By of the Journal Sentinel
"The dreaded F.
"Most parents are alarmed by that letter on a child's report card. But they won't see it this year in Milwaukee's K-8 and elementary schools, as the district does away with traditional letter grades in favor of a new scoring system that separates academic progress from social skills.
"In doing so, Milwaukee Public Schools joins a growing number of districts that are eliminating traditional letter grades or untethering student behaviors from academic marks.
"The changes — which can include no longer docking points from
academic grades for late assignments and offering students multiple
chances to submit their work — are a big shift for some teachers, and a
head-scratcher for many parents.
"'I think (district administrators) want letter grades to go away because they want to blur the line of failing students,' said Sara Andrea-Neill, a parent in the Kenosha Unified School District.
"Administrators say the changes capture a more nuanced picture of a student's academic progress. They also align with the push schools are making to implement the Common Core, a set of nationwide academic standards voluntarily adopted by most states that raise the bar on what students should know and be able to do in core academic subjects.
"According to MPS, the updated report card identifies the skills students need to master in each grade level, and replaces overall letter grades with an AD for advanced, PR for proficient, BA for basic and MI for minimal. Proficient is the level expected for a student's grade level.
"The report card offers separate feedback about a student's work habits, behavior and effort — such as following rules or arriving to class prepared — on a scale of 1 to 4.
"Known as 'standards-based' grading, the new system has been implemented more widely in recent years, and is reaching more MPS K-8 and elementary schools this year.
"'Students are still graded; it's just not a traditional letter grade,' said Tony Tagliavia, MPS spokesman. 'This is a better way to assess how well students are learning, so they stay on track to be successful in college and careers.'
"It's harder for high schools to abolish the traditional A-F system because those grades are commonly tied to grade-point averages necessary for many college applications. The letter grades students earn in elementary and middle school do not factor into the cumulative GPA students build in high school."
Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/grades-b9996297z1-223933981.html#
"Most parents are alarmed by that letter on a child's report card. But they won't see it this year in Milwaukee's K-8 and elementary schools, as the district does away with traditional letter grades in favor of a new scoring system that separates academic progress from social skills.
"In doing so, Milwaukee Public Schools joins a growing number of districts that are eliminating traditional letter grades or untethering student behaviors from academic marks.
"The changes — which can include no longer docking points from
academic grades for late assignments and offering students multiple
chances to submit their work — are a big shift for some teachers, and a
head-scratcher for many parents."'I think (district administrators) want letter grades to go away because they want to blur the line of failing students,' said Sara Andrea-Neill, a parent in the Kenosha Unified School District.
"Administrators say the changes capture a more nuanced picture of a student's academic progress. They also align with the push schools are making to implement the Common Core, a set of nationwide academic standards voluntarily adopted by most states that raise the bar on what students should know and be able to do in core academic subjects.
"According to MPS, the updated report card identifies the skills students need to master in each grade level, and replaces overall letter grades with an AD for advanced, PR for proficient, BA for basic and MI for minimal. Proficient is the level expected for a student's grade level.
"The report card offers separate feedback about a student's work habits, behavior and effort — such as following rules or arriving to class prepared — on a scale of 1 to 4.
"Known as 'standards-based' grading, the new system has been implemented more widely in recent years, and is reaching more MPS K-8 and elementary schools this year.
"'Students are still graded; it's just not a traditional letter grade,' said Tony Tagliavia, MPS spokesman. 'This is a better way to assess how well students are learning, so they stay on track to be successful in college and careers.'
"It's harder for high schools to abolish the traditional A-F system because those grades are commonly tied to grade-point averages necessary for many college applications. The letter grades students earn in elementary and middle school do not factor into the cumulative GPA students build in high school."
Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/grades-b9996297z1-223933981.html#
I agree with the Kenosha parent who said administrators want to blur the lines between passing and failing, but I know little to nothing about education today. In "the good old days," kids who received an F worked harder and/or were tutored. If they really couldn't hack it, they were held back a grade. It just seems odd to me that people who were raised in that system can't figure out how to educate children today.
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2 comments:
Education today is fraught by societal problems. Renaming grades given for performance will not cure any problems. Unfortunately, there isn't much performing going on, and unlike when we were students, the patents have little control over their children.
To put it nicely, a rose is a rose. Right now, since the system and imposed regulations are failing, the general train of thought is to just do something different, anything different, that we can believe in. I don't see that being the answer.
People need to understand there are state and federal regulations in place that force schools to keep unruly, unwilling and sometimes dangerous students in the schools. There are "allowances" for nonattendance without repercussion. We spend 90% of our resources, energy and time on less than 10% of the population.
Just another way to push un-educated kids through the system
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