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Teachers cite intense push to promote
Many say pressure continued from their principals despite an Ackerman e-mail.
Students flaunt the ease of passing, a Mastbaum teacher said. "I've had an 11th grader say, 'I can fail your class. I'll go to summer school for a little while and do a little work and pass there.' They get a little piece of the curriculum that gives them the grade, and they're free."
Those ultimately hurt by passing students who don't earn it, the teachers said, are the students, who after years of easy D's might drop out or turn 18 and still struggle to read.
The Mastbaum teacher passed six students who earned failing grades.
"I feel like it's a disservice to pass them when they don't deserve to be passed," the Bartram teacher said. "The kids lose out in the end, and that's the saddest thing."
Passing In Philadelphia
The current grading system in public high schools:
A: 100-90 B: 89-80 C: 79-70 D: 65-70 F: 50-64
(no grades below 50 are accepted)
Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has ordered that there be no minimum grades starting next fall. Here are the promotion standards:
Promotion to 10th grade: 5 credits.
Promotion to 11th grade: 11 credits.
Promotion to 12th grade: 17.5 credits, or enough to reach 23.5 by the end of 12th grade.
About This Story
The Inquirer made several attempts to contact the principals named in this article. Calls were made to their schools, and a district representative made the principals aware of the allegations against them and The Inquirer's request to speak to them.
Contact staff writer Kristen Graham at 215-854-5146 or kgraham@phillynews.com.
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