Schools

5 is the New A: D122 to Change Jr. High Grading

To solve issues with the large disparity of percentage points an F grade has compared to others, District 122 will assign new values of grading from 1-5.

An zero grade on an assignment can be devastating for a student, not just for his or morale but also on the overall mark they receive in that class.

For students, there might be a reason they don't turn in an assignment that cuts deeper than "my dog ate my homework," and for teachers, trying to find the student's overall mastery of the coursework when a zero can weigh so much more heavily than other grades is also a daunting task.

Thus, over the last six years, New Lenox School District 122 officials have been working to depict their grading philosophies. The result will take the percentage grade, convert it to an A-F grade and finally convert that to a 1-5 grade, with 5 equating to an A. For starters, district officials said during a strategic planning session last week, this gives an equivalent mathematical value to each letter grade for grading purposes. (To see how this could work out in a teacher's gradebook, see the attached PDF.)

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Additionally, this can remove the power a zero grade can have on weighing down a student's overall assessment in a class. If they forget an assignment at home one day, their grade shouldn't automatically drop a grade or be counted as a zero, Assistant Supt. Peggy Manville said to the school board last week.

"I don’t believe that’s the culture we want to establish," she said. "We want to teach responsibility but we want to be realistic, too."

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That reality takes into account the fact that students are human and might forget an assignment or forget to do it after enduring other issues unknown to teachers.

"There are many times when kdis have lots of things going on in their home life that even the teachers are unaware of," Manville said. "Things happen. If you’re in the situation that you see your parents having a big fight the night before, you might just not do your homework. And I’m guilty of losing a document and calling over to say I need a copy. As adults we do that all day long."

Some board members worried that this 5-point scale would translate poorly to high school, but board member Pat Martino said the students should simply be able to adapt.

"This is part of a maturity level," he said. "High school should be different and college better be harder than high school."

In addition to these changes, students may retake any test within one week as the folllowing conditions are met: They must have completed any missing assignments related to the test and must complete the test retake form and have it signed by a parent.

Late work will be accepted up to four school days after the due date. Full credit may be given for the late work if turned in within the four-day period. If the work is never turned in, then it’s recorded as a 1 in the gradebook.


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