THUMB AWARD REPORT CARD RHETORIC

Thumbs Down to the Fort Worth Independent School District and Supt. I. Carl Candoli for denying that social promotions exist in the FWISD despite teacher’s claims that they are being told to give work on whatever level students can pass. Liz Tamayo, president of the Fort Worth Federation of Teachers, says that teachers are also being pressured to decrease the percentage of failing grades they give their pupils. There are also complaints that teachers are being told to concentrate on helping students master nationally standarized tests rather than classroom subjects. Finaiiy, some teachers and principals say that students who were not up to par in math and reading last year were promoted to the next grade. Meanwhile, Candoli prefers to call the practice of allowing students to advance even though they’ve failed to achieve at their grade level “continuous progress.”