Franklin County Schools: Investigative Math Lesson Plans

Posted Opinions

I asked my 7th grade music students at Terrell Lane what they thought about a grading system that consisted of A, B,C, and I. They believed that this system was good because it allowed them time to finish assignments. My opinion was that they were not held accountable for meeting deadlines, and establishing some sense of readiness for the "real" workplace. I read an article that was written from a speech that Bill Gates gave to a high school about workplace readiness. He talks about how "feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world."

One of his comments was that "in some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer....this doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life." Is Gates' comment similar to the A,B,C,and I grading system? Makes you think doesn't it?

At any rate, I enjoyed the article that you posted on the FC website. Keep up the good work. Thanks for keeping us up-to-date with the latest research on grading.

- Harriet Thomas/TLMS Music

I found the article to be interesting. I would agree that a student with failing grades has lost his/her motivation and just gives up and quits. I think I like the idea of what Ohio is doing because it gives the student a chance to bring his grades and self esteem up. I wish they had thought of this when I was a child.

- Natasha Grosso

Given the recent information that only 64% percent of students make it to graduation, the time for this discussion is NOW! I feel that it is the teacher's job to find out how their students learn best. I feel the teachers should be given more freedom to teach and engage the students rather than teaching only what is on standardized tests given at different intervals throughout the year. I agree that removing failing grades will not prepare the student for "real life". Without consequences, the student develops a sense of entitlement that will be their downfall in the future. The role of the parent in this situation should be to set goals and EXPECT the child to succeed. The motivation to be successful should start in the home.

Allowing the student never ending chances to "get it right" is not teaching. Education should not be hit or miss. Set the standard, with the help of both parents and teachers every child has the potential to succeed.

Carol Davies

I think that students are given many opportunities to make up a grade. I for one give students progress reports and tell them they have the opportunity to turn in the grade to bring it up from a zero to a 70. I even have them do the calculation to see how turning in the missing homework will drastically improve their grade. I agree with Bill Gates that children are not prepared for the real world. In the real world, when you are late on a project you get reprimanded, and you may get one chance to improve. However if you keep being late and turning in subpar work then you are fired. I think we are too lax on children and they really need to see how work ethic ties in with success.

In essence, I am sure a program like the one mentioned would be awesome. However once again in the real world there is no program for the employees who just didn't get it the first time around. In college, there is no turning in late homework EVERY TIME.

Eboni Fennell DuBose

Cedar Creek Middle School

It can be extremely difficult for students, their parents, and even their teachers to “face the music” of a failed grade. However, allowing (some) students an opportunity to overcome, change, or essentially, "cover up" a poor grade by turning in late assignments and/or additional "bonus work" does more harm than good - unless the practice is provided to all students, at all times, across the board for all subjects.

This policy may be good for the school’s end of year report card, but if it creates "artificial" passing grades for a student, it can both diminish that student’s self respect in the long run, and breed disrespect and distrust on behalf of fellow students who are not afforded the same "extra" consideration. Regardless of grades, students inherently know what they know, and know what they don’t know. When they carry forward insecurities about skills never mastered (and they will), they tend to become increasingly less enthusiastic and less motivated about learning altogether.

I recently reviewed the grading policy at a school where an International Baccalaureate program was implemented for all students, not just for high achievers. For the majority of classes (writing assignments, the exception), homework is viewed as “practice work”. Students receive two separate grades for each subject – a homework “grade” based on whether or not the student attempted and/or completed their assignments, and a subject grade that reflects their “mastery” of the material, based on quiz/test scores only. The subject grade cannot be made “better” by doing homework or extra credit, nor can it be made worse, and the "homework" grade is used merely to identify for the students the correlation between practice and grades.

This policy benefits students in a variety of ways: Students are treated in an “adult” way to accept responsibility. They learn for themselves how “practice” improves performance, and they learn how to self-assess and make decisions accordingly. Those talented in a particular subject, able to master the concepts or material with less “practice”, are not burdened with homework just for homework’s sake and can devote the extra time to other subjects (where they need more practice), or to other areas such as sports, dance, music, etc. Those who opt to forego homework altogether “just because they can” learn very quickly that the personal consequence is most likely a failed grade. A taste of failure, though hard to swallow, can motivate a student in a way that “all A’s” cannot, if the teacher has the right attitude.

