Dr. Duran must go

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duran isn't perfect butt he's the best we've have maybe since Smith. Certainly better than Murphy. New parents here who are outraged should take a breath. It's a long, hard slog, and you'll come to appreciate APS is better than most.

I agree. Plus with the shortage of superintendent candidates, the 10 million dollar lawsuit, the outdoor lab incident and a recent overdose there’s zero chance we could get someone better

You think the lawsuit and outdoor lab incident and overdose are bad? wait till y'all find out about "grading for equity" that APS is mandating and what it means (don't be fooled by that name), hold tight parents.

It's not "grading for equity".

Do you mean it’s not *called* grading for equity, or that it’s not grading for *actual* equity? And can someone tell us the basics of this thing?

+ 1 - can someone please explain the new policy and why it's bad?

Because no one fails so they all fail. They’re bringing everyone down to the lowest level. If you can’t understand what that’s bad I can’t help you.

Mastery based grading is another name for this. Letter grades are dropped in favor of descriptions of the level of mastery attained. There are no failures or negative assessments. Most public school districts and some private schools are adopting aspects of this equitable and revolutionary grading system all over the country. It’s a learning process by many schools to see what works for their student population. But so far according to compiled data, this new grading system has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time: less A grades (or the equivalent) and no failures. Check out the book by leading proponent and educator Joe Feldman: Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms

While are a number of bespoke versions of the mastery or skills based grading, there are a number of commonalities.

In general, soft skills no longer factor into grades: These include study habits, classroom participation, tardiness, attendance, classroom behavior, homework completion, etc. Assessments solely focus on the mastery of subject matter, and nothing else.

A final assessment accounts for roughly 90% of the grade. And unlimited retests (and tutoring if needed) are offered to students to increase their level of mastery.

Notably teachers are pushing back against this new grading system that ignores soft skills and prioritizes an end of term assessment. But there are proponents among parents and school administrators.

No As and no failures means you haven’t actually reduced the achievement gap. You just stopped measuring it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duran isn't perfect butt he's the best we've have maybe since Smith. Certainly better than Murphy. New parents here who are outraged should take a breath. It's a long, hard slog, and you'll come to appreciate APS is better than most.

I agree. Plus with the shortage of superintendent candidates, the 10 million dollar lawsuit, the outdoor lab incident and a recent overdose there’s zero chance we could get someone better

You think the lawsuit and outdoor lab incident and overdose are bad? wait till y'all find out about "grading for equity" that APS is mandating and what it means (don't be fooled by that name), hold tight parents.

It's not "grading for equity".

Do you mean it’s not *called* grading for equity, or that it’s not grading for *actual* equity? And can someone tell us the basics of this thing?

+ 1 - can someone please explain the new policy and why it's bad?

Because no one fails so they all fail. They’re bringing everyone down to the lowest level. If you can’t understand what that’s bad I can’t help you.

Mastery based grading is another name for this. Letter grades are dropped in favor of descriptions of the level of mastery attained. There are no failures or negative assessments. Most public school districts and some private schools are adopting aspects of this equitable and revolutionary grading system all over the country. It’s a learning process by many schools to see what works for their student population. But so far according to compiled data, this new grading system has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time: less A grades (or the equivalent) and no failures. Check out the book by leading proponent and educator Joe Feldman: Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms

While are a number of bespoke versions of the mastery or skills based grading, there are a number of commonalities.

In general, soft skills no longer factor into grades: These include study habits, classroom participation, tardiness, attendance, classroom behavior, homework completion, etc. Assessments solely focus on the mastery of subject matter, and nothing else.

A final assessment accounts for roughly 90% of the grade. And unlimited retests (and tutoring if needed) are offered to students to increase their level of mastery.

Notably teachers are pushing back against this new grading system that ignores soft skills and prioritizes an end of term assessment. But there are proponents among parents and school administrators.

There are some teachers behind it. I think they view it as anti-Racist? It’s not doing any of the kids any favors. I’m a high school teacher, and I have a ton of issues with it. What will happen to school attendance when kids realize they can get a 50 even when they’re not there that day? If students get good grades, what will colleges think when this policy exists? These inflated grades won’t mean anything, will they? What will student behavior be like? How would it feel to work your a— off on a paper, get say, a 75, and have the person next to you get a 50 when they didn’t even do anything?

