Madison H.S. Parents - Principal Survey and Skills-Based Grading

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is interesting is that IB schools can’t do this. They have to follow IB assessment policies.

Another reason this is such a hairbrained idea at the secondary level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is interesting is that IB schools can’t do this. They have to follow IB assessment policies.

This is why I’m so glad DD will be taking AP courses in most core subjects next year. Our experience this year was that, since the College Board determines the curriculum, DDs AP class was the one least impacted by the SBG mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is interesting is that IB schools can’t do this. They have to follow IB assessment policies.

This is why I’m so glad DD will be taking AP courses in most core subjects next year. Our experience this year was that, since the College Board determines the curriculum, DDs AP class was the one least impacted by the SBG mess.

No. They also are impacted by SBG

[Anonymous]

Watching the video for 23-24 School Year Instructional and Grading Guidelines Preview just sent out today. This is ridiculous. So in this scenario, Quarter 1-B, Quarter 2 - C, Quarter 3 - B, then quarter 2 replaced with B. Grades from Madison are going to be completely suspect from now on and every college will just see this as the grade inflation that it is.

Was hoping Reid was putting an end to this. Everyone needs to contact her office and complain.

[Anonymous]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNvfPlr3YKI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is interesting is that IB schools can’t do this. They have to follow IB assessment policies.

This is why I’m so glad DD will be taking AP courses in most core subjects next year. Our experience this year was that, since the College Board determines the curriculum, DDs AP class was the one least impacted by the SBG mess.

No. They also are impacted by SBG

I didn’t say it wasn’t impacted, just that it was less so. Some of the changes making other classes such a disaster didn’t happen in the AP class because the teachers have less control over the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Watching the video for 23-24 School Year Instructional and Grading Guidelines Preview just sent out today. This is ridiculous. So in this scenario, Quarter 1-B, Quarter 2 - C, Quarter 3 - B, then quarter 2 replaced with B. Grades from Madison are going to be completely suspect from now on and every college will just see this as the grade inflation that it is.

Was hoping Reid was putting an end to this. Everyone needs to contact her office and complain.

I didn’t watch the video, but does this relate to the rolling grade book? Madison does not give individual quarter grades. If you have a B at the end of 4th quarter, that is your final grade. “Replacing” a lower grade in a previous quarter is irrelevant in the example given assuming it’s a rolling grade book.

If not, I have nothing.

[Anonymous]

No one has all this time to figure out grading. What is the point of all of this? I never heard a complaint about grades before at this school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Watching the video for 23-24 School Year Instructional and Grading Guidelines Preview just sent out today. This is ridiculous. So in this scenario, Quarter 1-B, Quarter 2 - C, Quarter 3 - B, then quarter 2 replaced with B. Grades from Madison are going to be completely suspect from now on and every college will just see this as the grade inflation that it is.

Was hoping Reid was putting an end to this. Everyone needs to contact her office and complain.

Replacing a low grade with a higher grade is just another way of cheating. How did they convince themselves this is ok?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watching the video for 23-24 School Year Instructional and Grading Guidelines Preview just sent out today. This is ridiculous. So in this scenario, Quarter 1-B, Quarter 2 - C, Quarter 3 - B, then quarter 2 replaced with B. Grades from Madison are going to be completely suspect from now on and every college will just see this as the grade inflation that it is.

Was hoping Reid was putting an end to this. Everyone needs to contact her office and complain.

Replacing a low grade with a higher grade is just another way of cheating. How did they convince themselves this is ok?

I don't know but no one can follow it so the program is hurting grades more than helping them.

[Anonymous]

I'm beyond disgusted that Dr. Reid is just creating more confusion when it comes to grading.

Is she totally incompetent? Does she really not realize that there is no need to "fix" something that is not broken, and that when her underlings set about to do just that, whether in the name of equity or otherwise, she needs to rein them in sooner rather than later to avoid a catastrophe?

Get rid of this School Board and then fire this woman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watching the video for 23-24 School Year Instructional and Grading Guidelines Preview just sent out today. This is ridiculous. So in this scenario, Quarter 1-B, Quarter 2 - C, Quarter 3 - B, then quarter 2 replaced with B. Grades from Madison are going to be completely suspect from now on and every college will just see this as the grade inflation that it is.

Was hoping Reid was putting an end to this. Everyone needs to contact her office and complain.

Replacing a low grade with a higher grade is just another way of cheating. How did they convince themselves this is ok?

But its not a student's fault they got a bad grade at some point in the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watching the video for 23-24 School Year Instructional and Grading Guidelines Preview just sent out today. This is ridiculous. So in this scenario, Quarter 1-B, Quarter 2 - C, Quarter 3 - B, then quarter 2 replaced with B. Grades from Madison are going to be completely suspect from now on and every college will just see this as the grade inflation that it is.

Was hoping Reid was putting an end to this. Everyone needs to contact her office and complain.

Replacing a low grade with a higher grade is just another way of cheating. How did they convince themselves this is ok?

But its not a student's fault they got a bad grade at some point in the year.

That's a silly statement. Of course it is at least for the majority of the work. But it's too hard to follow. No one can follow the new system to even know on a day to day basis what is being tested.

[Anonymous]

I watched the video (I'm a Madison parent) and I thought it was a good description, and a good policy. I really think it's the competitive parents/students who are posting so strenuously against this. They don't like it one bit that some other kid MIGHT just get a bit of a boost for showing progress through the year. They get their A's ALL through the year without exception, and they feel this "softer" grading policy is going to make their perfection less notable.

The point of the SBG is to focus on whether you ultimately master the material, and to stop grading for "work habits."

I'm fine with both of those policies. As long as my kid learns the material (whether that is immediately, or over a few months), I don't care. I want them to learn it. And as for work habits, of course those are important in life.... but doesn't need to be part of the grade. Work habits can be assessed in other ways for those who excel in their work habits. (They will still be able to show that on their applications b/c they are the ones who start a club or go the extra mile in volunteering or whatever.)

I think this policy is just fine. My kid thinks it's fine. And, based on what is happening -- sounds like those who are all spun up about it are not going to change it. Sounds to me like it's here to stay. Might as well get used to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I watched the video (I'm a Madison parent) and I thought it was a good description, and a good policy. I really think it's the competitive parents/students who are posting so strenuously against this. They don't like it one bit that some other kid MIGHT just get a bit of a boost for showing progress through the year. They get their A's ALL through the year without exception, and they feel this "softer" grading policy is going to make their perfection less notable.

The point of the SBG is to focus on whether you ultimately master the material, and to stop grading for "work habits."

I'm fine with both of those policies. As long as my kid learns the material (whether that is immediately, or over a few months), I don't care. I want them to learn it. And as for work habits, of course those are important in life.... but doesn't need to be part of the grade. Work habits can be assessed in other ways for those who excel in their work habits. (They will still be able to show that on their applications b/c they are the ones who start a club or go the extra mile in volunteering or whatever.)

I think this policy is just fine. My kid thinks it's fine. And, based on what is happening -- sounds like those who are all spun up about it are not going to change it. Sounds to me like it's here to stay. Might as well get used to it.

Bizarre. This is high school, not grade school. Work habits are learned by doing, and everything is learned because it's graded. Taking something out of the grade means it doesn't happen: teachers don't teach it, students don't do it and don't learn it.

This is just a way of requiring less from students. Lowering expectations. And getting lower results.