Public School Allows Cheating…at what cost
By Krystle Weeks | Thursday, November 18th, 2010 | Catch-AllOn my way to work this morning, I was surprised to hear on WMAL that West Potomac High School in Fairfax County is not failing those who cheat on exams, rather they are allowing them to retake the same exam. Ironically, this school has also asked teachers to banish failing grades. I just love what the Principal of the school emailed to teachers:
“West Potomac High School Principal Cliff Hardison last month instructed teachers to allow cheaters to retake tests. The idea was that cheating should “result in a disciplinary consequence separate from an academic consequence,” Hardison said in a Nov. 5 e-mail to teachers.”
A disciplinary consequence? Huh?!? Both the disciplinary and academic consequences alone are enough to ward off cheaters. A disciplinary consequence will only ensure that the behavior will occur again. As a public school graduate, I witnessed cheating in many of my classes. The students who cheated were not only punished academically, but they also received the embarrassment of having the teacher openly confront them in class and then having their parents called in for conferences to remedy the problem. Usually, both consequences solved the cheating issue.
Meanwhile in the real world, if you are caught doing unethical acts (such as cheating, stealing, etc.), you are generally fired, along with having that act on your record for the rest of your career. Unfortunately, this message has not reached those at West Potomac High School. They are merely enabling the future generation that you can get second chances, as mentioned before, this is often not the case. When public officials discuss school reforms, they should look at reforming academic standards and creating more accountability amongst the students.
Cross posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
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Growing up in Maryland typically does not yield a Republican. Fortunately, Krystle Weeks was one of the lucky few booted to the Commonwealth for her staunch conservative views. From an early age, she has been debating politics, and since 2006, she has been involved here in the Commonwealth helping Republican candidates to victory. Aside from politics, Krystle is a runner and a dynamite cook. You can email her here. Krystle also blogs at Crystal Clear Conservative and Charm Offensive Cooking.
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2 Responses to "Public School Allows Cheating…at what cost"
Meanwhile in the real world, if you are caught doing unethical acts (such as cheating, stealing, etc.), you are generally fired, along with having that act on your record for the rest of your career. Unfortunately, this message has not reached those at West Potomac High School.
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I submit: See Ethics Panel for Rep. Charles Rangel. The school is merely following an example set by government.
I mean, we know Rangel is lower than a glowworm’s belly on a subway track, and yet he still retains his seat in Congress. What does that tell the public?
Then there’s the Secretary of the Treasury, who is a tax cheat, and gets to be in charge of the IRS, rather than going to jail. What does that tell the public?
I agree with you, Linda. The example set by the U.S. Government is now affecting every single aspect of our society. The public schools (not to mention some private schools) are lowering the standards for students. They want everyone to pass, thus creating a society reliant on the government to do everything for them. It is the complete dumbing down of our society.
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