The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Of Cutting Class

Introduction:

Students often cut classes in MS129. The administration at 129 is asking you and your class to address this issue. Cutting class is a serious issue in middle and high school. CNN reports that approximately seven million or 15% of students (K-12th grade) skip more than 18 days of school each school year. These students are much more likely to drop out (20%) and not go on to get a college degree (25%). In addition, cutting class is often the first sign of students having serious trouble in school. “80% of success is showing up” Woody Allen.

Task:

You and your group members will act as advisors to the administration at MS129.

You are being asked to present the problem and come up with possible answers. Your group will present a Power point or poster presentation to Administration. In addition students draft a letter to incoming students on dangers of cutting class.

Process:

You will use the PPA model to address this issue.

The 6 Steps of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA)

Look over each of these steps and complete the worksheets with your group. Use the information you gain to consider how you can make a Power Point presentation that will be interesting and informative to students in your class and in CS/MS 129. After that, draft a letter to the administration explaining how you used the PPA to come to conclusions and solutions to the problem of class cutting.

1. Define the Problem

2. Gather the Evidence

3. Identify the Causes

4. Evaluate an Existing Policy

5. Develop Solutions

6. Select the Best Solution (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)

Resources:

· http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/19/nyregion/class-cutting-draws-a-different-approach.html

· https://nobullying.com/ditch/

· https://www.tutordoctor.com/blog/2013/september/cutting-class-what-parents-should-do-when-kids-p/

· https://www.math.uh.edu/~tomforde/AttendingClass.html

· https://unveilingthedarksideofeducation.weebly.com/cutting-classes.html

Evaluation:

You will also receive a grade for your work as a group member:

	Excellent 100-90 (4)	Very Good 89-80 (3)	Satisfactory 79-65 (2)	Unsatisfactory 65-Below (1)
Research	Problem clearly identified and thoroughly researched	Problem identified and reasonably well researched	Problem identified	Problem identified but research is lacking
PPA Usage	All six steps of the PPA are clearly addressed and all worksheets correctly completed	All six steps of the PPA are addressed and most worksheets correctly completed	Limited research	Incomplete worksheets
Quality of Information	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.	Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.
Power point	Power point and letter are informative and correctly Letter formatted.	Power point and letter mostly informative and correctly formatted.	Power point and letter are somewhat informative and correctly formatted.	Power point and letter *lack* information and correct format.

Each group member will receive a grade for the power point and the presentation, as well:

Conclusion:

After looking at the issue of cutting class you now know the dangers. Your power point and letter will be used to inform incoming students and assist the administration in dealing with the problem in an effective manner.

Standards:

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.