Do grading systems need a “failure” option? That is the question being increasingly asked in schools across the country. The latest school to eliminate the F is Sunrise Park Middle School in White Bear Lake, Minnesota which posted a videotape on a new grading scale which does not allow for any grade below 50 percent. It also bans the use of a student’s behavior or class record to be considered in grading.
One of the areas of the greatest attention in recent years for anti-racism reforms in schools has been grading and testing systems. Whole university systems have abandoned standardized testing as inimical to minority advancement while secondary school systems have eliminated expulsions due to disruptive conduct, removed proficiency requirements in Math and English, and eliminated advanced programs for learning.
In Minnesota, District Superintendent Dr. Wayne Kazmierczak has campaigned for grading reform. He has argued that “grading can be one of the largest areas in which systemic racism and inequities are perpetuated,” according to the school website.
That view is reflected in the YouTube video by Principal Christina Pierre and Associate Principal Norman Bell who insist that the emphasis should be on what a student knows and not how they behave. Moreover, they explain that there will no longer be failing grades as shown on the new grading scale:
Frankly, I like some of the reforms. For example, allowing students to retake exams seems a good way to get them to actually learn material rather than focus entirely on test performance.
I also recognize that class disruption penalties can produce racially disparate results and can reflect bias. However, grades have traditionally included class performance and conduct, including late submissions or bad conduct. Frankly, I would prefer greater efforts at allowing students to ameliorate such bad attendance or conduct grades rather than eliminate any grading based on misconduct. Schools teach conduct as well as content lessons. Indeed, they reinforce many of the lessons of parents at home. I would like less emphasis on punishing bad conduct, including expulsions. However, I would not eliminate such penalties. Such actions can be monitored and reviewed to recognize racially discriminatory motives or patterns.
The elimination of the F grade is an interesting debate. I am not sure that I would favor such an elimination rather than allowing for opportunities to remove the grade. However, I am open to such proposals. the use of “incomplete” has its benefits. Once again, I think that it is very important to try to avoid failing students, which only further isolates and demoralizes students. Faced with failing grades across the board, a student is more likely to give up and drop out. Often a test with no points reflects a serious underlying problem that needs to be addressed. The question is whether anything is really lost by treating such tests as “incomplete” as opposed to a failure. I think that the important thing is to allow students to retake tests and keep working to learn the material.
However, the greater danger is grade inflation and lowering proficiency standards. That is why I have opposed the elimination of standardized testing. I was particularly moved by the frustration of a mother in Baltimore recently who complained that her son was in the top half of his class despite failing all but three of his classes. Graduating students without proficiency in English or Math is the worst possible path for these students, schools and society.
I would allow teachers to continue to grade on class performance and records. However, I think that the effort to allow students to retake exams and change grades is a good one from an educational standpoint. This is not simply because of race differentials. It benefits all students at a time of great stress and dysfunctional pressures. Our job as educators is first and foremost to teach material and help students learn. Accordingly, I like the policy to retake/revise tests, quizzes, papers, projects within a 10-day window after the grade is posted.
I think that there is common ground in these often heated debates. For my part, I would keep standardized tests, reinforced proficiency requirements for graduation, and keep grading based in part on classroom performance. I would also require any grading of class performance to be separately noted and explained to allow for monitoring and review. I would also implement the changes on allowing for the retaking of tests, quizzes, and projects.
What is lost in these debates is that we all care about education and these kids. We should be able to reach good-faith resolutions to help those students struggling in the system. We need to keep them invested in doing better while reinforcing the need to be personally accountable. We need however to stop screaming at each other and look at new ways of approaching these problems.
What is being overlooked in this discussion is the fact that, while disparities exist, that doesn’t mean they are automatically due to racism. To make that assumption is to ignore a wide range of social, personal and family problems that may require different solutions than simply dropping standards. Eliminating grades, “Fs,” or any other standard because of “racism” is the lazy teacher’s way of passing the buck. Instead of dropping standards for all, a good teacher would work to help trailing students achieve the higher standard. But that’s not what the “woke” teacher does today. One standard that has definitely dropped, with dire consequences for all society, is the standard for teaching. Do they even need a college education anymore, or just a certificate from their local “woke” activist organization? Given that their job today is more indoctrination than teaching, it probably doesn’t even matter if there are standards or not. If you fail “woke” you get canceled, so grades are irrelevant.