A failing grade is not a reflection of the whole child. It is (or should be) only a reflection that, for the moment, the child does not possess the skills needed to complete a set of specific tasks. The moral of the story is – a strong teacher will teach children to never, never give up. Just like the “real world” offers “on the job training”, the strong teacher will use every opportunity, every resource available to work “failed” material into the current curriculum for those students who need more exposure to a subject, or more assistance with a task. They will understand that an accomplished student can often be the most effective helper for a peer having trouble; that the practices of assigning zeros when homework is not completed, or reducing scores because a child’s name is written on the wrong side of the paper, do not constitute “effective teaching methods” (unless the grade is clearly assigned for the category of “following instructions”), and that a positive, encouraging relationship between teacher and student is one of the most critical elements in a child’s educational success.

Carol Carnley

Although the article focused mostly on middle school students, I believe grading is just as much of a concern in the elementary years, where students first begin to encounter either positive or negative messages through grading. The first thing I think we need to focus on is that students are not given grades as either punishment or reward. They earn grades based on their performance. When below level students continually try hard and consistently earn unsatisfactory grades, they often give up by the time they reach middle school. I believe we need to restructure our system, at least at the elementary grade. We assess students based on certain benchmarks or developmental stages in all of our core subject areas. Why not allow students to earn grades based on their individual academic levels? For instance, if a second grader is performing at a DRA Level 6 in the middle of second grade, he/she should earn grades based on that level. The report card should show with a developmental timeline, however, that the level is below grade level standards. With a system like this, students wouldn't always receive the message that they are "Unsatisfactory", which might prevent some of the negative perceptions discussed in the article. The article also stated that many students are motivated by good grades, so if all students are able to achieve "good grades" at their own level, then all students, regardless of ability, would benefit.

-Heather Shipley

Youngsville Elementary

I am a Reading Specialist at Youngsville Elementary and the topic of motivation among our students has been top priority to me. There is a definite correlation between the successfulness of any individual and their desire for engagement in a particular area. Educators realize the importance of individualizing instruction as much as possible, which is why we have IEP's and magnet schools, and many other ways in which we differentiate instruction, and it is time to individualize our grading policy as well. When in WFSG's, we pre-assess and establish a baseline of data and then set goals. We then reassess and adjust instruction accordingly. We need to be doing this in all areas of instruction and base individual grades based on individual progress.

We also need to continue to find better strategies for engaging our students and their desire to learn. Research and student surveys suggest that allowing students choice, group work and real world application improves motivation. Although teachers may realize this and want to implement such ideas, they are not given sufficient time and support to do so. The stakes for performing well on standardized tests are too high which puts too much pressure on teaching for the purpose of passing the tests.

Jill Vorndran

Reading Specialist

Youngsville Elementary

This is teaching the student not to be responsible for the actions he/she has chosen. If one doesn't feel like doing the homework, the person gets an "I" and can do it when he/she is in the mood. Imagine if we prepare students to enter college or medical school with that attitude. The med student can simply not take the test because he/she is not ready, could fail (get an I) or not do the required work for the degree. That is a scarey thought. The effect of lowering the standards of the professionals that do scientific research, operate on patients or protects the citizens of the United States can be devastating. Is this idea being considered in other countries around the world? The U.S. needs to remain competitive and we have to hold the students accountable for their actions (of lack of) when being given a grade and eventually a diploma. The "I" doesn't work in the real world.

I agree with the some aspects of the article, but as a whole I overwhelmingly disagree with it. If a student is having difficulty learning the material, it is very prudent of a teacher to give the student some extra time. The purpose of grades is to judge a students learning of the material, and the acquisition of knowledge is what should be judged not the expediency. However, we, as educators, have a responsibility to prepare our students for the real world. Much of the article discusses that students should be graded on what they are able to do. Ultimately, life is not about what you are able to do, but what you do. If you do not do your work in a timely manner you will not succeed. Of course, I agree with the article that giving students time before/after school or at lunch as a way to make up their work is important. This is very much like the real world. If I am unable to finish my work during the day I have to stay late and get it done. However, it is not practical or reasonable to wait 2 weeks. Ultimately, I think the best thing to take out of this article is the reminder of good teaching techniques--giving students extra help, holding high standards, and holding students accountable. However, I do not feel that the incomplete grading system is in the best interest of the students.

