Who do we talk to about the grading policies in FCPS?

[Anonymous]

I have some major issues with the FCPS grading system at the MS and HS levels. I don't know if these grading policies are unique to our pyramid, FCPS-wide, or even endemic in education today. If they're unique to us, they probably put our students at a disadvantage with the rest of the country in terms of college admissions. What would be a good way to air these concerns and get more information?

[Anonymous]

They just changed the grading scale awhile back with Fairgrade. What issue do you have with them? Here's an article from that time period. The grading scale was changed. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2009/01/fair_grading_in_fairfax_what_d.html. Megan McLaughlin headed this up. https://www.fcps.edu/school-board/megan-mclaughlin

[Anonymous]

Actually, I think describing your grievance on DCUM is a good place to start, to see if others can clarify or confirm your issues. It's anonymous so can't hurt.

[Anonymous]

OP. Thanks, I know about Fairgrade.
The issue can be summarized as follows:
In many classes, and certainly most core classes, the kids are quizzed very shortly after they learn the material. This gives them little or no time to wrestle with the concepts, correct misconceptions, etc. The unit material is then shelved until the midterm and/or final, giving them ample time to forget.

More importantly, quizzes account for a large percentage of the class grade (usually around a third).

Even more importantly, they're graded out of very few points (10 or more often 8 or even 5). That means that missing one question, even due to a calculation error or a careless mistake can be worth as much as 20% of your grade. Forget about missing two. The reason this makes no sense is that basic statistics says that a sample size of 10 questions is a very poor representation of the population of questions on the subject. In other words, quizzes with just a few questions suck at providing accurate evidence of mastery.

But they sure do stress out and demoralize the kids, especially when they have 10 mn to answer 10 questions and know the hit their grade could take if they don't ace it.

If other school systems (or other pyramids) give quizzes that are more representative (more questions, and more time), this probably puts ours at a disadvantage.

Homework is also sometimes graded for correctness rather than completeness, which strikes me as crazy.

[Anonymous]

A couple of things.... it's early in the quarter, so there will be more points ahead. What shows up as a C+ now, can turn into an A when lots more points are added. I think things can look prematurely dire at this point in the quarter.

You are right about the quizzes... you can't retake them, so they do affect the grade. The flip-side argument would be from parents who hate the re-take policy ("why should Brandon get the same grade as my Kylie when Kylie got all A's on the tests the first time and Brandon got to re-take them until he got it right!") In some ways, the quiz grades show who gets it right away... while the test points give some kids a second bite at the apple (I'm grateful for this). But, I'm just making the point that the current policy is sort of a compromise -- those who get it right away are rewarded with high points in the quizzes part of the grade. Those who take more time to get the material may have lower quiz points, but have the opportunity for second chances on tests.

I thought homework was graded for completion -- 10% of the grade. Not sure about how that is being implemented.

[Anonymous]

Of course homework should be graded for correctness. What's the point of giving points for "comoleting" it (skipping just anything on a paper)? And as long as kids have at least one night to study, the problems you describe with quizzes sound like exactly what a quiz is supposed to be. You come across as very demanding and as if you have incredibly low standards for your children as students.

[Anonymous]

That all sounds fine to me for high school. For middle school, it might be an adjustment. What grade are your kids in, OP?

[Anonymous]

I think the quizzes being too short is a fair one.

[Anonymous]

I'm positive that many teachers grade hw for completion, but the way I read the FCPS policy, they probably should not.

"All grades entered into the gradebook will relate directly to the standards listed in the Program of Studies or other designated curriculum and should reflect a student’s mastery of content or skills."
https://www.fcps.edu/index.php/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-design

It is a point many teachers take issue with as they would usually like hw to be a safe opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them, but also give students a grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course homework should be graded for correctness. What's the point of giving points for "comoleting" it (skipping just anything on a paper)? And as long as kids have at least one night to study, the problems you describe with quizzes sound like exactly what a quiz is supposed to be. You come across as very demanding and as if you have incredibly low standards for your children as students.

So, no, homework shouldn't be graded for correctness. That can encourage kids who don't get it to copy answers off of one another instead of trying to figure it out for themselves and have an opportunity to clear misconceptions.

As far as my children go, they have A averages, but the way the non-honors kid achieved that was with me providing intensive tutoring night after night, and enduring a fair amount of stress. The system as is rewards in some cases the kid who instantly gets it (like my other child), but more often the kids whose parents are educated enough to tutor, can spend a lot of money on tutoring, or can afford to enroll their kid in extracurricular classes that cover the material before the kid has to take it in school ( a not uncommon practice at some schools).

I've also coached STEM extracurriculars and have been time and again unpleasantly surprised by statements from kids who are bright, curious, inquisitive, critical thinkers to the effect that they're "not good at math" because they don't get some concepts instantly, or aren't fast. Our system doesn't promote grit, or growth mindsets, or any of the buzzwords that are happily plastered on classroom walls but not bolstered by practice.

[Anonymous]

I also don't think hw should be graded for correctness. HW is where they learn how to do the problems. They shouldn't be penalized for mistakes.

[Anonymous]

OP - you are exactly correct. This was the grading set-up for our DC in FCPS math, pre-calc. Her teacher did it this way, the other precalc teacher(s) did not. The difference in the grade distribution for the class was glaring. Grade distributions ought to be made public. I have often thought that Grade Distributions in FCPS should be investigated - through a FOIA, if necessary.