The soft skills argument is real. No one is giving me half a paycheck when I don’t show up.

I’ve filled out their surveys all along, but that was foolish. This was probably a done deal from the moment they introduced the topic. I’m dumbfounded. I have kids in APS, too. I want them to get a good education. Equity, yes. No (inaccessible to all) extra credit. No harsh late penalties, ok. This is 50% instead of a 0 is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duran isn't perfect butt he's the best we've have maybe since Smith. Certainly better than Murphy. New parents here who are outraged should take a breath. It's a long, hard slog, and you'll come to appreciate APS is better than most.

I agree. Plus with the shortage of superintendent candidates, the 10 million dollar lawsuit, the outdoor lab incident and a recent overdose there’s zero chance we could get someone better

You think the lawsuit and outdoor lab incident and overdose are bad? wait till y'all find out about "grading for equity" that APS is mandating and what it means (don't be fooled by that name), hold tight parents.

It's not "grading for equity".

Do you mean it’s not *called* grading for equity, or that it’s not grading for *actual* equity? And can someone tell us the basics of this thing?

+ 1 - can someone please explain the new policy and why it's bad?

Because no one fails so they all fail. They’re bringing everyone down to the lowest level. If you can’t understand what that’s bad I can’t help you.

Mastery based grading is another name for this. Letter grades are dropped in favor of descriptions of the level of mastery attained. There are no failures or negative assessments. Most public school districts and some private schools are adopting aspects of this equitable and revolutionary grading system all over the country. It’s a learning process by many schools to see what works for their student population. But so far according to compiled data, this new grading system has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time: less A grades (or the equivalent) and no failures. Check out the book by leading proponent and educator Joe Feldman: Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms

While are a number of bespoke versions of the mastery or skills based grading, there are a number of commonalities.

In general, soft skills no longer factor into grades: These include study habits, classroom participation, tardiness, attendance, classroom behavior, homework completion, etc. Assessments solely focus on the mastery of subject matter, and nothing else.

A final assessment accounts for roughly 90% of the grade. And unlimited retests (and tutoring if needed) are offered to students to increase their level of mastery.

Notably teachers are pushing back against this new grading system that ignores soft skills and prioritizes an end of term assessment. But there are proponents among parents and school administrators.

There are some teachers behind it. I think they view it as anti-Racist? It’s not doing any of the kids any favors. I’m a high school teacher, and I have a ton of issues with it. What will happen to school attendance when kids realize they can get a 50 even when they’re not there that day? If students get good grades, what will colleges think when this policy exists? These inflated grades won’t mean anything, will they? What will student behavior be like? How would it feel to work your a— off on a paper, get say, a 75, and have the person next to you get a 50 when they didn’t even do anything?

The soft skills argument is real. No one is giving me half a paycheck when I don’t show up.

I’ve filled out their surveys all along, but that was foolish. This was probably a done deal from the moment they introduced the topic. I’m dumbfounded. I have kids in APS, too. I want them to get a good education. Equity, yes. No (inaccessible to all) extra credit. No harsh late penalties, ok. This is 50% instead of a 0 is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.

There’s nothing equitable about lowering standards so you can say more kids passed, but they never showed up and didn’t really learn anything. This is terrible fad just like Lucy caulkins that APS used for years. Now we’re finally on the right track with reading in elementary schools just in time to hop on the next bandwagon heading over a cliff in the name of equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duran isn't perfect butt he's the best we've have maybe since Smith. Certainly better than Murphy. New parents here who are outraged should take a breath. It's a long, hard slog, and you'll come to appreciate APS is better than most.

I agree. Plus with the shortage of superintendent candidates, the 10 million dollar lawsuit, the outdoor lab incident and a recent overdose there’s zero chance we could get someone better

You think the lawsuit and outdoor lab incident and overdose are bad? wait till y'all find out about "grading for equity" that APS is mandating and what it means (don't be fooled by that name), hold tight parents.

It's not "grading for equity".

