Rolling gradebook?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try to do a little research yourself. And also try to use a little bit of common sense. Of course your grade on the genetics test in 4th quarter isn't going to replace your grade on photosynthesis in the 1st quarter. Those are different sets of information/skills. You can't ignore the first 8 months of school and then ace the last month to finish with an A. Doesn't work like that.

Available information: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-assignments-and-assessments

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-design

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/elementary-school

Thank you for the links. But I am talking about mastery based grading.

Grade Calculation: Student grades should reflect progress towards mastery.
Each skill will be assessed multiple times throughout the year.
The three most recent assessment attempts for the skill will be averaged and any earlier attempts will be changed to “not for grading.”
At the end of the course the teacher will determine a final grade for each skill and a Student’s final course mark will represent the average of the final grade on each skill.

I am assuming that his means all earlier attempts even if they attained mastery will be removed and only the 3 recent attempts even if they are bad will be counted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try to do a little research yourself. And also try to use a little bit of common sense. Of course your grade on the genetics test in 4th quarter isn't going to replace your grade on photosynthesis in the 1st quarter. Those are different sets of information/skills. You can't ignore the first 8 months of school and then ace the last month to finish with an A. Doesn't work like that.

Available information: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-assignments-and-assessments

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-design

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/elementary-school

Thank you for the links. But I am talking about mastery based grading.

Grade Calculation: Student grades should reflect progress towards mastery.
Each skill will be assessed multiple times throughout the year.
The three most recent assessment attempts for the skill will be averaged and any earlier attempts will be changed to “not for grading.”
At the end of the course the teacher will determine a final grade for each skill and a Student’s final course mark will represent the average of the final grade on each skill.

I am assuming that his means all earlier attempts even if they attained mastery will be removed and only the 3 recent attempts even if they are bad will be counted.

Generally once a student shows mastery they no longer are assessed on those standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try to do a little research yourself. And also try to use a little bit of common sense. Of course your grade on the genetics test in 4th quarter isn't going to replace your grade on photosynthesis in the 1st quarter. Those are different sets of information/skills. You can't ignore the first 8 months of school and then ace the last month to finish with an A. Doesn't work like that.

Available information: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-assignments-and-assessments

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-design

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/elementary-school

DP Thanks for the links.

The grading-design post is interesting. It says:
"Increased opportunities for students to show mastery is the primary benefit of a rolling gradebook. Teachers/teams should consider their late work and retake policies to leverage this grading plan."

The last sentence sounds like they're advising teachers to relax deadlines and/or penalties for late submissions. Is that right? If so, that seems to back up the concerns voiced by prior PPs about rolling grade book allowing kids to procrastinate & delay their work for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in MS and HS it gives kids too many opportunities to be lazy and turn in work late. No firm deadlines is terrible for teens.

You are blaming "rolling grade book" for something that is a separate policy decision (re: how long students can turn in late work). That is not a feature of a rolling gradebook.

A rolling gradebook means all tests have equal weight -- regardless of WHEN in the year or which quarter the test was given. Rolling gradebook is more accurate and fair to students.

Policies about late work are separate from the policy to use a rolling gradebook.

Well, according to my teens the Cs they just got don't matter because they are using rolling gradebook and they can make it up anytime...

Be wary of starting sentences with “according to my teens,” when said teens are trying to justify bad grades. They certainly can do better in the class and gradually get the grade up over the rest of the year. If they start working now. But the book is closed on first quarter.

I don’t know your HS, but my kids went to two different HS and all of their teachers, across 4 years, had a hard stop on makeup work at the end of each quarter. Unless your kid has missed a ton of school because they were hospitalized this month or something else very out of the ordinary, the C won’t move and they cannot “make it up”. The quarter is over. Tell them to study and do the work next quarter.

I don't think this is correct. I think late assignments can be turned in from the previous quarter. That's what rolling means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in MS and HS it gives kids too many opportunities to be lazy and turn in work late. No firm deadlines is terrible for teens.

You are blaming "rolling grade book" for something that is a separate policy decision (re: how long students can turn in late work). That is not a feature of a rolling gradebook.

A rolling gradebook means all tests have equal weight -- regardless of WHEN in the year or which quarter the test was given. Rolling gradebook is more accurate and fair to students.

Policies about late work are separate from the policy to use a rolling gradebook.

Well, according to my teens the Cs they just got don't matter because they are using rolling gradebook and they can make it up anytime...

Be wary of starting sentences with “according to my teens,” when said teens are trying to justify bad grades. They certainly can do better in the class and gradually get the grade up over the rest of the year. If they start working now. But the book is closed on first quarter.

