What about a 14 year old? Should they just know what they need to do and how to learn too? I’m telling you that there is real research not “educational research” that has found that 14 year olds lack the executive functioning skills of an adult. It just hasn’t developed yet.

How is non-graded work not optional? Please explain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Madison is using 4.0, adding zeros, and using standards based grading and whole letter grading to drop grades as low as they can do they don’t have to do anything to help failing students learn material? Is that the gist?

Yes, they are artificially throttling the number of As and Fs. I don’t care about the number of a Fs, I’m annoyed at the lower number of As when most FCPS schools don’t have this policy. It is especially egregious when they are doing away with it next year, so this policy won’t be as visible to colleges for the current juniors. They should have just eliminated it this year.

My rising junior's grades at Madison are just fine, thanks.

He is becoming an independent person who has to make decisions about when he needs to do the practice work and when he doesn't need to do it. And certain teachers are better than others about impressing on their students that the non-graded practice work still must be done. The kids get it. This is especially true in sciences and math, of course. But, history teacher was quite clear that the non-graded work wasn't "optional" --- and my kid did most of it. We aren't boo-hoo-ing over his A- grades. He got the grades he was supposed to get. A 16- or 17-yr old should be learning how to learn, how much one has to do, and when one doesn't need to do more practice.

I am curious what the plan is exactly for this year. I'm betting they will show a video to everyone at BTSN.

I don't get too worked up about it. My kid just needs to listen to whatever policy the teachers explain... and then my kid needs to follow that. I expect that he is capable of adapting to the plan.

Anonymous wrote:By 2024-2025 Madison will be required to use the 10 point grading scale.

Do we know that for sure? Many parents were not happy. My kid is in private school this year and we have a younger child. We would consider Madison for our youngest when the time comes if they got rid of the 4.0 grading mess. It was horrible last year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Madison one of the schools keeping the 4 point scale for this year?

Yes. At least, this is what we were told at freshman orientation. It was discussed very briefly. The principal said she wasn’t going to go into the nuts and bolts of the grading system, but the teachers are ready, or at least most of them, and other schools are trying to copy Madison and that’s going to be a mess but Madison will be ok because they know what they are doing. There was nothing about training sessions for parents which was discussed in the spring. They are not going to provide any sort of forum for parents to ask questions because the answers would not withstand scrutiny. But then, it appears most parents at Madison don’t care anyway, because hardly any of them filled out the survey on the grading system sent out at the end of the year.

I can’t believe we are adopting a policy reserved for students in danger of not graduating for all students. Not the 4.0 scale, btw, I’m talking about the dropping/replacing quarter grades. Just why?

Few parents care enough to learn the nitty gritty about real academics. They see a decent GreatSchools score, water cooler chat claims Madison is "well-regarded," and the sports are winning championships, so they throw caution to the wind.

Great Schools is terrible esp after they started dinging schools for equity. It penalizes any school that has any sort of SES diversity or ESL students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Madison one of the schools keeping the 4 point scale for this year?

Yes. At least, this is what we were told at freshman orientation. It was discussed very briefly. The principal said she wasn’t going to go into the nuts and bolts of the grading system, but the teachers are ready, or at least most of them, and other schools are trying to copy Madison and that’s going to be a mess but Madison will be ok because they know what they are doing. There was nothing about training sessions for parents which was discussed in the spring. They are not going to provide any sort of forum for parents to ask questions because the answers would not withstand scrutiny. But then, it appears most parents at Madison don’t care anyway, because hardly any of them filled out the survey on the grading system sent out at the end of the year.

I can’t believe we are adopting a policy reserved for students in danger of not graduating for all students. Not the 4.0 scale, btw, I’m talking about the dropping/replacing quarter grades. Just why?

Madison's grading is a hot mess for teachers. It adds tens of hours of work every month, which in turn compromises instruction because there is less time for planning, feedback, and meaningful grading. It is a disaster.

If you’re a teacher there, I’m so sorry for what you must be dealing with. The time spent in all those training sessions is such a waste. I also can’t imagine trying to teach a class when the students know that the work doesn’t count. I’m not telling my freshman kid that the whole first quarter doesn’t matter at all, but I’m scared DC will figure it out. DC does not have the intrinsic motivation yet to not procrastinate. I plan to sit down and do all the homework together every night and monitor every class assignment and try to follow classwork as much as possible. Kids need a 4.3 or 4.4 to have a shot at UVA or or VT. I’d like to see what grades looked like last year compared to previous years and what the grades look like compared to a school with similar demographics that does not use SBG/equity grading. I taped the principal’s talk on grading at orientation and just went back to listen. She emphasized that parents have to get their kids to do the practice and homework, that it is critical. Now that classwork/homework doesn’t count; it actually seems less equitable. Someone like me is going to be prepared, research situation, get my kids tutoring, sit down with them every night. What about the other kids without this level of support?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Madison one of the schools keeping the 4 point scale for this year?