Do you mean it’s not *called* grading for equity, or that it’s not grading for *actual* equity? And can someone tell us the basics of this thing?

+ 1 - can someone please explain the new policy and why it's bad?

Because no one fails so they all fail. They’re bringing everyone down to the lowest level. If you can’t understand what that’s bad I can’t help you.

Mastery based grading is another name for this. Letter grades are dropped in favor of descriptions of the level of mastery attained. There are no failures or negative assessments. Most public school districts and some private schools are adopting aspects of this equitable and revolutionary grading system all over the country. It’s a learning process by many schools to see what works for their student population. But so far according to compiled data, this new grading system has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time: less A grades (or the equivalent) and no failures. Check out the book by leading proponent and educator Joe Feldman: Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms

While are a number of bespoke versions of the mastery or skills based grading, there are a number of commonalities.

In general, soft skills no longer factor into grades: These include study habits, classroom participation, tardiness, attendance, classroom behavior, homework completion, etc. Assessments solely focus on the mastery of subject matter, and nothing else.

A final assessment accounts for roughly 90% of the grade. And unlimited retests (and tutoring if needed) are offered to students to increase their level of mastery.

Notably teachers are pushing back against this new grading system that ignores soft skills and prioritizes an end of term assessment. But there are proponents among parents and school administrators.

There are some teachers behind it. I think they view it as anti-Racist? It’s not doing any of the kids any favors. I’m a high school teacher, and I have a ton of issues with it. What will happen to school attendance when kids realize they can get a 50 even when they’re not there that day? If students get good grades, what will colleges think when this policy exists? These inflated grades won’t mean anything, will they? What will student behavior be like? How would it feel to work your a— off on a paper, get say, a 75, and have the person next to you get a 50 when they didn’t even do anything?

The soft skills argument is real. No one is giving me half a paycheck when I don’t show up.

I’ve filled out their surveys all along, but that was foolish. This was probably a done deal from the moment they introduced the topic. I’m dumbfounded. I have kids in APS, too. I want them to get a good education. Equity, yes. No (inaccessible to all) extra credit. No harsh late penalties, ok. This is 50% instead of a 0 is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.

There’s nothing equitable about lowering standards so you can say more kids passed, but they never showed up and didn’t really learn anything. This is terrible fad just like Lucy caulkins that APS used for years. Now we’re finally on the right track with reading in elementary schools just in time to hop on the next bandwagon heading over a cliff in the name of equity.

Schools have always been subject to fads, like the failed open classroom movement in the 70s. Schools of education and school administrators/staff make these important pedagogical decisions that typically stick around for a generation if not longer. Strong schools with proactive parents generally have a history of success despite all these annoying fads.

[Anonymous]

To cut to the chase, what will this mean for UVA admissions from APS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To cut to the chase, what will this mean for UVA admissions from APS?

This new standards based grading isn’t exactly compatible with AP and IB which are quite demanding and have tests with no retakes. That much I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From my view since he got here:

Move to DIEBELS and math inventory. Relying on PALS was a joke. We used to get no objective info on math progress.
Move away from crap-tastic Lucy Calkins curriculum and back to teaching reading properly.
Middle school intensified classes (this is huge and if you're not there yet you don't know how huge it is)
Much clearer and more consistent communication about things I actually care about
The recent announcement about the ability to lock down the school ipads and laptops at home is a big improvement
I am impressed with his budget proposal this year and how much it is focused on the reality of the drug and mental health situations in the middle high schools. Some things that should make a real difference.

Eh the move to phonics based instruction was state mandated, not anything to do with Duran although I agree that phonics instruction IS reading instruction, I wouldn't give that to Duran as a win. I also am not anti-Duran, but cautiously optimistic that after growing central office, he will start to control and tame the beast. I'm willing to give him more time especially in the current hiring environment.

Nope APS did this, it was not state driven.

There is a law. Did you not know?
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/k-12-standards-instruction/english-reading-literacy/literacy/virginia-literacy-act

I’ll give you that both Aps and FCPS started early but it was pushed by many factors. It isn’t Duran acting by himself. The NAACP
Had a big role.

Yes there is a law but APS made the change BEFORE the law. Advocates pushed this for years but got nowhere until Duran came in. Did you not know this?

