Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
New Grading Scale? Patience.
Momentum is building and interest is obviously running high among many LCPS parents in a new grading scale proposal branded “Fairgrade” by its advocates. A recent meeting drew quite a crowd and some press coverage as well (Loudoun Times Mirror, Leesburg Today).I find myself in a weird “elected official bubble” here, trying hard to assess people’s feelings about an issue and knowing that the bulk of the conversation is going on out of my earshot. Conversely, there seem to be many parents who want to know my position and are going to third-party sources to find out. This blog, and my email address and phone number, are available for direct communication. If you ever want to make me aware of things, or ask me something, please use them.
First, let me state clearly my position on the 10-point grading scale proposal. Before I write something new, I’ll give you the exact words I have written to the several parents who have written directly to me on this subject:
I am very interested in the impact of a challenging LCPS grading scale and I am watching the issue closely as the conversation in Fairfax progresses. Much of the research that Fairfax County is conducting will inform us about the impact of our similar grading scale on Loudoun students. I have two secondary students of my own at LCPS, I take these concerns very seriously and I look forward to learning more. There is no official consideration of a change in the grading scale currently underway at LCPS.I have written posts about the grading scale previously, in February with “What should a B Be?” and in April with “Following Fairfax,” you might be interested in those as well.
That’s all. There is plenty of information out there and more being generated and sent to me every day. I am reading and listening and assessing and taking no position until I feel fully informed. Please keep informing me. I don’t expect that I’ll take a position on this until well into the fall, and hopefully that is an indication to you of how closely I am listening and how seriously I take this.
There was a gathering at Potomac Falls High School on June 4th where dozens of parents (estimates to me ranged from 100 to 200) went to hear from the advocates of reforming the grading scale. I know that no school board members attended, and I know that some people were very unhappy with that. I can only speak for myself when I say that I wish I could have been there, but by the time I was made aware of the event I was already committed to two conflicting events that evening. As it turned out, this was also the day of the storm. Like many others, my house was without power and I chucked the evening’s schedule to take care of my family. I have encouraged the organizers to plan another forum after Fairfax releases its study. Given a couple of weeks’ notice, attendance will be a very high priority for me.
I won’t lay out the arguments for or against the current grading scale here. I will say that it takes a mountain of evidence to convince me to go against the recommendations of the professional educators who have built LCPS into the well-respected system that it is. These folks have dedicated their careers to studying and implementing educational best practices. They do need to provide the education that the community asks for, but the community would do well to give enormous weight to their professional judgment.
So in the meantime, while I'm listening and learning and pondering, advocates for or against a change in the grading scale should refer to my post Successful Advocacy at LCPS for the best advice I can give you on how to be most effective.
You must be logged in to post a comment.