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Mar 12, 2009 10:02 pm US/Central
Cheating? No Homework? No Problem In Plano ISD
PLANO (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
What's the best way to educate our children? Should it be that if they cheat, they always get a second chance? What about late school work? Should students be allowed to turn it in at any time, no matter how late? One North Texas school district is considering some drastic changes like these.
According to several Plano
Independent School District teachers, they have been informed that beginning next school year, homework will no longer be required for middle school students. And the grades for homework assignments that are assigned will not apply to students' report card grades.
Faculty members we talked to said they were caught off guard when they were told about the plan recently. They were also surprised that their students will be required to do less work. One teacher reportedly wept when she heard the news.
We talked to several teachers about the plan. None of them wanted to be identified because they fear retaliation.
Faculty members also told us they think their students will suffer academically and the teachers will be held responsible.
A lot of parents say they're unhappy with the plan as well. According to parent Buddy Flowers, learning for his daughter doesn't stop when the school bell rings. "I'm very proud of her. She's a straight A student." But Flowers was surprised to learn about a number of initiatives being considered for Plano middle schools.
"If homework's not going to count, then what's the point of the kids doing the homework?" asked Flowers. Parent Brenda Stewart agreed, saying, "I would prefer them to do the homework. At least they can be on track and not behind."
"Perhaps on a college level that may work, but I think at the this level, I don't think that will inspire them to do their work when they needed to study," says Lauren Pasley, the mother of another student.
Not all parents were upset about the plan, but some thought it should be revised. "Homework should not count as a grade, I believe that I agree with that," explained mother Ruth Shapiro. "I don't believe there shouldn't be any homework. But it shouldn't be counted as a grade. Because you don't know who's helping, who's doing the homework."
As for deadlines for assignments, teachers say the Plano ISD is considering placing no deadline on any assignment completed outside of the classroom--so students could turn in the work at any time.
Teachers say there are also some proposed changes concerning cheating, or as the district refers to it, "academic dishonesty." If a middle school student is caught cheating, he or she would be allowed to redo the assignment or complete an alternate assignment. Currently, students caught cheating in the Plano ISD are given a grade of zero on that assignment.
The district says the plans have not been finalized, although the teachers we talked to say they have been told otherwise. The district also says the proposed changes only apply to middle school students in Plano. But teachers say they have been notified the pilot program could be expanded to include high school students at a later date.
Officials with the Texas State Teachers Association in Austin say they are unaware of the initiatives but want to know if teacher input was a part of the decision-making process.
The Executive Director for Government and Community Relations for the Plano Independent School District issued the following statement: "The Plano ISD middle school grading and assessment committee began the study of grading and assessment practices at the middle school level in September 2007. The objective of their work was to insure that grading practices are consistent with the philosophy that grades should be our most accurate reflection of student knowledge and achievement. These findings are being considered in the district's administrative review process."
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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