I wish we had the freedom to opt out of a class offered if we didn't like the teacher for an online or community college offering and then the district could identify weak teachers and Make Changes. I know this is unrealistic because of teachers' unions, but the school won't approve an online class that they offer.
Unrealistic as things are now, maybe. But this doesn't make it right. How many people don't have to be assessed at work? I don't know of many groups other than teachers that escape performance assessment.
Have you asked them (perhaps in writing) WHY the online classes don't qualify? Sometimes you can get what you want this way if they can't supply a bona fide reason. This worked for me recently when I asked why my son hadn't passed a small swim test that he'd passed the previous 20 times he'd taken it. I kept asking, very politely, if the tester could tell me exactly what went wrong so I could help him improve. She couldn't provide an answer after I asked 4 times (kept giving a noncommittal answer) and let him take the test again and he passed.
Val
