Grading system left behind

It's still unknown how long some schools used a grading policy that didn't allow students to earn less than 40 percent.

But administrators, board members and at least one teacher advocate agree - it's not likely to come back before the board anytime soon. None of the public schools in Hernando County are using the grading policy.

Dr. Marcia Austin interim assistant superintendent said the proposed grade change was never meant to be a tool used to buffer student grades and make their academic performance seem more productive.

Instead, she said the grading proposal was meant as a mechanism to minimize punishing students for mistakes on one assignment or because of very poor performance on homework. Under the no less than 40 percent policy, students would have a much better chance of getting their grades up rather than potentially dropping two letter grades after receiving a very low average or even a 0.

"The goal was to minimize the affect any one grade a student might receive that might not have anything to do with that's student's assessment," Austin said.

In one example, she said a student could have an A on all assignments but receive lower grades for the homework - either because the student struggled or because they didn't try.

Austin said a student would still face the repercussions of a lesser grade on the assignment - but not as much impact as under the current policy that allows for as little as a 0 grade.

Joe Vitalo, head of the teacher's union for the district, said what raised red flags about the policy is that some principals were reportedly telling teachers to change grades so that no student received less than a 40 percent - essentially utilizing the policy before board members approved or even considered it.

"I went and talked to (Interim Superintendent Sonya Jackson) and she agreed with me that this couldn't be utilized unless the board approved the grading policy," Vitalo said. "And the problem is we don't know how long the policy had been in use, and that means there was no consistency between the grade levels or even the schools.

However, he said he's not sure if the proposal was presented in a way to convince board members of its merit. Austin said once the media reported on the proposal, public outcry helped seal the deal against it.

However, despite what good intentions there might have been, Vitalo said allowing such a large cushion for students was a bit hard for most to agree to.

"Let's face it, grades are subjective. So changing grades a little bit depending on the situation is one thing, but a 40 percent swing is pretty major," Vitalo said. "Especially if you're talking about a student who really didn't do the work."

Board Member Dianne Bonfield, who was adamantly against the measure, said the grading issue is one of many examples of problems within the school district.

"You earn what you learn and that means that if you turn in work and you receive a 30 percent, then that's what you should get," Bonfield said. "This is something that should've never been used and, once we have our new superintendent in place, policy will be followed until the board is totally informed and decides to make a change."