This is from the TIPS example on fractions. It's at the bottom of the page after the child has presented the topic to a parent.
"Dear Parent, Please let me know your reactions to your child’s work on this activity.
____ O.K. My child seems to understand this skill
____ PLEASE CHECK. My child needed some help on this, but seems to understand.
____ PLEASE HELP. My child still needs instruction on this skill. ____ PLEASE NOTE. (other comments)"
How about:
_____ I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS CRAP
I check all of my son's work every night. I set higher expectations than his school. I do a lot of explaining and reteaching. I don't want to do this and I shouldn't have to. TIPS turns a negative into a positive. Apparently the schools can't do the job themselves.
TIPS is a grand annoyance for capable parents and is a useless joke for the rest.
file under: hideous unintended consequences
No Child Left Behind requires schools to "develop ways to get parents more involved in their child's education and improving the school."
That explains a lot.
I've forgotten now who made this find - sorry!
That'd be me! I've started to dig into the history of the pervasive "parent involvement" we all seem to be experiencing.
ReplyDeleteOur school district just adopted math texts from Holt, and one of the supplements associated with it provides "Family Involvement Activities [that] include[s] a two-page letter to parents, a practice page for the student, and a game or activity for the family."
I can hardly wait!