4 F’s Part Of Future Grading Scale At Falcon High School
Falcon School District 49 confirmed on Tuesday that a new grading scale is not part of the new TCAP statewide assessment test for grades 3 through 10. Both were announced in the same newsletter, which may have caused some confusion.
The new grading scale, known as Standards-Based Grading, will be used starting next fall at Falcon High School. D-49 officials said it offers a new way to measure learning. The district’s elementary schools have used a similar scale for several years,
D-49’s school board recently approved switching to the new scale. District spokeswoman Stephanie Meredith said it has the support of teachers and the surrounding community.
“The intention is to give parents a more comprehensive look at how their students are doing,” said Meredith. “So it’s not just a letter grade. Things are broken up a little bit more extensively.”
A KRDO NewsChannel13 report on Monday focused on one aspect of the scale — four different F or failing grades.
“That’s making things easier,” said Cathy Gardino, a Falcon woman who opposed the scale and whose granddaughter attends the school. “You try to be progressive and think maybe this is better. That’s not better. Are (kids) learning? Are they really learning? That’s my concern, truly. Are they really getting an education?”
Meredith said “yes,” that the new grading helps improve education by giving teachers more insight into where students are, academically.
“So as opposed to just leaving them with an F, we’re able to break that down and show exactly … students are getting this percentage of content but not the rest, students aren’t getting any of the content, etc,” Meredith said.
The new scale,” said Meredith, “Can help teachers use several strategies — not just one — to bring failing students up to a passing level.
Meredith said the new grading scale also helps higher-achieving students in the same way, by pinpointing exactly how well they’ve mastered the material.
Even without the new grading system, Falcon High had some of the district’s highest scores on the 2010 statewide assessment test, said Meredith.
