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    Difference in School Standards

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    alexethridge


    Posts : 33
    Join date : 2009-09-03

    Difference in School Standards Empty Difference in School Standards

    Post  alexethridge Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:49 pm

    As students of Arcadia High School, we pride ourselves on our ability to juggle difficult courses as well as handle academic competition. We take AP classes, participate in the performing arts, lead and organize clubs on campus, compete with our teammates, and even write this newspaper because we believe that is what it means to be a high school student. So if all of these categories are what constitutes the average high-schooler in our general opinion, why are some schools across the nation allowing their students to pass with sub-par standards?
    Many states in America are setting their school’s curriculum at low standards so they can say that their students performing at their grade level requirements when they are in fact being deprived of a proper education. The Obama administration sees this pattern across the nation and is attempting to persuade all states to adopt the same tougher standards for their syllabi. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has stated, “We're lying to our children when we tell them they're proficient, but they're not achieving at a level that will prepare them for success once they graduate." Although the federal government cannot impose an education standard on the states, Duncan is offering millions in federal grants to encourage them to assume one.
    Many argue that states should be raising their standards to help students compete with those of foreign nations, but according to the White House’s Education Department report, more states have lowered standards rather than raised them. Speculation on this topic has suggested that many states have lowered their schools’ curriculum in order to abide by the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act more easily. One uniform concern, however, is the inconsistency among state curriculums, and how one student’s performance cannot be accurately compared to another’s from a different state due to this variation in academic standards.
    While the question of school standards occurs across the nation, there is a definite difference in what is expected of Arcadia High students than what is expected of others. Most schools near Arcadia follow a similar curriculum of the basics, but differ in aspects such as pressure, competition, and available courses. At AHS, it’s common to see students competitively comparing scores with friends’, or secretly ranking themselves among classmates based on grades. We pressure each other to do well because we are pressured by our community to be the best in everything we do, and this results in our school’s admirable achievements. However, some schools do not share the same beliefs as the ones we as a school enforce.
    Phoebe Feldsher, a junior at La Salle High School, believes that “some groups are competitive with grades, but we’re not pressured to take AP classes. I would say our school’s academic competition level is a five out of ten.” Jasper Ryden, a sophomore at Flintridge Prepatory, says, “My school’s curriculum is really rigorous, and I know a lot of school’s who have lighter workloads than us. It all depends on the school and how well the courses are taught.” Both La Salle and Flintridge Prep are private schools and have a different syllabus than Arcadia High’s, but neither appear to match the pressure found in our classes, which has a definite influence over students’ performances. “Going to a competitive school like AHS is good because it prepares us for college,” says sophomore Madeleine Barnes, “[but] it's bad because kids are practically killing themselves trying to pass classes.’
    The idea of a national school standard has both benefits and consequences. Students would be performing at a level determined by what is necessary to properly compete with students around the world, and would overall receive a proper education either greater than or equal to what they were previously receiving. In contrast, this sudden shift in standards may be too drastic a change for schools that have been enforcing lower standards. However, despite the difficulty of a curriculum or the determination to succeed, factors such as student competition and academic pressure will always play a role in a student’s performance. At Arcadia High School, the academic standard is definitely higher than other schools’ and that’s the way we like it.
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    nancyxiao


    Posts : 170
    Join date : 2009-08-31

    Difference in School Standards Empty Re: Difference in School Standards

    Post  nancyxiao Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:06 am

    HI ALEX ETHRIDGE =]

    As students of Arcadia High School, we pride ourselves on [in] our ability to juggle difficult courses as well as ["and" or "while handling"] handle academic competition. We take AP classes, participate in the [delete] performing arts, lead and organize clubs on campus, compete with our teammates, and even write [insert "articles for"] this newspaper because we believe that is what it means to be a high school student [i like what you're trying to say, but it sounds a little awkward]. So if all of these categories are what constitutes the average high-schooler in our general opinion, why are some schools across the nation allowing their students to pass with sub-par standards?
    Many states in America are setting their school’s [schools'] curriculum [curriculums] at low standards so they can say that their students [insert "are"] performing at their grade level requirements when they [confusing pronouns] are in fact being deprived of a proper education. The Obama administration sees this pattern across the nation and is attempting to persuade all states to adopt the same tougher [higher] standards for their syllabi. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has [delete] stated, “We're lying to our children when we tell them they're proficient, but they're not achieving at a level that will prepare them for success once they graduate." Although the federal government cannot impose an education standard on the states, Duncan is offering millions in federal grants to encourage them to assume one.
    Many argue that states should be raising their standards to help students compete with those of foreign nations, but according to the White House’s Education Department report, more states have lowered standards rather than raised them. Speculation on this topic has suggested that many states have lowered their schools’ curriculum [curriculums] in order to abide by the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act more easily. One uniform concern, however, is the inconsistency among state curriculums, and how one student’s performance cannot be accurately compared to another’s from a different state due to this variation in academic standards.
    While the question of school standards occurs across the nation, there is a definite difference in [between] what is expected of [expectations towards] Arcadia High [AHS] students than what is expected of [expectations towards] others. Most schools near Arcadia follow a similar curriculum of the basics, but differ in aspects such as pressure, competition, and available courses. At AHS, it’s common to see students competitively comparing [insert "their"] scores with friends’, [delete comma] or secretly ranking themselves among classmates based on grades. We pressure each other to do well because we are pressured by our community to be the best in everything we do, and this results in our school’s admirable achievements. However, some schools [Some schools, however,] do not share the same beliefs as the ones we as a school enforce.
    Phoebe Feldsher, a junior at La Salle High School, believes that “some groups are competitive with grades, but we’re [[students at her school are]---the two brackets are not a typo] not pressured to take AP classes. I [[She]] would say our [[her]] school’s academic competition level is a five out of ten.” Jasper Ryden, a sophomore at Flintridge Prepatory, says [said], “My school’s curriculum is really rigorous, [delete comma] and I know a lot of school’s who have [give] lighter workloads than us [ours]. It all depends on the school and how well the courses are taught.” Both La Salle and Flintridge Prep are private schools and have a different syllabus [different syllabi] than Arcadia High’s [AHS'], but neither appear to match the pressure found in our classes, which has a definite influence over students’ performances. “Going to a competitive school like AHS is good because it prepares us for college,” says sophomore Madeleine Barnes, “[but] it's bad because kids are practically killing themselves trying to pass classes.’
    The idea of a national school standard has both benefits and consequences. Students would [will] be performing at a level determined by what is necessary to properly compete with students around the world, and would overall receive a proper education either greater than or equal to what they were previously receiving. In contrast, this sudden shift in standards may be too drastic a change for schools that have been enforcing lower standards. However, despite the difficulty of a curriculum or the determination to succeed, factors such as student competition [competition between students] and academic pressure will always play a role in a student’s performance. At Arcadia High School [AHS----i'm sorry! i know "AHS" doesn't sound as good but it's what the style guide says D:], the academic standard is definitely higher than other schools’ and that’s the way we like it.

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