of Hoffman's stepbrother.

Lovell had gone ahead to act as chaperone for a niece and others on a school outing. Joel Lovell picked up Hoffman and his nurse and headed for the park.

But Heather Lovell said she got a call from her father telling her to come to the park entrance.

"It was really just outrageous," she said. "He is not physically going on any rides. To me, this is very personal."

Hoffman, 27, was paralyzed from the chest down when he was hit by a sniper's bullet in Iraq in January 2007. He spent more than a year in a Virginia Veterans Administration hospital before coming home in March 2008.

He and Lovell, 22, share a specially equipped house with 24-hour nursing staff to assist Hoffman.

Camille Jourden-Mark, general manager of Michigan's Adventure, said park policy does not allow any non-participants in free.

"We just can't be in a position of picking and choosing. We have grandparents (who pay admission) that come in our park every day that have no intention of ever going on a ride.

"It's not based on the level of participation."

On Tuesday, Jourden-Mark offered complementary passes for Hoffman and a guest to Michigan's Adventure in response to the issue. Lovell said she has not decided whether she and Hoffman will use the passes.

"You want to be appreciative of it, but it took a lot of people complaining to them to realize what kind of mistake they had made," Lovell said. "We weren't looking for a free trip. It's just a problem with the policy."

Jourden-Mark said company policy is meant to shield employees from accusations of discrimination, but added "there are times when we make exceptions and this is definitely one of those times."

She noted the park offers one free admission with a paid admission for service members each Memorial Day. Jourden-Mark said park staff were unaware of Hoffman's condition.

"I don't think anybody was really aware that he was a veteran."

That's not what Joel Lovell, 54, recalled.

"I told (a park official) it is really a crummy policy. I explained that he is an Iraq veteran. He got shot in the neck and can't eat or talk. I thought they were joking."

Lovell said he initially was told he would have to pay the adult admission fee of $25 each for Hoffman and the nurse, then was offered a student discount.

Heather Lovell's sister, Belding resident Rebecca Lovell, said she contacted the park Friday to complain.

"I explained the extent of his injuries, that he was simply going for an hour or two.

"(A park official) said there was no proof of his injury. He could be faking it. She said if we let him come in for free, then we have to change our policy."

"I was absolutely blown away."

-- Press reporter Jacob Carpenter contributed to this story.

© 2009 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

UPDATE:

The following e-mail was received by me today

Dear Mr. Berman,

Thank you for taking the time to share your comments about the recent story of Marine Joshua Hoffman and Michigan’s Adventure.

I apologize for the situation that Marine Hoffman encountered when he attempted to visit the park on May 29. I was only made aware of his request two days ago. Once I learned of the situation that day, I offered him the opportunity for a complimentary visit to the park.

At no time would I ever tolerate disrespect to any member of our active or retired military. Our company is very proud of our military and their service to our country.

Our policies at Michigan ’s Adventure are in place to provide fair treatment to all our guests. At the same time, we do review special requests individually. In this case, we made a mistake. I definitely feel we could have handled the situation better.

Again, please accept my apologies for your disappointment, and thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

Sincerely,

Michigan ’s Adventure

Camille Jourden-Mark

Vice-President and General Manager

Being an Adult

What is it to be an adult? When the topic presented itself in class, I always told students that part of being an adult is doing what you don't necessarily want to do.

A couple of personal cases in point: (1) When one of my fellow Lions unexpectedly passed on, I went to his funeral. I was lucky enough to never have seen a dead body until then (I was in my 40s), and even then, I didn't expect to see one. I had been told it would be a closed casket. When I got to the funeral home, I quickly glanced into the room where the casket was on display and saw it was wide open (and under spotlights) - my stomach sank. The short of it was that when it came time, I walked in with my fellow Lions, walked past the casket, looked at my friend, said a small prayer, paid my respects to the family, chatted for a few minutes, and left. I had faced my fear and did what I felt I should do as an adult (and survived). Since then, the scene has repeated itself too many times, but I did (and still do) the adult thing.

(2) Just a few days ago, another situation presented itself. I had left Wal-Mart and while putting "stuff" into my car, looked over at the car parked next to mine. There was a man slumped in the driver's seat; in his hand was a foil-wrapped sandwich. He looked asleep, but.... I stared for a moment and saw his stomach rise a bit, so I knew he was breathing. I knew him, so I called his name through the open passenger window but got no response; he must be sleeping (maybe). I took my cart back down to where they go back into the building, got into my car, and started it. In seconds, I turned it back off, got out, and went around to his driver's window, spoke his name again, and again got no response. I poked his shoulder and said his name again. His head came up and he looked at me. I apologized for waking him and said, "I couldn't just leave...just in case.... I had to know you're okay." I felt bad for waking him, but I would have felt worse if something had been wrong and I didn't say or do something.

After I left, I felt fine. I had done the adult thing (the right thing). I wondered how many others would have. I want to think everyone, but....

(Check out the Kitty Genovese story from 1964, in which some 38 people allegedly heard her being stabbed and didn't do anything.Called the bystander effect, it is a social psychological phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. The probability of help is inversely proportional to the number of bystanders. In other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help. [Wikipedia])

An Oral Guarantee is Worth....

'Oral contracts are not worth the paper they are written on.'

Caveat emptor!

I have a couple of warranty stories to share. First, when my wife and I finally broke down and bought a Sears riding mower (Craftsman lawn tractor), I asked the salesman about the extended warranty he offered to us. We both remember the salesman saying that once a year, a technician would come to the house, check the machine over, replace necessary parts, and be sure it was ready to go for the new season. We really are not stupid people, and we both remember what was said. I am no mechanic, so those words were beautiful music to my ears.