Because of one teacher calling for a different grading system, the cult goes nuts. Funny because they themselves love rewarding failure. The dumber it gets, the more they love it.
We do know for certain that Trumpists loath higher education because they believe it is infested with indoctrinating Marxist professors. So howsoever they manage to get through high school, they aren’t going to 98% of colleges. Unfortunately, they all can’t attend Hillsdale College or Liberty University. PragerU is online! Too bad Trump University was shutdown as a scam.
However, Jeff, you sound like an uneducated dolt. The people that you oppose provide history, philosophy, data and proof. You are literally an empty suit.
“It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.” __T. Sowell
As Sowell later points out in his book Intellectuals and Society (paraphrasing), When a businessman makes a mistake he is fired. When an academic makes a mistake that is costly and damages people he is promoted. You might benefit from reading this book. and a few others.
The Left doesn’t want any failing grades….as that reflects upon the quality of the teaching as much as anything.
Disruptive behavior is not race based….it is disruptive behavior….no matter what skin color you possess.
Disruptive behavior is a handicap for those that are not disruptive, that want to learn, that do learn, and Teachers, Counselors, Principals, Administrators and yes….School Boards must eliminate that disruptive behavior…..and I dare say those that are disruptive are not learning themselves.
Those lessons learned in the Classroom transfer into non-school behavior.
Misconduct must be treated as such and as in Life (at least in the past) must receive admonishment and in this case….FAILING GRADES.
Life does not hand out Participation Trophies for Losers…..something the Left just cannot grasp,.
Step one is to start taking punitive actions against Educators who do wrong….and give them “Failing Grades”.
Wake County NC did that a while back and turned around the ten worst of their Schools.
Yes…it was Conservative Republicans that took that novel approach….holding everyone at those Schools responsible…from the Principal right on down to the Students.
It can be done. It should be done. It must be done…..dumbing down as the Left prefers does not make for successful young adults after their time in K-12 or whatever grade level they arise to in their time in school.
“Disruptive behavior is not race based….it is disruptive behavior….no matter what skin color you possess.
Disruptive behavior is a handicap for those that are not disruptive, that want to learn, that do learn”
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Peter Robinson: All right. One more argument against charter schools. You’ve touched on it already, I want to take it on directly. And that’s this question of discipline. Charter schools imposed the results that they… they achieve the results that they achieved because they are imposing discipline at such strict levels that it verges over into the inhumane. They’re scaring the kids. They’re turning them into robots. Here’s an incident you’re laughing. Here’s an incident that you touch on in your book. Charter school in New York that turned a little kindergartner away, “Go home. You can’t come in today.” Because the kindergartner was wearing the wrong socks. Now, Tom, that’s taking things too far. Don’t you agree?
Thomas Sowell: It was the first day of school. And the first thing they want the child to understand that rules are there for a reason. And then if you don’t follow the rules, you don’t belong in there. And that is enormously important. The socks themselves don’t matter. I don’t think it matters in these words. But what you must establish to the child’s mind that rules are there and we disobey them, there are consequences. And so for what he misses one day of kindergarten, and the next time he comes in you have his uniform properly on him, and they’ll let him in. But if you’re not gonna do that, if you gonna have rules without consequences. You don’t have rules. You just have suggestions.
https://www.hoover.org/research/economist-looks-90-tom-sowell-charter-schools-and-their-enemies-1
When I was teaching at a Tier-1 university, the administration told me that in undergraduate seminars, the *default* grade is a “B.”
“A ‘B’?! Why? Because the student can fog a mirror?”
The only response I received was this: “Because every other T-1 university is inflating grades.”
Years ago I was spinning through the CSpan channels and i caught a speech by Obama’s Reverend Wright. He was
discussing education and he said you just can’t expect black kids to sit down and learn like everyone else. They just
can’t sit still. This program sounds like a continuation of this sort of thinking.
Maybe they can just change the meaning of F to mean “Fine”. Problem solved.
Perhaps they should make it “W,” for “whatever,” all the more since that seems to be the union attitude toward the jobs teachers are paid to do.
