50% rule question - do different schools interpret it different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges look at a 4.0 from MCPS as a 3.7 due to all the quarter grade rounding up and 50% rule.

Selective colleges renormalize to suit their needs, often on a class by class basis.

They know this but just want to complain. People benefiting from the 50% rule aren't going to college.

[Anonymous]

With the 50% rule, a D requires minimal work.
This is a problem because in math, for example, if you get a D in Algebra 1, you get moved up to the next class when you actually did not learn anything. Many students keep getting moved up the math ladder and it causes big headaches for teachers who now have to contend with at least a few students who are completely lost because they lack basic skills. It ends up negatively affecting the entire class because more of the teacher’s time and energy is spent propping up the weakest kids who keep moving through the system but just barely

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges look at a 4.0 from MCPS as a 3.7 due to all the quarter grade rounding up and 50% rule.

Selective colleges renormalize to suit their needs, often on a class by class basis.

They know this but just want to complain. People benefiting from the 50% rule aren't going to college.

This is not true. Middle class students are gaming the grading policy. They know that they can do a half-a**ed job or even entirely skip a couple assignments and still earn an A or B.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges look at a 4.0 from MCPS as a 3.7 due to all the quarter grade rounding up and 50% rule.

Selective colleges renormalize to suit their needs, often on a class by class basis.

They know this but just want to complain. [b][b]People benefiting from the 50% rule aren't going to college[/b][/b].

This is not true. Middle class students are gaming the grading policy. They know that they can do a half-a**ed job or even entirely skip a couple assignments and still earn an A or B.

They know this but just want to complain. People benefiting from the 50% rule aren't going to college.

+1 Also.. this is part of the problem. Not sure who you are referring to when you say “people benefiting.” I’m assuming kids who struggle academically. Those same kids COULD have a chance at college if we invested in them by holding them to a high standard. Lowering the bar and saying, “I’ll give you a free pass because you’re never going to college” only confirms in their heads that they don’t have what it takes.

I’m not saying everyone has to be college bound. But… we should hold all students to high standards. Kids will meet the bar we set. If we set the bar low, what message is that sending?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a MS kid who was absent 65 times last year. Thanks to the 50% rule he got D’s and C’s in every class because he wrote his name in make up work the last week of the quarter. I guess it’s good he hasn’t dropped out yet, but he doesn’t pass standardized tests and doesn’t come to school more often than before. So what is the point again? Why even have grades? Why not have a checklist of which benchmark skills the kid has achieved or work habits?

I would support this 100%. We’re passing out report cards today. Two students completed less than 15% of the coursework but have a passing grade. Both non-SPED middle class non-Hispanic White boys if that matters. I tried really hard to push back, but was forced by admin to exempt them from more than 85% of assignments. Admin is terrified of parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges look at a 4.0 from MCPS as a 3.7 due to all the quarter grade rounding up and 50% rule.

Selective colleges renormalize to suit their needs, often on a class by class basis.

They know this but just want to complain. People benefiting from the 50% rule aren't going to college.

This is not true. Middle class students are gaming the grading policy. They know that they can do a half-a**ed job or even entirely skip a couple assignments and still earn an A or B.

They really aren't and most of these anecdotes seem made up to support your bizarre agenda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a MS kid who was absent 65 times last year. Thanks to the 50% rule he got D’s and C’s in every class because he wrote his name in make up work the last week of the quarter. I guess it’s good he hasn’t dropped out yet, but he doesn’t pass standardized tests and doesn’t come to school more often than before. So what is the point again? Why even have grades? Why not have a checklist of which benchmark skills the kid has achieved or work habits?

The state of Maryland could even administer a test to verify that those benchmark skills have been met!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are our (MS) grading rules moving forward:

A student’s final marking period grade will continue to be based on graded assessments (90% of a student’s final grade) and practice and/or homework assignments (10% of a student’s final grade.)

All teachers will aim for roughly one graded assignment per week for a total of 9-12 graded assignments each marking period.

Teachers using the Practice/Preparation grading category will assign a total of 4-9 practice assignments per marking period.

A score of “Z” in gradebook indicates an assignment which is missing but can still be made up. A score of 0 (zero) indicates a student did not attempt the assignment and can no longer submit that assignment.

A deadline will be set for 7 days after an assignment due date. If the assignment has not been turned in by that deadline, the teacher may assign a 0 (zero) as the grade.

Teachers will mark assignments that may be reassessed with an R in gradebook. Students will be given an opportunity to reassess no more than 3 assignments in any class over the course of a marking period.

This is our MS too. I fully support this. My kid (in 8th) needs to be hold accountable. I have stopped ever reminding her about anything - she can check her grades as easily as I can. I tell her if she needs help with hw, to ask me before 8 pm. MS is the time to learn responsibility.

[Anonymous]

If a student gets 50% on one assignment for doing zero work except putting their name on it then gets a 90%, that averages out to a 70%

AS IF ... 2 assignments !! is what makes-up the report card. Try again, math genius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleges look at a 4.0 from MCPS as a 3.7 due to all the quarter grade rounding up and 50% rule.

