50% rule fading away a bit…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't you think teachers will still be pressured to find a way to pass kids?

If a teacher is trying to find a way to make a kid pass then they shouldn’t be a teacher.

You are oblivious to the workings of a public school. Graduation rates are important to principals. The goal is to move kids through. Kids that are failing are likely to drop out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ES parent here. What is the 50% rule?

It’s a rule that says that grades are assigned like GPA’s, or IB or AP test scores, with equal distance between each letter. It has pros and cons, but people who don’t actually understand the math get up in arms because they think it’s “giving kids 50%”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, at my high school we were informed in a staff meeting that admin has realized too many students are abusing the 50% rule. BasicAlly skipping class all day and then showing up for a few days to get their grades up. Sometimes this meant a kid showed up in class at the end of a semester after never seeing the teacher for a few months.

We were informed we can now give 0% if we contact home at least three times even if no one responds.

Also, students that skip classes repeatedly will have all grades changed to 0’s if admin requests it as a consequence.

Also, if a student disappears from school for 15 school days without a valid reason they will be unenrolled. (Official MCPS policy)

I am curious what the thoughts are here. Personally I am looking forward to it. Finally some teeth in the accountability.

This will be condemned soon because The black and brown collation will tell you that the change is targeting the black and brown kids and prevent tem receive good GPA.

Don't use words you can't spell. And no, "autocorrect" did not change correctly-spelled "coalition" to "collation," so don't even try it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't you think teachers will still be pressured to find a way to pass kids?

If a teacher is trying to find a way to make a kid pass then they shouldn’t be a teacher.

there is a difference between the teacher unfairly just letting a student pass, a teacher modifying instruction or ways to show learning so that a student can pass, and an administrator pressuring a teacher to pass a student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ES parent here. What is the 50% rule?

It’s a rule that says that grades are assigned like GPA’s, or IB or AP test scores, with equal distance between each letter. It has pros and cons, but people who don’t actually understand the math get up in arms because they think it’s “giving kids 50%”.

Another issue is that students can only have about 10 practice (not for accuracy) grades per quarter. For a math teacher that wants to assign homework every night so that students are regularly practicing, they need to find a work around. Some math teachers will then track if the student did the homework each day, and then put in a grade for the week. If the student attempted at least one day of those 5 days, they receive 100% for the week. That is because accuracy does not matter. The parent then thinks the student is doing all their homework when they are really only doing 20% of it. How would a parent know? Yes, the teacher can email them, and I am sure that some do, but it is another example of where teachers and parents need to jump through extra hoops because of the constraints of the grading and reporting policy and the synergy system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I would support this but with one concern. My kids sometimes had assignments that they somehow missed being assigned — by the time is shows up on parentvue or studentvue, it’s often too late to turn it in. 50% rule avoids that
leading to the grace totally tanking. So I guess I’d just want there to be clear notice that something is missing before it’s a zero.

NP here. Yes - that’s the contact home three times part. In my case that would be bulk email from Canvas for missing assignment, then bulk email from Synergy for missing assignment, then direct email as third and final warning. Make sure your email is correct in Synergy, that you’re set up as an observer in Canvas, and that you actually look at the emails.

This is a return to pre-Covid policies (including the possibility of E3 due to lack of attendance), except with 50% rule for all attempted work. The seemingly more generous policy during Covid was actually hurting many of the kids it was intended to help. Some students just want to do bare minimum to pass a class. I had students who were absent more than half the time and who never turned in work. They would show up at the end of the quarter and try to do 3 or 4 assignments out of 10 in order to pass. But they’d earn Ds on them because they hadn’t learned anything. They didn’t understand why their grade only went from a 50% to a 54%. Previously, if an assignment was missing and was calculating as 0, just trying it and turning it in (and getting 50%) would have a much bigger effect on their grade. So if they were already at 50% (because they had done some work) finishing 3-4 assignments would get them passing.

I’m most excited to see the return of the attendance policy. I had students tell me last year that they didn’t come to school because now they didn’t have to. The students did not see the connection that if they weren’t in class, they didn’t learn what they needed to in order to do well on assignments.

