Bad grades? Let's teach them less

[Anonymous]

The part I like about the change is the ability to carry fewer courses. They should leave rigor in place for all courses, but allow MS and HS kids to drop up to two courses. That way, families that are struggling can have a 25% reduction in coursework, and those who are not struggling can maintain status quo.

Or perhaps those two fewer periods could be replaced with some sort of study skills or review course for the periods they retain.

[Anonymous]

Waivers are a good idea! ^^

Or, put them in difference class sections!

[Anonymous]

We have six more months to go of students increasingly checking out and/or barely living up to these watered-down expectations. They essentially want to make sure that district wide learning outcomes go from abysmal to catastrophic. DL has failed, and there's no fixing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have six more months to go of students increasingly checking out and/or barely living up to these watered-down expectations. They essentially want to make sure that district wide learning outcomes go from abysmal to catastrophic. DL has failed, and there's no fixing it.

Not for everyone. Don't generalize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Artificially raising grades is CHEATING, period.

So every teacher who grades on a curve is cheating?

Grading on a curve is prohibited in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Artificially raising grades is CHEATING, period.

So every teacher who grades on a curve is cheating?

Grading on a curve is prohibited in Montgomery County.

Except when it's MCPS policy to curve everyone!

And while it may be prohibited in MCPS, it's standard practice in many jurisdictions and colleges. Does that make it "cheating"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have six more months to go of students increasingly checking out and/or barely living up to these watered-down expectations. They essentially want to make sure that district wide learning outcomes go from abysmal to catastrophic. DL has failed, and there's no fixing it.

Not for everyone. Don't generalize.

Okay, I guess it's working for you. BFD. FYI, these lowered expectations impact you as well. So yes, it's broadly failed.

[Anonymous]

So MCPS’s goal is to pass everyone NOT teach. What the heck is this going to achieve? High school kids won’t be ready for AP exams or even cover all material for any class!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Artificially raising grades is CHEATING, period.

So every teacher who grades on a curve is cheating?

Grading on a curve is prohibited in Montgomery County.

Except when it's MCPS policy to curve everyone!

And while it may be prohibited in MCPS, it's standard practice in many jurisdictions and colleges. Does that make it "cheating"?

You are right that if enough students are failing, the whole class is sometimes given higher grades. “A rising tide lifts all boats.” The curve prohibition applies to grading students in relation to other students in the class. But if the tide rises so high that all students get A’s that would devalue the grades for students who have worked very hard this semester. For HS students, the grades may be considered COVID grades and not receive much weight from colleges, as happened in the spring semester. It seems you would want the tide to lift the failing students up to passing, while reserving the A’s for the hardworking students, but then the calculations may involve comparisons between students, resulting in the prohibited curve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have six more months to go of students increasingly checking out and/or barely living up to these watered-down expectations. They essentially want to make sure that district wide learning outcomes go from abysmal to catastrophic. DL has failed, and there's no fixing it.

Not for everyone. Don't generalize.

Okay, I guess it's working for you. BFD. FYI, these lowered expectations impact you as well. So yes, it's broadly failed.

No they don't. My kid goes to private school. The only adjustments they have made are getting rid of midterms. Last spring, finals were optional and if your kid decided to take them, his grade was his grade even if the exam brought his grade down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:just cancel school. screw the kids who are succeeding.

My kids are doing fine. Screw the ones who aren't.

-DCUM

How are less project checks and less content going to help anyone? Coming from a poor immigrant family, I am tired of all the excuses people are coming up with as to why some kids are not performing. Kids have laptops, internet access, food, recorded sessions, can keep their cameras off, access to teachers after learning time, etc. Short of giving them new parents, what more can MCPS do? I truly feel for these kids but if MCPS can't come up with yet another solution that does not negatively impact those kids who are doing ok, then why do the kids doing well have to be slowed down.
Contact the parents to see what's up and if there truly is an issue as to why the kid can't log in or turn in assignments, then provide extra support, but I bet more often then not, it is a parent who just doesn't care enough. Ask me how I know.
Slowing the pace of the curriculum will not work.

You are horrible. Many parents are not in the home! They can't do anymore. They are taking care of dying relatives and trying to not become homeless. Some don't have heat. This is not the fault of the parents. This is the fault of MCPS for not giving their kids the option of real school.

how am I horrible when I suggest a reasonable solution? If families are legitimately struggling, some sort of accommodation should be made. But is student A was not a high performer during normal times and remains a low.performer during covid times, why should the kids that are doing well be penalized? I know 2 families with a parent at home.who cant manage to get their kids to stay awake or attend class. I also know of families where both parents work outside of the house and their kids manage to get themselves online. And because of this BS, all kids have to be dumbed down. If a family needs help, MCPS should work with them but dont punish everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have six more months to go of students increasingly checking out and/or barely living up to these watered-down expectations. They essentially want to make sure that district wide learning outcomes go from abysmal to catastrophic. DL has failed, and there's no fixing it.

