Changes to 50 percent rule rolling out at Whitman; also at other MCPS high schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid got zeros on a few assignments with no communication from the teacher. There is no consistency in the way this is applied.

Which is what I fully expect from MCPS. They announce things with no means of enforcing or oversight. Mismanagement is the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Contacting guardians? lol They don't even reply to emails!

It'll be a mass communication we get 27 times.

AND receive a response. If parents don't respond, what then?

That was the old rule. This new rule does not require a response from parents for the zero to be entered.

I still don't think most teachers will jump through the hoops to get a zero on a student's gradebook. So I think the 50% E will be the norm for the most part.

Doubtful. A lot of teachers are unhappy about having to give 50% for not turning in work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Contacting guardians? lol They don't even reply to emails!

It'll be a mass communication we get 27 times.

AND receive a response. If parents don't respond, what then?

That was the old rule. This new rule does not require a response from parents for the zero to be entered.

I still don't think most teachers will jump through the hoops to get a zero on a student's gradebook. So I think the 50% E will be the norm for the most part.

Doubtful. A lot of teachers are unhappy about having to give 50% for not turning in work.

If that's the case then why did MCEA negotiate for no teachers to be dinged for noncompliance with the revision?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Even within Blair, different departments are interpreting the rule differently."

https://silverchips.mbhs.edu/content/mcps-rolls-out-new-mid-year-regulations-allowing-zeros-to-return-to-gradebooks-36377/

*sigh*

This discretion that is afforded to different schools, let alone different departments in the same school, is one reason why MCPS is so dysfunctional and difficult for families to maneuver.

There isn't "discretion". The regulation was changed in the fall to roll in and codify some of the changes implemented during the pandemic, to go back to some previous procedures, and to remove all links between attendance and grades per state level direction. Schools were directed to communicate with their communities directly.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ikara.pdf

In our HS there has been a little too much flexibility and different teachers implemented certain things differently. Now there are some particular things that will be consistent per the regulation.

What are those thiings?

And why let schools do this directly when it's a systemwide change and in an age where information flows freely and speedily, word will get out if one school publishes the news, as Whitman and Blair have, but others don't.

Why does MCPS suck at communications so bad? What is Chris Cram doing?

So whiny ...

If different schools were operating with different policies, then they each need individual messaging to describe the shift to the new policy.

From RM's global announcement:
Due Date/Deadline/Cut off Policy:
By Due Date - Full Credit

By Deadline (-10%): After the due date, late work will receive a 10% penalty until the deadline.
** The change is that this must be applied consistently by all teachers.

After the deadline, but by Cutoff 1 (Interim)/By Cutoff 2 (End of Quarter) (50%)
After the deadline, students have until the cutoff date to turn in assignments. Zs will remain until the final day of the cutoff.
Cutoff 1 is at interims: Work from the first half of the marking period turned in after the deadline but before the interim can receive 50%.
Cutoff 2 is at the end of the marking period: Work from the second half of the marking period turned in after the deadline but before the end of the marking period can receive 50%.

Missing (0%)
After the cutoff, missing work will result in a zero. Zs will be converted to zeros."
** This must also be applied consistently.

[Anonymous]

Hopefully it will be consistent across high schools next fall. Unfortunately the high school where I teach decided not to implement it this spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully it will be consistent across high schools next fall. Unfortunately the high school where I teach decided not to implement it this spring.

Good grief. For a county obsessed with equity, why allow some schools to implement this change and others not to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid got zeros on a few assignments with no communication from the teacher. There is no consistency in the way this is applied.

Which is what I fully expect from MCPS. They announce things with no means of enforcing or oversight. Mismanagement is the norm.

Don't expect clarity with leadership in chaos at central office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Even within Blair, different departments are interpreting the rule differently."

https://silverchips.mbhs.edu/content/mcps-rolls-out-new-mid-year-regulations-allowing-zeros-to-return-to-gradebooks-36377/

*sigh*

This discretion that is afforded to different schools, let alone different departments in the same school, is one reason why MCPS is so dysfunctional and difficult for families to maneuver.

There isn't "discretion". The regulation was changed in the fall to roll in and codify some of the changes implemented during the pandemic, to go back to some previous procedures, and to remove all links between attendance and grades per state level direction. Schools were directed to communicate with their communities directly.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ikara.pdf

In our HS there has been a little too much flexibility and different teachers implemented certain things differently. Now there are some particular things that will be consistent per the regulation.

What are those thiings?

And why let schools do this directly when it's a systemwide change and in an age where information flows freely and speedily, word will get out if one school publishes the news, as Whitman and Blair have, but others don't.

Why does MCPS suck at communications so bad? What is Chris Cram doing?

You act like if MCPS put out the announcement there wouldn’t be a bunch of folks right here in this board talking about not being informed. At least by having the schools communicate it out there was a chance that people would actually read it.

And have you asked your own schools Administrators why they didn’t inform you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Even within Blair, different departments are interpreting the rule differently."

https://silverchips.mbhs.edu/content/mcps-rolls-out-new-mid-year-regulations-allowing-zeros-to-return-to-gradebooks-36377/

*sigh*

This discretion that is afforded to different schools, let alone different departments in the same school, is one reason why MCPS is so dysfunctional and difficult for families to maneuver.

There isn't "discretion". The regulation was changed in the fall to roll in and codify some of the changes implemented during the pandemic, to go back to some previous procedures, and to remove all links between attendance and grades per state level direction. Schools were directed to communicate with their communities directly.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ikara.pdf

In our HS there has been a little too much flexibility and different teachers implemented certain things differently. Now there are some particular things that will be consistent per the regulation.

