Grading Survey Results and New Grading Guidelines For VB Secondary Schools

Grading Survey Conducted in Sept 2016 by Victoria Manning:  RESULTS HERE

The School Board voted 9-2 on Sept 7 to allow the Superintendent to implement new grading guidelines in secondary schools across the district (Carolyn Weems and Ashley McLeod voted "no").

(Guidelines were NOT made public before the vote!!!)

 Summary of new grading regulation procedure--

Site-Based Grading and evaluation procedures:  Teachers will collaborate by grade, department or specialized course (within each middle and high school) to reach consensus (or majority vote if consensus cannot be reached) on their proposed grading practices.  These recommendations must be within the new guidelines (see below) set forth by the administration.
The process for determining each teacher’s grading practices will be a 5 step process before the final product will be approved. 
These steps occur in EACH middle and high school and this process must occur every year:
Step 1:  Each department’s (such as English Dept, Math Dept, etc) development of grading and evaluation practices (within the new guidelines developed by the administration---see new guidelines)
Step 2:  Instructional Leadership Team Review—principals, administrators, department chairs
Step 3:  School Planning Council Review:  parents, teachers administrators appointed by the principal
Step 4:  Principal/Executive Director Review and Approval
Step 5:  Department of School Leadership Review and Approval

(What are the chances the teacher's original recommendations will be what is implemented?)

****Every Middle and High School across the division could have different grading rules.  One school may not allow zeros or the deduction of points for late work, but another may allow it.  How will that be "fair" to students from different schools applying to specialty Academy programs?
 
New Guidelines Summary:
Each department within each middle and high school will determine how they will implement the following guidelines and then will further go through the 5 step process of review and approval.  

Late Work:  When an assignment is not completed by the due date, teachers shall exercise their judgement to adjust deadlines as necessary….. (guidelines do not state if teachers are allowed to deduct points or not)
Zeros:  Teachers may not initially assign a zero and must make every effort to get the student to turn in their work before assigning a zero.  Teachers should give the student an “I” for incomplete rather than a zero.
Retakes:  Any student with a failing grade on a test or major project or paper may be given an opportunity for retakes.  For other assignments, it shall be determined by each department in each school when retakes will be allowed and teachers may give credit for a student’s most recent test/assignment rather than averaging the grades.  The guidelines do not assign a maximum number of retakes allowed.
Grading:  Grades may be calculated by any of a variety of methods to include total points or different methods of central tendency.  (This appears to indicate that a teacher could use the “mode” method…the number that most frequently occurs in a set of numbers).  If a student has the following grades:  90, 90, 90, 80, 80, 70--- then the teacher would be allowed to assign a grade of 90, or if a student had grades of 95, 85, 80, 50, 50, a teacher could assign a 50.  The grades would NOT be averaged. 
Honor Roll:  Students who receive the grade of a “C” may still be on the honor roll.  Grades will be averaged.  So if a student has the following grades, A, B, B, C, C, they could still be on the honor roll.  
Homework:  Daily homework assignments shall not exceed 10% of a student’s cumulative grade

Official Grading Guidelines Document and updated Regulation 6-72.2:  http://www.vbschools.com/students/gradingpractices/content/pdfs/GradingGuidelines.pdf
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​​ http://www.vbschools.com/policies/6-72_2r.asp

****We would love teachers, parents, and community members to provide input on these guidelines.  Post here or send me and e-mail:  manningvbsb@gmail.com.  Please Contact the School Board if you disagree with these recommendations.  ​http://www.vbschools.com/schoolboard/