I don’t know your HS, but my kids went to two different HS and all of their teachers, across 4 years, had a hard stop on makeup work at the end of each quarter. Unless your kid has missed a ton of school because they were hospitalized this month or something else very out of the ordinary, the C won’t move and they cannot “make it up”. The quarter is over. Tell them to study and do the work next quarter.

So your kids have graduated. Did they have rolling grade book or mastery based grading? Or both?

Mostly rolling. Quarter based the first couple years for the oldest. I liked rolling better because the end of every quarter 4 major tests and 2 huge projects due over 3 days. Rolling kept the big tests and projects more spread out.

Rolling is also more aligned with college grading.

I’m not sure I follow what mastery is. Or care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in MS and HS it gives kids too many opportunities to be lazy and turn in work late. No firm deadlines is terrible for teens.

You are blaming "rolling grade book" for something that is a separate policy decision (re: how long students can turn in late work). That is not a feature of a rolling gradebook.

A rolling gradebook means all tests have equal weight -- regardless of WHEN in the year or which quarter the test was given. Rolling gradebook is more accurate and fair to students.

Policies about late work are separate from the policy to use a rolling gradebook.

Well, according to my teens the Cs they just got don't matter because they are using rolling gradebook and they can make it up anytime...

Be wary of starting sentences with “according to my teens,” when said teens are trying to justify bad grades. They certainly can do better in the class and gradually get the grade up over the rest of the year. If they start working now. But the book is closed on first quarter.

I don’t know your HS, but my kids went to two different HS and all of their teachers, across 4 years, had a hard stop on makeup work at the end of each quarter. Unless your kid has missed a ton of school because they were hospitalized this month or something else very out of the ordinary, the C won’t move and they cannot “make it up”. The quarter is over. Tell them to study and do the work next quarter.

So your kids have graduated. Did they have rolling grade book or mastery based grading? Or both?

Mostly rolling. Quarter based the first couple years for the oldest. I liked rolling better because the end of every quarter 4 major tests and 2 huge projects due over 3 days. Rolling kept the big tests and projects more spread out.

Rolling is also more aligned with college grading.

I’m not sure I follow what mastery is. Or care.

Indeed. Why should you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in MS and HS it gives kids too many opportunities to be lazy and turn in work late. No firm deadlines is terrible for teens.

You are blaming "rolling grade book" for something that is a separate policy decision (re: how long students can turn in late work). That is not a feature of a rolling gradebook.

A rolling gradebook means all tests have equal weight -- regardless of WHEN in the year or which quarter the test was given. Rolling gradebook is more accurate and fair to students.

Policies about late work are separate from the policy to use a rolling gradebook.

Well, according to my teens the Cs they just got don't matter because they are using rolling gradebook and they can make it up anytime...

Be wary of starting sentences with “according to my teens,” when said teens are trying to justify bad grades. They certainly can do better in the class and gradually get the grade up over the rest of the year. If they start working now. But the book is closed on first quarter.

I don’t know your HS, but my kids went to two different HS and all of their teachers, across 4 years, had a hard stop on makeup work at the end of each quarter. Unless your kid has missed a ton of school because they were hospitalized this month or something else very out of the ordinary, the C won’t move and they cannot “make it up”. The quarter is over. Tell them to study and do the work next quarter.

I don't think this is correct. I think late assignments can be turned in from the previous quarter. That's what rolling means.

"Rolling" only means that it doesn't reset. Late assignments are still up to the school/team/teacher as they always have been. Most classrooms follow a 2 week late policy or a "within the unit" policy. The gradebook doesn't change that. As the grades go more and more towards assessments vs classwork/homework, late work is not really a factor anymore anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in MS and HS it gives kids too many opportunities to be lazy and turn in work late. No firm deadlines is terrible for teens.

You are blaming "rolling grade book" for something that is a separate policy decision (re: how long students can turn in late work). That is not a feature of a rolling gradebook.

A rolling gradebook means all tests have equal weight -- regardless of WHEN in the year or which quarter the test was given. Rolling gradebook is more accurate and fair to students.

Policies about late work are separate from the policy to use a rolling gradebook.

Well, according to my teens the Cs they just got don't matter because they are using rolling gradebook and they can make it up anytime...

Be wary of starting sentences with “according to my teens,” when said teens are trying to justify bad grades. They certainly can do better in the class and gradually get the grade up over the rest of the year. If they start working now. But the book is closed on first quarter.