An alternative to all the excuses provided is the Thomas Sowell video or text interview on charter schools that proved even those in the worst socio-economic groups could become proficient in English and math. Many can even go to college. This study demonstrates and shows how education can be improved. One has to look at what Charter Schools are doing, and one can incorporate some of those things in all teaching facilities or try charter schools using the correct methods.
A must read for those interested in the education of the young.
https://www.hoover.org/research/economist-looks-90-tom-sowell-charter-schools-and-their-enemies-1
The bigotry of low expectations at work here. It is clear now that no matter who runs the country, America is doomed as a great, strong nation thanks to these societal changes and the loss of the concept of meritocracy that the country was built upon.
Who is hurt the most when a child graduates from school without reading, writing, adding or subtracting? The child followed by the community.
That seems to make the left happy.
Who is hurt the most when a child graduates from school without reading, writing, adding or subtracting? The child followed by the community.
200 years ago, good parents saw to it their child learned to read and cipher. The Children started to learn a trade in their early teens, or the excelled at acedemics and could maybe go on to collage. But the parents saw to their childs ability to be productive.
Why?
Their childrens industry directly affected the parents end of years comfort and living arrangements.
Then the government took over that responsibility, or at least led people to believer the govt would. The parents no longer had skin in the game of a childs productivity.
Iowan2 stammers:
“200 years ago, good parents saw to it their child learned to read and cipher. The Children started to learn a trade in their early teens, or the excelled at acedemics and could maybe go on to collage. But the parents saw to their childs ability to be productive.
Why? Their childrens industry directly affected the parents end of years comfort and living arrangements. Then the government took over that responsibility, or at least led people to believer the govt would. The parents no longer had skin in the game of a childs productivity.“
Little early for you to be hittin’ the bottle, isn’t it?
You are absolutely correct, but more important you caused the hypocrite (Jeff Silberman AKA questionable lawyer, AKA elitist), to stand up and be counted displaying another one of his dumb posts. Jeff is angry, but can’t figure out what he is angry about.
I think we should do away with all grades. That way everyone can be smart and feel good about themselves. Isn’t that what this is all about?
Given what you say about the utility of being able to “…retake/revise tests, quizzes, papers, projects…” this (mastery based grading) might intrigue you:
“Question: What is the average of 85, 82, 90, two absences, five late arrivals, three tardy homework assignments, a failure to participate in class on four occasions, two note-passing incidents, and one unusually poor test performance the day the family dog died?
While it may seem mathematically impossible (How can you average together numbers and behaviors?), this kind of calculation happens all the time in schools. It’s called grading.
Luckily, there are more accurate, equitable, and educationally useful ways to report learning progress and academic achievement. One approach is mastery-based grading.”
Taken from here:https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/MBL/Documents/CT_NESSC-BriefingNo12_What-Is-Mastery-Based-Grading.pdf
There is a ton of research on the topic, a multiplicity of approaches/variations on the theme. But in your role as an educator, I encourage you to take at least a quick glance.
Allowing students to graduate without basic proficiency in subjects such as mathematics and English damns they to little success in todays world and some would say second class citizenship. I support allowing the retaking of exams as it supports my thoughts.
I support allowing the retaking of exams as it supports my thoughts.
First are we going to determine the goal of the test? What purpose does it serve?
My gut tells me not to retake tests. Change the goal and purpose?
I have found industries that require, demand, competency, do so by testing. But timed open book tests.
Today, we have the knowledge of the universe in our pocket. Core knowledge with the learned ability to find facts is important.
Reading comprehension is more important than ever.
Also a healthy amount of suspicion of almost everything
The US student rates about 20th in the world in math & science. We probably spend more money on education then most of the other countries, at least that’s where most real estate taxes go. So where’s the problem, stupid kids or incompetent teachers or a combination of both? So we address the problem by failing no one and stay 20th or lower. No F’s for students how about F’s for teachers, who maybe in the wrong profession? Instead of teaching kids CRT and math is White supremacy how about math and science can make your life better and wallet fatter?
Here’s a little factoid, teachers (many of them in my 30 years in the school system) have the same complaints about no testing, lowering educational bars, no failing grades, and eliminating honors and advanced placement classes. When we have students who have not turned in homework, have no parental support at home, and are absent more days than would allow for remediation, a trip to the admin office for advice is fruitless. We are told to “work with the data we have and just round everything up to a D.” The politics of failing students tarnishes administrators’ records and hinders their ability to advance. So, be careful condemning teachers as the problem when the focus really should be on the top brass in the school system trying to make themselves look good.
