Pittsburgh Public Schools are following Dallas with the goofy idea that students should not fail.
The ‘E’ is to be recorded no lower than a 50 percent, regardless of the actual percent earned. For example, if the student earns a 20 percent on a class assignment, the grade is recorded as a 50 percent,” said the memo from Jerri Lippert, the district’s executive director of curriculum, instruction and professional development, and Mary VanHorn, a PFT vice president.
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a 20 percent score means a student isn’t trying or needs more help with the material. Automatically putting 50 percent in the grade book… doesn’t help the student in either case.And … one teacher she knows already worries about how awkward it will look when a student correctly answers three of 10 questions on a math quiz — and gets a 50 percent.
Will this really help our students? No, it won’t. And it isn’t fair to the people who actually work hard. I am opposed.