RAFT

Although I've never been in this exact situation before, I have had some experience in disappointing parents with bad news, so here we go!



Mr. Craig = MC

Angry Parent = AP



MC = "Good morning, Mrs. Underhill. This is Dan Craig, supervisor for the most expensive, and therefore, best school in the state. I'm calling to touch base with you about Casey's English placement for next year. I see you are pushing for her to remain in Honors, while her teacher has recommended her for the College Prep class. Is that about right?"



AP = "Yes, that's correct. And I have to say, that it's been a struggle all year. Casey's an Honors student, she has been for the last two years in English, and furthermore, she has maintained a B average. Now this year, she is lucky to get a C. I would like to know what is going on in this classroom and why this teacher's assignments are harder than in the past."



MC = "Well, that is certainly a valid question and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. Can I ask...what has been your contact with the teacher this year?"



AP = "Well, we've spoken on several occassions. He called at the beginning of the year to introduce himself, we met at back to school night, and then when Casey failed her first essay, he called me to discuss it, which I appreciated, but at the same time, I didn't see how she could've gotten the grade she did."



MC = "OK...thank you for that. To get back to what you were asking, I entirely agree that the assignments get harder as the students progress in the Honors track. The texts become harder to read and interpret, and as such, the teacher begins to ask more from the students regarding their analysis essays. The rubrics that are used in class are made familiar to the students prior to the assignment so the students are well aware of the assignment and expectations. This is part of the Honors program and part of the preparation for the college courses that Casey is enthusiastic about. Now, I have met with Casey and she intimated to me that while she wants to do better in this particular class, she admits a lack of interest in a lot of the material. Were you aware of this?"



AP = "Yes, but we've shown Casey that this is not an option. We've told her that she may have to take classes that she is not interested in and she still has to push herself to get all the work done and do the best she can."



MC = "And I agree with setting high expectations for our kids, but Casey will still be challenged in college level course, particularly at the senior level. Can I ask, what extracurriculars is Casey involved?"



AP = "Well, she does track, swim team, and debate, and she has a job at Shop-Rite, so she's a busy girl."



MC = "Well, that may be part of the issue, as well. It may benefit her greatly to drop down to this college prep level, considering all of what we've discussed today: the teacher recommendation, the grade output, the writing, her extracurriculars...is she in any other Honors courses?"



AP = "Yes, but she wants to become an English teacher, and she feels that being in Honors will look really good on her transcripts."



MC = "Well, I'm not convinced that that's the best reason to remain a "C"/"D" student in an Honors class. While some people subscribe to that philosophy that a "C" in Honors is like a "B" in a college prep class, it will affect her GPA as she moves forward. Furthermore, her HSPA scores are only proficient, not advanced, which would indicate that Honors is really where she does belong, but her score is only a 236, which is certainly good, but well below advanced proficient. When you look at her writing scores, coupled with the writing samples from her English class, she just does not meet the criteria for Honors at this time."



AP = "Mr. Craig, I hear you and I thank you for your input, but I strongly feel that she should be in this Honors class. If you're telling me that it's impossible, I'd like to hear some kind of alternative."



MC = "Well, Mrs. Underhill, the alternative is for Casey to go into this College Prep class next year. However, I can propose this. If you are truly concerned that Casey is not being challenged enough by this College Prep course, she can participate in our after school enrichment program. This is a program made for students who either need some help with assignment, or want to be pushed further and do more with their writing and reading. Casey is an ideal candidate for this type of program, and we should be able to see some marked improvement in her writing from this program within a month of taking it. Would that be something you'd be interested in looking into?"

AP = "Well, I am disappointed, but this program does sound like a solution to our problem. Let's go with the college prep placement and look into this after school program in some more depth."

MC = "Great. I think that's the best decision. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

AP = "No thank you. Thanks for your time today."

MC = "No problem at all. I'll send you a copy of the literature on our after school program. Thanks again."

AP = "Thank you."