The Schenectady City School District Board of Education is weighing a new grading policy proposed by the superintendent.
The school board met Wednesday evening, a day after its policy committee gave a second read to a new districtwide grading policy.
The board is planning to vote on the new policy on October 4.
Speaking to Board of Education members on Wednesday, Schenectady Schools Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. explained that the new policy is not based on numbers.
“No numbers. That’s going to be the learning curve here in the system,” said Soler.
Consideration of a new grading policy comes as the Schenectady City School District faces a graduation rate of 78 percent in 2022, according to the New York State Education Department. The statewide average graduation rate for 2022 is 87 percent.
The proposal is aimed at helping the district continue to reverse its low graduation rate and keep students in class throughout the school year even if they struggle early.
The district says the proposal puts a focus on student feedback. The item discussed Wednesday reads in part:
“Grounded in research and experience, the grading policy will provide clear and comprehensive guidance that aligns to our teaching practices, and gives students and families regular feedback about progress towards mastery.”
Under the plan, students would receive a letter grade on their mastery of education material. Behavior and effort will also be taken into account.
Supportive of the policy, school board member Jamaica Miles believes it will help students and parents have a better understanding of how their education is assessed.
“Teachers are still going to say, ‘Hey, the deadline for this assignment is this date.’ What is wonderful, is here’s an opportunity to explain to our children the why deadline is this date; why are we doing this assignment; what is it that expect you to learn; what am I going to learn from you completing this assignment; why are we doing it this way. Because, our kids what to know why. We want to know why!”
The plan says “students who hand in late assignments will not be penalized by receiving a lower grade in mastery for those assignments within the marking period. With that being said, the lateness of assignments will be reflected in the effort or behavior portion of the report card.”
School board member Erica Brockmyer said the traditional method of basing a student’s numerical grade on take-home homework assignments is unfair since students have unique home lives.
“So, to say, we’re not teaching them anything, you’re enabling, whatever…it’s not fair. Because that’s not going to be a good measurement of their knowledge and mastery, because they might do their homework but people might be screaming in the background, or it might be quiet,” said Brockmyer.
Voicing concerns about the policy, board member Vivian Parsons said school community members and parents want a “basic reinforcement of expectations in the classroom.”
“I think that it’s showing children that we have enough respect for them to say, ‘I believe that you can do this and I’m going to help you do this.’ But to operate under the assumption that the majority of the children can’t do something, it’s not respectful and it’s rather insulting,” said Parsons.