Posted on 02/14/2010 5:28:18 PM PST by Steelfish
Utah Considers Cutting 12th Grade -- Altogether The proposal by state Sen. Chris Buttars would chip away at Utah's $700-million shortfall. He's since offered a toned-down version: Just make senior year optional.
By DeeDee Correll February 14, 2010
Reporting from Denver - At Utah's West Jordan High School, the halls have swirled lately with debate over the merits of 12th grade:
Is it a waste of time? Are students ready for the real world at 17?
For student body president J.D. Williams, 18, the answer to both questions is a resounding no. "I need this year," he said, adding that most of his classmates feel the same way.
The sudden buzz over the relative value of senior year stems from a recent proposal by state Sen. Chris Buttars that Utah make a dent in its budget gap by eliminating the 12th grade.
The notion quickly gained some traction among supporters who agreed with the Republican's assessment that many seniors fritter away their final year of high school, but faced vehement opposition from other quarters, including in his hometown of West Jordan.
"My parents are against it," Williams said. "All the teachers at the school are against it. I'm against it."
Buttars has since toned down the idea, suggesting instead that senior year become optional for students who complete their required credits early. He estimated the move could save up to $60 million, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I know this is Utah, but isn’t there some welfare they can cut instead?
I never went to 12th grade — it was before the G.E.D. so I went to night school and started college a year early.
I agree with this idea — 12th grade “Seniors” just lollygag for the most part. Why let them do it on the taxpayer dime?
Al Bundy and HS Reunion People who still relate to HS (which most grown-ups don’t) in 3...2..1...
12th grade should be optional for students with enough credits to graduate.
how about this idea: if seniors fritter away their year, they just don’t graduate.
Not sure you can cut a grade out like this but I kind of like this guy.
We use senior year to do AP courses to skip a year of college, to save money.
My dad graduated from HS in Louisiana in ‘39 - only 11 grades. Of course, the school was taught by Jesuits - and dad could out argue any liberal of any academic degree any time day or night. Of course, he fought in three wars (WW2, Korea, and Viet Nam) and had far, far more experience than the entire staff of the Obamaloon White house.
Education - a good one - matters.
Education - from public schools - is an oxymoron.
Fire the education majors and get our kids some real knowledge from folks who have actually practiced their professions.
>>We use senior year to do AP courses to skip a year of college, to save money.<<
LOL!! Hard to argue with that!
How about firing bureaucrats? cutting public paychecks?
If they were an AP student and going straight into college then I say go for it. In that case 12th grade could be a waste. I had a friend in high school that didn’t graduate early, not enough credits because of the way AP classes were credited (same as regular classes) and taking night classes at college. 12th grade really was a waste of time for her.
....Hmmmm.... time for the girls to get hitched and the boys to go on mission.... But that’s Utah.
There is a liberal, Leon Botstein, president of very liberal Bard College who has been suggesting something similiar for years and years. He believes kids spend too much time in school. He thinks HS seniors do not belong around HS Freshmen. He wants students out of school a year or two earlier, for them to have time to decide if college is what they really want to do.Botstein also suggests starting school later, perhaps at the age of 7. He’s a huge supporter of public education too. Not on the home school voucher bandwagon much at all.
That's an excellent idea, I agree with you! But why stop there? Lets cut out high school altogether starting with 9th grade and above? Think of all the money that will be saved?
There's a reason why the US scores consistently lower than the rest of the world in academics and your attitude explains why..........
>>Fire the education majors and get our kids some real knowledge from folks who have actually practiced their professions.<<
I think that is called “home schooling.”
HS Seniors should be ashamed, but most or all are too stupid and/or self-centered to be so.
I THOROUGHLY loved college when the prior year HS Seniors were froshes, the same as me and blew the dudes that were BMOCs in HS away. Other than a handful of elite athletes, these guys had to compete on MY level in MY yard and were found, let us say, wanting.
To be honest: Some did quite well, bit, amazingly enough dropped that “I was a big dude in HS!” mentality. Many of them are friends to this day, 30 years later (after college).
PS: Jesuits, although sometimes odd (/ex Catholic LOL), honor education. A Jesuit education through HS is probably = or > a college education in most colleges in the US. IMHO.
I wanted to call one Loser-Date...
>>There’s a reason why the US scores consistently lower than the rest of the world in academics and your attitude explains why<<
High expectations are a terrible thing.
Next thing you know, you will be telling us Art class should be a requirement for all graduates and Expressing Yourself is more important than solving quadratic equations or understanding what a null set is.
MY attitude is the problem? Coddling is why we keep losing. That and a basic misunderstanding of science.
The leftists in UT despise Buttars. That alone is reason enough to at the very least tolerate him.
In Louisiana there may be only 11 grades, but two of them are the 4th.
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