Selective colleges renormalize to suit their needs, often on a class by class basis.

They know this but just want to complain. People benefiting from the 50% rule aren't going to college.

This is not true. Middle class students are gaming the grading policy. They know that they can do a half-a**ed job or even entirely skip a couple assignments and still earn an A or B.

They really aren't and most of these anecdotes seem made up to support your bizarre agenda.

You think thousands of teachers are complaining about this on Facebook and all of them are making it up?

THAT is a bizarre agenda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With the 50% rule, a D requires minimal work.
This is a problem because in math, for example, if you get a D in Algebra 1, you get moved up to the next class when you actually did not learn anything. Many students keep getting moved up the math ladder and it causes big headaches for teachers who now have to contend with at least a few students who are completely lost because they lack basic skills. It ends up negatively affecting the entire class because more of the teacher’s time and energy is spent propping up the weakest kids who keep moving through the system but just barely

OMG this is criminal! You should call the police.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If a student gets 50% on one assignment for doing zero work except putting their name on it then gets a 90%, that averages out to a 70%

AS IF ... 2 assignments !! is what makes-up the report card. Try again, math genius.

But it's ruining our schools!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the question should be WHY do different schools interpret it differently?

Could it be one of the following, or maybe something else?

* New principal's might be afraid to differ from community superintendent view of policy, while older principal's may be setting standard for their school?

* Some schools may have more students failing and therefore something needs to be done to raise the graduation rate, and this is what they are doing?

* Some principal's and / or community superintendents are looking for promotions, so they need to raise their metrics right away, and this is what they see as the answer?

* Some teachers, faced with tens of phone calls in a week, thought it was more important to get ready for tomorrow's class than to make all those calls.

* Some teachers, faced with the fact that some parents are not answering calls or emails (therefore no two way communication and no zero) feel this is unfair to students who do answer the phone (and therefore have two way communication and can get a zero). Keep in mind, some parents are working incredibly long hours and may not have access to the phone.

* Some people may not believe that the student is able to learn the material, so out of pity or empathy, feel this is the only way around unfair standards.


I am not saying all the above statements are accurate, I am just putting some out there. The bottom line, is this rule helping our students overall? Is it something that is better applied to some subjects but not others? What are the long term consequences for the student?

All schools need to get in the same policy. Not doing so is part of what creates inequity and makes it hard to accurately track data to figure out what needs to be done. It also complicates communication and understanding with staff and families. Further it Lowe’s accountability both for staff and certainly students. This is not something where there needs to be a lot of variability and autonomy.

If there are places where the graduation rate is lower or where students are struggling to pass then the data will show that and the appropriate action steps and resources can be applied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think any serious person is concerned about the 50% rule. People need to get a life.

On the contrary, most people who are serious about MCPS being a quality school district are very concerned about that. Including the students themselves.

https://thermtide.com/9320/popular/the-mcps-50-percent-rule-inadequately-prepares-students-for-the-future/

https://thermtide.com/8225/news/50-percent-rule-undermines-student-work-ethic/

No, they aren't. The only people concerned about it are far-right extremists who love to insist the sky is falling. This policy has little to no impact on anything worth worrying about.

I would disagree with you. Plenty of progressive teachers I know also are concerned/ don’t support the 50% rule. And little to no impact is not true… The 50% rule is literally inflating their grades. Students who are graduating with Bs or Cs become shocked when they cannot keep up in a higher academic setting. I had one student last quarter attend maybe 10 times? She turned in one or two assignments at the end… combined with all the 50%s she was able to pass with a D.

The 50% rule is setting the bar so low for our students it’s practically on the floor. This is not helping their work/study habits or preparing them at all.

How does a regular use of the 50% rule easily get you a B? 50% is still hard to recover from. My guess is your D student was passed through H but did not go to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think any serious person is concerned about the 50% rule. People need to get a life.

On the contrary, most people who are serious about MCPS being a quality school district are very concerned about that. Including the students themselves.

https://thermtide.com/9320/popular/the-mcps-50-percent-rule-inadequately-prepares-students-for-the-future/

https://thermtide.com/8225/news/50-percent-rule-undermines-student-work-ethic/

No, they aren't. The only people concerned about it are far-right extremists who love to insist the sky is falling. This policy has little to no impact on anything worth worrying about.

I would disagree with you. Plenty of progressive teachers I know also are concerned/ don’t support the 50% rule. And little to no impact is not true… The 50% rule is literally inflating their grades. Students who are graduating with Bs or Cs become shocked when they cannot keep up in a higher academic setting. I had one student last quarter attend maybe 10 times? She turned in one or two assignments at the end… combined with all the 50%s she was able to pass with a D.

The 50% rule is setting the bar so low for our students it’s practically on the floor. This is not helping their work/study habits or preparing them at all.

How does a regular use of the 50% rule easily get you a B? 50% is still hard to recover from. My guess is your D student was passed through H but did not go to college.

Kids are abusing the 50% rule some are even getting straight A's but don't deserve it!