Ethical Dilema

 

Dilemma 1:

During my first year as a Grade Level Leader, I became aware of a teacher who would often get backlogged with grading. In order to upload quarterly or final grades on time she would assign students random grades, just to pass them through the class and meet deadlines. Although I was aware that this was happening, she did not fall under my team and reported to a different division principal, so I struggled with the dilemma of whether or not to report this. 

Question 1: Is there a problem?

Yes, there is a problem. Students are being assigned unjustified grades in order to pass them through to the next year. This is not only a clear violation of fairness but also jeopardizes the learning process. This also indicates a systemic problem that administration accepts grades with no system of feedback or justification. There is also no system of accountability, if this teachers direct supervisor is not moderating or checking grades and assignments to ensure fairness and accountability. 

Question 2: Who are the actors?

I am responsible for the ethical outcome of this scenario. The teacher in question, their supervisor and the students are all affected by any outcome of this scenario. 

Question 3: Is this a right vs. wrong dilemma?

This is a right vs. wrong dilemma. It is ethically and morally wrong for a teacher to fabricate grades. 

Dilema 2:

Every year I conduct admission assessments for incoming students. Although the assessments are assigned by the admission office, usually the students that teachers assess are placed in their class. Last year, I assessed a student that presented with multiple challenging behaviors but passed the assessment according to the criteria, additionally, although I did indicate my observations on my report, I knew the student would be admitted because he had multiple siblings in the school. I knew I had a good relationship with the admissions officer, so once I admitted the student, I asked that he be moved to a different class and replaced with another. Consciously, I knew that my intentions were guided by the fact that I did not want to deal with his challenging behavior for an entire year, but at the time I did not question my own ethics. Looking back, I know that I live by the philosophy of "no child left behind", I know that I have the capabilities of supporting a struggling student, but at that moment, I had ethically drifted.