major initiatives
Information on
Exit Criteria and Academic Acceleration Programs
There have been numerous
questions from parents and concerned citizens about the
potential change in performance standards at the Duval
County Public Schools’ (DCPS) Academic Magnet Schools.
The purpose of this letter is to address concerns that
have been expressed to the Superintendent, Board Members
and the School Choice Office.
Academic performance
standards were adopted for the academic magnet schools
in 1998. Their purpose was to ensure that students
enrolled in college preparatory magnet programs maintain
adequate academic progress for continued enrollment in
the program. They were adopted in lieu of admissions
criteria so that all students would be given a chance to
apply and to be accepted through the lottery process.
The performance standards were very minimal, requiring
only that a student pass all courses and maintain an
overall 2.0 grade point average.
In 1998, Duval County’s
magnet programs were still in their infancy. It is now
2008 and the educational landscape is much different
today than it was then. The academic magnet programs
have matured and a culture of learning, high
expectations, and self-motivation is deeply embedded in
each school’s environment. The students who apply,
enroll and immerse themselves in the rigorous honors and
advanced programs in 2008 set much higher academic
achievement goals for themselves than those established
by the school board in 1998. By today’s standards, a 2.0
grade point average can hardly be viewed as a standard
to which to aspire.
The time has come to
reconsider the unintended consequences that have
resulted from the establishment of the academic
performance standards.
-
The return of students
who do not meet the standards to their neighborhood
school reinforces the perception that neighborhood
schools have lower standards than the academic
magnet schools.
-
The sense of failure for
a student who is dismissed from the academic magnet
program can have a life long impact on self-esteem
and sense of worth.
-
A self-fulfilling
philosophy of “haves” and “have nots” that causes
resentment among otherwise reasonable educators.
The school system is creating a committee
to review all of our high school acceleration
programs: International Baccalaureate (IB); Advanced
International Certificate of Education (AICE) from
Cambridge University; Early College where students
earn dual enrollment at Florida Community College at
Jacksonville (FCCJ), potentially earning an
Associate of Arts (AA) degree; and Advanced
Placement Scholar, which mirrors the honors programs
at Paxon and Stanton. The committee will recommend
to me where and when to place one of these four
acceleration programs in each of our comprehensive
high schools. The purpose of this effort will be to
expand the Stanton/Paxon concept to neighborhood
high schools without harming the world class
reputations of our dedicated magnets.
|