Sincerely,

Andrew Blackburne

Teacher

Louisburg High School

After reading this article several times and doing additional research on the school cited as an example (Beechwood Middle School), as well as reviewing additional research conducted by several of my teaching peers, I have concluded that what happens in Beechwood, Ohio, should stay in Beechwood, Ohio. This article deals specifically with the practice of not issuing a failing grade to a student even though that student may have well earned it. And although the article does not specifically mention the "Power of I" concept (a never-ending series of incomplete grades for students who refuse to turn in work on established deadlines, faculty members in Franklin County have been asked recently to provide feedback to their respective principals on that topic.

I am now, have always been, and will always be, a firm believer that students earn grades, and that grades should not be given--for any purpose. To do so would denigrate and cheapen the academic progress of students who are doing their work and turning it in on time. By artificially buffering a student's grade, we do them no favors at all.

Instead, we prepare them for future shock when their attitudes about education and their classroom effort, or lack thereof, runs headlong into the realities of the proficiency level needed to survive in college, the expectations of the modern workforce, and life in general.

The practice of freely issuing "Incomplete" grades at Beechwood Middle School is also a farce, and operates on the premise that if required, students will stay after school, may possibly be required to attend Saturday sessions, and if that fails, attend summer school. One of our biggest problems locally is regular attendance on a consistent basis.

The fact that we are a rural community, with little mass transit and parents who work, would result in virtually zero attendance after school and forget about kids coming on Saturdays--they simply won't do it. The article also correctly notes that in order to adopt a policy of no failing grades along with after-school attendance and Saturday attendance, that "additional funding for necessary support mechanisms"

would be necessary.

That's where the research about Beechwood Middle School is striking in its differences from the typical school in Franklin County. And that is why hanging our hat on the approach taken there is a recipe for disaster here.

For example:

(1) During the 2006 school year, Beechwood Middle School had a total population of 224 students. In contrast, virtually every school in Franklin County from elementary to high school is either at capacity, over capacity, or near capacity. I teach at Louisburg High and regularly for the last four years have shared my class during planning period with Health and Physical Education classes. Just glance around the county and see how many portable classrooms are currently in use.

(2) During the 2006 school year, the student-to-teacher ratio at Beechwood was 9 students for each teacher. That's correct--a 9 to 1 ratio. We routinely have teacher-to-student ratios of 26 or 27 to one at LHS and when you factor out the limited size of EC classes (some teachers have as few as 5 or 6 students) that ratio climbs closer to 30 to 1.

(3) The student demographics at Beechwood Middle School are starkly different from the typical Franklin County school. Seventy-five percent of their students are white, only 17 percent Black, 6 percent Asian.

Only six percent of Beechwood's student body is considered economically disadvantaged. Forty-six percent of their 224 students are considered gifted, they have no (zero) students from migrant worker families and no

(zero) students considered limited in their English proficiency

(4) Each student is given a laptop computer to use each year (parents are required to purchase a $100 insurance policy.)

(5) The spending PER PUPIL at Beechwood Middle School during school year 2005-2006 was $17,354 per student.

Anyone familiar with Franklin County Schools knows that our minority student population is considerably higher than Beechwood's, that a far greater percentage of our students come from economically disadvantaged families, that with an influx of migrant workers to North Carolina, English as a Second Language has become a cottage industry, and that our per student spending is about one-third of Beechwood's (about $6,700 per student from what I have been able to glean.) Just to use Louisburg High School as an example, it is my understanding that about 70 percent of our students are on free or reduced lunch and breakfast programs, and that a full 20 percent of our student body, which almost matches Beechwood's total student population, have a documented learning disability of some type.

And Beechwood is a school that has to resort to grade inflation and unrealistic deadlines for students to turn in work? It would seem to me that we are doing a better job of motivating our kids to get the job done than Beechwood is doing. Further, if you go to Beechwood's webpage, many parents have expressed the opinion that while the school has tremendous resources, they have just brought on a new principal hoping for positive changes.

There is no indication as to whether Beechwood continues its policy of issuing no failing grades or continues the practice of artificial and elastic deadlines.

To be fair and objective, it appears the information about this school that was presented in this article on the Franklin County School webpage was cherry-picked and in its totality, does not offer a true picture of what is happening at that school. It would seem to me that in comparison, we as teachers, administrators, parents and students in Franklin County are making better progress with what limited resources we have. Why would we want to emulate a school whose world, is indeed, a world apart from ours?

This webpage asked for opinions and now that I have bluntly offered mine, I fully expect to be summoned to the principal's office.

Joe DeSantis

English teacher

Louisburg High