Changing Grades

[Mik]

Come on, this is the product of the worst kind of racism - low expectations. It says they are not capable of better. Making it easier to underachieve will just make things worse.

[Catseye3]

@Mik said in Changing Grades:

Come on, this is the product of the worst kind of racism - low expectations. It says they are not capable of better. Making it easier to underachieve will just make things worse.

POTD!

[Axtremus]

This sentence caught my eyes: “Traditional student grades include non-academic criteria that do not reflect student learning gains—including participation and on-time homework submission."

The “non-academic criteria” spoken here are indeed weighed very little or ignored by most of Asia when it comes to grading students, with one of two big tests determine the student’s final grade for a class. The attitude seems to be: “who cares if you attend class or do your homework? Just show how much you have mastered the material (through testing) near the end of class and that’s your grade.”

(Truancy is dealt with by other disciplinary actions, not reflected through academic grades.)

It’s a different philosophy where grades overwhelmingly measure “how much you know” rather than “how much efforts you have put in.”

That said, it does not read like that’s all the OPRF is going for. On balance, the OPRF proposal still reads more like it’s trying to mask problems rather than helping students learn.

[Doctor Phibes]

@Catseye3 said in Changing Grades:

@Mik said in Changing Grades:

Come on, this is the product of the worst kind of racism - low expectations. It says they are not capable of better. Making it easier to underachieve will just make things worse.

POTD!

I think we need to re-evaluate how we award Post of the Day. The current system disproportionately rewards people who post clever stuff most people agree with, and discriminates against people whose main talent in life is posting knob-jokes, and/or pointing out grammatical errors.

[George K]

@Doctor-Phibes said in Changing Grades:

I think we need to re-evaluate how we award Post of the Day.

Yes, and it should be at the freaking END of the day (unless it's @Klaus, for whom the end of the day will be sooner).

[Mik]

NO ONE asked either of you knobheads.

Harrumph.

[Doctor Phibes]

@George-K said in Changing Grades:

@Doctor-Phibes said in Changing Grades:

I think we need to re-evaluate how we award Post of the Day.

Yes, and it should be at the freaking END of the day (unless it's @Klaus, for whom the end of the day will be sooner).

The chances of it being Klaus seem pretty slim. His main connection to POTD's was when he accidentally deleted all of them.

[Catseye3]

@Mik said in Changing Grades:

NO ONE asked either of you knobheads.
Harrumph.

That's right. And furthermore, in my own defense, the post I marked POTD was so unparalleled in its brilliance that it is inconceivable that anyone could have surpassed it, anyway.

So there.

[Mik]

You are wise beyond your years.

[Doctor Phibes]

[Mik]

[Copper]

This will eliminate the possibility that a minority student might actually achieve.

Apparently they will get help whether they need it or not.

Remember when the Air Force said the last fighter pilot has already been born?

The last minority person ever to actually achieve good grades has already graduated.

[Jolly]

@George-K said in Changing Grades:

@Doctor-Phibes said in Changing Grades:

Being a manager roughly 10 years from now will be an absolute hoot.

I was thinking something along these lines as well. The purpose of education is to, ahem, educate indoctrinate.

So if these kiddos in suburban Chicago can't read, spell, or do simple math(s), what will they do when they leave high-school? After all, there are only so many burger-flipper jobs out there.

For years, OPRF had a very good reputation. I wonder how it is now.
FIFY.

[George K]

[Mik]

In other words:

"We have not approved this. YET."

[89th]

Found this on their website, it's the PDF (presentation) of the "grading" discussion part of the May 26th meeting: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oprfhs/Board.nsf/files/CELJGA4D1599/$file/Professional Development and Grading BOE Presentation_.pdf

I love how the statement above says it's goal is to basically find a way to determine if a student has mastered academic content using an "objective, unbiased practice". Yeah, it's called... same test. Same criteria. Same grades. Equality for all.

Note from the document above, the following excerpts:

Summary of Findings

• Traditional grading practices perpetuate inequities and intensify the opportunity gap
• Integrating equitable assessment and grading practices into all academic and elective courses requires the collaborative effort of a team of educators committed to improvements that benefit all students
• Many OPRFHS teachers are successfully exploring and implementing more equitable grading practices such as: utilizing aspects of competency-based grading, eliminating zeros from the grade book, and encouraging and rewarding growth over time
• Teachers and administrators at OPRFHS will continue the process necessary to make grading improvements that reflect our core beliefs

Next Steps
Oak Park and River Forest High School administration and faculty will examine grading and reporting practices in academic and elective courses utilizing evidence-backed research and the racial equity analysis tool.

[George K]

That "Summary of Findings" word salad was Kamala-worthy.

[Catseye3]

@89th said in Changing Grades:

. . . and the racial equity analysis tool.

The phrase alone is enough to shiver your timbers, innit?

[89th]

I love how everything is bucketed into the untouchable "Equity" bucket. Does anyone know what that means, or is that just an aggregation of previous efforts for diversity, equality, and affirmative action policies?

@Horace come on...... touch that bucket.

[Horace]

@89th said in Changing Grades:

@Horace come on...... touch that bucket.

That’s what she said.