Another change to the grading policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine how MCPS students will do after they graduate high school? There’s no retakes in college or free homework points. Less grades do not equate to less stress - often quite the opposite because less grades means each assignment/test has greater weight. Students need to learn how to manage time and expectations not ask for the standards to be lowered.

We should not assume that the future carries on exactly the same as the past

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine how MCPS students will do after they graduate high school? There’s no retakes in college or free homework points. Less grades do not equate to less stress - often quite the opposite because less grades means each assignment/test has greater weight. Students need to learn how to manage time and expectations not ask for the standards to be lowered.

We should not assume that the future carries on exactly the same as the past

Not sure I understand what you're saying. Students shouldn't assume colleges will do what high schools do OR We shouldn't assume that colleges won't offer retakes or free homework points because they may soon water down standards too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine how MCPS students will do after they graduate high school? There’s no retakes in college or free homework points. Less grades do not equate to less stress - often quite the opposite because less grades means each assignment/test has greater weight. Students need to learn how to manage time and expectations not ask for the standards to be lowered.

But public schools don't track their students after they "graduate" so they don't care how their students fare in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine how MCPS students will do after they graduate high school? There’s no retakes in college or free homework points. Less grades do not equate to less stress - often quite the opposite because less grades means each assignment/test has greater weight. Students need to learn how to manage time and expectations not ask for the standards to be lowered.

But public schools don't track their students after they "graduate" so they don't care how their students fare in college.

MCPS has been degrading standards for years. Many students are not prepared for higher education.

[Anonymous]

The BOE should consider what skills students need to be successful after high school unless they want to increase minimum wage workers and welfare recipients who live in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a college professor, let me tell you: the # of kids who have done poorly on tests or assignments this year who have come to me saying "can't I retake this? I could always retake things high school" is alarming. I'm familiar with the concept because my kid can also retake things, but it's a really problematic disjoint between HS and college. This never happened before the pandemic (in the before times they just asked for extra credit).

The best thing you can do for your kids is tell them starting in middle school that retakes are not setting them up for success and if they want to train themselves to be less stressed out and more successful over time, they need to develop study habits that make retakes unnecessary. One here and there isn't going to be a catastrophe, but relying on the option of a retake is detrimental.

Yeah yeah I know in the real world if you don't do something well at work the first time you just fix it and don't get fired, and that's good, but tests are tests. It's like a big presentation to a client: you don't get to redo that.

I have encouraged my kids to do well the first time, because retakes can be detrimental for another reason. It makes you behind in a class. You are busy study the old material, while the class has moved on to new material. Also, retakes usually are at lunch with less time than the original assessment. Also, high school kids NEED to eat lunch! I wish retakes were after school. In any event, I know my kids' teachers cut out units of learning during Covid in both foreign language and in math, causing gaps in their education.

I do this with my theater and sports kids too. I tell them to never practice because it's determenatal to developing their skills. Oh wait....

Some of you are raising veal instead of children.

Has there ever been a generation that didn’t bemoan the softness of the one behind them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is grading policy on the next BOE meeting agenda? Wouldn't the members need to vote on this?

When did the BOE vote that the retake grade didn’t replace the original grade if the original grade was higher? Because that is a new policy this year and I don’t remember the BOE ever discussing it.

OP has a misleading title. There is no proposed change to grading Policies, which would go through an entire committee review and public comment period, before the BOE votes on it.

What OP is sharing is a rumor that the guidance for implementing the policies may change. This has nitty gritty details that are intended to ensure uniform practices across MCPS and became necessary to describe in detail during the pandemic. You can find the guidance here:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

Thanks, PP. I'm so tired of these fictions from crazy right-wing MCPS board trolls just sowing public resentment and mistrust.

This is clearly just a troll since there's no such item on the board's agenda next month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is grading policy on the next BOE meeting agenda? Wouldn't the members need to vote on this?

When did the BOE vote that the retake grade didn’t replace the original grade if the original grade was higher? Because that is a new policy this year and I don’t remember the BOE ever discussing it.