What are those thiings?

And why let schools do this directly when it's a systemwide change and in an age where information flows freely and speedily, word will get out if one school publishes the news, as Whitman and Blair have, but others don't.

Why does MCPS suck at communications so bad? What is Chris Cram doing?

You act like if MCPS put out the announcement there wouldn’t be a bunch of folks right here in this board talking about not being informed. At least by having the schools communicate it out there was a chance that people would actually read it.

And have you asked your own schools Administrators why they didn’t inform you?

But the schools didn't communicate anything out. Student newspapers at two schools reported on the policy change. One of the got the MCEA to confirm their reporting and the other got school educators to comment on the policy change.

Nothing, however, was emailed to parents and families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Even within Blair, different departments are interpreting the rule differently."

https://silverchips.mbhs.edu/content/mcps-rolls-out-new-mid-year-regulations-allowing-zeros-to-return-to-gradebooks-36377/

*sigh*

This discretion that is afforded to different schools, let alone different departments in the same school, is one reason why MCPS is so dysfunctional and difficult for families to maneuver.

There isn't "discretion". The regulation was changed in the fall to roll in and codify some of the changes implemented during the pandemic, to go back to some previous procedures, and to remove all links between attendance and grades per state level direction. Schools were directed to communicate with their communities directly.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ikara.pdf

In our HS there has been a little too much flexibility and different teachers implemented certain things differently. Now there are some particular things that will be consistent per the regulation.

What are those thiings?

And why let schools do this directly when it's a systemwide change and in an age where information flows freely and speedily, word will get out if one school publishes the news, as Whitman and Blair have, but others don't.

Why does MCPS suck at communications so bad? What is Chris Cram doing?

So whiny ...

If different schools were operating with different policies, then they each need individual messaging to describe the shift to the new policy.

From RM's global announcement:
Due Date/Deadline/Cut off Policy:
By Due Date - Full Credit

By Deadline (-10%): After the due date, late work will receive a 10% penalty until the deadline.
** The change is that this must be applied consistently by all teachers.

After the deadline, but by Cutoff 1 (Interim)/By Cutoff 2 (End of Quarter) (50%)
After the deadline, students have until the cutoff date to turn in assignments. Zs will remain until the final day of the cutoff.
Cutoff 1 is at interims: Work from the first half of the marking period turned in after the deadline but before the interim can receive 50%.
Cutoff 2 is at the end of the marking period: Work from the second half of the marking period turned in after the deadline but before the end of the marking period can receive 50%.

Missing (0%)
After the cutoff, missing work will result in a zero. Zs will be converted to zeros."
** This must also be applied consistently.

This certainly doesn't seem difficult for a teacher to maintain if they have 100 to 150 kids a semester.

[Anonymous]

At the MCCPTA delegated meeting they said this was under consideration and people should comment if they had a view either way. I didn’t realize it had been rolled out yet.

[Anonymous]

God I wish we could do this at my school. Last year the rule was attempt to make contact 3x or get two way 1x. My PLC did the extra hard work of reaching out to parents 3x when it came to huge essays and exams because giving students a 50 for a final essay or exam that they did not even ATTEMPT does not help kids in the long wrong.

This year we are not allowed to give zeroes. Ever. Even though the board of Ed policy says that work submitted after the deadline will earn a 0.
Admin and RTS tell us that we can always make the grading policies easier but never more stringent as long as it “supports the student.” So they have ordered no zeroes. Unlimited redos for plagiarism and copying.


we have HS schools with widely different policies.

With the 50 percent for not even a single attempt rule, I have had at least 10 students who never completed any step of the two common writing tasks they get a quarter pass the class with C’s. 1/10 is actually on grade level for reading.


I have more than one student who is functionally illiterate, but because of the 50 for nothing rule, they will be promoted when they are on a 2nd grade reading level (in HS). They completed maybe 4-5 assignments the entire quarter. Never scored higher than a D.

I love my students and I want to help them. I don’t think giving them a 50 for no attempt (I am ok with a 50 for trying) helps them.

[Anonymous]

We need all schools to actually follow the board’s grading policy. The school I’m at is apparently in violation because they think as long as our grading policy gets the kid to pass, we don’t have to follow the board’s policy…..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God I wish we could do this at my school. Last year the rule was attempt to make contact 3x or get two way 1x. My PLC did the extra hard work of reaching out to parents 3x when it came to huge essays and exams because giving students a 50 for a final essay or exam that they did not even ATTEMPT does not help kids in the long wrong.

This year we are not allowed to give zeroes. Ever. Even though the board of Ed policy says that work submitted after the deadline will earn a 0.
Admin and RTS tell us that we can always make the grading policies easier but never more stringent as long as it “supports the student.” So they have ordered no zeroes. Unlimited redos for plagiarism and copying.


we have HS schools with widely different policies.

With the 50 percent for not even a single attempt rule, I have had at least 10 students who never completed any step of the two common writing tasks they get a quarter pass the class with C’s. 1/10 is actually on grade level for reading.


I have more than one student who is functionally illiterate, but because of the 50 for nothing rule, they will be promoted when they are on a 2nd grade reading level (in HS). They completed maybe 4-5 assignments the entire quarter. Never scored higher than a D.

I love my students and I want to help them. I don’t think giving them a 50 for no attempt (I am ok with a 50 for trying) helps them.

This is so depressing. No one is helping these kids with these policies. They are going to graduate illiterate.

[Anonymous]

If your school isn’t following board policy then get your EFRs to address it at the triad meetings. If they still aren’t, I really don’t see why as a teacher you don’t follow it anyway. Union will back you if admin pushes back.