Novato High ignores the fact that many of the students that they are trying to encourage to improve their grades and test scores do not have the financial ability to pay for the Wi-Fi or service on an iPad or IPhone. Mr. Mayoral should focus on activity days like College Friday style events or ask a local restaurant, movie theater, activity center to offer discounts or gift certificates. He needs to leave his office and actually get to know these students.

It has been confirmed that the i-pads and i-pods for Novato High's students were paid by the Site Council, which obtains their funding from the State of California, i.e. YOUR tax money. How do you feel about your tax dollar being spent in this way? It has further been confirmed that many high school kids do not take STAR testing seriously. Instead of reading the questions and attempting to answer the questions, they make a game out of marking the bubbles on the multiple choice sheet in a fashion that will spell out their name or some other word or pattern. Even some high achieving students play this game. Now, should any of these students be rewarded with tangible, expensive items as an incentive for their 'effort' to mark the correct answers? What is going to be next? Are we going to have to pay kids a salary to kindly attend school?? If that is the case, we have major problems! The mere fact that other schools go this route certainly does not justify the route Novato High went! And - apparently it didn't work - Novato High's API went down instead of up - they did not achieve their goal of improvement. Could that mean that high achieving kids thought why should they do a good job if they won't be rewarded so they too just slacked or perhaps they purposely achieved low so next year they do have an stab at an i-pad?? San Marin's idea of teachers sending letters to kids sounds like a fabulous idea - I would bet anything that will be much more effective!

I just hope that all of the kids who do well are rewarded, not just those who previously screwed around. I think the College Friday program is fabulous, all of the kids have the opportunity to participate.

I’m not sure what it is about using the word “ethical” in the headline, but it leaves me feeling as if the schools, Novato High in particular, are being accused of wrong-doing. Whether I agree or not with the use of those types of incentive to motivate students, I don’t believe Rey and the others were unethical in taking the path they took.

The idea of these 'rewards' was brought before the PTSA who refused to fund these items. It was then brought before the Academic Booster, who also refused to finance these items through donations. The school wanted to go this route despite being turned down by the PTSA and Academic Booster (I wonder if the members of these organizations thought it was unethical also??) and decided to finance it through the Site Council using funds provided by the State, tax payer money. While the idea may have not sounded unethical per se, if one gives it just a touch more thought and explores the possible consequences of such 'incentives', such as high achieving kids slacking to get a stab at one of these items next year (high achievement does not equal financial ability to buy such items and not all high achieving children own these items) and other concerns. In fact, it doesn't seem to have worked out for NHS - at the contrary - their score (and therefore their state funding) went down. I hope this year they will chose a wiser route and spend our tax dollars in ways that benefit the learning process (how about some new lockers for a start?). A letter from a teacher to a kid might do a better job - a few carying words and a 44-cent stamp!
The California Education Code specifies that a parent or student over 18 can opt out of STAR testing. Also, the school is not allowed to put STAR testing scores on the transcript unless specifically authorized by the parent or the student.

AS an observer: JT is what's wrong with Novato. Thin skinned, ready to point a finger, taking umbrage at an innocuous statement. Maria said nothing wrong, and if anyone did it was JT who immediately jumped into "Politically Correct" mode. Please explain to me, how do we discuss issues if we can't say we disagree with past decisions?

Simple positive reinforcement is a great motivator and it doesn't cost anything. Students should not be bribed into doing something they should be doing anyway and which they should do for their own benefit. A list of the studens with the best grades in each subject alone will do as much to motivate students to achieve. Everyone likes to be known as The Best at something, so seeing one's name at the top of the list accomplishes that. Sales organizations in all major corporations do this and it would work in our schools as well. Where does the money come from anyway to pay the students or to award expensive prizes for good grades?

JT, I did not write the above article and I don't know why this issue was brought back from many months ago by the author of the article. What it does tell me is that people do think about the issue and obviously do have concerns, otherwise they wouldn't be talking about it. So far I yet have to hear one person agree with an incentive of a $500-$900 electronic device, not even Patti wants to go there. You can call it 'unethical' or any other word you want - nothing will make it right. It is quite different if Hill or San Jose offers $10 i-tune cards as incentives or a fun-filled day of activities for student. All that being said, after I spoke to you, I was hopeful we could move on. When this article was published, I couldn't help but comment on it again as I did a few months ago. It is not right for you to say I 'bash' the school when I am expressing my concerns and opinion (which I believe is divided by many people), but you imply I should be quiet and move on. Whoever wrote this article apparently didn't think the subject was exhausted. It seems as though NHS doesn't want to talk about it anymore or get any publicity for it - which I can understand very well! I am waiting to hear what the plan is for this year's STAR testing.
Edwin - thanks for taking my comment the way it was meant to be.

Janna - well said - thank you! The money in the NHS instance came from the School Site Council, which is funded by State contributions to the school for discretionary spending, i.e. tax money.

