Who would have thought that the grading system you use to award little Johnny an A, B, or C could cause such headaches for a school district?
But that’s exactly what’s happening these days in two school districts-Pittsburgh, Pa., and Fairfax County, Va.
The irony is each district faces complaints for exactly opposite reasons: Pittsburgh officials are accused of watering down their academic standards by mandating that no student receive less than a 50 percent grade for their homework, test scores, or grading period.
In Fairfax County, on the other hand, parents complain that the grading system is too tough-demanding a score of 64 percent for a passing grade and 94 percent for an A.
Officials in Pittsburgh have logic for their policy. Mathematically, students with a few bad test scores cannot hope to bring their grades back up to passing, and that gives scores of 0-50 more “weight” than higher grades.
Officials say the 50-percent minimum gives students a chance to save themselves academically and may serve as an incentive to stay in school, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. A passing grade still remains 60 percent.
This logic hasn’t swayed critics. “The district was skewered on radio shows and blogs, and backlash from teachers prompted the district and union to form a committee to consider modifications,” the paper reports.
Some accused Pittsburgh officials of a system that could lead to “grade inflation,” but that’s exactly the danger that school officials in Fairfax County raised to defend their tough grading policy.
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