There are a lot of johnny come latelies who only started paying attention to their kids' education when schools closed. This is probably one of then. The OP is probably another. People have no clue how bad the PE teacher was. Did they complain back then? Doubt it.

NP here. This is just a general response to your comment, but I’ve seen a lot of similar comments in this forum and other groups that are negative about newcomers/people just now paying attention. I’ve had someone shut down my criticisms because the prior superintendent was apparently pretty bad from what I can glean and I guess I didn’t know enough about the past history of APS prior to the pandemic.

But … my oldest started K in 2020. We moved here late 2019. This is a transient area. So a lot of the “Johnny come latelies” may be parents who didn’t even live here or have kids in school prior to Duran. I’m a bit tired of this discourse from older parents shutting down newer parents from having any opinions about what is currently going on in APS.

[Anonymous]

Well, many people have an outdated view of APS. Or, others feel, hey, I dropped $2.12 million to live here, so gosh darn it, the schools must be “coveted.”

[Anonymous]

lol - I’ve had kids in APS for a decade now, and when I first started researching APS on DCUM, there were posters who constantly called anyone newly moving to Arlington for the schools carpetbaggers and told us we had no right to benefit from good schools in APS given that, until our kids had turned school-aged, we’d been paying taxes in DC or MD. It’s a time-honored tradition on DCUM to talk down to the newcomers. Don’t take it personally!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To cut to the chase, what will this mean for UVA admissions from APS?

This new standards based grading isn’t exactly compatible with AP and IB which are quite demanding and have tests with no retakes. That much I know.

It won’t apply to IB because of the standards required there. APS pretty much setting up, or some might say reinforcing, a two tier system. Some kids, mostly white and UMC, will get rigorous classes that prepare them for college. Everyone else will get even more watered down classes with even lower expectations. All in the name of equity. Who wins? Probably not teachers, definitely not students. Duran and syphax probably as they can say they “fixed” the achievement gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duran isn't perfect butt he's the best we've have maybe since Smith. Certainly better than Murphy. New parents here who are outraged should take a breath. It's a long, hard slog, and you'll come to appreciate APS is better than most.

I agree. Plus with the shortage of superintendent candidates, the 10 million dollar lawsuit, the outdoor lab incident and a recent overdose there’s zero chance we could get someone better

You think the lawsuit and outdoor lab incident and overdose are bad? wait till y'all find out about "grading for equity" that APS is mandating and what it means (don't be fooled by that name), hold tight parents.

It's not "grading for equity".

Do you mean it’s not *called* grading for equity, or that it’s not grading for *actual* equity? And can someone tell us the basics of this thing?

+ 1 - can someone please explain the new policy and why it's bad?

Because no one fails so they all fail. They’re bringing everyone down to the lowest level. If you can’t understand what that’s bad I can’t help you.

that's not an explanation at all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From my view since he got here:

Move to DIEBELS and math inventory. Relying on PALS was a joke. We used to get no objective info on math progress.
Move away from crap-tastic Lucy Calkins curriculum and back to teaching reading properly.
Middle school intensified classes (this is huge and if you're not there yet you don't know how huge it is)
Much clearer and more consistent communication about things I actually care about
The recent announcement about the ability to lock down the school ipads and laptops at home is a big improvement
I am impressed with his budget proposal this year and how much it is focused on the reality of the drug and mental health situations in the middle high schools. Some things that should make a real difference.

Eh the move to phonics based instruction was state mandated, not anything to do with Duran although I agree that phonics instruction IS reading instruction, I wouldn't give that to Duran as a win. I also am not anti-Duran, but cautiously optimistic that after growing central office, he will start to control and tame the beast. I'm willing to give him more time especially in the current hiring environment.

Nope APS did this, it was not state driven.

There is a law. Did you not know?
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/k-12-standards-instruction/english-reading-literacy/literacy/virginia-literacy-act

I’ll give you that both Aps and FCPS started early but it was pushed by many factors. It isn’t Duran acting by himself. The NAACP
Had a big role.

Yes there is a law but APS made the change BEFORE the law. Advocates pushed this for years but got nowhere until Duran came in. Did you not know this?

