A report from the Grading Committee at Waterville Central School would radically change how grading is done and student academics are evaluated.
WCS Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Spring went over the recommendations submitted to her.
She created the committee last summer after a student in this year’s Senior Class raised questions on the fairness of test scores and grading.
Spring said change never happens without discussion and emphasized there will be chances for students, teachers and the community to provide feedback.
Members of the Grading Committee read the book ‘Grading for Equity’ and did other research on the impact of grades and various grading policies.
A student who earns a zero or F, Spring said, mathematically cannot work
their way back to a good grade.
An F, she said, represents 64 percent of the possible grade, a disproportionate value.
Using a 4.0 scale, as colleges do, is more equitable, she said.
“What is our goal for grading,’’ Spring asked. “It’s to promote and assess student learning.’’
Low grades do not motivate students to learn.
A reteach and retest focus pushes students to learn the material.
Grading by teachers, the committee found, needs to be transparent as well as consistent.
Some teachers accept late work without a penalty, some do with a huge penalty and some not at all.
One recommendation by the committee is that all teachers accept late work up until the material is covered on a big test.