Helicopter/lawnmower parenting, poor teacher training at universities, corrupt school boards, the encroachment of activism, technology addiction/lack of critical thinking ability and lower brain development, lowering of standards; these are all factors. We are now dealing with professors, teachers, *and* students who have been shaped by the entire list and then some.
“D” is the new “F”
Not really. I am involved in public education and a whole lotta parents are perfectly fine with a D grade. There’s no thought process involved for many of them in this decision, as the F grade has attained an awfully impressive status as a symbol in their minds for something that is simply a letter of the alphabet. Doesn’t really matter though, as we now advance students regardless. A teacher can count on at least half of their students being below level most places.
Our children, depending on the area, are reading at grade level by about <40% to 70% of the students.
That is with the curriculum being dumbed down for the last 50 years.
It is clear, the only way the PhD's that are in charge of educating our children can make themselves appear barely competent is to just stop measuring results. Easy Peasy
The solution thought up by the very pinnacle of educational excellence.
A floor grade of 50% is the rule at my school. It applies even if a student does not do the assignment. What does this mean? That a student who does the work and earns a 50% is in the same position as the student who did not do the assignment. As for re-taking a test, a common complaint I have heard is that some students, even before taking the test, will ask: “when is the re-take?”
It appears that a goal of the grading revolution is to make sure every student graduates. After all, a large number of adults without high school diplomas could inflict a high cost on society.
There is an education theory in which, in any given subject, a student does not advance to the next level until mastering the current level. The “I”ncomplete grade reflects this.
More and more the Lefties show their contempt for blacks with their low expectations.
I say blacks, because Lefties seem to dislike Asians, see NY and Harvard as examples of that dislike.
But to the point, Lefties don’t believe that blacks can perform in modern societies, so they set up systems to mask their real performance and give blacks preferential treatment.
“But to the point, Lefties don’t believe that blacks can perform in modern societies”
Thomas Sowell proves they can.
His book has the statistics and I presented some on this blog earlier. The statistics are incredible.
https://www.hoover.org/research/economist-looks-90-tom-sowell-charter-schools-and-their-enemies-1
Just as we all suspected- Turley is a bleeding heart Liberal. Conservatives say: spare the rod, spoil the child…
If the intent is to create a society of proles who will not dare challenge the existing order, then they appear to be on the correct path.
To instruct the mass of our citizens in these, their rights, interests and duties, as men and citizens…this brings us to the point at which are to commence the higher branches of education . . . . To develop the reasoning faculties of our youth, enlarge their minds, cultivate their morals, and instill into them the precepts of virtue and order.
Thomas Jefferson
I think that it’s patently clear that “we all” don’t care about education. Some want to rewrite history others want education to mean nothing. Defunding schools is a policy Republicans and their corporate owners have been working on for a very long time.
Considering many of the nation’s worst schools in terms of academic achievement are also the most well funded it’s obvious funding is the least of their problems.
Defunding schools is a policy Republicans and their corporate owners have been working on for a very long time.
That’s nothing but a lie.
Per student funding has increased in every state, and local jurisdiction.
I believe that started with the Great Society Program, ushered in by LBJ. LBJ declared he was going to make the United States education system the best in the world. (Ignoring the ‘fact’ that at the time, America did lead the world in education.)
Defunding schools is not a Republican policy. Defunding police most certainly is a Democrat policy leading to a massive increase in the murder rate.
In NYC, at lower cost, the Charter School system boosted proficiency in English and math by multiples in the demographic where it was most needed. It was an incredible study from a scientific viewpoint in that it reduced selectivity to a minimum and produced data that could be used to show other important information.
Republicans, if they are following conservative/libertarian positions, are not in favor of specifically reducing or increasing spending. They are interested in results and getting value for the dollar. That is something you know nothing about.
SM
Too many kids spoil the Roth. A 14 year old girl goes to the back seat with some guy. ” I gotta get my check!”. She’s referring to her welfare check. She lives in public housing with her mom. No dad. Fifth generation to live there since FDR built that housing project. This is America.