Superintendent Neu,
Regarding the district’s new grading system, it is an obstacle to our children’s success.
It is imposing discouragement.
There is no incentive because Federal Way kids know they have a slim shot of actually doing well.
This system is cheating our kids. It makes them all into failures by lowering the standards and focusing on their weaknesses.
What speaks volumes regarding this system is that last year, the state universities deducted one GPA point from students applying from the Federal Way school district.
Even the universities know this system is making losers out of our children. And you know full well that most teachers in our district object to this grading system. Last year’s system was bad, and this year’s is worse. Bad to worse! You are taking our schools in the wrong direction, Mr. Superintendent.
Why does no one get a say in this except for you and whoever holds the purse-strings?
Your system is disheartening, lowering standards, withholding reward and credit for work, instilling fear that their best will count for nothing since their one weak “power point” will make them an overall failure. “Power” point? You have taken away their power to learn and succeed.
This system is all wrong.
Your decisions have taken away my children’s enjoyment in learning, have taken away my right to decide what is best in my city’s schools, and you are fostering an attitude of pointlessness in all these children. The result of constantly applied discouragement is the likelihood that they will become lazy good-for-nothings who have little to contribute to society because you want to make our district the test tube for your “creative” idea.
We hold you accountable for jeopardizing our youth’s potential to succeed.
Your defense of it — whether because we’ve already invested millions in this, or because you think you are fine-tuning learning strategies — is corrupt. It is politically corrupt, morally corrupt, financially corrupt, and encourages corruption in these kids because they are learning they cannot meet your “standards” without cheating the system or giving up altogether.
They know they are always on the brink of failure. What kind of future should they then expect?
And what will you say for yourself when there are tremendous rates of failure throughout the district?
You are being urged to put a stop to this grading system immediately. Return to what works — what motivates our children’s learning experience.
Listen to the teachers, the administrators, the principals, the counselors, the students, the parents and the people of Federal Way!
Concerned and rightly angry parents,
E. and S. Erkelens, Federal Way