OP has a misleading title. There is no proposed change to grading Policies, which would go through an entire committee review and public comment period, before the BOE votes on it.

What OP is sharing is a rumor that the guidance for implementing the policies may change. This has nitty gritty details that are intended to ensure uniform practices across MCPS and became necessary to describe in detail during the pandemic. You can find the guidance here:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

Thanks, PP. I'm so tired of these fictions from crazy right-wing MCPS board trolls just sowing public resentment and mistrust.

This is clearly just a troll since there's no such item on the board's agenda next month.

Agree but the funny part is I think the changes are reasonable. Basically giving students a practice test so they know what to expect and setting an upper boundary on assignments that results in no more than one assignment per day over a quarter seems great. Still sure this is all fiction so it doesn't matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is grading policy on the next BOE meeting agenda? Wouldn't the members need to vote on this?

When did the BOE vote that the retake grade didn’t replace the original grade if the original grade was higher? Because that is a new policy this year and I don’t remember the BOE ever discussing it.

OP has a misleading title. There is no proposed change to grading Policies, which would go through an entire committee review and public comment period, before the BOE votes on it.

What OP is sharing is a rumor that the guidance for implementing the policies may change. This has nitty gritty details that are intended to ensure uniform practices across MCPS and became necessary to describe in detail during the pandemic. You can find the guidance here:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

Thanks, PP. I'm so tired of these fictions from crazy right-wing MCPS board trolls just sowing public resentment and mistrust.

This is clearly just a troll since there's no such item on the board's agenda next month.

Agree but the funny part is I think the changes are reasonable. Basically giving students a practice test so they know what to expect and setting an upper boundary on assignments that results in no more than one assignment per day over a quarter seems great. Still sure this is all fiction so it doesn't matter.

Isn’t that what quizzes were for? A practice before the test.

Unless the assessment is returned to the student, no matter what title you give the assessment, the student is not receiving feedback necessary on the practice. Students need an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a college professor, let me tell you: the # of kids who have done poorly on tests or assignments this year who have come to me saying "can't I retake this? I could always retake things high school" is alarming. I'm familiar with the concept because my kid can also retake things, but it's a really problematic disjoint between HS and college. This never happened before the pandemic (in the before times they just asked for extra credit).

The best thing you can do for your kids is tell them starting in middle school that retakes are not setting them up for success and if they want to train themselves to be less stressed out and more successful over time, they need to develop study habits that make retakes unnecessary. One here and there isn't going to be a catastrophe, but relying on the option of a retake is detrimental.

Yeah yeah I know in the real world if you don't do something well at work the first time you just fix it and don't get fired, and that's good, but tests are tests. It's like a big presentation to a client: you don't get to redo that.

I have encouraged my kids to do well the first time, because retakes can be detrimental for another reason. It makes you behind in a class. You are busy study the old material, while the class has moved on to new material. Also, retakes usually are at lunch with less time than the original assessment. Also, high school kids NEED to eat lunch! I wish retakes were after school. In any event, I know my kids' teachers cut out units of learning during Covid in both foreign language and in math, causing gaps in their education.

I do this with my theater and sports kids too. I tell them to never practice because it's determenatal to developing their skills. Oh wait....

Some of you are raising veal instead of children.

Has there ever been a generation that didn’t bemoan the softness of the one behind them?

“Our sires’ age was worse than our grandsires’. We, their sons, are more worthless than they; so in our turn we shall give the world a progeny yet more corrupt.”

Book III of Odes, Horace

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a college professor, let me tell you: the # of kids who have done poorly on tests or assignments this year who have come to me saying "can't I retake this? I could always retake things high school" is alarming. I'm familiar with the concept because my kid can also retake things, but it's a really problematic disjoint between HS and college. This never happened before the pandemic (in the before times they just asked for extra credit).

