universal freshman eligibility for Montgomery County Public Schools sports and activities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why have grades at all?

To get into college. That is literally the only reason to have grades. We don't use grades as a barrier to play a sport, join a club or any other educational activity.

I'm a HS teacher, and I'm at the point that I think we should eliminate grades on transcripts/report cards completely. Grades are so arbitrary, despite what people think. Sure, track grades in a gradebook, so student and parents have some idea of how a student is doing, but at the end you either meet the minimum standards for the course and pass, or you don't and you fail and need to retake the course. College bound students can use SAT/ACT and AP/IB scores to demonstrate content mastery to colleges, or they can do dual enrollment at community college. If you can score a 4 or 5 on the AP BC Calculus exam, I don't really care what your grades were in Algebra, Geometry, and Precalc were.

Grades have completely distorted the educational system. Students are all about the transaction to "get" a grade (completing worksheets) and unmotivated by the learning. Bring back learning for learning's sake and get rid of grades.

[Anonymous]

There are non-sports activities and clubs that are a 1-3 hour a week commitment rather than 20-24 and will actually support academically underperforming students.

If a kid whose maximum ability is D level work, then getting Ds is not underperforming. In fact, it’s a higher level performance than a B from an A student. But yet, the B student is allowed to play and you want to bar the D student? Yeah that makes sense.

[Anonymous]

It's not exactly hard to earn a 2.0 for most kids these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The eligibility requirement applies to school sports and activities, as in plays, orchestra, student government, etc.

Why does everyone immediately assume that altering the requirement would only to benefit stupid athletes who care nothing about school?

It doesn’t stop you from going to HW Club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There are non-sports activities and clubs that are a 1-3 hour a week commitment rather than 20-24 and will actually support academically underperforming students.

If a kid whose maximum ability is D level work, then getting Ds is not underperforming. In fact, it’s a higher level performance than a B from an A student. But yet, the B student is allowed to play and you want to bar the D student? Yeah that makes sense.

It makes sense that the D student should be putting all of their energies into becoming at least a C student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are non-sports activities and clubs that are a 1-3 hour a week commitment rather than 20-24 and will actually support academically underperforming students.

If a kid whose maximum ability is D level work, then getting Ds is not underperforming. In fact, it’s a higher level performance than a B from an A student. But yet, the B student is allowed to play and you want to bar the D student? Yeah that makes sense.

It makes sense that the D student should be putting all of their energies into becoming at least a C student.

You really don’t understand special needs. If max capability is a D, all of the energy in the world isnt going to get that kid to a C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are non-sports activities and clubs that are a 1-3 hour a week commitment rather than 20-24 and will actually support academically underperforming students.

If a kid whose maximum ability is D level work, then getting Ds is not underperforming. In fact, it’s a higher level performance than a B from an A student. But yet, the B student is allowed to play and you want to bar the D student? Yeah that makes sense.

It makes sense that the D student should be putting all of their energies into becoming at least a C student.

You really don’t understand special needs. If max capability is a D, all of the energy in the world isnt going to get that kid to a C.

OMG you're using special needs as an excuse here? Yeah ok, there's soo many cases where the special needs student is trying soo hard but is only capable of getting a D because that's his "max capability" in your own stereotypical words and can't be an athlete this semester. What a farce. In any case they can make exceptions if this is actually a widespread problem (it's not), but please don't excuse the rest of the kids who are too lazy to do better than a D.

[Anonymous]

They can’t make exceptions, that’s what the PPs are saying about this policy. There are no exceptions even for IEPs. And I think “streamlining” poster means “mainstreaming”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a special needs child who has been barred from sports because he is incapable of a 2.0. Even an IEP does not override this requirement. He would have benefited greatly from being able to participate and every single team member agrees. So, I am all for getting rid of it. It’s discriminatory plain and simple.

Yes it is discriminatory and the USDOE would agree with you. File a civil rights complaint online. It’s easy to do and you don’t need a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are non-sports activities and clubs that are a 1-3 hour a week commitment rather than 20-24 and will actually support academically underperforming students.

If a kid whose maximum ability is D level work, then getting Ds is not underperforming. In fact, it’s a higher level performance than a B from an A student. But yet, the B student is allowed to play and you want to bar the D student? Yeah that makes sense.

It makes sense that the D student should be putting all of their energies into becoming at least a C student.

You really don’t understand special needs. If max capability is a D, all of the energy in the world isnt going to get that kid to a C.

[Anonymous]

Parents that want their kids to be mainstream, but then want them to be treated differently and be given extras that other kids can not have. The irony

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why have grades at all?

To get into college. That is literally the only reason to have grades. We don't use grades as a barrier to play a sport, join a club or any other educational activity.

I'm a HS teacher, and I'm at the point that I think we should eliminate grades on transcripts/report cards completely. Grades are so arbitrary, despite what people think. Sure, track grades in a gradebook, so student and parents have some idea of how a student is doing, but at the end you either meet the minimum standards for the course and pass, or you don't and you fail and need to retake the course. College bound students can use SAT/ACT and AP/IB scores to demonstrate content mastery to colleges, or they can do dual enrollment at community college. If you can score a 4 or 5 on the AP BC Calculus exam, I don't really care what your grades were in Algebra, Geometry, and Precalc were.

Grades have completely distorted the educational system. Students are all about the transaction to "get" a grade (completing worksheets) and unmotivated by the learning. Bring back learning for learning's sake and get rid of grades.

I'm not a teacher, but come on! There is a clear difference between a kid who writes a C- essay and an A essay in an AP English class, and both kids should understand what is deficient in a C- paper and how to correct it. If you just 'pass' them both without grades, how is that preparing for college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a kid cannot get a 2.0 GPA in the modern era of public school then they have some serious issues that are not being addressed. Those need to be handled before they spend 20hrs a week playing sports after school. Changing this rule is a horrible idea if the purpose of public school is getting an educational foundation. If they like sports, they can take a PE class or two. Might help with their 1.x GPA.

This, a billion times over! Current curriculum is so dumbed down, a squirrel can pass regular HS classes.