Florida students with C’s, D’s and F’s are making honor roll
Nov 14, 2013, 6:11 PM
One school district in Florida is rewarding mediocre and even failing grades with honor roll status, WFTS-TV in Tampa, Fla. reported.
“I immediately assumed it’s a mistake,” said parent of a Pasco Middle School student, Beth Tillack.
Tillack was stunned to see her son’s report card and learn he made the honor roll, despite earning a C and a D. There was even a smiley face and “good job” written on it by a teacher.
“The bottom line is there is nothing honorable about making a D,” she said. “I was not happy, because how can I get my child to study for a test when he thinks he’s done enough?”
The Pasco County School District determines honor roll eligibility using a points system, and “acquiring enough points for A’s can easily offset even an ‘F’ to make the honor roll.”
Pasco Middle School Principal Kim Anderson said the note was meant as encouragement, something teachers have been doing there since the 1990s, but she admitted teachers may need to look at report cards more carefully from now on.
Since Tillack’s complaint, a school district spokesman has confirmed that the points policy is now under review. A change of policy could affect 35,000 Pasco County middle and high school students.
