Translation: they *are* instructing teachers to cover grammar, but they are also implicitly acknowledging that in some classes, it won't be covered. A teacher struggling to teach inner-city Grade 3 students the alphabet is not going to get to nouns and verbs.
The school system is leaving themselves loads of wriggle-room when it comes to students who Just Don't Get It. "Must be able to identify nouns and verbs in a sentence," would be specific and measurable; "must demonstrate a basic understanding" is usefully vague. It allows them to wave-on-by students who are struggling with basic literacy because, after all, they got 51% of their answers right on a grammar worksheet.
And now we're back to the realities of an education system where we do not hold students back if they fail to master the curriculum of a given year.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-19 03:22 pm (UTC)For the record, I looked up the NYC school system's performance standards for Grades 1-3, and they *do* have a separate section covering grammar:
Conventions, Grammar, and Usage of the English Language
a Demonstrate a basic understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work.
b Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.
(http://schools.nyc.gov/offices/teachlearn/documents/standards/ELA/es/23overview.html)
Translation: they *are* instructing teachers to cover grammar, but they are also implicitly acknowledging that in some classes, it won't be covered. A teacher struggling to teach inner-city Grade 3 students the alphabet is not going to get to nouns and verbs.
The school system is leaving themselves loads of wriggle-room when it comes to students who Just Don't Get It. "Must be able to identify nouns and verbs in a sentence," would be specific and measurable; "must demonstrate a basic understanding" is usefully vague. It allows them to wave-on-by students who are struggling with basic literacy because, after all, they got 51% of their answers right on a grammar worksheet.
And now we're back to the realities of an education system where we do not hold students back if they fail to master the curriculum of a given year.