Not for everyone. Don't generalize.

Okay, I guess it's working for you. BFD. FYI, these lowered expectations impact you as well. So yes, it's broadly failed.

No they don't. My kid goes to private school. The only adjustments they have made are getting rid of midterms. Last spring, finals were optional and if your kid decided to take them, his grade was his grade even if the exam brought his grade down.

I guess I assumed since this is the "Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)" board that you were a relevant poster. Apparently I was wrong, and you are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:just cancel school. screw the kids who are succeeding.

My kids are doing fine. Screw the ones who aren't.

-DCUM

How are less project checks and less content going to help anyone? Coming from a poor immigrant family, I am tired of all the excuses people are coming up with as to why some kids are not performing. Kids have laptops, internet access, food, recorded sessions, can keep their cameras off, access to teachers after learning time, etc. Short of giving them new parents, what more can MCPS do? I truly feel for these kids but if MCPS can't come up with yet another solution that does not negatively impact those kids who are doing ok, then why do the kids doing well have to be slowed down.
Contact the parents to see what's up and if there truly is an issue as to why the kid can't log in or turn in assignments, then provide extra support, but I bet more often then not, it is a parent who just doesn't care enough. Ask me how I know.
Slowing the pace of the curriculum will not work.

You are horrible. Many parents are not in the home! They can't do anymore. They are taking care of dying relatives and trying to not become homeless. Some don't have heat. This is not the fault of the parents. This is the fault of MCPS for not giving their kids the option of real school.

how am I horrible when I suggest a reasonable solution? If families are legitimately struggling, some sort of accommodation should be made. But is student A was not a high performer during normal times and remains a low.performer during covid times, why should the kids that are doing well be penalized? I know 2 families with a parent at home.who cant manage to get their kids to stay awake or attend class. I also know of families where both parents work outside of the house and their kids manage to get themselves online. And because of this BS, all kids have to be dumbed down. If a family needs help, MCPS should work with them but dont punish everyone else.[b]
+1.
DL has dumbed the curriculum down from the get go. Now they want to dilute it even further?
Shame on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Waivers are a good idea! ^^

Or, put them in difference class sections!

Different sections would be a good idea. They could ask parents whether they'd like their kid to drop (or rise) a level (AP to Honors to Regular) going into second semester. Or maybe they could create an Honors-Plus category for parents who want their kids in something MORE rigorous than what was experienced in first semester and an Honors-Flexible category for those who don't want due dates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My opinion may not be welcome but I’m a person with no skin in the game (no kids, not a teacher) who finds the topic/problem of DL really interesting.

I think flexible deadlines are great for some kids so they don’t get discouraged and not do the work at all (this was me). Some kids need deadlines or their work quality suffers because they rush.

What about flexible deadlines with an incentive to complete the assignment by a firm deadline? Like, if you turn in all assignments of a unit by the firm deadline, you don’t have to take the unit test. Or if you turn it in by the firm deadline you have the opportunity to correct it for more points but if you miss the firm deadline you get what you get (not sure if this would work, are assignments even graded?). Or if you turn in three assignments by the firm deadline in a row you get to skip one assignment with no penalty or drop a low grade. Or if an assignment has three parts (for example, three essay questions, three problem sets, three page research paper) if you turn it in by the firm deadline you only have to do two parts, but all three if you miss the firm deadline.

Just spitballing for fun here.

MCPS says that this is using grades to punish kids who do not get work done by the due date / deadline.

I do think we need to start looking at each student individually. What does this student need? Maybe transferring from AP to honors or onlevel would help. Maybe they could take only 5 classes instead of 7. There are things MCPS can do. But then it would lower the number of students taking AP exams and that will hurt MCPS standings.

I completely agree with you. There has been no creativity in thinking about how can we address student's individual needs. I also believe that offering some outside club/extra-curriculars in person would help motivate some high school students to keep up grades and turn in work. Kids who are not participating at all (or very little) need to sit down with a counselor to figure out the "exit" plan. What is the bare minimum they need to do to graduate. Juniors and Senior may only need a few courses. These kids can have a reduced course load and more time to work, etc.

There are kids with disabilities that already have laid out plans (IEP or 504) that are supposed to meet a child’s individual needs. What has MCPS done for these students in the digital learning model to meet their individual needs? Failed to provide services and accommodations that these students with disabilities need to access the curriculum and failed to modify IEPs and 504s to address new challenges that digital learning presents to students with disabilities.