Reply to Should/ Do students at MCPS get 50% for just being able to write their name on assignments

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Reply to "Should/ Do students at MCPS get 50% for just being able to write their name on assignments"

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[quote=Anonymous]That article is old. MCPS has changed a couple of the grading policies that make grades function differently. All courses now are using a 90% (all tasks) 10% (practice/preparation) template. All assignments are 50% minimum automatically, whether or not turned in. This effectively is a switch to a mastery grading scale by force-fitting it into an old points based system. Does it help students pass a course with minimum effort? Yes. Does it automatically inflate grades so everyone has an A? Only if teachers continued using old practices of giving BS assignments that boosted kids grades by everyone getting 100% on them. If teachers rethink their assessment practices and only assess things that have real meaning and use a real mastery scale on those things, grades will still match actual performance and ability.

[quote]Am I the only who who thinks that a high school diploma is so devalued that there is no harm giving kids who show up at least a D? We’re not talking about inflating their way into a great college, we’re talking about getting them across the stage. [/quote]
You are not alone. But it is the state of Maryland who devalued the HS diploma by creating "bridge" projects for students who couldn't pass the state English and Math proficiency tests. There are students graduating who cannot read, write a coherent sentence, or do basic math skills. Once there is no real bar that kids actually have to meet to show proficiency, then the pressure shifts down to all the classes to pass them. Know why they have trouble passing classes? Because they can't read, write a sensible sentence, or do basic math.

I teach 11th and 12th graders in a course required for graduation. My job is to somehow get them to pass the course. Can I solve all the problems? No. Can I provide them opportunity? Yes. Do some of them deserve to graduate? Absolutely. Am I concerned about some of them being able to function as an independent adult? Absolutely. But some of those kids plan to just stay at home and play video games after high school .... It will become the problem of their parents who have failed to raise and launch a kid successfully.

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