This is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, at my high school we were informed in a staff meeting that admin has realized too many students are abusing the 50% rule. BasicAlly skipping class all day and then showing up for a few days to get their grades up. Sometimes this meant a kid showed up in class at the end of a semester after never seeing the teacher for a few months.

We were informed we can now give 0% if we contact home at least three times even if no one responds.

Also, students that skip classes repeatedly will have all grades changed to 0’s if admin requests it as a consequence.

Also, if a student disappears from school for 15 school days without a valid reason they will be unenrolled. (Official MCPS policy)

I am curious what the thoughts are here. Personally I am looking forward to it. Finally some teeth in the accountability.

This will be condemned soon because The black and brown collation will tell you that the change is targeting the black and brown kids and prevent tem receive good GPA.

I'm not the PP but I often use dictation rather than type on my phone and that is exactly the kind of thing it does.

Don't use words you can't spell. And no, "autocorrect" did not change correctly-spelled "coalition" to "collation," so don't even try it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I would support this but with one concern. My kids sometimes had assignments that they somehow missed being assigned — by the time is shows up on parentvue or studentvue, it’s often too late to turn it in. 50% rule avoids that
leading to the grace totally tanking. So I guess I’d just want there to be clear notice that something is missing before it’s a zero.

NP here. Yes - that’s the contact home three times part. In my case that would be bulk email from Canvas for missing assignment, then bulk email from Synergy for missing assignment, then direct email as third and final warning. Make sure your email is correct in Synergy, that you’re set up as an observer in Canvas, and that you actually look at the emails.

This is a return to pre-Covid policies (including the possibility of E3 due to lack of attendance), except with 50% rule for all attempted work. The seemingly more generous policy during Covid was actually hurting many of the kids it was intended to help. Some students just want to do bare minimum to pass a class. I had students who were absent more than half the time and who never turned in work. They would show up at the end of the quarter and try to do 3 or 4 assignments out of 10 in order to pass. But they’d earn Ds on them because they hadn’t learned anything. They didn’t understand why their grade only went from a 50% to a 54%. Previously, if an assignment was missing and was calculating as 0, just trying it and turning it in (and getting 50%) would have a much bigger effect on their grade. So if they were already at 50% (because they had done some work) finishing 3-4 assignments would get them passing.

I’m most excited to see the return of the attendance policy. I had students tell me last year that they didn’t come to school because now they didn’t have to. The students did not see the connection that if they weren’t in class, they didn’t learn what they needed to in order to do well on assignments.

This is a good thing.

Yes, the 50% rule was fine. If you're serious about making grades harder, stop messing around and grade on a curve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ES parent here. What is the 50% rule?

"Teachers assign a grade no lower than 50 percent to a task or assessment. A teacher may assign a zero if the teacher determines that the student did not attempt to meet the basic requirements of the task/assessment or if the student engaged in academic dishonesty."

Well, it sounds like truancy doesn't count? What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, at my high school we were informed in a staff meeting that admin has realized too many students are abusing the 50% rule. BasicAlly skipping class all day and then showing up for a few days to get their grades up. Sometimes this meant a kid showed up in class at the end of a semester after never seeing the teacher for a few months.

We were informed we can now give 0% if we contact home at least three times even if no one responds.

Also, students that skip classes repeatedly will have all grades changed to 0’s if admin requests it as a consequence.

Also, if a student disappears from school for 15 school days without a valid reason they will be unenrolled. (Official MCPS policy)

I am curious what the thoughts are here. Personally I am looking forward to it. Finally some teeth in the accountability.

This will be condemned soon because The black and brown collation will tell you that the change is targeting the black and brown kids and prevent tem receive good GPA.

I'm not the PP but I often use dictation rather than type on my phone and that is exactly the kind of thing it does.

Don't use words you can't spell. And no, "autocorrect" did not change correctly-spelled "coalition" to "collation," so don't even try it.

Don’t bother. PP used an ad hominem on the collation poster because s/he can’t actually refute what was said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't you think teachers will still be pressured to find a way to pass kids?

If a teacher is trying to find a way to make a kid pass then they shouldn’t be a teacher.

