Samuel J. Green Middle School (LA) is a failing school that may be taken over by the state if students perform badly on the LEAP and Iowa tests this week. Now the principal, Paulette Walker, is also in hot water for passing out prayers with the test booklets that call on God to help kids defeat the enemy - i.e., the tests:
School officials will decide whether to reprimand Principal Paulette Walker after investigating her distribution of the prayer this year and another prayer notice to teachers last year, Assistant Superintendent Matt George said Thursday...He supervises the district which includes Samuel J. Green Middle School, where the prayer was given out Monday with test booklets for two standardized tests.
Green is one of dozens of failing schools which could be taken over by the state unless scores improve significantly on two tests being taken this week. Fourth- and eighth-graders take the LEAP test, which can keep them from being promoted, and students in other grades take the nationally standardized Iowa Test.
The prayer, which had errors in grammar and punctuation, states: "I receive your help faith, knowing that through you I shall do valiantly, for you are the one who treads down my enemies.(LEAP, Iowa)".
Emphasis mine. Teachers at Green got a "special announcement" last year from Walker that was similarly error-ridden, and which stated that, "Education in New Orleans, is in trouble." I'll say. I can't decide which is worse - the statement that testing is the enemy, the principal's attitude that prayer was necessary for her students to pass tests, or the principal being unable to convey her religious thoughts without grammatical errors.
Posted by kswygert at March 22, 2004 12:19 PM