There are a lot of johnny come latelies who only started paying attention to their kids' education when schools closed. This is probably one of then. The OP is probably another. People have no clue how bad the PE teacher was. Did they complain back then? Doubt it.

NP here. This is just a general response to your comment, but I’ve seen a lot of similar comments in this forum and other groups that are negative about newcomers/people just now paying attention. I’ve had someone shut down my criticisms because the prior superintendent was apparently pretty bad from what I can glean and I guess I didn’t know enough about the past history of APS prior to the pandemic.

But … my oldest started K in 2020. We moved here late 2019. This is a transient area. So a lot of the “Johnny come latelies” may be parents who didn’t even live here or have kids in school prior to Duran. I’m a bit tired of this discourse from older parents shutting down newer parents from having any opinions about what is currently going on in APS.

You can have your opinion but if you don't bother to educate yourself on APS, which yes, includes learning some history and context, you're going to have to live with criticism that your opinion is uninformed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duran isn't perfect butt he's the best we've have maybe since Smith. Certainly better than Murphy. New parents here who are outraged should take a breath. It's a long, hard slog, and you'll come to appreciate APS is better than most.

I agree. Plus with the shortage of superintendent candidates, the 10 million dollar lawsuit, the outdoor lab incident and a recent overdose there’s zero chance we could get someone better

You think the lawsuit and outdoor lab incident and overdose are bad? wait till y'all find out about "grading for equity" that APS is mandating and what it means (don't be fooled by that name), hold tight parents.

It's not "grading for equity".

Do you mean it’s not *called* grading for equity, or that it’s not grading for *actual* equity? And can someone tell us the basics of this thing?

+ 1 - can someone please explain the new policy and why it's bad?

Because no one fails so they all fail. They’re bringing everyone down to the lowest level. If you can’t understand what that’s bad I can’t help you.

Mastery based grading is another name for this. Letter grades are dropped in favor of descriptions of the level of mastery attained. There are no failures or negative assessments. Most public school districts and some private schools are adopting aspects of this equitable and revolutionary grading system all over the country. It’s a learning process by many schools to see what works for their student population. But so far according to compiled data, this new grading system has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time: less A grades (or the equivalent) and no failures. Check out the book by leading proponent and educator Joe Feldman: Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms

While are a number of bespoke versions of the mastery or skills based grading, there are a number of commonalities.

In general, soft skills no longer factor into grades: These include study habits, classroom participation, tardiness, attendance, classroom behavior, homework completion, etc. Assessments solely focus on the mastery of subject matter, and nothing else.

A final assessment accounts for roughly 90% of the grade. And unlimited retests (and tutoring if needed) are offered to students to increase their level of mastery.

Notably teachers are pushing back against this new grading system that ignores soft skills and prioritizes an end of term assessment. But there are proponents among parents and school administrators.

Thank you for taking the time to explain this. Is there a link to it? I'm a pretty involved parent, I though, but I can't find it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From my view since he got here:

Move to DIEBELS and math inventory. Relying on PALS was a joke. We used to get no objective info on math progress.
Move away from crap-tastic Lucy Calkins curriculum and back to teaching reading properly.
Middle school intensified classes (this is huge and if you're not there yet you don't know how huge it is)
Much clearer and more consistent communication about things I actually care about
The recent announcement about the ability to lock down the school ipads and laptops at home is a big improvement
I am impressed with his budget proposal this year and how much it is focused on the reality of the drug and mental health situations in the middle high schools. Some things that should make a real difference.

Eh the move to phonics based instruction was state mandated, not anything to do with Duran although I agree that phonics instruction IS reading instruction, I wouldn't give that to Duran as a win. I also am not anti-Duran, but cautiously optimistic that after growing central office, he will start to control and tame the beast. I'm willing to give him more time especially in the current hiring environment.

Nope APS did this, it was not state driven.

There is a law. Did you not know?
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/k-12-standards-instruction/english-reading-literacy/literacy/virginia-literacy-act

I’ll give you that both Aps and FCPS started early but it was pushed by many factors. It isn’t Duran acting by himself. The NAACP
Had a big role.

