Portland Schools Consider Banning Zeros For Cheating And Not Working: ‘Equitable Grading Practices’

Portland, Oregon students may soon be able to get away with cheating and not doing their homework if Portland Public Schools implements new “fair grading practices.”

If adopted, the new practices will bring several changes, including new grading structures, not grading assignments, not giving students failing grades for not completing work or cheating, and not grading for “non-academic factors” such as behavior , participation and effort.

“Not giving a student a zero when their work got such a low grade actually hurts that child,” Jonathan Butcher, a Heritage Foundation education fellow, told Fox News. “A student is hurt when she passes him from one grade to the next without asking him to show that he can complete the work assigned to him.”

The initiative stems from grading practices implemented by some of the district’s schools during the COVID-19 pandemic that took into account “inequities in access to curriculum and instruction,” according to a brochure first reported on. once the Washington Free Beacon.

The brochure says the initiative’s goal is to standardize practices across the district after unified implementation “led to a patchwork of grading practices across schools and across the district that confuses students and families.” “.

Schools in Portland, Oregon are reportedly considering implementing "fair grading practices" that would prohibit teachers from penalizing students for cheating or missing assignments.Portland, Oregon schools are reportedly considering implementing “fair grading practices” that would prohibit teachers from penalizing students for cheating or missing assignments.

“Given the dismal reading and math scores in national comparisons post-pandemic, it is sad that a school district would exercise the gentle intolerance of low expectations,” Butcher said. “The district’s approach will hurt students for life by failing to hold them accountable for their behavior and decisions.”

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Workshops on fair grading practices are currently underway and are expected to be implemented in the district by 2025, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

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The Hangout claims that the focus for students should be on demonstrating their competence rather than rewarding them for “playing the school game.”

The booklet is based on Joe Feldman’s book “Grading for Equity”, and includes recommendations such as: not giving students zeros, adopting a 0-4 scale instead of the traditional 0-100 scale, giving more weight to recent performances, not including group results. work toward grades, allow retakes, develop rubrics, and more.

According to the framework, ratings must be based on valid evidence and knowledge, “not evidence that could be influenced by a teacher’s implicit bias or reflect a student’s background.”

The “resident in bias” practices he lists to implement include using summative assessments, not grading assignments or including them as part of a final grade, not penalizing late work, not offering extra credit, excluding attendance, effort, attitude, or behavior in the rating. calculations and provide alternative consequences for cheating instead of assigning zeros.

Goals of the plan include determining what practices are already in place at various schools, defining what equitable grading practices will be, creating a roadmap for staff professional development, implementing the practices at high and middle schools, and more.

Butcher said the document “uses phrases from the awakening lexicon” such as “implicit bias” and “cultural affirmation.” He added that those terms are “difficult to define and are not supported by research as effective practices.”

Portland Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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