New DCPS grading policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have an excused absence, you get an extra day with no penalty. If you have two days of excused absence, you get two extra days, etc.

But what I don't know is how this works with a block schedule. Is "extra day" until the next class meeting? Or the literal next school day?

I asked that question of DCPS staff last night. Yes, the "extra day" is until the next class meeting.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I’m pretty surprised by this grading change on retakes, seems like a very stark reversal, from the previously learning centered policy and ability to demonstrate knowledge of the content through continued effort. I hear some people are happy about it and feel like the retakes were gaming the system. Not sure how I feel, school comes really easy to some brains and takes more work for others, doesn’t mean they can’t get there. School already so heavily favors a certain learning style and testing style. This seems like a step backward that will continue to reward kids already doing well on the first take at the expense of content mastery for kids it testing doesn’t come as naturally to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty surprised by this grading change on retakes, seems like a very stark reversal, from the previously learning centered policy and ability to demonstrate knowledge of the content through continued effort. I hear some people are happy about it and feel like the retakes were gaming the system. Not sure how I feel, school comes really easy to some brains and takes more work for others, doesn’t mean they can’t get there. School already so heavily favors a certain learning style and testing style. This seems like a step backward that will continue to reward kids already doing well on the first take at the expense of content mastery for kids it testing doesn’t come as naturally to.

I mean... on some level, grades should reward kids that are better at school. Grades are used to show parents how well their kids are doing (which includes distinguishing kids who actually turned in work on time & kids who mastered things the first time around from other students) AND to facilitate entry into an appropriate college. The old DCPS policy was really hurting kids in college admissions -- especially kids who couldn't afford all sorts of fancy extras and used to count on high grades to demonstrate "worthiness."

[Anonymous]

I fully agree with this policy, the one thing I will say is that it's a weird, abrupt change to make mid-stream on the same kids. It will make it look like some kids suddenly became much worse students in a way that isn't actually accurate.

[Anonymous]

It does feel extremely abrupt to kids already mid-way through, they’ve been working in a system, that I agree needs changing, but they didn’t set up and 10th grade seems like an extremely unfortunate time to have to adjust to this. It’s a dramatic shift.

[Anonymous]

Agree the retake policy is an abrupt change. As others have noted, the prior rule officially allowed retakes without a grade penalty.

I will say that not all teachers appear to understand the new policy correctly. My kid brought home a summary of the new policy from one teacher that incorrectly described the grade penalty as 30 percent for late work.

I also expect that not all teachers will apply the new policy in a fair way. Last year, my kid had a teacher who capped grades for any retake at 86. This was clearly a misuse of the old policy, which only was supposed to apply the 86 grade cap for late work that was unexcused. But to add insult to injury, the teacher would routinely give tests that the entire class would fail. So even if my kid scored an 86 on the retake, they still had to offset it with grades in the 90s to bring their grade up to an A-.

I was so relieved my kid was done with that teacher, and am even more glad about it under this new system. A ceiling of a 76 for retakes under a teacher who routinely fails the entire class would be impossible to overcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does feel extremely abrupt to kids already mid-way through, they’ve been working in a system, that I agree needs changing, but they didn’t set up and 10th grade seems like an extremely unfortunate time to have to adjust to this. It’s a dramatic shift.

I'm a little worried about my smart but spacey 10th grader - she figured things out last year and did fine, but there was a LOT of tracking down WS on things that were done, but not submitted

[Anonymous]

As I read this, “Required Curricular Tasks,” which includes tests and quizzes (p.6), “can be revised and resubmitted” and, when the student does so, “can receive any grade up to an A” (p.4).

[Anonymous]

I imagine that the retakes were parent-prompted more than anything else, and I would not be surprised to learn that disadvantaged kids do not retake things they get bad grades on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As I read this, “Required Curricular Tasks,” which includes tests and quizzes (p.6), “can be revised and resubmitted” and, when the student does so, “can receive any grade up to an A” (p.4).

Very interesting, thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 8th grader came home with a new grading policy that apparently applies in every class in her DCPS middle school. Kid says that late work gets an automatic 30 percent grade penalty, and retakes, even for work turned in on time, can score no higher than a "C". Did anyone else hear something similar from their kid's school? Is the new policy posted anywhere online?

Kids also have 30 days to turn in late assignments. this is hardly a high pressure situation for kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree the retake policy is an abrupt change. As others have noted, the prior rule officially allowed retakes without a grade penalty.

I will say that not all teachers appear to understand the new policy correctly. My kid brought home a summary of the new policy from one teacher that incorrectly described the grade penalty as 30 percent for late work.

I also expect that not all teachers will apply the new policy in a fair way. Last year, my kid had a teacher who capped grades for any retake at 86. This was clearly a misuse of the old policy, which only was supposed to apply the 86 grade cap for late work that was unexcused. But to add insult to injury, the teacher would routinely give tests that the entire class would fail. So even if my kid scored an 86 on the retake, they still had to offset it with grades in the 90s to bring their grade up to an A-.

I was so relieved my kid was done with that teacher, and am even more glad about it under this new system. A ceiling of a 76 for retakes under a teacher who routinely fails the entire class would be impossible to overcome.

Did you read the previous policy? My entire school gave a max of 86 for retakes last year.

Also, if Larla doesn’t submit it on time, the 10% does apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read this, “Required Curricular Tasks,” which includes tests and quizzes (p.6), “can be revised and resubmitted” and, when the student does so, “can receive any grade up to an A” (p.4).

Very interesting, thanks!

Where do you see that all tests and quizzes are "Required Curricular Tasks"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read this, “Required Curricular Tasks,” which includes tests and quizzes (p.6), “can be revised and resubmitted” and, when the student does so, “can receive any grade up to an A” (p.4).

Very interesting, thanks!

Where do you see that all tests and quizzes are "Required Curricular Tasks"?

Second sentence of the definition of “Assessments,” on page 4, says Required Curricular Tasks “range from traditional tests and quizzes to performance-based tasks that demonstrate student skill and knowledge of an entire unit.”

Also read the definition of practice and application; those assignments are “leading to the Required Curricular Tasks.”

Your question is actually the source of the word “all”; my personal view is that under this policy pop quizzes/Kahoots can be coded as participation or practice & application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I read this, “Required Curricular Tasks,” which includes tests and quizzes (p.6), “can be revised and resubmitted” and, when the student does so, “can receive any grade up to an A” (p.4).

Very interesting, thanks!

Where do you see that all tests and quizzes are "Required Curricular Tasks"?

Second sentence of the definition of “Assessments,” on page 4, says Required Curricular Tasks “range from traditional tests and quizzes to performance-based tasks that demonstrate student skill and knowledge of an entire unit.”

Also read the definition of practice and application; those assignments are “leading to the Required Curricular Tasks.”

Your question is actually the source of the word “all”; my personal view is that under this policy pop quizzes/Kahoots can be coded as participation or practice & application.

Sorry, the definitions of “assessments,” “practice & application,” etc., are on page 6.