[etni] Re: I missing something
- From: "Sara Welts" <linci@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <nirenber@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 19:46:47 +0200
**** ETNI on the web http://www.etni.org.il http://www.etni.org ****
Hi Etnians!
I have a number of comments to make on the issue of the tziyun shnati.
We have created a system in which each teacher must give at least 3 tziyunim
shnatiim and in many cases 5 such grades, as pupils try to do a lower level
bagrut and then work themselves up to the next level. (For ex. in my
twelvth grade class half of the class took the 4 points in the winter and
are planning to take the 5 this summer, as they know they have nothing to
lose.) This is terribly burdensome on the teachers as they give matkonot
for each module (I know they don't have to, but the fact is that most of us
do). Then they have to give a tziyun shnati where pupils have the right of
appeal (5 times!!!). Of course we have explained on what the mark was
based, but they continue to say: "You know I can get a 90 on Module X, why
are you ruining my chances of succeess? What does a book report or a
literature test have to do with how well I can do on this module? " We have
all heard this and similar claims again and again.
Conclusion? One does not have to be a rocket scientiest to figure out that
the best way for a capable pupil to take these modules is without a tziyun
shnati, i.e. externally. We hear our students whispering this in the
background.
Another problem is the fact that there is no uniform manner in which
teachers calculate the tziyun shanati. I know that there is an official NBA
directive as to how this is to be done, but how many teachers calculate
their grades in this manner? At the last hishtalmut I attended a week
before the winter exam, I asked seven teachers how they were planning to
calculate their grades. I got 7 different answers- two of which were "I
have no idea". The others had there own systems and would probably come up
with different grades for the same pupils. The suggested formula has not
been adapted by many.
There are reasons for this, but the bottom line is that there is no
uniformity in giving these grades, and as such I am very much against the
suggestion to change the ratio of the tziyun shanati from 50% to 80% . I
and others could probably make suggestions as how to alter the formula so
that it could easily suit everyone, but that is another issue. As it
stands, I feel very uncomfortable with the fact that 50% of our pupils'
grades are composed of unknown elements based on decisions made by
individual teachers. I am sure these teachers mean to do the right and fair
thing, but as long as there is no uniformity, there can be no fairness.
Shavua Tov,
Sara
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lev Abramov" <lev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <nirenber@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <danielashkenazy@xxxxxxxx>; <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 12:06 PM
Subject: [etni] Re: I missing something
> **** ETNI on the web http://www.etni.org.il http://www.etni.org ****
>
> The point, as *I* see it, is that while Bagrut grades are more or less
> objective (even though we have all heard all kinds of horror stories
> about ministry-appointed proctors who turn a blind eye on the cheaters),
> school grades are too easy to tamper with. My vice-principal (I'm not
> supposed to tell you the name of the school... :( ) used to tell me
> what grades to give to what pupils. when I made it clear I was not going
> to take part in that game, the administration said OK = and they just
> doctored the grades on their own adjusting them so as to make sure 90%
> of the pupils would pass no matter what.
>
> So I assume that making the final grade 50:50 used to be an arrangement
> that gave fairness a chance. Any deviation from it wil skew the results
> even further, and that this is what made Daniel so agitated.
>
> By the way, the fact that school administration if so often so eager to
> cook the books indicates that the system is seriously sick. Morbid.
> Rotten. I wonder how - if at all - the Dovrat report deals with this
> ugly phenomenon. Sue to my "insufficient flexibility" I've worked under
> more principals than most of you. 90% of them are not professionals -
> they are political creatures, cousins and friends of someone in the
> local government, and their promotion has nothing to do with either
> their track record as administrators nor with their rock-solid morals.
> They are there because they are loyal to the hand that signed their
> appointment. Only few of them steal (like the principal of the Brenner
> High in Tel Aviv who told teachers to add hours to their monthly reports
> that they had not taught - then told them to bring her the money earned
> for these fictitious hours, allegedly to invest in school repairs...) -
> but very few will hesitate to fire an excellent but non-compliant teacher.
>
> Best -
>
> Lev
>
>
>
> Bari Nirenberg wrote:
>
>>I must be missing your point here. It seems to me that if the Bagrut is
>>worth 20% and the teacher's grade is worth 80% then students will be MORE
>>motivated to study and do well in school because their schoolwork is going
>>to count a whole lot more than the exam(s) that they take at the end of
>>the
>>year.
>>
>>Bari
>>
>>
>>
>>>Mr. Dovrat wants the Bagrut to be worth 20% of the grade. We
>>>spend most of our time preparing our students in grades 9 - 12
>>>for projects, bagrut modules. English speakers clamour in grade
>>>10 that they should be allowed to write the bagrut in grade 11.
>>>The NBA is designed to raise the grades of English in this
>>>country. We are being told to ignore the benchmarks in favour of
>>>bagrut assessment.
>>>
>>>Did Dovrat even speak to Judy Steiner about his ideas for English
>>>bagrut? Is there any communication up there in the halls of the
>>>ministry? Do those lunatics realise that the Dovrat proposals
>>>will destroy the motivation of students to learn English in this country?
>>>
>
>
>
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