More feedback on upping grades for getting good test scores in Grossmont: John Tierney, who served briefly as interim superintendent in the East County district more than a decade ago, e-mailed me with his own suggestion for how schools could incentivize students to do well:
I would like to propose a different approach to student incentives than the one Valhalla High School officials have concocted. The school’s Foundation could be asked to provide school officials $5,000. Five $500 scholarships would be available to five college preparation students who did not score proficient or advanced on 2009 California Standards Tests but who do so in 2010. If any of these students score proficient in 2010, their names would be placed in a lottery. If any score advanced in 2010, their names would be placed twice in a lottery. Five $500 scholarships would also be made available to five advanced placement students. For every 2009-10 Advanced Placement student, receiving a score of “3” on a 2010 AP exam, his or her name would be placed in a lottery. Students, who receive scores of “4” on 2010 AP exams, would have their names placed twice in the lottery; students, scoring “5” on 2010 AP exams, would have their names placed thrice.
Keep the e-mails coming! You can always put a bug in my ear at emily.alpert@voiceofsandiego.org.
— EMILY ALPERT