Reply to Madison H.S. Parents - Principal Survey and Skills-Based Grading

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Reply to "Madison H.S. Parents - Principal Survey and Skills-Based Grading"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This thread is confusing because some are complaining of lower grades and others are complaining FCPS just wants to give easy grades to everyone to achieve equity.[/quote]

Why - bring up the bottom and bring down the top is the second easiest way to achieve “equity,” right after just bringing down the top. [/quote]

Yes - that does seem the be the overall effect of this, to compress the grade at both ends. I'm curious to see if everyone's grade gets bumped up at the end of the year because teachers and administrators keep saying things like don't worry, it will all be ok in the end, there are still grading opportunities (teachers), everyone will benefit (administrator). For kids with As, it currently looks like grade deflation. 
[/quote]

[b]I meant to write for kids that used to have As.[/b][/quote]

That’s the trend among districts across the country with the new Mastery Based Grading. Less A’s but less failures also. Students who don’t have the resources to do homework and complete other graded tasks at home are now able to have subject mastery evaluated st the end of the term, and retakes and supplemental instruction can be provided until students gain that mastery. Punctuality and deadlines in general are no longer punitive, and homework is optional.

According to the most recent data, the achievement gap is reduced via successful implementation of Mastery Based Grading. This is the first time districts are seeing the achievement gap narrow after decades of failed attempts. While controversial for now among parents, students and teachers, most districts will implement some form of skills based grading over the next few years. Likely a slow and gradual implementation to avoid the problems at Madison and other schools. Notably APS’ Wakefield HS paused the implementation in 2022 after teachers and parents alike were against it.

For good reading on the new grading system and what it entails: “Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms” by Joe Feldman. [/quote]

It doesn’t even make sense to me how this lowers the achievement gap but I may not understand it fully. Like how does only evaluating at the end matter if kids still do poorly at that point and how does this make that less likely? Having said that, this sounds like a disaster and I hope it’s not coming to my kids’ FCPS school. If nothing else, this sounds super confusing and leaves the kids in the dark about where they stand. [/quote]

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