You are oblivious to the workings of a public school. Graduation rates are important to principals. The goal is to move kids through. Kids that are failing are likely to drop out.

Graduation is also important to the student. Some kids really struggle academically. But without a HS diploma, you can’t get full time work with health insurance and paid sick leave. Those teachers and principals who recognize this and help kids who struggle really give these kids a gift that lasts a lifetime. I have one of those kids and I am grateful every day for the teachers who got him through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't you think teachers will still be pressured to find a way to pass kids?

If a teacher is trying to find a way to make a kid pass then they shouldn’t be a teacher.

You are oblivious to the workings of a public school. Graduation rates are important to principals. The goal is to move kids through. Kids that are failing are likely to drop out.

Graduation is also important to the student. Some kids really struggle academically. But without a HS diploma, you can’t get full time work with health insurance and paid sick leave. Those teachers and principals who recognize this and help kids who struggle really give these kids a gift that lasts a lifetime. I have one of those kids and I am grateful every day for the teachers who got him through.

You can get insurance and sick leave. Stop making stuff up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I would support this but with one concern. My kids sometimes had assignments that they somehow missed being assigned — by the time is shows up on parentvue or studentvue, it’s often too late to turn it in. 50% rule avoids that
leading to the grace totally tanking. So I guess I’d just want there to be clear notice that something is missing before it’s a zero.

NP here. Yes - that’s the contact home three times part. In my case that would be bulk email from Canvas for missing assignment, then bulk email from Synergy for missing assignment, then direct email as third and final warning. Make sure your email is correct in Synergy, that you’re set up as an observer in Canvas, and that you actually look at the emails.

This is a return to pre-Covid policies (including the possibility of E3 due to lack of attendance), except with 50% rule for all attempted work. The seemingly more generous policy during Covid was actually hurting many of the kids it was intended to help. Some students just want to do bare minimum to pass a class. I had students who were absent more than half the time and who never turned in work. They would show up at the end of the quarter and try to do 3 or 4 assignments out of 10 in order to pass. But they’d earn Ds on them because they hadn’t learned anything. They didn’t understand why their grade only went from a 50% to a 54%. Previously, if an assignment was missing and was calculating as 0, just trying it and turning it in (and getting 50%) would have a much bigger effect on their grade. So if they were already at 50% (because they had done some work) finishing 3-4 assignments would get them passing.

I’m most excited to see the return of the attendance policy. I had students tell me last year that they didn’t come to school because now they didn’t have to. The students did not see the connection that if they weren’t in class, they didn’t learn what they needed to in order to do well on assignments.

This is a good thing.

Yes, the 50% rule was fine. If you're serious about making grades harder, stop messing around and grade on a curve.

Agree, anything short of grading on a curve is more of the same. 50% rule isn't really any better than the practice that existed before.

[Anonymous]

I though the 50% was the minimum for work turned in. Not for work not done at all. You're a teacher OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, at my high school we were informed in a staff meeting that admin has realized too many students are abusing the 50% rule. BasicAlly skipping class all day and then showing up for a few days to get their grades up. Sometimes this meant a kid showed up in class at the end of a semester after never seeing the teacher for a few months.

We were informed we can now give 0% if we contact home at least three times even if no one responds.

Also, students that skip classes repeatedly will have all grades changed to 0’s if admin requests it as a consequence.

Also, if a student disappears from school for 15 school days without a valid reason they will be unenrolled. (Official MCPS policy)

I am curious what the thoughts are here. Personally I am looking forward to it. Finally some teeth in the accountability.

This will be condemned soon because The black and brown collation will tell you that the change is targeting the black and brown kids and prevent tem receive good GPA.

I'm not the PP but I often use dictation rather than type on my phone and that is exactly the kind of thing it does.

Don't use words you can't spell. And no, "autocorrect" did not change correctly-spelled "coalition" to "collation," so don't even try it.

Don’t bother. PP used an ad hominem on the collation poster because s/he can’t actually refute what was said.

The "collation" poster gets a failing grade. No bullshit excuses about how dictation made the difference. That is an excuse -- why do you need an excuse for failing? Are you one of those "collation" people who just can't do things right and need extra help? Huh, hypocrite?