I don’t know your HS, but my kids went to two different HS and all of their teachers, across 4 years, had a hard stop on makeup work at the end of each quarter. Unless your kid has missed a ton of school because they were hospitalized this month or something else very out of the ordinary, the C won’t move and they cannot “make it up”. The quarter is over. Tell them to study and do the work next quarter.

I don't think this is correct. I think late assignments can be turned in from the previous quarter. That's what rolling means.

No. They can’t just turn in whenever. Most teachers give 5-10 days or until the end of the unit or something similar. If your kids are telling you something different, check the teachers syllabus (on Schoology). I guarantee that they will accept some late work (often with a penalty, like -10 pts per day), but there is a limit on how late the work can be. And never in a different quarter .

Rolling means that the Gradebook doesn’t close and start from scratch at the beginning of each quarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in MS and HS it gives kids too many opportunities to be lazy and turn in work late. No firm deadlines is terrible for teens.

You are blaming "rolling grade book" for something that is a separate policy decision (re: how long students can turn in late work). That is not a feature of a rolling gradebook.

A rolling gradebook means all tests have equal weight -- regardless of WHEN in the year or which quarter the test was given. Rolling gradebook is more accurate and fair to students.

Policies about late work are separate from the policy to use a rolling gradebook.

Well, according to my teens the Cs they just got don't matter because they are using rolling gradebook and they can make it up anytime...

Be wary of starting sentences with “according to my teens,” when said teens are trying to justify bad grades. They certainly can do better in the class and gradually get the grade up over the rest of the year. If they start working now. But the book is closed on first quarter.

I don’t know your HS, but my kids went to two different HS and all of their teachers, across 4 years, had a hard stop on makeup work at the end of each quarter. Unless your kid has missed a ton of school because they were hospitalized this month or something else very out of the ordinary, the C won’t move and they cannot “make it up”. The quarter is over. Tell them to study and do the work next quarter.

I don't think this is correct. I think late assignments can be turned in from the previous quarter. That's what rolling means.

No. They can’t just turn in whenever. Most teachers give 5-10 days or until the end of the unit or something similar. If your kids are telling you something different, check the teachers syllabus (on Schoology). I guarantee that they will accept some late work (often with a penalty, like -10 pts per day), but there is a limit on how late the work can be. And never in a different quarter .

Rolling means that the Gradebook doesn’t close and start from scratch at the beginning of each quarter.

So are most teachers ignoring the FCPS suggestion to leverage rolling grade book to extend deadlines beyond what has historically been done? (This guidance was mentioned in the web link above.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in MS and HS it gives kids too many opportunities to be lazy and turn in work late. No firm deadlines is terrible for teens.

You are blaming "rolling grade book" for something that is a separate policy decision (re: how long students can turn in late work). That is not a feature of a rolling gradebook.

A rolling gradebook means all tests have equal weight -- regardless of WHEN in the year or which quarter the test was given. Rolling gradebook is more accurate and fair to students.

Policies about late work are separate from the policy to use a rolling gradebook.

Well, according to my teens the Cs they just got don't matter because they are using rolling gradebook and they can make it up anytime...

Be wary of starting sentences with “according to my teens,” when said teens are trying to justify bad grades. They certainly can do better in the class and gradually get the grade up over the rest of the year. If they start working now. But the book is closed on first quarter.

I don’t know your HS, but my kids went to two different HS and all of their teachers, across 4 years, had a hard stop on makeup work at the end of each quarter. Unless your kid has missed a ton of school because they were hospitalized this month or something else very out of the ordinary, the C won’t move and they cannot “make it up”. The quarter is over. Tell them to study and do the work next quarter.

I don't think this is correct. I think late assignments can be turned in from the previous quarter. That's what rolling means.

No. They can’t just turn in whenever. Most teachers give 5-10 days or until the end of the unit or something similar. If your kids are telling you something different, check the teachers syllabus (on Schoology). I guarantee that they will accept some late work (often with a penalty, like -10 pts per day), but there is a limit on how late the work can be. And never in a different quarter .

Rolling means that the Gradebook doesn’t close and start from scratch at the beginning of each quarter.

So are most teachers ignoring the FCPS suggestion to leverage rolling grade book to extend deadlines beyond what has historically been done? (This guidance was mentioned in the web link above.)

Most teachers are following school wide policy/requirements. I had very little say what I put in my syllabus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in MS and HS it gives kids too many opportunities to be lazy and turn in work late. No firm deadlines is terrible for teens.

You are blaming "rolling grade book" for something that is a separate policy decision (re: how long students can turn in late work). That is not a feature of a rolling gradebook.

