"I thought 50% for no work was okay and I was wrong"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no way kid #1 with two VERY low quiz grades would get a 70% on the test. Let's be real. The quizzes are the checkpoint, the wakeup call.

It depends. For some teachers, that kid would get a 30% on the test, but then do the retake and get a much higher grade because they can study only the material that's on the test.

I'd rather see schools give 0s for missing work but at least 80% credit for late work. The kids with the Fs still need to do all of the homework to get the foundations down. Telling them that they can do nothing and get a 50 encourages them to skip homework, which in turn sets them up to get lower grades on the tests because they haven't learned the material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

I think it’s much more likely to hurt kids who could have gotten an A or B but don’t realize that the homework and quizzes were actually important for learning, because “hey you get an automatic 50%! And also makes it harder for teachers to calibrate what the kids need to do to learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

Previous college professor...this is exactly what I am saying. But in spite of all the bellyaching, a lot of people like grading everything because 1. they don't find value in doing work unless it "counts and 2. Grading those assignments inflates grades. A student who bombs a test or essay can do better if every assignment counts for something. But that doesn't mean they have learned anything,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no way kid #1 with two VERY low quiz grades would get a 70% on the test. Let's be real. The quizzes are the checkpoint, the wakeup call.

It depends. For some teachers, that kid would get a 30% on the test, but then do the retake and get a much higher grade because they can study only the material that's on the test.

I'd rather see schools give 0s for missing work but at least 80% credit for late work. The kids with the Fs still need to do all of the homework to get the foundations down. Telling them that they can do nothing and get a 50 encourages them to skip homework, which in turn sets them up to get lower grades on the tests because they haven't learned the material.

yes, exactly! I’m not even sure how a teacher would manage under this system to ensure kids do all the work needed to learn. The kids need to do all the homework in many cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

Previous college professor...this is exactly what I am saying. But in spite of all the bellyaching, a lot of people like grading everything because 1. they don't find value in doing work unless it "counts and 2. Grading those assignments inflates grades. A student who bombs a test or essay can do better if every assignment counts for something. But that doesn't mean they have learned anything,

High school students are not college students. They NEED the incentive of the homework “counting”
so they will actually do it and learn. This is pretty basic behavioral psychology. Making the entire grade contingent on one high-stakes test or essay also seems sort of the opposite of good pedagogy, and rewards a certain type of learner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

Previous college professor...this is exactly what I am saying. But in spite of all the bellyaching, a lot of people like grading everything because 1. they don't find value in doing work unless it "counts and 2. Grading those assignments inflates grades. A student who bombs a test or essay can do better if every assignment counts for something. But that doesn't mean they have learned anything,

High school students are not college students. They NEED the incentive of the homework “counting”
so they will actually do it and learn. This is pretty basic behavioral psychology. Making the entire grade contingent on one high-stakes test or essay also seems sort of the opposite of good pedagogy, and rewards a certain type of learner.

The motivated ones don't. Most are massively over scheduled with academics alone. Most also have demanding extra curriculars. Those students need to figure out what is important and what can be half assed or skipped. It's a much more useful skill for school and life than learning to stay up until 3 am doing problem sets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

Previous college professor...this is exactly what I am saying. But in spite of all the bellyaching, a lot of people like grading everything because 1. they don't find value in doing work unless it "counts and 2. Grading those assignments inflates grades. A student who bombs a test or essay can do better if every assignment counts for something. But that doesn't mean they have learned anything,

High school students are not college students. They NEED the incentive of the homework “counting”
so they will actually do it and learn. This is pretty basic behavioral psychology. Making the entire grade contingent on one high-stakes test or essay also seems sort of the opposite of good pedagogy, and rewards a certain type of learner.

The motivated ones don't. Most are massively over scheduled with academics alone. Most also have demanding extra curriculars. Those students need to figure out what is important and what can be half assed or skipped. It's a much more useful skill for school and life than learning to stay up until 3 am doing problem sets.

