This is sad. In a YouTube video, dated February 27, 2021, Ruby Bode, Assistant Superintendent at Estes Park School District outlines the new program, Grading for Equity Commitments for the Estes Park High School community. Unfortunately this video was removed from YouTube – another case of censorship or did Ms. Bode realize her mistake in making the video? If ever there was another reason to home school your kids or send them to a private school, this video demonstrates it.
Ms. Bode admitted the school district thinks there are kids who cannot learn at the same rate as other students and they need to change standards to accommodate them. Let us just teach to the lowest common denominator.
The school district believes the following:
- There is no success without failure
- We learn by making mistakes and then trying again
- Students have different foundational knowledge & skills
- Learning is built on prior knowledge, experience, & culture
- Learners have different barriers, opportunities, & resources
- Some students need more time than others
- Learning is non-linear and deepens over time
- Feedback along with the opportunity to use it to improve learning enhances performance
- Learning increases when it is purposeful and contextual
- Learning is social and collaborative
Though these beliefs sound reasonable, the response by the school district is to change standards, change the grading systems, and allow these students to fall behind. How will the other students fare? Is that really what the school district wants to accomplish?
Some of the Collective Commitment changes include:
1) Invite redos and retakes
2) Replace the grade once the student masters the learning target with the grade they earn, rather than averaging
3) Students can retake parts of an assessment they missed rather than the entire thing
4) Allow any student to retake a major assessment for a higher grade
5) Grad the performance, not the practice
6) Welcome missing work and replace the zero
7) When possible, use descriptive, criterion-based rubrics instead of points, and when possible build the rubric with students
8) Allow student to demonstrate understanding in other ways and replace the grade
9) Don’t make participation and behavior charts part of the grade
10) Make time for narrative feedback and student conferencing whenever possible
When these students get into the job market, if they ever do, I wonder how they will measure success? Turning work in late, missing due dates, changing the definition of success, and asking their boss for a redo. Standards do matter even though this school administrator does not have a clue.
