Anonymous wrote:What I'd really like is some advice on how to try to push back on this. Bring it up at a PTA meeting, talk to my school board member, talk at a school board meeting, have my kid talk at a school board meeting, start a petition, start organizing a group of parents willing to be vocal, I'd like to create a road map to fight back on this. Any ideas?

Anonymous wrote:What I'd really like is some advice on how to try to push back on this. Bring it up at a PTA meeting, talk to my school board member, talk at a school board meeting, have my kid talk at a school board meeting, start a petition, start organizing a group of parents willing to be vocal, I'd like to create a road map to fight back on this. Any ideas?

So what you mean to say is you’ve conditioned your kid to believe the grade is the point of the learning and not mastery of the content. He won’t do the homework because if it doesn’t get a grade it lacks value?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My high-schooler is in a math class with skills-based grading. The way this pilot program was explained during the open house was that students would have multiple chances at re-assessment and the purpose seemed to be to give kids more chances to master the material. In practice, it seems far more stressful on the students than the regular grading system because they've eliminated all A-, B+ grades and each question receives its own individual grade of A, B, C etc. No partial credit is given, so any mistake automatically results in a B. My child with an A- currently appears to have little chance of raising the grade to an A with half the class left, so is a bit frustrated despite doing pretty well on the exams. Perfect on most of them and with minor mistakes on the others (which seemed like they would have merited an A- or B+ under the previous grading system. So my question is--was this really a way to help tackle grade inflation more than giving kids the chance to demonstrate mastery? I don't plan on saying anything to the teacher or school, I'm just internally questioning why this change was made, especially since it is coming for all classes next year.

The SB and many schools see this as a more equitable approach. In other words, equity.

Our school is in the process of implementing skills-based grading as well. My child hates it - states that it has left him feeling unmotivated and even a bit depressed. As my child is a senior, he is just glad to be getting out because he states that FCPS gets worse every year. I'm worried because my other kid starts 9th grade next year and will not do well in a system that does not grade homework. He just won't do it. My understanding of skills based learning is that only 3 grades are on the books, with a rolling replacement throughout the year, and only tests count as grades.

It seems FCPS is constantly trying out gimmicks and implementing something new that has nothing to do with improving academics. I'm really fed up. We were at a private that didn't do this crap, but I shouldn't have to pay 45k for a basic education. I know that I should put my younger kid into private next year, but along with the financial aspect, it would break his heart to leave his friends.

I did reach out to the principal to see if they were going to go forward with this and the answer is yes. Interestingly, this school surveys kids all the time (don't know if it's just FCPS surveys or school created), but there is no interest in surveying parents, kids and teachers about the skills-based grading. It's full steam ahead, until the next "great idea" comes along. I'm venting here, but I don't know what to do. I've thought about complaining to the school board, reaching out to other parents to try to get a small vocal group to push back, I just don't know what to do.

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain exactly how it works with an example please?

Anonymous wrote:There was a school board work session in the fall where the board was told that a group of school administrators is studying grading policy and will recommend changes later this year. It was so vague - why are they doing this? What is it based on? What is skills based and what is standards based? I am going to pay attention to see what the group recommends and hopefully they will share their research.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain exactly how it works with an example please?

I am a high schooler that goes to a school with the skills based graded system. I will use my AP Biology class as an example. The course is broken down into around 5-6 skills (using models, collecting data accurately, lab skills, data analysis, concept analysis, concept readiness). Each unit of biology content tests 2-3 of these skills. For an example in our Cell Structure and Function unit, we were tested on lab skills, data analysis, and concept analysis. Before the assessment (aka test), we complete practices (quizzes) in the skills that we will be tested on. Ultimately, these practices won't count in the long run; the assessment becomes 100% of our grade. In addition, only the 3 most recent grades for a skill counts. So lets say for Unit 1 I got an A in lab skills. Then for Unit 2 I also got an A. Unit 3 I got a B. And Unit 4 I earned a B. The overall grade for that skill would be the average of the A, B, B. The final grade is determined by averaging all the skill grades together.
I would like to point out that the skill based grading system is different almost each class. For my math and science grades, we take the top 3 skills. For English, we average all the assessments together. I know one class where as long as you show an upward trend in a skill grade, then at the end of the year it can be replaced.

I had my kid write the above - she said she did her best to explain, but it's very confusing.

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain exactly how it works with an example please?

Anonymous wrote:There was a school board work session in the fall where the board was told that a group of school administrators is studying grading policy and will recommend changes later this year. It was so vague - why are they doing this? What is it based on? What is skills based and what is standards based? I am going to pay attention to see what the group recommends and hopefully they will share their research.