Yes. At least, this is what we were told at freshman orientation. It was discussed very briefly. The principal said she wasn’t going to go into the nuts and bolts of the grading system, but the teachers are ready, or at least most of them, and other schools are trying to copy Madison and that’s going to be a mess but Madison will be ok because they know what they are doing. There was nothing about training sessions for parents which was discussed in the spring. They are not going to provide any sort of forum for parents to ask questions because the answers would not withstand scrutiny. But then, it appears most parents at Madison don’t care anyway, because hardly any of them filled out the survey on the grading system sent out at the end of the year.

I can’t believe we are adopting a policy reserved for students in danger of not graduating for all students. Not the 4.0 scale, btw, I’m talking about the dropping/replacing quarter grades. Just why?

Madison's grading is a hot mess for teachers. It adds tens of hours of work every month, which in turn compromises instruction because there is less time for planning, feedback, and meaningful grading. It is a disaster.

Anonymous wrote:So Madison is using 4.0, adding zeros, and using standards based grading and whole letter grading to drop grades as low as they can do they don’t have to do anything to help failing students learn material? Is that the gist?

Thank God my kids don’t go to Madison.

Anonymous wrote:So Madison is using 4.0, adding zeros, and using standards based grading and whole letter grading to drop grades as low as they can do they don’t have to do anything to help failing students learn material? Is that the gist?

Yes, they are artificially throttling the number of As and Fs. I don’t care about the number of a Fs, I’m annoyed at the lower number of As when most FCPS schools don’t have this policy. It is especially egregious when they are doing away with it next year, so this policy won’t be as visible to colleges for the current juniors. They should have just eliminated it this year.

So Madison is using 4.0, adding zeros, and using standards based grading and whole letter grading to drop grades as low as they can do they don’t have to do anything to help failing students learn material? Is that the gist?

Anonymous wrote:By 2024-2025 Madison will be required to use the 10 point grading scale.

I am struggling to understand why they are waiting a year to do this. They obviously know it was a problem, so why the delay? Why not just start this year?

By 2024-2025 Madison will be required to use the 10 point grading scale.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Madison one of the schools keeping the 4 point scale for this year?

Yes. At least, this is what we were told at freshman orientation. It was discussed very briefly. The principal said she wasn’t going to go into the nuts and bolts of the grading system, but the teachers are ready, or at least most of them, and other schools are trying to copy Madison and that’s going to be a mess but Madison will be ok because they know what they are doing. There was nothing about training sessions for parents which was discussed in the spring. They are not going to provide any sort of forum for parents to ask questions because the answers would not withstand scrutiny. But then, it appears most parents at Madison don’t care anyway, because hardly any of them filled out the survey on the grading system sent out at the end of the year.

I can’t believe we are adopting a policy reserved for students in danger of not graduating for all students. Not the 4.0 scale, btw, I’m talking about the dropping/replacing quarter grades. Just why?

Why? Equity. That’s why.

Equity is the primary focus of the current school board. They are very explicit and open that equity is their number one focus.

Equity as their prime directive should come as a surprise to no one.

Yes, create a confusing system with variable rules all of a sudden the less talented students have better grades and the better students have lower grades. Achievement gap closed, only hurt the college bound kids so no real harm done.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Madison one of the schools keeping the 4 point scale for this year?

Yes. At least, this is what we were told at freshman orientation. It was discussed very briefly. The principal said she wasn’t going to go into the nuts and bolts of the grading system, but the teachers are ready, or at least most of them, and other schools are trying to copy Madison and that’s going to be a mess but Madison will be ok because they know what they are doing. There was nothing about training sessions for parents which was discussed in the spring. They are not going to provide any sort of forum for parents to ask questions because the answers would not withstand scrutiny. But then, it appears most parents at Madison don’t care anyway, because hardly any of them filled out the survey on the grading system sent out at the end of the year.

I can’t believe we are adopting a policy reserved for students in danger of not graduating for all students. Not the 4.0 scale, btw, I’m talking about the dropping/replacing quarter grades. Just why?

Why? Equity. That’s why.

Equity is the primary focus of the current school board. They are very explicit and open that equity is their number one focus.

Equity as their prime directive should come as a surprise to no one.