Reply to More skills based grading at madison hs

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]But this was all before SBG. People aren't complaining about zeros and retakes which were already implemented since 2016. In fact zeros just came back. It's more about the lack of grading for homework and classwork and the elimination of pluses and minuses in grading. The emphasis on these standardized tests rather than all schoolwork and actually the removal of retakes and grades for homework and instead replacing grades which is incredibly confusing. [/quote]

Yes, I know. I was just trying to understand the history of how this all came about. The link is to a 2021 VDOE document from the Superintendent of Instruction to district superintendents entitled "A Primer on Traditional and Equitable Grading Practices." It's interesting because it gives a breakdown of different grading practices and some of the issues with each, plus what different counties in VA have tried. It notes that SBG has become increasingly popular across the country but the there is not a lot of research to support it and the results are mixed:

Quantitative studies on whether standards-based grading should be used are mixed. A study of 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade students found that standards-based grading had a stronger correlation with standardized math scores than traditional grades, suggesting that standards based grading more accurately reflects what students have learned. Another study focused on high school students found that using a standards-based grading system had no effect on GPA and negatively impacted ACT scores (-2.019 ACT math points) when compared to schools that employed traditional grading.

Also on homework: "While graded homework may not accurately reflect learning, researchers do support the use of ungraded homework as a tool for student practice and formative assessment...Lower elementary grades receive little or no academic benefit from homework while secondary-level students experience benefits from 1.5-2 hours of homework per night.44 Vatterott (2011) stipulates that when homework is assigned, it should support mastery of objectives, not task-completion and should include feedback, a practice consistent with earlier research." My other issue at Madison right now is there is little to no homework. I'm assigning homework.

"The VDOE invites school divisions to review the efficacy of current grading practices by conducting broad stakeholder engagement, exploring educational research, and performing data analysis. By ensuring that grades accurately communicate student mastery, and by creating pathways to recovery for struggling students, every school division in Virginia can advance equitable outcomes for our learners."

I am no fan of the current administration at Madison, but I also don't know what kind of pressure these principals are experiencing from VDOE and FCPS to show their grading practices are equitable. The way they've chosen to do this though is not working. Maybe FCPS needs a new magnet high school for those that like to be part of an experiment so you have to sign up to having a different grading system every year. I wish I had known before I moved to Vienna that Madison was known for experimenting. I thought I was getting a school with solid academics, but less pressure than McLean plus a great athletic program.[/quote]

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