Some schools fund items like these with PTSA funds, i.e. money donated by parents (usually).

While I was in sales for a major US corporation, they rewarded ("recognized") high achievement at monthly, quarterly and annual "Recognition Meetings" where high achievers were rewarded with plaques presented before their peers, with much applause. It was much like medals awarded for bravery by the military -- and both plaques for high achievement in sales and medals awarded in the military are highly prized, as is recognition for high achievement before one's peers -- such as awards being given at assemblies in school. I do not believe it's in students' best interests or our schools' best interest to attempt to bribe students to do well in school. Students who only do well for a material reward are generally not good students anyway. Has our society deterioriated to the point where our young people only work hard when they're "paid" to do so? When my daugher was in elementary school, she worked very hard to please me and to have her papers taped to the fridge and on the wall, so she knew how proud we were that she'd done her best -- and, as it happened, her best was very, very good. She excelled in elementary school, junior high and high school and at one of the UCs, and in business (where she is high compensated for doing well). While she was in school, I would have been just as proud if she'd ranked l0th or 20th in her class if she'd done her best.

I think a huge motivator for performance, particularly at the high school level, is the privilege of going off campus at lunch. How about a student's GPA is taken into account, along with STAR test performance, in deciding each semester whether the upperclassmen are able to leave at lunch time? (I know the freshmen at Novato High are not allowed as of this year to leave at lunch; I don't know if that's the case at San Marin.) For the first semester of 2012-13, allow only sophomores, juniors and seniors with a 3.0 GPA AND a particular STAR test score to leave at lunch. In determining who leaves for second semester, the GPA for the first semester would be considered. Would there be exceptions, say, for marked improvement but not yet at the minimums? Sure, why not.

Too bad Brent, you are not a very good journalist as I have already pointed out. You never want the real truth told, but it is Karma time now.

Brent censored my comment. That is journalism at its worst. There was nothing wrong with my post, He just felt it was not OK, but again that's what I mean about him not being a very good journalist. He let's his own opinions rule him, and forgets about freedom of speech. Shame on you Brent.

Ms Wreden, you are entitled to your opinion and I am to mine and this was not slander. It was the truth and it related very well to this situation, in my opinion, that is. I am sure that if this was the IJ it would not have been edited.

Definition of slander:slan·der/ˈslandər/
Noun:
The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.
Verb:
Make false and damaging statements about (someone).

Oh and he did it while he was at work, at the high school.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely as was demonstrated here so well.

Oh and by the way, I did submit all of this information to the FBI, the agency that investigates corruption in public officials.

More censorship. ): Too bad Brent. Your evil ways are showing. You will eventually lose this "job" of yours, as the meek continue to inherit this planet. And again, this is not a threat at all, it is just the truth and your future.

Once again Susan, I am entitled to free speech and truth telling. If you find that activity offensive then that is your own problem to deal with. i am not doing anything illegal here. I am only expressing what happened to me on a public comment board so all will know how corrupt these public officials and agencies are in Novato. I related my experience with Mr.Mayoral to this article because it shows how corruption continues if not stopped. And the only way it stops is by being exposed in the public eye. I have referred all of this to the FBI for investigation as I have not been able to get anything handled properly here in this town. So that is what this is all about Susan. It is not just an "offensive" comment. It is the truth and exposure. But if you cannot see this then that is fine because many others already do.

And Brent, I am now printing all of my posts for future use. I do not trust you at all. You should just let this happen Brent, but you seem to want to get in the way. However, it is a new day and the meek are getting much stronger!

And for those people who want to report corruption in public officials and/or agencies in Novato, here is the local public corruption hotline number in San Francisco, CA:
(800) 376-5991.

Here is the link to the FBI website on public corruption. I want anyone reading these posts to have this information and use it as they feel comfortable.This is how we affect positive change in our world, not just by thinking about this but by really doing something. So please, if you are considering this, go on and do something about it. The more of us that complain to this agency, the faster things get better for everyone:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/corruption/public_corruption

Susan, I f your "wishes" were based in reality then these comments of mine would have been blocked a long time ago. This is a public comment board and you are not the moderator here although you seem to be trying to be. Many people are very interested in this situation, and you are not going to stop me from saying the truth. Enough people have seen this now and the truth is out in the public eye. I have created the awareness of these very bad events. Many people do see how this relates directly to the article, which is all about ethics and morals and corruption in public entities. And misuse of public funds is high up on the list.. The corrupt people of this world are not going to win anymore Susan Wreden. I can assure you of that.

I'm against with schools giving the students extravagant incentives just for them to perfect their attendance etc. I know it's good to recognize the efforts of students, but laptops and other gadgets are too much, don't you think? Just like in disciplining a child, there should be a limit to the carrot and stick approach. There are several well-written articles on http://wannareadyou.com/ that might help teachers deal with this problem.