tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post4295403993506350871..comments2024-01-04T05:57:26.735-06:00Comments on Education Policy Blog: Hosted by the Forum on the Future of Public Education: students should graduate with a résumé, not a transcriptCraig A. Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160288758906798678noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-51174828959409323492010-02-14T07:55:42.366-06:002010-02-14T07:55:42.366-06:00I am an adamant proponent of authentic assessment ...I am an adamant proponent of authentic assessment in my classroom practice. I also believe that there must be a better way than the current system as a means to report out what our students really know. At one time my "school", an independent program attached to a public high school, used narrative report cards. But, the resistance we met from college admissions departments and high school guidance departments led to our program reverting to using traditional methods to communicate student performance. <br /> <br />As an educator in a progressive academic offering I would love to answer the question of how to communicate a detailed and accurate picture of a student’s abilities and performance to colleges. However, as the consumer of this information it is up to colleges and universities to first communicate what, if anything, they are looking for beyond numeric indicators of GPA, SAT scores, and CP level and AP courses taken. <br /> <br />In my opinion, unfortunately, until there is a universal call by colleges and universities for enhanced transcripts, students will be negatively impacted in the admissions process when they submit standards based and/or narrative report cards.<br /> <br />When asked, the majority of colleges respond that enhanced transcripts can have significant value, but only when they communicate the student’s achievements and skills in a clear and succinct manner. At the same time, they also say that if all schools used enhanced transcripts it would be overwhelming.<br /><br />Until colleges and high schools come to consensus on a standardized and systemic enhanced reporting system there will never be widespread demand for change in the current system.<br /><br />In an effort to continue to develop our report cards, I did some research by sending a short questionnaire to every major Vermont college and university. The eight responses I received were quite interesting...and led to our discontinuing their use.<br /><br />I can forward that on to any interested individual. jfinley@rnesu.orgjdfinleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05840701646644520684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-88815579619277961992010-02-06T11:11:15.209-06:002010-02-06T11:11:15.209-06:00I think we should teach more probability and stati...I think we should teach more probability and statistics, psychology, ethical reasoning, economics etc.<br /><br />But you'd still have to have standardized tests at the end of those classes to ensure quality. The alternative is to have individual teachers make their own tests. It doesn't change the fact that those tests are tests, it just means some teachers might set very low standards and many kids will pass the class without learning much.<br /><br />I don't know why people jump for joy when they think about how little our kids will learn.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12153814136185054576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-89142944504040541732010-02-06T09:58:15.374-06:002010-02-06T09:58:15.374-06:00There's a lot going on in this post ken...i wi...There's a lot going on in this post ken...i wish i had the time to respond. my 7 month old son, who has greatly changed how i view "policy" and "schools," keeps me quite busy.<br /><br />in short, i support as many different avenues as possible for helping children develop and grow. <br /><br />that being said, schools as we know them now are archaic and i'm done with k-12 warehouse schooling. <br /><br />we can prepare children to be engaged and transformative actors in other ways and in other spaces.<br /><br />i was very much done with them yesterday when my son's future middle school went on lock down b/c a 9th grader had shot another 9th grader in the head. <br /><br />he died.<br /><br />over the past 7 months i've been doing a lot of reading about various ways earthlings come into being. why would a child kill a child? what events lead to a being killing another being?<br /><br />i am interested in pursuing apprenticeships for my son, using Marion Brady's, John Dewey's, Buckminster Fuller's, and Lynn Stoddard's work to undergird what he does with reflective exploration.<br /><br />i do appreciate the need for spaces where he can do so (reflectively explore) with others...the giant schools currently housing those spaces need to go. they make too much nonsense possible.<br /><br />i have to attend to our son...thank you for the post and links to the info. i will return to this throughout the day when i have a second.<br /><br />best,<br />pkphiliphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07461587137265412721noreply@blogger.com