Graduation rates should not be used as a measure of school performance
unless graduation signifies a certain level of competence in academic
subjects. According to a recent NYT article, it may not do so in some
NYC schools. I don't know how often principals are overriding teachers
to give better grades, but the stated school points of giving 45/100
points for a single day's attendance is incredible.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/education/01education.html
A Teacher Grows Disillusioned After a 'Fail' Becomes a 'Pass'
By SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN
Published: August 1, 2007 in the New York Times
Several weeks into his first year of teaching math at the High School
of Arts and Technology in Manhattan, Austin Lampros received a copy of
the school's grading policy. He took particular note of the
stipulation that a student who attended class even once during a
semester, who did absolutely nothing else, was to be given 45 points
on the 100-point scale, just 20 short of a passing mark.

I worked for Anne Geiger in the 1990's, when she was the assistant
principal of the Salk School of Science. She also engaged in these
kinds of shenanigans, in addition to harassing students and teachers.
Some things never change.

Beliavsky wrote:

Yep. The inmates are running the asylum. Admins should NOT be
allowed to overrule teacher judgments about grades.

"According to Mr. Lampros's records, she missed one-third of the
classes,
arrived late for 20 sessions, turned in half the required homework
assignments,
failed 11 of 14 tests and quizzes, and never took the final exam.

Pubkeybreaker wrote:

Even when such grades are arbitrary and capricious?

In article <1186149604.029634.221750@19g2000hsx.googlegroups.com>,
Pubkeybreaker aol.com> wrote:

Jeffrey J Weimer wrote:

Alan Lichtenstein wrote:

Yes. And the *teacher* should be able to appeal such behavior on the
part
of the administration...

Pubkeybreaker wrote:

We know nothing about the appropriateness of the teacher constructed
evaluative materials; only that he had records. If the examinations,
quizzes, homework assignments were inappropriate for any number of
reasons, we do not know that. Since it is evident that there was
ineffective supervision, we will never know that. If the materials
created by the teacher were inappropriate professionally, then the
grading was indeed capricous.

In article rcn.net>,
Alan Lichtenstein wrote:

In the processing of a request to change grades, obtaining a balance
between what is fair, what is obsessive, and what is "bending over
backwards" is where the real battles occur. As you clearly point out in
your replies, having proper documentation of critical events is
extremely important for all sides of the case.

As I do not envy an administrator in a position to have to make such
decisions, I will not swear against their decisions. I will however
pound the desk hard to be sure due process is followed on all sides. I
think this is the heart of what is being discussed here - was due
process followed on all sides.

Jeffrey J Weimer wrote: