Why are kids mad about the new grading?

[Anonymous]

Your transcript should reflect your academic abilities. I am glad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a current MCPS student and heard that students are going to board meetings to talk about the new grading. Why is it such a problem? I’m a rising junior, by the way, and it would just seem that you should keep with your current output of work and your grades will be fine. It seems to only be a problem if you’re slacking off, so I would understand a few stragglers, but even in my own inner circle, people are really mad. Is there something I don’t know? Thanks in advance.

If you are really a student, ask your fellow students. 1. Policy should be eased in --- juniors and seniors or at least the seniors should not be under this new policy because they are in their last high school year. 2. Teachers should have been given more time to plan for this change. Maybe make it go into effect second half of upcoming school year if not '26-27 school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're mad because they were told the policy would take effect for certain graduation years, and then MCPS decided to change that and apply it to all high school and middle school students effective this school year.

Yes, under the initial proposal to change the policy, the new policy was only going to apply to the Class of 2029 and subsequent classes.

Taylor said at a board meeting that their grading systems can't be configured for two different grading policies concurrently for students taking the same class. For example, many HS math classes have students of different grades. So, you couldn't have 10th graders in the class having one grading policy and 11th graders in the same class having the other.

I don’t have a problem with the new grading policy, if that excuse is BS. Of course they can. They don’t want to, but they can. You can certainly apply 2 simple algorithms to a class - just need to be clear which algorithm is used with which students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine having played 3 quarters of a football game and then being informed that a new system of scoring will be implemented in the final quarter. People don’t like change.

It should be implemented from the new school year, after informing everyone how it works. How is this an issue?

I’m talking about seniors who 3/4 of the way through high school. They don’t want a change this late in their academic career. Right or wrong, change scares people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a current MCPS student and heard that students are going to board meetings to talk about the new grading. Why is it such a problem? I’m a rising junior, by the way, and it would just seem that you should keep with your current output of work and your grades will be fine. It seems to only be a problem if you’re slacking off, so I would understand a few stragglers, but even in my own inner circle, people are really mad. Is there something I don’t know? Thanks in advance.

HS Teacher here. A fear that many students have is that this change will impact college admissions because their GPAs will be lower. The problem is that students think they are competing against every other kid who applies to a particular college, but in reality they are competing against the other kids in their high school who will be affected the same way.

What students don’t see is that the current grading policy has actually been hurting college admissions because they have internal data that shows supposedly straight A kids from MCPS weren’t actually ready for their university courses. Students also don’t understand that padding their transcript with As and Bs in AP courses they barely understand doesn’t really help them when they get to college and are completely unprepared for next level courses or how to study and retain information for an entire semester.

I have a similar but ever so slightly different take: The old grading policy benefited students who were A-/B+ kids (MCPS doesn't use + or -). They could get straight As even with Bs in some quarters. This meant that to colleges, there was a larger cohort of kids coming from MCPS that were indistinguishable from one another. This hurt the really stellar students, who struggled to differentiate themselves from the tier 2.

So now I feel it's more equitable. The top students will still be at the top, and will be recognized as such. The second tier will be where they actually belong, in the second tier. And so on. It's fair. I don't think anyone can argue with that!

It is absolutely fair, but the fact that A-/B+ students will be differentiated from straight A students is exactly what kids fear. Even if you’re a rising senior who has never gotten a B, it could happen, and now you will pay a real price for it. The OP didn’t ask if the new policy was fair; they asked why kids are mad about it. What you’re posting about is why kids don’t want this change in policy. New fear unlocked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine having played 3 quarters of a football game and then being informed that a new system of scoring will be implemented in the final quarter. People don’t like change.

It should be implemented from the new school year, after informing everyone how it works. How is this an issue?

I’m talking about seniors who 3/4 of the way through high school. They don’t want a change this late in their academic career. Right or wrong, change scares people.

Poor snowflakes. It will prepare them for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a current MCPS student and heard that students are going to board meetings to talk about the new grading. Why is it such a problem? I’m a rising junior, by the way, and it would just seem that you should keep with your current output of work and your grades will be fine. It seems to only be a problem if you’re slacking off, so I would understand a few stragglers, but even in my own inner circle, people are really mad. Is there something I don’t know? Thanks in advance.

This OP reads like a journalist asking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine having played 3 quarters of a football game and then being informed that a new system of scoring will be implemented in the final quarter. People don’t like change.

It should be implemented from the new school year, after informing everyone how it works. How is this an issue?

I’m talking about seniors who 3/4 of the way through high school. They don’t want a change this late in their academic career. Right or wrong, change scares people.

Poor snowflakes. It will prepare them for college.

They’re not snowflakes. They’re human. If a company decided to restructure compensation so that it was harder to earn a bonus, adult employees would grouse.

[Anonymous]

So, we are no longer doing a smoke and mirrors game to show that we are bridging the achievement gap, by giving out easy As?

Maybe we need real solutions for all students whose needs and potential are not being met.

Next - bring back textbooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine having played 3 quarters of a football game and then being informed that a new system of scoring will be implemented in the final quarter. People don’t like change.

It should be implemented from the new school year, after informing everyone how it works. How is this an issue?

I’m talking about seniors who 3/4 of the way through high school. They don’t want a change this late in their academic career. Right or wrong, change scares people.

Poor snowflakes. It will prepare them for college.

They’re not snowflakes. They’re human. If a company decided to restructure compensation so that it was harder to earn a bonus, adult employees would grouse.

Companies do RIF all the time. Employees can grouse all they want, but they are let go.

[Anonymous]

How about failing kids who are doing poorly and holding them back for a year or two? Then also give them intensive support for these two years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine having played 3 quarters of a football game and then being informed that a new system of scoring will be implemented in the final quarter. People don’t like change.

It should be implemented from the new school year, after informing everyone how it works. How is this an issue?

I’m talking about seniors who 3/4 of the way through high school. They don’t want a change this late in their academic career. Right or wrong, change scares people.

Change is a part of life. This policy is simple to understand. There is no reason to phase it in gradually. The old policy should never have existed in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're mad because they were told the policy would take effect for certain graduation years, and then MCPS decided to change that and apply it to all high school and middle school students effective this school year.

Yes, under the initial proposal to change the policy, the new policy was only going to apply to the Class of 2029 and subsequent classes.

Taylor said at a board meeting that their grading systems can't be configured for two different grading policies concurrently for students taking the same class. For example, many HS math classes have students of different grades. So, you couldn't have 10th graders in the class having one grading policy and 11th graders in the same class having the other.

I don’t have a problem with the new grading policy, if that excuse is BS. Of course they can. They don’t want to, but they can. You can certainly apply 2 simple algorithms to a class - just need to be clear which algorithm is used with which students.

Don’t you think it would be confusing for teachers to have kids in their classes being graded differently? Even if the teacher doesn’t have to do anything differently, it still seems weird to have different grade patterns in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

This change makes a lot of sense. But MCPS should also include A minuses and pluses. It’s ridiculous not to have that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you’re a student. Regardless, because A’s will be harder to come by, obviously.

Why don’t you think I am?

Because nobody thinks a 16 year old is contemplating grade policies and posting on a parenting forum on a Saturday night in August.

Touché, but here I am.

Not helping the cause and possibly not even the OP! The fun of anon forums.