Anaheim Schools Axe 'Humiliating' Color-Coded Student ID Program

lynn

Okay My daughter goes to one of these schools and was ecstatic to receive her platinum card! She worked her but off to do well on testing! Let me ask this why are we always protecting the kids who could care less about their education, about doing homework and being successful in school??? We have ALL these programs for those who FAIL!!! We give one reward to those who succeed and it's discrimination.. Really ???? Well parents put that energy that you so heartily complain with towards your kids who have wrongly been discriminated against because their NOT smart enough and help them succeed ! This is so ridiculous......

Rachel

now a days, if you are too smart, you are weird. if you are smart, its expected. if you are dumb, you are shunned upon or either given high fives. fucked up.welcome to high school.

EdC

Here we go, dumbing down the hard work of students! I believe students should be rewarded for hard work and the ensuing achievements -- that's the way it works in real life.

This is not about race ,Its how hard a student works to achieve high testing scores.My daughter is Latina and has the highest color card and its because she studys five hours a day after school .Parents should stop complaining and make there kids study harder if they want perks .This prepares them for the real world .SO STOP BITCHING AND STUDY CABRONES!

Truth.

Yes, as stated, this is not about race. This is about segregating students on information that is based on one, yes one, standardized test. Standardized tests alone cannot and will never speak to ones academic achievement and potential. To connect such scores to a public forum such as lunch time violates privacy laws, especially when it's completely humiliating for someone who doesn't necessarily test well and will never test well. These standardized tests will never measure someone's true potential. Especially because they don't benefit anyone other than the state and districts that administer them. I'm sure your daughter is an outstanding student, but there are hundreds of thousands of students who are just as great who don't test as well, not to mention students with learning disabilities and other limitations that render poor test scores. So, this so-called "bitching" is well-deserved because this issue lies farther than your take on it. The proof lies in the fact that this program was immediately canceled.

FishWithoutBicycle

Thank You! You hit the nail on the head...standardized tests don't prove a damn thing about intelligence or potential...so why open up students to ridicule from peers (or even teachers) based on the arbitrary scores of an arbitrary test?

Diane

"...plans to find a new way to reward students who perform well on standardized tests." Shouldn't they perform well on the test, regardless?! I don't see why the District should go out of their way to reward students for behavior that is expected of them.

Anthony in Manhattan

this was a great idea, too bad political correctness canned it... mediocrity will continue.

FishWithoutBicycle

Right...like students with learning problems aren't stigmatized enough? Exactly what is supposed to motivate students to succeed...walking around in a state of perpetual humiliation at school because they carry the "idiot" card? Like high school isn't hell already...

EdC

Students with learning problems are going to have to accept the fact that if they do not overcome it, they will be adults with job securing problems! You use what abilities you have and make the most of them. Some students will become millionaires and some will not! That's life.Please, let's stop dumbing down the educational system and life! Those who can do will do and those who cannot do will not --- accept it!

FishWithoutBicycle

Still missing my point. Do you seriously believe that a "color" system or similar program isn't going lead to the "smart" kids picking on the "dumb" kids? How is that going to encourage students who are having problems to improve? Like I said before...why was this information (color coding) not given to teachers ONLY if it was meant strictly to improve education? It's as if they WANT struggling students to be ridiculed by their peers...

Michelle

Sure, stigmas are worse in larger schools, but this is not a bad system at all. If the student decides to stay in that category because of "stigmas" then that shows their immaturity and lack of drive (which is the reason they are in that category to begin with) -- which hopefully, would help alert teachers to who would need more guidance and who wouldnt. Some system like this is better than nothing at all. There is some non PC aspect to it but the intentions were good.

FishWithoutBicycle

Good intentions aside...if these card/planner colors are strictly for aiding the teachers then why are they in plain view of other students?

Francis

The idea is that the cards are for the teachers, not the students, to help identify who would need "more supervision." The labels exist already-- it's only getting institutionalized this way.

909Jeff

Yeah because god forbid we prepare these kids for real life where they may end up being "Incentive's" for hard work and achievement...

Like for example Michelle, I generally Like your articles so therefore Gustavo should give you a bottle of Cazadores for exceptional work... Coker has been doing pretty good as of late so he gets a bottle of Cuervo, Lieberman kind of fell off last week so he gets a 12er of natural light... and Moxley gets nada but better luck next week!

Dave Lieberman

If "pretty good" gets you a bottle of Cuervo (51% agave, 49% meados de gato) then clearly we need a series over on Stick a Fork In It on how to drink tequila without looking like a pendejo. :-P

909Jeff

hey the incentive comp falls off quickly... As far as tequila goes for me... straight, no condiments.

liberals are hypocrites

who needs cards, we all know who the high and low performers are... right gustavo?

DubV

Kennedy and Cypress are two of Anaheim's more European-American (White) schools according to their 2009-2010 SARC reports Cypress is 40% Euro-American and Kennedy is 25% and if you compare that to the population at Oxford Academy which is only 12% percent Euro-American I guess you can figure that question out yourself without any of Gustavo's help unless you're illiterate and would need assistance formulating a rational answer...

PS you're blogging-ease up on the common splices little buddy-hopefully you're not an English instructor

gustavoarellano

My fanboys SO want my attention--quite pathetic haha

Vertov

Its hard to imagine this sort of ranking system not blowing up in the administrators' faces. As if high school kids aren't into cliques and hierarchies already.