An Invitation from Parent Council . . .

During Parent Council’s initial meetings this school year, many parents shared concerns and contributed ideas for making South even more successful. After further discussion, Parent Council will submit the most promising ideas to the school for serious consideration.* The ideas we’ve gathered typically arose during dinner conversations and other contexts where students describe their positive and negative views about South.

You can influence how South affects your student's motivation, enjoyment and preparation for adulthood by doing any (or all) of the following:

- Read my next few blog postings; each describes a key question that some parents have previously raised and add your own thoughts.

- Share your suggestions, frustrations and/or enthusiasm for quality education with other parents by putting one or more upcoming Parent Council Meetings on your calendar (Jan 27 and Feb 24, 2010 at 8pm in South's cafeteria for the next two meetings, then the last Wednesday of each month for subsequent meetings through May, 2010).

- Contact me at 654.0784 or sehsparentcouncil [at] comcast [dot] net .

* South’s policy-making organization, Site Council, will write the school’s next three-year School Improvement Plan during the remainder of this academic year. Many parents don’t realize how much genuine autonomy the state grants each Oregon school for innovating and shaping its own future, typically via the school’s Site Council. Two other parents besides me are members of South’s Site Council, and we’ll submit and support all compelling ideas (and concerns) that parents contribute.

Should South Adopt a New Grading Model?

Traditionally, final course grades largely depend on how many mistakes a student made on specific tests days and scores students from other assignments. In an alternative grading model some parents and students are discussing, performances on tests and assignments would strictly serve a diagnostic function that would help students and teachers determine which concepts the student had successfully developed—but, most importantly, the errors your student makes wouldn’t penalize his or her final course grade. Students could then study further and confirm the concepts they had newly mastered via subsequent evaluations. Proponents believe this new grading model would greatly relieve counter-productive stress and pressure that de-motivates students, and would help students love learning far more than before.

Your student’s final grade would depend entirely on the breadth of concepts acquired and demonstrated by the end of the semester, and all mistakes he or she made before mastering each new concept would be entirely ignored. Does the traditional grading model or an alternative like the one under discussion induce more stress, and does such stress help or hinder cognitive development and a student’s passion for lifelong learning? Add your own thoughts about this topic by clicking the link below that says 8 Comments (or some other number), write your comment in the box provided, and select whether you want to post your thought anonymously or reveal your identity.

Emphasize More Personal Development?

South could potentially focus more on skills that help people navigate personal and work life, such as collaborating with colleagues, resolving conflicts cordially, and gaining resilience for handling disappointments and overcoming barriers. Add your own thoughts about this topic by clicking the link below that says 8 Comments (or some other number), write your comment in the box provided, and select whether you want to post your thought anonymously or reveal your identity.

De-emphasize Lower-Level Academic Skills?

South could potentially de-emphasize such skills as rote memorization, and place more emphasis on higher-level scholarly skills, such as contrasting and connecting related concepts, formulating deep questions, leveraging research tools, and applying creative problem-solving methods? Add your own thoughts about this topic by clicking the link below that says 8 Comments (or some other number), write your comment in the box provided, and select whether you want to post your thought anonymously or reveal your identity.