A rolling gradebook means all tests have equal weight -- regardless of WHEN in the year or which quarter the test was given. Rolling gradebook is more accurate and fair to students.

Policies about late work are separate from the policy to use a rolling gradebook.

Well, according to my teens the Cs they just got don't matter because they are using rolling gradebook and they can make it up anytime...

Be wary of starting sentences with “according to my teens,” when said teens are trying to justify bad grades. They certainly can do better in the class and gradually get the grade up over the rest of the year. If they start working now. But the book is closed on first quarter.

I don’t know your HS, but my kids went to two different HS and all of their teachers, across 4 years, had a hard stop on makeup work at the end of each quarter. Unless your kid has missed a ton of school because they were hospitalized this month or something else very out of the ordinary, the C won’t move and they cannot “make it up”. The quarter is over. Tell them to study and do the work next quarter.

I don't think this is correct. I think late assignments can be turned in from the previous quarter. That's what rolling means.

No. They can’t just turn in whenever. Most teachers give 5-10 days or until the end of the unit or something similar. If your kids are telling you something different, check the teachers syllabus (on Schoology). I guarantee that they will accept some late work (often with a penalty, like -10 pts per day), but there is a limit on how late the work can be. And never in a different quarter .

Rolling means that the Gradebook doesn’t close and start from scratch at the beginning of each quarter.

So are most teachers ignoring the FCPS suggestion to leverage rolling grade book to extend deadlines beyond what has historically been done? (This guidance was mentioned in the web link above.)

Most teachers are following school wide policy/requirements. I had very little say what I put in my syllabus.

Understood. Let me tweak the question then. Are schools extending deadlines beyond what has historically been done in deference to the FCPS guidance or are deadlines/grade penalties similar to what they have always been?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try to do a little research yourself. And also try to use a little bit of common sense. Of course your grade on the genetics test in 4th quarter isn't going to replace your grade on photosynthesis in the 1st quarter. Those are different sets of information/skills. You can't ignore the first 8 months of school and then ace the last month to finish with an A. Doesn't work like that.

Available information: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-assignments-and-assessments

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/grading-design

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/elementary-school

DP Thanks for the links.

The grading-design post is interesting. It says:
"Increased opportunities for students to show mastery is the primary benefit of a rolling gradebook. Teachers/teams should consider their late work and retake policies to leverage this grading plan."

The last sentence sounds like they're advising teachers to relax deadlines and/or penalties for late submissions. Is that right? If so, that seems to back up the concerns voiced by prior PPs about rolling grade book allowing kids to procrastinate & delay their work for a while.

Exactly. I said Rolling gradebook makes teens more lazy! My HS son turned in a project a month late and bumped his grade from a C to a B. What a joke!

[Anonymous]

Teacher here

The rolling gradebook does make more sense mathematically. Every assignment counts equally which is more fair.

However for a lot of students, they need the “fresh start” of a new quarter to reset themselves. They feel better knowing that they are starting from scratch and can get a completely new grade for the new quarter. It is purely psychological but it is true.

The quarterly gradebook also helps to show trends. It’s very powerful to tell a kid - don’t worry about last quarter, look how well you’re doing this quarter.

Again the end of year grade will be impacted by the first quarter, but there is something to be said for giving kids a fresh start

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here

The rolling gradebook does make more sense mathematically. Every assignment counts equally which is more fair.

However for a lot of students, they need the “fresh start” of a new quarter to reset themselves. They feel better knowing that they are starting from scratch and can get a completely new grade for the new quarter. It is purely psychological but it is true.

The quarterly gradebook also helps to show trends. It’s very powerful to tell a kid - don’t worry about last quarter, look how well you’re doing this quarter.

Again the end of year grade will be impacted by the first quarter, but there is something to be said for giving kids a fresh start

But you still get a progress grade at the end of the quarter, which does serve as a fresh start psychologically. And in another perspective, my kid is averaging a C in health of all classes. (He has done all the work on time before someone asks).

Knowing he can still bring that grade up throughout the year has really helped him deal with the disappointment...like, that C isn't forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here

The rolling gradebook does make more sense mathematically. Every assignment counts equally which is more fair.

However for a lot of students, they need the “fresh start” of a new quarter to reset themselves. They feel better knowing that they are starting from scratch and can get a completely new grade for the new quarter. It is purely psychological but it is true.

The quarterly gradebook also helps to show trends. It’s very powerful to tell a kid - don’t worry about last quarter, look how well you’re doing this quarter.

Again the end of year grade will be impacted by the first quarter, but there is something to be said for giving kids a fresh start

+1