Seriously what are the MCPS grading policies???

[Anonymous]

When is MCPS going to set some standard grading policies and practices across the county. This is ridiculous. Sometimes things are 59%, sometimes 0, sometimes things submitted in time are marked late depending on how teachers setup the assignment in canvas synergy, excused absence works shows late but with notes to account for the absence. Teachers grading is all over the place with some enter grades within 48 hrs on assignments and others not entering grades for weeks. Some assignment take a single submit outside of canvas, others a submit outside and inside canvas, others depends on teacher setup.

Students are close to end of quarter/semester and still have no clue what their actual grade is.

[Anonymous]

Same thing I’ve been complaining about for years. Not sure what can be done about it. I’ve brought it up with the principal, the counselors, the school board. No changes.

[Anonymous]

I don't want to make life harder on teachers because they are dealing with lots of technological issues too.

I put this on standards done in designing the different IT platforms. If they put in some standards with clear requirements for teachers, it would make life easier for all parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't want to make life harder on teachers because they are dealing with lots of technological issues too.

I put this on standards done in designing the different IT platforms. If they put in some standards with clear requirements for teachers, it would make life easier for all parties.

YES! THANK YOU! As a teacher, I feel the same. I try to follow the MCPS guidelines, but some principals (I've been in a few schools) run their own show. Some teachers are forced to allow late work, require no deadlines - have zero late penalties, not allowed to give any zero under any circumstance. It's not like I wish to do that, but when you have one policy saying one thing, and another policy saying another thing...we don't know what to do...and that is where communication starts to break down. It's really frustrating for the student, the teacher, and the families. I wish they would just force us to follow ONE. I would feel much more confident with grading, students would have clear expectations, and parents would have a greater understanding of how to support their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want to make life harder on teachers because they are dealing with lots of technological issues too.

I put this on standards done in designing the different IT platforms. If they put in some standards with clear requirements for teachers, it would make life easier for all parties.

YES! THANK YOU! As a teacher, I feel the same. I try to follow the MCPS guidelines, but some principals (I've been in a few schools) run their own show. Some teachers are forced to allow late work, require no deadlines - have zero late penalties, not allowed to give any zero under any circumstance. It's not like I wish to do that, but when you have one policy saying one thing, and another policy saying another thing...we don't know what to do...and that is where communication starts to break down. It's really frustrating for the student, the teacher, and the families. I wish they would just force us to follow ONE. I would feel much more confident with grading, students would have clear expectations, and parents would have a greater understanding of how to support their children.

THIS!!! Like you wants parents and students to be engaged, but then you also don’t want them bombarding the teacher all the time, but yet the tool everyone is supposed to use is all over the place and there are no expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't want to make life harder on teachers because they are dealing with lots of technological issues too.

I put this on standards done in designing the different IT platforms. If they put in some standards with clear requirements for teachers, it would make life easier for all parties.

Bingo. The school purchased multiple competing/cross purpose IT solutions, and then give teachers essentially zero training on it.
To be harsh, I assume some corporate kickbacks were involved, because the multiple overlapping platforms make no sense from either an IT or a pedagogical point of view.

Sadly, I have no advice as to how to get MCPS to change, besides get a group of like minded frustrated stake-holders to run for and WIN the school board.

[Anonymous]

Yup. It's an absolute mess and makes it really hard for parents to know what data to trust. This also gives kids cover to act like their poor grades are due to technical errors, when in fact they aren't.

The whole system is a mess and MCPS has no plan to improve it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When is MCPS going to set some standard grading policies and practices across the county. This is ridiculous. Sometimes things are 59%, sometimes 0, sometimes things submitted in time are marked late depending on how teachers setup the assignment in canvas synergy, excused absence works shows late but with notes to account for the absence. Teachers grading is all over the place with some enter grades within 48 hrs on assignments and others not entering grades for weeks. Some assignment take a single submit outside of canvas, others a submit outside and inside canvas, others depends on teacher setup.

Students are close to end of quarter/semester and still have no clue what their actual grade is.

Good news! MCPS has had them for many, many years and they are available on the website at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

The website has last year's detailed guidance linked here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2021-2022

This year's document is here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2022-23 , but I think you have to be logged into an MCPS account (student gmail) to view it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When is MCPS going to set some standard grading policies and practices across the county. This is ridiculous. Sometimes things are 59%, sometimes 0, sometimes things submitted in time are marked late depending on how teachers setup the assignment in canvas synergy, excused absence works shows late but with notes to account for the absence. Teachers grading is all over the place with some enter grades within 48 hrs on assignments and others not entering grades for weeks. Some assignment take a single submit outside of canvas, others a submit outside and inside canvas, others depends on teacher setup.

Students are close to end of quarter/semester and still have no clue what their actual grade is.

Good news! MCPS has had them for many, many years and they are available on the website at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

The website has last year's detailed guidance linked here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2021-2022

This year's document is here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2022-23 , but I think you have to be logged into an MCPS account (student gmail) to view it.

Wonderful. Now where are the same for elementary? The detailed guidance on what to grade and what should count as an A/B/etc.? Elementary is where the school system uses grades to make judgements about opportunities (GT designation, CES, MS magnet placement, etc.) and, therefore, it is very important to have relative uniformity. I only see report card templates on the site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When is MCPS going to set some standard grading policies and practices across the county. This is ridiculous. Sometimes things are 59%, sometimes 0, sometimes things submitted in time are marked late depending on how teachers setup the assignment in canvas synergy, excused absence works shows late but with notes to account for the absence. Teachers grading is all over the place with some enter grades within 48 hrs on assignments and others not entering grades for weeks. Some assignment take a single submit outside of canvas, others a submit outside and inside canvas, others depends on teacher setup.