The best thing you can do for your kids is tell them starting in middle school that retakes are not setting them up for success and if they want to train themselves to be less stressed out and more successful over time, they need to develop study habits that make retakes unnecessary. One here and there isn't going to be a catastrophe, but relying on the option of a retake is detrimental.

Yeah yeah I know in the real world if you don't do something well at work the first time you just fix it and don't get fired, and that's good, but tests are tests. It's like a big presentation to a client: you don't get to redo that.

I have encouraged my kids to do well the first time, because retakes can be detrimental for another reason. It makes you behind in a class. You are busy study the old material, while the class has moved on to new material. Also, retakes usually are at lunch with less time than the original assessment. Also, high school kids NEED to eat lunch! I wish retakes were after school. In any event, I know my kids' teachers cut out units of learning during Covid in both foreign language and in math, causing gaps in their education.

I do this with my theater and sports kids too. I tell them to never practice because it's determenatal to developing their skills. Oh wait....

Some of you are raising veal instead of children.

Has there ever been a generation that didn’t bemoan the softness of the one behind them?

“Our sires’ age was worse than our grandsires’. We, their sons, are more worthless than they; so in our turn we shall give the world a progeny yet more corrupt.”

Book III of Odes, Horace

Well done.

[Anonymous]

Teachers have to meet the needs of 30+ students per class and there are a variety of courses every student takes per year. Why does the Board of Education want to second guess the professionals hired by the school system and create rigidity when it may not always fit the situation? Leave it up to teachers and their teams within a school. They know the students and curriculum the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers have to meet the needs of 30+ students per class and there are a variety of courses every student takes per year. Why does the Board of Education want to second guess the professionals hired by the school system and create rigidity when it may not always fit the situation? Leave it up to teachers and their teams within a school. They know the students and curriculum the best.

This isn't anything the BOE is doing. There is no change to the Policy. These are internal guidelines being worked on by the directors in central office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers have to meet the needs of 30+ students per class and there are a variety of courses every student takes per year. Why does the Board of Education want to second guess the professionals hired by the school system and create rigidity when it may not always fit the situation? Leave it up to teachers and their teams within a school. They know the students and curriculum the best.

This isn't anything the BOE is doing. There is no change to the Policy. These are internal guidelines being worked on by the directors in central office.

Just replace BOE with directors and PP’s argument stands. Homogenization harms all learners, especially those who are especially vulnerable due to any of the factors that MCPS claims new guidance on the grading policy is intended to address.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is grading policy on the next BOE meeting agenda? Wouldn't the members need to vote on this?

When did the BOE vote that the retake grade didn’t replace the original grade if the original grade was higher? Because that is a new policy this year and I don’t remember the BOE ever discussing it.

OP has a misleading title. There is no proposed change to grading Policies, which would go through an entire committee review and public comment period, before the BOE votes on it.

What OP is sharing is a rumor that the guidance for implementing the policies may change. This has nitty gritty details that are intended to ensure uniform practices across MCPS and became necessary to describe in detail during the pandemic. You can find the guidance here:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards-secondary.aspx

Thanks, PP. I'm so tired of these fictions from crazy right-wing MCPS board trolls just sowing public resentment and mistrust.

This is clearly just a troll since there's no such item on the board's agenda next month.

Agree but the funny part is I think the changes are reasonable. Basically giving students a practice test so they know what to expect and setting an upper boundary on assignments that results in no more than one assignment per day over a quarter seems great. Still sure this is all fiction so it doesn't matter.

Isn’t that what quizzes were for? A practice before the test.

Unless the assessment is returned to the student, no matter what title you give the assessment, the student is not receiving feedback necessary on the practice. Students need an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

This may make sense for classes like math or chem where applying formulas takes rote practice and seeing the error of your ways is very beneficial and should be mastered for progression. But for art or english or history or sociology...you either showed up and read and engaged or you didn't. (Yes, sometimes we have quizzes and tests, too.) I am not writing two tests to pander to people who didn't study. Especially when I provide a study guide. Especially[i] when my tests are open note/book.