And the ones who are not motivated or have not yet found their motivation?

Just forget those kids, don't tailor school to teach them skills they need...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

Previous college professor...this is exactly what I am saying. But in spite of all the bellyaching, a lot of people like grading everything because 1. they don't find value in doing work unless it "counts and 2. Grading those assignments inflates grades. A student who bombs a test or essay can do better if every assignment counts for something. But that doesn't mean they have learned anything,

High school students are not college students. They NEED the incentive of the homework “counting”
so they will actually do it and learn. This is pretty basic behavioral psychology. Making the entire grade contingent on one high-stakes test or essay also seems sort of the opposite of good pedagogy, and rewards a certain type of learner.

The motivated ones don't. Most are massively over scheduled with academics alone. Most also have demanding extra curriculars. Those students need to figure out what is important and what can be half assed or skipped. It's a much more useful skill for school and life than learning to stay up until 3 am doing problem sets.

And the ones who are not motivated or have not yet found their motivation?

Just forget those kids, don't tailor school to teach them skills they need...

The only kids who will ever need the content of the vast majority of classes that they take in high school are the kids heading to college. The only reason that you'll need even algebra 2 is if you ever have to take a higher math class that builds on it. When does anyone ever use high school chemistry except in a college class that assumes you have that knowledge? Have you ever found the contents of your AP bio class to be useful in life?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

Previous college professor...this is exactly what I am saying. But in spite of all the bellyaching, a lot of people like grading everything because 1. they don't find value in doing work unless it "counts and 2. Grading those assignments inflates grades. A student who bombs a test or essay can do better if every assignment counts for something. But that doesn't mean they have learned anything,

High school students are not college students. They NEED the incentive of the homework “counting”
so they will actually do it and learn. This is pretty basic behavioral psychology. Making the entire grade contingent on one high-stakes test or essay also seems sort of the opposite of good pedagogy, and rewards a certain type of learner.

The motivated ones don't. Most are massively over scheduled with academics alone. Most also have demanding extra curriculars. Those students need to figure out what is important and what can be half assed or skipped. It's a much more useful skill for school and life than learning to stay up until 3 am doing problem sets.

And the ones who are not motivated or have not yet found their motivation?

Just forget those kids, don't tailor school to teach them skills they need...

The only kids who will ever need the content of the vast majority of classes that they take in high school are the kids heading to college. The only reason that you'll need even algebra 2 is if you ever have to take a higher math class that builds on it. When does anyone ever use high school chemistry except in a college class that assumes you have that knowledge? Have you ever found the contents of your AP bio class to be useful in life?

I take it you are not one of the posters complaining about the state of education in the US these days, for example during covid about biology and chemistry and statistics?

[Anonymous]

This article cites Joe Feldman as to the overall impact of equity grading (so beyond just the 50% rule discussed here).
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52813/how-teachers-are-changing-grading-practices-with-an-eye-on-equity

"For his part, Joe Feldman wasn’t sure these practices would work when he first started developing them, so he invested in external evaluation of grade distribution among teachers who were changing their grading practices. The results from independent evaluator Leading Edge Advisors showed that the rates of D's and F's went down, but the number of A's also went down. One immediate response to this might be that teachers lowered their expectations, but Feldman says grading this way actually made it harder to do well.

The decreases in D's and F's were clustered among Latinx, African-American, low-income, and students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Meanwhile the decrease in A's mostly affected white students. “It reflects how the current system has been benefiting and punishing certain students disproportionately,” Feldman said."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

Previous college professor...this is exactly what I am saying. But in spite of all the bellyaching, a lot of people like grading everything because 1. they don't find value in doing work unless it "counts and 2. Grading those assignments inflates grades. A student who bombs a test or essay can do better if every assignment counts for something. But that doesn't mean they have learned anything,

High school students are not college students. They NEED the incentive of the homework “counting”
so they will actually do it and learn. This is pretty basic behavioral psychology. Making the entire grade contingent on one high-stakes test or essay also seems sort of the opposite of good pedagogy, and rewards a certain type of learner.