Students are close to end of quarter/semester and still have no clue what their actual grade is.

Good news! MCPS has had them for many, many years and they are available on the website at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

The website has last year's detailed guidance linked here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2021-2022

This year's document is here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2022-23 , but I think you have to be logged into an MCPS account (student gmail) to view it.

Why would anyone need to be signed into a student MCPS account to review grading policies?? When is this going to be uniformly enforced amongst secondary schools? And there is no mention as to how long teachers have to grade and return something, which I suspect make it a school level policy. If so, then schools should supply the policy at the start of the year and enforce OR teachers should list in their course syllabus and display said syllabus on their canvas course page and operate by that. As it stands now the quarter ends in one week and kids have no idea what they are getting in some classes, as work remains ungraded so show as possible points or 0 or 50% depending on teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When is MCPS going to set some standard grading policies and practices across the county. This is ridiculous. Sometimes things are 59%, sometimes 0, sometimes things submitted in time are marked late depending on how teachers setup the assignment in canvas synergy, excused absence works shows late but with notes to account for the absence. Teachers grading is all over the place with some enter grades within 48 hrs on assignments and others not entering grades for weeks. Some assignment take a single submit outside of canvas, others a submit outside and inside canvas, others depends on teacher setup.

Students are close to end of quarter/semester and still have no clue what their actual grade is.

Good news! MCPS has had them for many, many years and they are available on the website at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

The website has last year's detailed guidance linked here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2021-2022

This year's document is here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2022-23 , but I think you have to be logged into an MCPS account (student gmail) to view it.

Wonderful. Now where are the same for elementary? The detailed guidance on what to grade and what should count as an A/B/etc.? Elementary is where the school system uses grades to make judgements about opportunities (GT designation, CES, MS magnet placement, etc.) and, therefore, it is very important to have relative uniformity. I only see report card templates on the site.

Crickets...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When is MCPS going to set some standard grading policies and practices across the county. This is ridiculous. Sometimes things are 59%, sometimes 0, sometimes things submitted in time are marked late depending on how teachers setup the assignment in canvas synergy, excused absence works shows late but with notes to account for the absence. Teachers grading is all over the place with some enter grades within 48 hrs on assignments and others not entering grades for weeks. Some assignment take a single submit outside of canvas, others a submit outside and inside canvas, others depends on teacher setup.

Students are close to end of quarter/semester and still have no clue what their actual grade is.

Good news! MCPS has had them for many, many years and they are available on the website at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

The website has last year's detailed guidance linked here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2021-2022

This year's document is here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2022-23 , but I think you have to be logged into an MCPS account (student gmail) to view it.

Wonderful. Now where are the same for elementary? The detailed guidance on what to grade and what should count as an A/B/etc.? Elementary is where the school system uses grades to make judgements about opportunities (GT designation, CES, MS magnet placement, etc.) and, therefore, it is very important to have relative uniformity. I only see report card templates on the site.

Crickets...

Didn’t realize you were so inept at clicking navigation links on the website.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards.aspx

[Anonymous]

It's a combination of the technology, and whether the teachers stay up to date. It is easy to take home a stack of papers, and not get around to grading it.

On top of that you have the grading policies.
I don't know what MCPS has formally adopted, but administrators and teachers will be aware of certain policies that are being suggested for equity reasons.
See the VA DOE's youtube channel for a video called Grading and/for Equity. No homework should be graded, no extra credit, retakes, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't want to make life harder on teachers because they are dealing with lots of technological issues too.

I put this on standards done in designing the different IT platforms. If they put in some standards with clear requirements for teachers, it would make life easier for all parties.

Bingo. The school purchased multiple competing/cross purpose IT solutions, and then give teachers essentially zero training on it.
To be harsh, I assume some corporate kickbacks were involved, because the multiple overlapping platforms make no sense from either an IT or a pedagogical point of view.

Sadly, I have no advice as to how to get MCPS to change, besides get a group of like minded frustrated stake-holders to run for and WIN the school board.

Kickbacks.
Comment will now be deleted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When is MCPS going to set some standard grading policies and practices across the county. This is ridiculous. Sometimes things are 59%, sometimes 0, sometimes things submitted in time are marked late depending on how teachers setup the assignment in canvas synergy, excused absence works shows late but with notes to account for the absence. Teachers grading is all over the place with some enter grades within 48 hrs on assignments and others not entering grades for weeks. Some assignment take a single submit outside of canvas, others a submit outside and inside canvas, others depends on teacher setup.

Students are close to end of quarter/semester and still have no clue what their actual grade is.

Good news! MCPS has had them for many, many years and they are available on the website at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

The website has last year's detailed guidance linked here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2021-2022

This year's document is here: Secondary Grading and Reporting Guidance 2022-23 , but I think you have to be logged into an MCPS account (student gmail) to view it.

Wonderful. Now where are the same for elementary? The detailed guidance on what to grade and what should count as an A/B/etc.? Elementary is where the school system uses grades to make judgements about opportunities (GT designation, CES, MS magnet placement, etc.) and, therefore, it is very important to have relative uniformity. I only see report card templates on the site.

Crickets...

Didn’t realize you were so inept at clicking navigation links on the website.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards.aspx

You might actually read the post before spouting off. "I only see report card templates on the site," which you've conveniently linked as though I hadn't seen that and as though it answers the question about detailed guidance that would allow families to assure themselves that there was relative uniformity in Elementary grading across teachers & schools.