Thursday, July 7, 2011

Guest Post: Rhee inflated graduation rates by lowering standards through her ''Credit Recovery'' program; thousands affected

Guest Post: Rhee inflated graduation rates by lowering standards through her ''Credit Recovery'' program; thousands affected

Guest Post: Rhee inflated graduation rates by lowering standards through her ''Credit Recovery'' program; thousands affected

“One of the ways Michelle Rhee attempted to boost graduation rates was by creating after-school courses called “Credit Recovery” in every high school and by massive expansion of summer school”, according to Erich Martel, a social studies teacher in the District of Columbia public schools. CR is a program of after school courses for high school students who have failed the same classes during the regular school day. It enables these pupils to receive credit towards graduation; but the “recovery” courses have distinctly lower standards than the standard kind. As a result, any increase in graduation numbers through these means many well yield a false impression of improved student learning.

Martel notes, loopholes Rhee created by allowing thousands (yes, 1000’s) of DC public high school students to get easy graduation credits in little-or-no-work, show-up-sometimes after-school and summer school courses that mimicked day school courses.”

See Erich’s entire post at EdExcellence.net, or by clicking the “more” tab in the right-hand corner of this post.

Ed. Secretary Duncan ''stunned'' by cheating scandal

Duncan “stunned” . When asked about the pervasiveness of cheating in other cities, like Baltimore and Washington, he dodges the issue. Still not investigating Rhee’s ErasureGate. Read Duncan’s letter here.