Yes there is a law but APS made the change BEFORE the law. Advocates pushed this for years but got nowhere until Duran came in. Did you not know this?

There are a lot of johnny come latelies who only started paying attention to their kids' education when schools closed. This is probably one of then. The OP is probably another. People have no clue how bad the PE teacher was. Did they complain back then? Doubt it.

NP here. This is just a general response to your comment, but I’ve seen a lot of similar comments in this forum and other groups that are negative about newcomers/people just now paying attention. I’ve had someone shut down my criticisms because the prior superintendent was apparently pretty bad from what I can glean and I guess I didn’t know enough about the past history of APS prior to the pandemic.

But … my oldest started K in 2020. We moved here late 2019. This is a transient area. So a lot of the “Johnny come latelies” may be parents who didn’t even live here or have kids in school prior to Duran. I’m a bit tired of this discourse from older parents shutting down newer parents from having any opinions about what is currently going on in APS.

I’ve made comments before that some parents only started to pay attention during the pandemic. I was referring to specific parents I know who already had kids in APS and really didn’t GAF about school at all before covid. Like never even attended a PTA meeting. Then all of the sudden they are experts on schools/students/teachers and tried to aggressively force teachers/staff to obey them even though they were clueless. And they got ugly about it. Most have gone back to not GAF but some still try to force their (uninformed) opinions on the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Duran isn't perfect butt he's the best we've have maybe since Smith. Certainly better than Murphy. New parents here who are outraged should take a breath. It's a long, hard slog, and you'll come to appreciate APS is better than most.

I agree. Plus with the shortage of superintendent candidates, the 10 million dollar lawsuit, the outdoor lab incident and a recent overdose there’s zero chance we could get someone better

You think the lawsuit and outdoor lab incident and overdose are bad? wait till y'all find out about "grading for equity" that APS is mandating and what it means (don't be fooled by that name), hold tight parents.

It's not "grading for equity".

Do you mean it’s not *called* grading for equity, or that it’s not grading for *actual* equity? And can someone tell us the basics of this thing?

+ 1 - can someone please explain the new policy and why it's bad?

Because no one fails so they all fail. They’re bringing everyone down to the lowest level. If you can’t understand what that’s bad I can’t help you.

Mastery based grading is another name for this. Letter grades are dropped in favor of descriptions of the level of mastery attained. There are no failures or negative assessments. Most public school districts and some private schools are adopting aspects of this equitable and revolutionary grading system all over the country. It’s a learning process by many schools to see what works for their student population. But so far according to compiled data, this new grading system has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time: less A grades (or the equivalent) and no failures. Check out the book by leading proponent and educator Joe Feldman: Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms

While are a number of bespoke versions of the mastery or skills based grading, there are a number of commonalities.

In general, soft skills no longer factor into grades: These include study habits, classroom participation, tardiness, attendance, classroom behavior, homework completion, etc. Assessments solely focus on the mastery of subject matter, and nothing else.

A final assessment accounts for roughly 90% of the grade. And unlimited retests (and tutoring if needed) are offered to students to increase their level of mastery.

Notably teachers are pushing back against this new grading system that ignores soft skills and prioritizes an end of term assessment. But there are proponents among parents and school administrators.

Thank you for taking the time to explain this. Is there a link to it? I'm a pretty involved parent, I though, but I can't find it.

The Post and other newspapers have reported on the this. I forget what month. I have it delivered, so I don’t have the link. ARLnow reported on Wakefield teachers strongly rejecting the grading, homework, etc overhaul last year. Hispanic parents were concerned about the inability to comprehend the non letter based grading system, which uses vague descriptions of subject mastery.

The book by Feldman “Grading for Equity” provides an excellent overview of this new pedagogy that has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time.

This new system works for school systems with diverse populations where it helps to even the playing field. But for a district like Scarsdale or Bronxville for example, which are close to 100% upper middle class, this new standards based grading would have little relevance. So I don’t see all school districts adopting it. But most will adopt it to some degree and adjust based on a school’s or district’s needs.

I suggest politely contacting the diversity and inclusion office for info re APS schools. Do note that it’s not all figured out yet. So no need to immediately jump to conclusions.