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ይህንን ዜና መፅሄት በሌሎች ቋንቋዎች ለማንበብ፤ እባክዎን ድረ ገፃችንን ይጎብኙ።
이 소식지를 다른 언어로 읽으려면, 우리 웹사이트를 방문하시기 바랍니다.
.يرجى زيارة موقعنا الألكتروني لقراءة هذه النشرة الإخبارية بلغات أخرى
Hello Community Members,
This Thursday, December 14, the School Board will determine whether to adopt as policy the use of the 100-point scale, with 50% as the lowest passing grade for submitted assignments, for all high school credit-bearing classes.
The change is being brought by two School Board Members. The proposed change was first advertised two weeks ago as “New Business” on December 4, 2023. It is listed, here, as an “Action Item” for Board vote on this Thursday, December 14.
Currently the policy regarding grading is #2418. The policy is ripe for a thorough review and update that clarifies the values of the community as represented by the School Board.
The School Board has not had a public meeting regarding this proposal to change the grading policy. Such a public discussion is necessary to consider data and best practices alongside input from students, staff, and parents. As such, I want to be sure you are aware of this critical proposal. I welcome your input in the hours ahead.
One of the top frustrations I hear about repeatedly from students, parents, and staff is inconsistent grading for high school credit-bearing courses - from school to school, and even class to class within a school.
These inconsistencies have deterred our students from having clear and consistent expectations and assessment of their own learning progress.
Furthermore, we know that grades are crucial indicators for students to be competitive in college admissions decisions. The inequity within and across schools means that our students are not only competing for limited college seats with students outside of FCPS, but also with their own peers in other FCPS schools. This is not right, and threatens the ability of our students especially for acceptance at in-state Virginia colleges and universities.
This is why I’ve stated publicly many times to my colleagues on the School Board, in communications to you, and in advocacy to the Superintendent that the Board must prioritize clarifying and updating a grading policy.
I favor a fulsome, public, transparent, and thoughtful discussion of the School Board informed by what’s been happening in FCPS, and best practices. The speed at which this proposed grading policy change is being approached is not best for our students.
Additionally, addressing this critical issue at the last School Board meeting of the calendar year, with a new School Board being sworn in just the day prior, to officially take office January 1, extinguishes the opportunity for legitimate policy making.
If you want to provide your input to those introducing a change to the grading policy, their contact information is as follows (click "Submit a Question"):
You can also reach out to me as your Hunter Mill representative and your three At-Large representatives:
If you live in a different Fairfax district, you can locate their information here.
The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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