Color coded high school ID cards sort students by test performance

10-07-2011

Blog by Anthony Cody/Education Week

A high school in La Palma, California, is coming under fire for a system that publicly identifies and treats students differently according to their scores on the state standardized tests. Students who perform at the highest levels in all subjects receive a black or platinum ID card, while those who score a mix of proficient and advanced receive a gold card. Students who score "basic" or below receive a white ID card. Students with black or gold cards get certain privileges, such as free entrance to sporting events and discounts at local business events. Those with white ID cards get no such privileges, and have a designated line in the cafeteria, while the elite black and gold cardholders have a different line. The majority of students at the school have white cards, so guess which line is longer? A school administrator reportedly advised female students at an assembly to go to dances with boys with black cards rather than white cards. (more...)

Also: The Orange County Register

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Color coded high school ID cards sort students by test performance

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