http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-schools-considers-new-grading-policy-that-would-eliminate-zeros/2015/03/18/9dd615c2-cd1e-11e4-a2a7-9517a3a70506_story.html?hpid=z4
The Fairfax County schools administration is considering sweeping changes to the grading system for middle and high school classes that could help struggling students keep their grades up.
In a message sent to thousands of teachers Tuesday, deputy superintendent Steven Lockard detailed a series of proposals under consideration to revamp the way teachers hand out grades to students and standardize exam scores across the county.
The changes could have widespread impact in the school system, affecting students’ chances of getting into college and how teachers handle homework and tests. Under the current rules, high schools in Fairfax have flexibility to decide grading scales and methods. For example an F may equal a zero at some schools, but a 50 percent at others.
“It is time to examine our current grading policies in an effort to ensure that we have consistent and equitable practices throughout our middle and high schools,” Lockard wrote.
The majority of the changes Lockard outlined in his message to teachers would aim to create consistency in how students are graded and also give those struggling in classes more opportunities to improve their scores. Under the new system, student grades could be calculated partly on their effort in the classroom as well as their test scores.
Harris LaTeef, the student representative to the school board who is a Langley High School senior, said that the changes could be beneficial to students.
“Overall, I think it makes sense for a system like [Fairfax Country Public Schools] to have a uniform grading policy,” said LaTeef. “Students should be rewarded equally for the work they do regardless of whether they attend Oakton or South County or Langley or any other school in the county.”
Braddock district school board member Megan McLaughlin, who has two sons enrolled at Woodson High School, said that the grading changes will potentially improve students’ chances when they apply to college.
McLaughlin said that since grading policies now vary school to school, Fairfax county students aren’t being fairly judged by admissions officers. (McLaughlin herself served as an admissions officer for six years at Georgetown University.)
For example, McLaughlin said, some schools allow students to retake tests to improve their grades while other schools do not.
“What happens when you apply for college and kids from other schools have higher grades?” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin founded the parent advocacy group Fairgrade and ran for school board after she successfully lobbied Fairfax administrators to change the district’s strict grading for honors and college-level classes.
She said one proposal under consideration will allow students across the county to receive credit for submitting corrected answers to questions they got wrong on tests. McLaughlin said she also supports the proposal to replace zeros with a 50 percent for F grades.
“Digging out from a zero is a whole lot harder for kids than a 50,” McLaughlin said.
Steven Greenburg, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, said that the grading changes likely will spur a passionate response from educators. The key for the school system, Greenburg said, is getting teacher input.
The administration took the first step, Greenburg said, when Lockard sent a draft of his message about the changes to teacher group representatives. Greenburg said that he sent back remarks to Lockard about the tone and language in the note that he saw reflected in the message that landed in teachers’ inboxes Tuesday afternoon.
Greenburg said that the changes will make the grading system more transparent and help students reduce what some parents and teens call an unreasonable amount of nightly homework. In addition, it will create equity in grading for students, Greenburg said.
“In my opinion this is about getting consistency across the county,” Greenburg said. “The inconsistency in this county is so overwhelming between high schools and expectations and what things are worth that I think it’s causing a lot of problems among parents and students.”
Still, Greenburg acknowledged that grading is a hot topic discussed in schools everywhere and that the administration must address concerns from students, parents and teachers.
“This is going to be more difficult than they believe,” said Greenburg. “You're not going to get everybody to agree.”
Lockard wrote that there is no specific timeline for changing the current grading system. He also noted that the administration planned to seek comments from teachers and focus groups from around the county before committing to any plans.
Lockard wrote that the proposals include possibly “eliminating or limiting the use of ‘zeros’ in the 100 point marking system,” and instituting new rules for re-taking tests.
Other proposals include changing the weighting systems teachers use to formulate grades and also separating out grades for student effort and achievement. Lockard wrote that the earliest the changes could begin to take effect would be in the 2015-2016 school year.
“It is critically important that teacher perspective and input are heard and valued as we plan this change,” Lockard wrote.
WE NEEED TO TELL THEM WE MEAN NO