its teachers. Who could have thought that he would not think the same of
the superintendent? However, by taking the blame, the principal was able
to obtain a second chance for this probationer and secure his loyalty for
his entire time at the school.
Sometimes, you know you are going to take a hit and are prepared to
take the blame. When Mr. Thelen first became assistant principal of the
English Department at a large New York City academic-vocational high
school, the school’s passing percentage on the New York State Regents
Examination hovered around 90 percent—but only about one-fourth of
the students eligible to sit for this test actually did. Ninety out of one hun-
dred passed, but three hundred other students were given the lower level,
“local pass” Regents Competency Test (RCT). From attending district
meetings, Mr. Thelen knew that in a few years this RCT was going to be
phased out and all students would be required to pass the more difficult
Regents Examination in order to graduate.
Rather than wait for the inevitable, he decided to be proactive and give
all eligible students the Regents. The passing percentage plummeted to
below 50 percent and the principal was, to say the least, unhappy with
his new assistant principal’s performance. Mr. Thelen expected this and
took the blame while at the same time pointing out that about 180 students
had passed the exam, double the number of the previous year. Mr. Thelen
also promised that the passing percentage would rise each ensuing year
as teachers became more adept at preparing all students for this higher
level exam.
By the time the RCTs were phased out two years later, his department
had a 70 percent Regents passing rate (about 280 students, or triple the
number passing that it started with). Once the Regents became the only
exam, there was a transition period where a grade between 55 and 64 per-
cent was considered a “local diploma pass.” Because the department had
created a curriculum to prepare all students for the Regents, it was able to
achieve a 90 percent pass rate overall, with the Regents pass rate (a grade
of 65 percent or higher) increasing with every testing.
The principal was quite happy when his school had some of the highest
passing rates in the district and forgot his initial anger with Mr. Thelen.
Credit for this success went to the teachers for the fine preparation they
provided.
Give the Credit; Take the Blame 43