Following the first successful year (no problems or breakdowns, we endured the winter, and when spring came, we called for a maintenance appointment. Yes, you know what's coming. "Oh, no, you must have misunderstood. We don't do that." Arrrgh! Yes, I should have known better and read the warranty before the purchase, but I don't believe there was one available in the store. That was lesson one.

Lesson two came with the purchase of my daughter's Apple computer (Mac). We all headed south to Salem, the only official listed Apple store in New Hampshire. Yes, we bought the extended warranty as I was advised that Apple repairs can be expensive (that was a surprise - Apple? Expensive? Hah! Surely you jest.... [and don't call me Shirley]) I remember asking our personal consultant (salesperson) about the warranty; he told us everything (yes, everything) would be covered. If you know me, you would know I asked one more question: I said, "I mean, I wouldn't do it, of course, but suppose the day before the warranty expired I put the computer on the driveway and drive over it. Would that be covered?" Again, the reply was "Of course; everything is covered." (He knew he had a live one.)

Some months later, the screen broke when the machine was bumped or dropped. When I took the computer to the local "authorized reseller")he noted there was no sign of trauma on the outside of the machine and a replacement might be covered. He sent it off to Apple, and, yes, you know what's coming. "No, it's not covered." So for the price I could buy a brand new PC laptop with great numbers, we replaced the screen for $775 because my daughter loves her Apple Mac.

Since then, a key cover popped off. With times the way they are, she's using her Mac without it (I am not sure I qualify for a loan anymore).

(By the way, my daughter has run out of storage space in her computer [we had even bought her extra memory]. It's too bad Apple doesn't make an external hard drive. Now I have to get one at Wal-Mart. I doubt I'll need a loan for that.)

Before you buy anything, read the warranty for yourself. Don't believe what you are told! It's been an expensive lesson for me!

One Typical Day

You should have been there! I was out today riding around the yard on the riding mower doing just fine, thank you. With each pass I got closer and closer to a blue basketball-sized toy the dog plays with (it has a handle, so he can't dribble it). It's supposed to be filled with air (which, of course it is either way - you'll see what I mean in a moment); it's a sealed unit, so it's supposed to not give; it is supposed to keep its shape. Anyhow, apparently the dog had punctured it somewhere along the way (it was still filled with air, but it also had "give" as the air rushed out when it is squeezed - an important fact with what's coming).

So, as I was getting really close to the ball, I did what I always did before - I nudged it with the front wheel to push it out of the way so there wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, with the aforementioned hole in it, it "gave." It didn't bounce to the side but went under the machine, was immediately caught up in the blade, and caused a problem. The engine suddenly came as close to screaming as any inanimate object can and white smoke started pouring out from underneath the mower. There were no shredded pieces that were spit out, so I knew I had a problem. The smell in the air was getting quite unpleasant (an understatement), so thinking quickly, I turned the engine off and sat watching the smoke continue to billow from beneath.

I couldn't lift the behemoth, so I went to the car and got the jack (a story in itself but for another time). I finally figured out how to make it lift the mower and did... it took about three seconds after it had reached its apogee for it to fall. I was on grass, and I thought it might, so I kept my distance. Thinking desperately, I had an idea - I lifted the plastic discharge chute, and there, wedged in the opening was the blue toy! With deft adroitness, I worked it out, put it on a plastic lawn chair, and said a small prayer of thanks and hope. When I tried to restart the engine, it actually worked, and I finished the job.

Not a big story but typical in my ongoing struggle with machines.

Rho Delta Omega (or Pee Triangle Horseshoe)

I believe I have a lot in common with Senator John 'Bluto' Blutarsky. If he is like most senators, today he wears a dark suit and red power tie and has lots of money, no or very short sideburns and when he speaks publicly, he is, quite frankly, bo-ring! Except for the part about the suit, tie, money, and sideburns, that pretty much describes me... today. But, I wasn't always this bo-ring. Noooooo (said in a drawn-out gravelly Belushi voice)! There was a time when I walked the streets of Boston and men trembled and looked away and women locked up their daughters (to no avail). I was a Rho Delt!

While on Facebook, I found a group of brothers from my old fraternity - even though I have never met any of them (yet), they are still my brothers - that's what fraternities are all about. I need to find out about what can be shared publicly, but I can say for now that we were the template, the model for the movie "Animal House" (except they had to tone it down for the screen). You take one look at me today, and I know it's hard to believe (almost as hard as "Change" and "Hope" in politics), but it's true. Unfortunately, as Doug Neidermeyer said in the movie, "...we have received more than two dozen reports of individual acts of perversion SO profound and disgusting that decorum prohibits listing them here." As a result, I will not list specifics here and you will have to accept my word (still worth something, I trust) that that's the way it was.

Having taught in a public high school for 31 years, I had to behave (well, i didn't have to, but if I wanted to keep working...), and when one accurately pretends for any extended length of time, the make-believe world subtly and gradually morphs into the new reality, and I have become quite bo-ring! It's like an undercover policeman who enters the depraved world and becomes depraved himself. I entered the boring world, and, well, you know the rest.

Today, the frat no longer formally exists although some upstart sorority (a sorority) Alpha Kappa Alpha has absconded with the name and started a Rho Delta Omega chapter in Palo Alto, California - no connection to us, of course!

Anyhow, perhaps with intense therapy and the chance to talk with and rub shoulders with my brothers, who knows what will happen? The same body that scored twice in our 85-0 victory in fantastic fraternity football final (nice alliteration, Berman) is now pretty much shot, but my mind is still somewhat intact (although fraught with more holes than a fine aged Swiss cheese). As I have rarely ever sworn aloud in the past 38 years, maybe even that will change (let me try now to see if I can do it: uh, doo-doo, poopie, ca-ca). Well, it's a start. Is it too late to save me? Time will tell!

Later.