Posted 8/27/12

New policy aimed at making report card grades better reflect knowledge of course topic

 

The Gloversville Enlarged School District implemented a new district-wide grading policy this year which changes the way grades will be recorded on the report cards.

After nearly two years in development, the Board of Education approved the new policy this spring. It's the first major change to the way the district grades students in more than two decades.

GESD Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Frank Pickus said the new policy is fair and will provide consistency to grading practices.

"The new way of grading will provide a truer picture of what students are actually learning," Mr. Pickus said. "Grades will be based on the New York State Learning Standards, and will only gauge students understanding and knowledge of the course topic."

While such things as work habits, classroom participation and homework completion can no longer be uses as part of a student's grade, performance in those areas will be reported separately, under the new policy.

Among other major changes in the new policy is the establishment of 50 as the lowest allowable grade for a marking period. The elimination of scores below 50 will allow students who turn their studies around to pass, and result in a grade more reflective of how well they performed throughout the whole year.

The new policy also states that homework will count as no more than up to 10 percent of a student's grade. The policy says homework should be a planned part of the curriculum, and should reinforce the learning experience at school. Mr. Pickus says homework and grades should never be used as punishment.

"The new policy maintains high learning expectation for our students. Students who work hard and learn the material will receive grades that indicate that," said Interim Superintendent Clifford Moses.

Click here to review the entire policy.