Bring Back Loss of Credit for Skipping Class!

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if MCPS is considering bringing back loss of credit for unexcused absences and tardies?

For the past several years—but this year in particular— we have 100s of students in the hall during passing periods. My school is over 2,000 students. Admin refuses to address the problem. Teachers are burnt out from trying to get the kids out of the halls and into classrooms. Nothing is working. Over the summer, students risked loss of credit for unexcused absences and (shocker) kids were concerned about getting to class everyday on time.

Parents… Is there no concern that we have this many kids in the hallway unsupervised? Bathrooms closed so kids don’t congregate and vape?

MCPS has literally set the bar on the floor with the 50% rule. Kids can pass as long as they are in class.

Why does MCPS ignore this very real problem that impacts the safety and functionality of our school system on a day to day basis?

[Anonymous]

As a parent, I fully agree! My DD knows that she can skip class as many times as she wants with no school penalty. I know parents like to say to have hone consequences, but we need help from the school! If DD can skip/be late15 times a quarter and still earn an A, that’s a problem.

[Anonymous]

As a parent, I support it. But I don’t think MCPS has the guts to re-implement it.

[Anonymous]

Go talk to your Admin. Go talk to your MCEA Rep. CO and the BOE have already given teachers discretion with the 50% rule. Plenty of teachers are out here giving zeros for work not turned in by deadline, marking unexcused absence and now allowing makeup, etc.

[Anonymous]

I think MCPS is more concerned with their reputation than actually educating kids. As “one of the best school systems in the nation” they have a vested interest in keeping their passing and graduation rates high.

If the students haven’t learned anything, they’ll manipulate the measures that would alert the parents to that fact. When too many students were failing the finals, their remedy wasn’t to improve the curriculum or anything else that could facilitate subject mastery. Instead, they eliminated finals. Much of the homework isn’t actually graded, just checked for completion. The work that is graded, as you mentioned, is subject to the 50% rule. Tests can be retaken for a higher grade.

As long as they can cover up a problem, they have no incentive to fix it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go talk to your Admin. Go talk to your MCEA Rep. CO and the BOE have already given teachers discretion with the 50% rule. Plenty of teachers are out here giving zeros for work not turned in by deadline, marking unexcused absence and now allowing makeup, etc.

I have talked to admin. Their response: there is nothing we can do. Hall sweeps? Forget about it. Kids will just “leave” so why have them?

Our school has already said no to 0%. School wide we are still doing 50% because of “equity.”

[Anonymous]

I would support if I’d they give us a number of personal days for kids. I feel like I should be able to take my kids to see their grandparents or to their siblings graduation or leave a day early for winter break or something without lying and saying they are sick.

But I agree that kids just hanging out in the hallway or bathroom is ridiculous and I would be furious if my kids were doing this and McPS didn’t tell me.

[Anonymous]

I just received an email from BCC saying it wasn't implementing 50%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just received an email from BCC saying it wasn't implementing 50%.

Must be nice to be allowed to have expectations for students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think MCPS is more concerned with their reputation than actually educating kids. As “one of the best school systems in the nation” they have a vested interest in keeping their passing and graduation rates high.

If the students haven’t learned anything, they’ll manipulate the measures that would alert the parents to that fact. When too many students were failing the finals, their remedy wasn’t to improve the curriculum or anything else that could facilitate subject mastery. Instead, they eliminated finals. Much of the homework isn’t actually graded, just checked for completion. The work that is graded, as you mentioned, is subject to the 50% rule. Tests can be retaken for a higher grade.

As long as they can cover up a problem, they have no incentive to fix it.

+162000 always focused on optics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think MCPS is more concerned with their reputation than actually educating kids. As “one of the best school systems in the nation” they have a vested interest in keeping their passing and graduation rates high.

If the students haven’t learned anything, they’ll manipulate the measures that would alert the parents to that fact. When too many students were failing the finals, their remedy wasn’t to improve the curriculum or anything else that could facilitate subject mastery. Instead, they eliminated finals. Much of the homework isn’t actually graded, just checked for completion. The work that is graded, as you mentioned, is subject to the 50% rule. Tests can be retaken for a higher grade.

As long as they can cover up a problem, they have no incentive to fix it.

Students don't understand especially in Math when homework is checked just for completion. And you wonder why families fork out $ for tutors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if MCPS is considering bringing back loss of credit for unexcused absences and tardies?

For the past several years—but this year in particular— we have 100s of students in the hall during passing periods. My school is over 2,000 students. Admin refuses to address the problem. Teachers are burnt out from trying to get the kids out of the halls and into classrooms. Nothing is working. Over the summer, students risked loss of credit for unexcused absences and (shocker) kids were concerned about getting to class everyday on time.

Parents… Is there no concern that we have this many kids in the hallway unsupervised? Bathrooms closed so kids don’t congregate and vape?

MCPS has literally set the bar on the floor with the 50% rule. Kids can pass as long as they are in class.

Why does MCPS ignore this very real problem that impacts the safety and functionality of our school system on a day to day basis?

We have no leadership brave enough to have real expectations. The graduation rate would go down. Plummeting graduation rate would tank real estate prices and the county's bond rating.

[Anonymous]

At my high school we are allowed to give 0% for skipping class. We can also give 0% if nothing is turned in and we email home. No two way communication needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go talk to your Admin. Go talk to your MCEA Rep. CO and the BOE have already given teachers discretion with the 50% rule. Plenty of teachers are out here giving zeros for work not turned in by deadline, marking unexcused absence and now allowing makeup, etc.

I have talked to admin. Their response: there is nothing we can do. Hall sweeps? Forget about it. Kids will just “leave” so why have them?

Our school has already said no to 0%. School wide we are still doing 50% because of “equity.”

Find a new school at which to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Find a new school at which to work.

Which schools are handling this well? If I could find one, I would go there, but my school is as OP described and as my friends in other schools describe.