Scottsdale district to tweak grading policy
The Scottsdale Unified School District will refine a tough new grading system in its five high schools after concerns that the change was too much, too soon.
The district switched to a grading policy this year that puts much more emphasis on test grades and less on homework, with extra credit virtually eliminated. The point is to measure more closely how well students know the course material as assessed by the tests, and also to make grading more equitable across classrooms and schools.
While the change affects all grade levels, the concerns are mostly about high-school students.
The governing board discussed the matter at length at two meetings in the past two weeks after hearing from many parents, teachers and students.
School officials said they will work with teachers and principals on refining the system and present the new version at the board’s meeting on Dec. 10. The board could vote then, and any changes would take effect during the spring semester.
The new system places about 80 percent of a high-school student’s semester grade on the final exam and about 20 percent on “checks for understanding,” such as homework or other assignments.
Matthew Spalter, student body president at Chaparral High School, told the board on Tuesday that the new system has affected his grades negatively.
“We should not be fixing something that is not broken,” he said. “Now, knowing that homework or ‘checks for understanding’ have virtually no effect on my grades, I’m extremely unmotivated to finish the assignments given to me.
“The student can successfully finish 100 math assignments and drop an entire letter grade by doing poorly on one test.”
Another concern is that the new method takes too much control from teachers, whose grade books now are online and synced to the new system.
Superintendent David Peterson said the upcoming discussions will emphasize that teachers can control the weight of various assignments in their class. For example, an English teacher could make an essay more important than a multiplechoice test. He added teachers will always have discretion to help a struggling student and students can appeal any grade.
“If a student is truly working hard and something happens and a test goes bad, the teacher should have the ability to say, ‘Let’s make that up. Show me you understand, and we’ll replace that grade.’
“I want to be very respectful of our junior and senior students. We’ve heard from their parents regarding these high stakes and making sure they’re well positioned to go to their colleges.”
Board members expressed concerns that the new system started without being piloted and the change was sudden.
Board President Pam Kirby said many private and charter schools use a similar method, with 80 percent of the grade based on exam scores.
“But the key difference is that they have lower teacherstudent ratios, with more adults around to support their kids to make sure they’re successful under this very rigorous grading policy,” she said.
The process began in 2010 with committees of parents, teachers and administrators working on the new model that is meant to measure only how well students have mastered academic concepts, a system called standards-based grading. Behavior and attitude are assessed separately.
Besides the new grading system, other changes are the elimination of extra credit for bringing in school supplies or attending athletic events, and the standardization of report cards among the elementary schools.
Board member Bonnie Sneed said much of the sentiment she has heard is, why fix something that is not broken?
“One of our main initiatives is to make sure we have more students ready for real college learning,” she said, noting that about 40 percent of Scottsdale’s student need to take a remedial class once they get to college.
“So, yes, the standards are harder, but this is something our board is calling for,” Sneed said.
“The whole nation is going to that. Whether it’s fair to change or not, it’s a moot point. If they’re not ready for college, it’s on us.”