Equitable Secondary Grading
A New look at Policy 2624
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The system of grades currently being used in most schools today is largely unchanged since its inception in the United States more that a century ago (Marzano, 2000)
TEACH A COURSE
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Grades determine everything from course placement and academic eligibility to employment possibilities, college admission, scholarships, and financial aid. (Feldman, 2019)
TEACH A COURSE
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What is a Project Team?
A project team is a group of stakeholders gathered to research an issue to help the Board of Education make a decision.
Team Membership:
Board - Adam Sangillo, Jaime Grookett, Lynn Hoag
Faculty - Courtney Baker, Mike Busarello, Steve Fluharty,
Jeff Holman, Kevin Kozak, Danielle McKelvey,
Corrine Welsh.
Students - Emma Barson, Abigail Frey, Linus Kucer,
Sullivan Norton
Admin Team -, Chuck Klaus, Tracy Matozzo, Tammy McHale, John Miller, Colleen Murray, Gino Priolo
Community - Ashley D’Amato-Staller, Glen Moramarco, Aimee Subramanian, Melissa Wheatcroft, Monica Yant-Kinney
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What Questions did this Project Team Research?
1. The HS guidance counselors and HS Principal –
Does the utilization of a 7-point (93-100=A) grading system have any impact on our students as prospective college applicants?
2. The HS guidance counselors and HS Principal -
Does the utilization of a 7-point (93-100=A) grading system have any impact on prospective scholarship athletes through the NCAA Clearinghouse recruited to play sports in college?
3. Students Emma Barson, Sullivan Norton, Linus Kucer, Abigail Frey surveyed -
Does the utilization of a higher standard 7-point (93-100=A) as opposed to a 10 point grading system have the potential to impact student stress levels?
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What Questions did the Project Team Research?
Does the utilization of a 7-point (93-100=A) grading system as compared with a 10-point grading system describe the existence of a stronger, more elite, academic school?
Does a switch to a 10-point grading system from a 7-point grading system have any impact upon teacher work or teacher grading?
6. Dr. Murray surveyed secondary teachers (6-12) –
Is there grade inflation present in the current 7-point grading system? Would the switch to a 10-point grading system from a 7-point grading system positively or negatively impact grade inflation?
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Could our grading scale impact �prospective college applicants?
The HS guidance counselors and HS Principal -
Click here to see detailed research by Jeff Holman and Steve Fluharty.
Findings:
From Colgate –
“I’d definitely recommend the usage of the changed scale. Those few percentage points could benefit students in the long run.”
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Does a 7-point (93-100=A) grading system have an impact on prospective scholarship athletes through the NCAA Clearinghouse recruited to play sports in college?
In regard to the NCAA Eligibility Center, most of our athletes will easily meet the eligibility requirements regardless of what grading scale we use. For example, athletes who enroll at a Division I NCAA school may be academically eligible to practice, compete, and receive an athletic scholarship in their first year of enrollment if they maintained at least a 2.3 core-course GPA in high school. However, the proposed 10-point scale could clearly help our marginal students. For example, a student I worked with who graduated in 2018 received a scholarship offer from a Division 1 school. When he graduated, his GPA was too low to be a full qualifier, so he had to complete summer coursework after graduating from HMHS to be eligible to practice and compete as a college freshman. Many of his high school grades were between 80 and 84, which the NCAA counted as "C" grades because of our grading scale. He also had several grades of 90 or 91, which the NCAA counted as "B" grades. Those grades between 80 and 84 would be "B" grades with the proposed scale, while the grades of 90 or 91 would be "A" grades. This athlete would have qualified easily with the 10-point scale.
Jeff Holman
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Student Perspectives of Changing �the Grading System?
Students Emma Barson, Sullivan Norton, Linus Kucer, Abigail Frey
Does the utilization of the 7-point (93-100=A) as opposed to a 10-point grading system have the potential to impact student stress levels?
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Are we a more elite school district because we have a 7-point grading system?
Board of Education Members Jaime Grookett and Lynn Hoag researched to compare our grading system with those used in elite high schools in NJ and around the nation
Slides follow:
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Grading Scale Comparisons
Jaime Grookett and Lynn Hoag
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Target Districts Grading Scale Policy—�7-point vs. 10-point
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% of High Schools with 10-point scale
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Would changing the grading �system impact teachers?
Haddonfield teachers on the committee Mrs. Welsh, Mrs. Baker, Mr. Kozak and Mr. Busarello researched by asking colleagues a change would impact their work in grading papers or reporting grades
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Does a switch to a 10-point grading system from a 7-point grading system have any impact upon teacher work or teacher grading? (HMS)�
Yes, a positive effect
Not the work, but it can’t help but change your mindset
on grading. For example, I think teachers would shift to thinking ‘B+
work, that’s an 88/89.
I don’t think it would make any difference. If anything, it would put less pressure on the teacher…In a way, I think it will reduce the scoring pressure on teachers, students, and parents, and raise self-esteem for many students.
Overall no, just some thoughts: set aside school/department/grade level time to discuss the transition within courses…also check-ins to make sure teachers are transitioning in a uniform way
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Does a switch to a 10-point grading system from a 7-point grading system have any impact upon teacher work or teacher grading? (HMHS)�
Yes…it will take more work to ensure the new grading scale reflects our current one
For me, personally, I do not, but other teachers have expressed that they would have to make tests more difficult to maintain rigor
It would lead to more grade inflation. Earning an A should be challenging. Making all grades 90+ an A is going to make getting an A relatively easy, especially in accelerated classes.
Yes. I would scale to make what is currently a 93 down to a 90. It would not change the letter grade but it would change the numerical grade.
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�An ancillary question regarding grade inflation
Dr. Murray surveyed teachers 6 through 12 teachers -
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�Teacher Impact Question: Do you think moving from a 7 point to a 10 point grading system has any impact on your assessment system?
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Grade Inflation Question: Do you think there is grade inflation present today?
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