The Clark County School District covering Las Vegas, NV has implemented a new grading policy to create “equity” that eliminates any grade below 50% and will no longer use metrics such as “attendance, participation, & late assignments”:
BACK TO SCHOOL: @ClarkCountySch is introducing a new district-wide grading policy.
The lowest grade is 50%. Grades wont be influenced by attendance, participation, & late assignments.
CCSD says this creates equity, some teachers say it lowers standards. Full report on @8NewsNow pic.twitter.com/EGKpixVIU7
— Kate Houston (@katehouston_tv) August 4, 2021
CCSD says this “is the result of years of work, led by our principals, to ensure students’ grades more accurately reflect current levels of mastery on the academic content standards”:
The regulation is the result of years of work, led by our principals, to ensure students’ grades more accurately reflect current levels of mastery on the academic content standards
— CCSD (@ClarkCountySch) August 3, 2021
Update: We missed this detail earlier. And F grade isn’t failing in this policy. It’s called “emergent”:
I missed this earlier. F is no longer failing. It's "emergent" https://t.co/dWdspsDRf3
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) August 5, 2021
WTH?
What a load of bullcrap and it’s another example of the “telling bureaucratic redefinition of education”:
This offers a telling bureaucratic redefinition of education.
Consider this: "Grades shall not be influenced by behavior or other nonacademic measures (e.g., late or missing assignments, attendance, participation, responsibility).” How is missing work a "nonacademic measure"? https://t.co/IGGl5myJiK
— Fred Bauer (@fredbauerblog) August 5, 2021
This is clearly just lowering standards in the school:
Equity is equality of outcome
Not a desirable outcome unless the children are clones
&
Any teacher not bright enough to see this as lowering standards
Is a #fail https://t.co/GyrR1RMrZ0— Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) August 5, 2021
Of course this is what will happen:
Rich parents will take their kids out of the shitty schools https://t.co/5Dp4B1OQwj
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) August 5, 2021
But at least some teachers are expressing concern over the new policy:
POLICY CONCERNS: CCSD students will head back to the classroom on Monday — with some changes in place. One teacher expresses his concern over the district's new grading policy. #8NNhttps://t.co/myRhB93I6a
— 8 News NOW (@8NewsNow) August 5, 2021
From the article:
“This grade change takes behaviors completely out of the question,” Tam Lester, teacher at Del Sol Academy, told 8 News Now. “And it, arguably, at the detriment of the student.”
And:
However, Lester says this new policy takes tools that incentivize students away from teachers and does not instill accountability.
“What they will need is those learner-ready behaviors,” he said, “things like focus, things like participation, things like time management. Some of these policies are taking those away.”
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Editor’s note: This post has been updated.
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