The motivated ones don't. Most are massively over scheduled with academics alone. Most also have demanding extra curriculars. Those students need to figure out what is important and what can be half assed or skipped. It's a much more useful skill for school and life than learning to stay up until 3 am doing problem sets.

Is school only about the star students and the ones who dgaf?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article cites Joe Feldman as to the overall impact of equity grading (so beyond just the 50% rule discussed here).
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52813/how-teachers-are-changing-grading-practices-with-an-eye-on-equity

"For his part, Joe Feldman wasn’t sure these practices would work when he first started developing them, so he invested in external evaluation of grade distribution among teachers who were changing their grading practices. The results from independent evaluator Leading Edge Advisors showed that the rates of D's and F's went down, but the number of A's also went down. One immediate response to this might be that teachers lowered their expectations, but Feldman says grading this way actually made it harder to do well.

The decreases in D's and F's were clustered among Latinx, African-American, low-income, and students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Meanwhile the decrease in A's mostly affected white students. “It reflects how the current system has been benefiting and punishing certain students disproportionately,” Feldman said."

And it also affected good POC students who would have gotten As.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article cites Joe Feldman as to the overall impact of equity grading (so beyond just the 50% rule discussed here).
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52813/how-teachers-are-changing-grading-practices-with-an-eye-on-equity

"For his part, Joe Feldman wasn’t sure these practices would work when he first started developing them, so he invested in external evaluation of grade distribution among teachers who were changing their grading practices. The results from independent evaluator Leading Edge Advisors showed that the rates of D's and F's went down, but the number of A's also went down. One immediate response to this might be that teachers lowered their expectations, but Feldman says grading this way actually made it harder to do well.

The decreases in D's and F's were clustered among Latinx, African-American, low-income, and students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Meanwhile the decrease in A's mostly affected white students. “It reflects how the current system has been benefiting and punishing certain students disproportionately,” Feldman said."

That's quite the conclusion, Mr Feldman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those saying that their kids are receiving zeroes in FCPS.....is that class/school using a 4.0 scale? If so, they absolutely can receive a zero. The 50% rule only applies to those schools using a 100 point grading scale. It is very difficult to recover from a zero when using 100 point scale. That is a lot to overcome and will destroy any motivation to try.

Not saying this is a perfect solution but as others have said, the A students are not getting hurt by this policy and it gives the lower students a fighting chance and a reason to keep trying.

-FCPS teacher

I honestly think it helps the A student. A smart kid can do the math and decide to skip homework that will have little impact on their grade and spend the time on essays or projects that will. That's how I dealt with a packed schedules in high school and I still managed to graduate third in my class. I think there is value to teaching kids to prioritize strategically- it's a skill that they will need to learn at some point. The guaranteed 50% makes it even easier to take that approach.

Previous college professor...this is exactly what I am saying. But in spite of all the bellyaching, a lot of people like grading everything because 1. they don't find value in doing work unless it "counts and 2. Grading those assignments inflates grades. A student who bombs a test or essay can do better if every assignment counts for something. But that doesn't mean they have learned anything,

High school students are not college students. They NEED the incentive of the homework “counting”
so they will actually do it and learn. This is pretty basic behavioral psychology. Making the entire grade contingent on one high-stakes test or essay also seems sort of the opposite of good pedagogy, and rewards a certain type of learner.

Homework "counting" is an example of extrinsic motivation. We need to move toward intrinsic motivation for students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This policy is really unfair for students who try but aren’t doing well. A student who takes a test and gets half the questions right should not have the same grade as a kid who doesn’t even show up for the test. That’s ridiculous.

Is it unfair? They both fail. And shouldn't they? One did not show mastery of the material, and the other did not even try. In my mind, they both should work to learn the material and try again.