Are We Missing What Matters Most in the Struggle to Fulfill HSA Requirements in '09?

A January 27th article from the Baltimore Sun attempted to report the number of seniors who may not graduate in Maryland due to the HSA requirements facing the Class of 2009. The Maryland State School Board seemed fixated on getting clear numbers, which are important, but they seem far less concerned with what these requirements mean, even for the seniors who meet them. Currently, about 70% of the seniors at my school are working on meeting the HSA requirements by completed what are called Bridge Projects. Supporting students in the completion of these projects has become the focus, actually obsession is probably more accurate, of my administration, and thereby the entire school. Currently students have been pulled out of ALL of their classes for a two week period in order to work on Bridge Projects from the time they arrive in the building until the final bell rings when they run screaming for the door because they have been sitting in the same room, staring at the same people, struggling with the same material for days on end.

There are a couple of huge and obvious problems here: investing these students in their education through a rigorous and engaging lesson that allows for collaboration, critical thinking, or other meaningful experiences is simple not possible given the structure and time pressures of "the Bridge." The second major issue presented by this structure is that these students are missing ALL of their classes. If this was really going to be over in two weeks, this might be a salvageable scenario, but the reality is that these kids will be working on bridge until they are finished or the final submission deadline...or a couple of days after that because an extension will inevitably be made somehow. This could result in students missing several weeks of instruction in all subjects, including those subjects required for graduation. Making all of this work up will be daunting for students; teachers are being encouraged to "condense" it. Grading students who didn't complete the assignments because the administration removed them from classes is an ethical challenge. All of this is a macabre twist on education, but then comes the bottom line: Students who meet the HSA requirements, complete enough condensed make-up work to pass, and who walk across the stage to receive a diploma in the spring will still not have had full access to the curriculum that they deserve and are entitled to as seniors. So after all of that, they may still go to college or work ill-prepared, and let me remind you that we are talking about the students who have worked so hard during their senior years.

How can this be happening? How does a parent, a teacher, a principal, or any other person who loves a student balance meeting the HSA requirements with the equally important need to prepare students (beyond 9th grade Algebra and 10th grade English and Government) for the "real world" of college and career? I don't know. I'm struggling daily with that. But I believe that it starts with asking the right questions - all of the right questions. These questions need to focus on time, resources, and most significantly our priorities. The Maryland State School Board, North Avenue, and anyone else who has a shred of control or the remaining energy to stand up against injustice need to start asking real questions about how these requirements impact students beyond the change of them not graduating. After all, a piece of paper isn't really the point of education. Is it?