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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Duran isn't perfect butt he's the best we've have  maybe since Smith. Certainly better than Murphy. New parents here who are outraged should take a breath. It's a long, hard slog, and you'll come to appreciate APS is better than most. [/quote]
I agree. Plus with the shortage of superintendent candidates, the 10 million dollar lawsuit, the outdoor lab incident and a recent overdose there’s zero chance we could get someone better[/quote]

You think the lawsuit and outdoor lab incident and overdose are bad?  wait till y'all find out about "grading for equity" that APS is mandating and what it means (don't be fooled by that name), hold tight parents.  [/quote]

It's not "grading for equity".  :roll: [/quote]

Do you mean it’s not *called* grading for equity, or that it’s not grading for *actual* equity? And can someone  tell us the basics of this thing?[/quote]

+ 1 - can someone please explain the new policy and why it's bad? [/quote]

Because no one fails so they all fail. They’re bringing everyone down to the lowest level. If you can’t understand what that’s bad I can’t help you. [/quote]

Mastery based grading is another name for this. Letter grades are dropped in favor of descriptions of the level of mastery attained. There are no failures or negative assessments. Most public school districts and some private schools are adopting aspects of this equitable and revolutionary grading system all over the country. It’s a learning process by many schools to see what works for their student population. But so far according to compiled data, this new grading system has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time: less A grades (or the equivalent) and no failures. Check out the book by leading proponent and educator Joe Feldman: Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms

While are a number of bespoke versions of the mastery or skills based grading, there are a number of commonalities.

In general, soft skills no longer factor into grades: These include study habits, classroom participation, tardiness, attendance, classroom behavior, homework completion, etc. Assessments solely focus on the mastery of subject matter, and nothing else.

A final assessment accounts for roughly 90% of the grade. And unlimited retests (and tutoring if needed) are offered to students to increase their level of mastery.

Notably teachers are pushing back against this new grading system that ignores soft skills and prioritizes an end of term assessment. But there are proponents among parents and school administrators. [/quote]

Thank you for taking the time to explain this. Is there a link to it? I'm a pretty involved parent, I though, but I can't find it. [/quote]

The Post and other newspapers have reported on the this. I forget what month. I have it delivered, so I don’t have the link. ARLnow reported on Wakefield teachers strongly rejecting the grading, homework, etc overhaul last year. Hispanic parents were concerned about the inability to comprehend the non letter based grading system, which uses vague descriptions of subject mastery.

The book by Feldman “Grading for Equity” provides an excellent overview of this new pedagogy that has successfully reduced the achievement gap for the first time.

This new system works for school systems with diverse populations where it helps to even the playing field. But for a district like Scarsdale or Bronxville for example, which are close to 100% upper middle class, this new standards based grading would have little relevance. So I don’t see all school districts adopting it. But most will adopt it to some degree and adjust based on a school’s or district’s needs.

I suggest politely contacting the diversity and inclusion office for info re APS schools. [b]Do note that it’s not all figured out yet.[/b] So no need to immediately jump to conclusions.

[/quote]

This is another primary reason I'm against implementing this grading system. Typical APS implements without having it all figured out. That just creates chaos and confusion and disparities in implementation and results from school to school. They should not implement a new grading system without it being entirely ironed out and all teachers fully trained, with all administrators at every school managing it the same way. Period.[/quote]

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