Group Reflection
Through project citizen, we were given the task of learning the process of public policy, connecting with local levels of government, and creating democratic ideals. This process allowed us to address real world issues that affect our highs school and everyday life. Project citizen allowed us to experience how to make a real change in our town. We decided to address quarterlies, which is a common problem among most students. Our decision to undertake this problem stemmed from the excessive complaints arising from both high school students and parents. As a group, we decided that quarterlies are not the best way to assess our students. Project Citizen provided us with the opportunity to implement the change we thought would benefit the community. We were able to take direct feedback from students and parents as well as statistical pros and cons into consideration while deciding which cumulative assessment would be best. After analyzing the data and taking consideration for parts we decide to implement finals, or end-of-the-year assessments.
The process of changing quarterlies brought out the difficulties of modifying public policy. We soon realized that changing something as complex as school assessments is not at all simple as it may seem. In our meeting with township public officials, we gained a better understanding of the various committees that are involved in the policy making process. Mayor Carpenter also touched upon the different demographics that the decision affects such as families that no longer have children in the school system. We had overlooked this aspect of the policy making, as we only focused on the result of the policy on the current students and their families. Additionally, the time it would take to implement a new testing schedule would take about a year to review and pass through all of the committees. We also questioned if students taking AP tests in May should have to take assessments and students in regular or honors classes should take them if they have good grades. The idea of assessments are to test what students have learned. This also brings about the question of does taking an hour long test actually demonstrate what students have learned during the year? Or does it simply test their memorization abilities?
Through project citizen, we were given the task of learning the process of public policy, connecting with local levels of government, and creating democratic ideals. This process allowed us to address real world issues that affect our highs school and everyday life. Project citizen allowed us to experience how to make a real change in our town. We decided to address quarterlies, which is a common problem among most students. Our decision to undertake this problem stemmed from the excessive complaints arising from both high school students and parents. As a group, we decided that quarterlies are not the best way to assess our students. Project Citizen provided us with the opportunity to implement the change we thought would benefit the community. We were able to take direct feedback from students and parents as well as statistical pros and cons into consideration while deciding which cumulative assessment would be best. After analyzing the data and taking consideration for parts we decide to implement finals, or end-of-the-year assessments.
The process of changing quarterlies brought out the difficulties of modifying public policy. We soon realized that changing something as complex as school assessments is not at all simple as it may seem. In our meeting with township public officials, we gained a better understanding of the various committees that are involved in the policy making process. Mayor Carpenter also touched upon the different demographics that the decision affects such as families that no longer have children in the school system. We had overlooked this aspect of the policy making, as we only focused on the result of the policy on the current students and their families. Additionally, the time it would take to implement a new testing schedule would take about a year to review and pass through all of the committees. We also questioned if students taking AP tests in May should have to take assessments and students in regular or honors classes should take them if they have good grades. The idea of assessments are to test what students have learned. This also brings about the question of does taking an hour long test actually demonstrate what students have learned during the year? Or does it simply test their memorization abilities?