OPRF to implement race-based grading system in 2022-23 school year | West Cook News
Category: News & Politics
Via: texan1211 • 2 years ago • 44 commentsBy: Assistant Superintendent (West Cook News)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Laurie Fiorenza, director of student learning | oprfhs.org
By LGIS News ServiceMay 30, 2022
Oak Park and River Forest High School administrators will require teachers next school year to adjust their classroom grading scales to account for the skin color or ethnicity of its students.
School board members discussed the plan called "Transformative Education Professional Development & Grading" at a meeting on May 26, presented by Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Laurie Fiorenza.
In an effort to equalize test scores among racial groups, OPRF will order its teachers to exclude from their grading assessments variables it says disproportionally hurt the grades of black students. They can no longer be docked for missing class, misbehaving in school or failing to turn in their assignments, according to the plan.
"Traditional grading practices perpetuate inequities and intensify the opportunity gap," reads a slide in the PowerPoint deck outlining its rationale and goals.
It calls for what OPRF leaders describe as "competency-based grading, eliminating zeros from the grade book…encouraging and rewarding growth over time."
Teachers are being instructed how to measure student "growth" while keeping the school leaders' political ideology in mind.
"Teachers and administrators at OPRFHS will continue the process necessary to make grading improvements that reflect our core beliefs," the plan states, promising to "consistently integrate equitable assessment and grading practices into all academic and elective courses" by fall 2023.
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, 38 percent of OPRF sophomore students taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) failed.
The OPRF failure rate was 77 percent for black students, 49 percent for Hispanics, 27 percent for Asians and 25 percent for whites.
"Signal and reinforce districts' DEIJ values"
Advocates for so-called "equity based" grading practices, which seek to raise the grade point averages of black students and lower scores of higher-achieving Asian, white and Hispanic ones, say new grading criteria are necessary to further school districts' mission of DEIJ, or "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice."
"By training teachers to remove the non-academic factors from their grading practices and recognize when personal biases manifest, districts can proactively signal a clear commitment toward DEIJ," said Margaret Sullivan, associate director at the Education Advisory Board, which sells consulting services to colleges and universities.
Sullivan calls grading based on traditional classroom testing and homework performance "outdated practices" and foster "unconscious biases."
"Teachers may unintentionally let non-academic factors—like student behavior or whether a student showed up to virtual class—interfere with their final evaluation of students.," she said. "Traditional student grades include non-academic criteria that do not reflect student learning gains—including participation and on-time homework submission."
School districts across the U.S. are "experimenting with getting rid of zero-to-100 point scales and other strategies to keep missed assignments from dramatically bringing down overall grades," according to a March Associated Press report. "Others are allowing students to retake tests and turn work in late. Also coming under scrutiny are extra-credit assignments than can favor students with more advantages."
The report interviewed science teacher Brad Beadell of Santa Clara, Calif., who said he has "stopped giving zeros and deducting points for late work" as well as allowing students "unlimited retakes for quizzes and tests."
Fiorenza called for a switch to race-based grading last August, after issuing a report chronicling a spike in "F" grades by OPRF students in the 2020-21 school year.
"OPRF's administration will adopt language that makes and keeps the system visible and continues to name racism as a complex interconnected structure," she wrote. "We must recognize the unique challenges faced during the pandemic intensify the need for a systemic approach to confronting the racial and socioeconomic discrepancies often experienced by our underrepresented student population."
Last year, West Cook News reported on an adjusted grade point average scale implemented by OPRF teacher Fiona Hill. It lowered the score for an "F" to 19 percent.
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I appreciated the poster who seeded this article earlier, wish he/she would have left it open.
This kind of stuff is too important to ignore.
I sure hope the idiots in the school district where this is going on lose their jobs--they are clearly incompetent.
In what kind of world is the color of your skin a reason to excuse you from turning in homework assignments?
And what does the color of your skin have to do with attending school?
It's not fair to expect blacks to do homework or to attend school every day, it interferes with their gang banging activities.
Not helpful.
I kept looking for the satire tag; I was really, really, really hoping that this was all it was.
So why should they even bother to show up at all; or do anything?
How are they ever going to fix this; when promoting their absurd race based grading curve? Do they think black students will learn anything when there is no penalty for not doing the work? Do they think white students won't see what is going on and simply stop trying; until the school system is forced to give them the same entitlements?
The Democrat race to the bottom takes many forms; this has to be one of the dumbest.
Indeed.
The soft bigotry of low expectations is championed by well-meaning, misguided fools.
This sounds kind of like an extension of the "Everyone gets a trophy" philosophy, which doesn't bode well for those kids' futures.
Kids need to be prepared for their futures; not made to 'feel better' by getting a grade that has been 'adjusted', subjectively, based on the color of their skin.
So if a child is perceived to be challenged, apply extra resources to work with the child and help them do better.
All fair points.
It is easy to see why so many people are disillusioned with the state of education.
This scenario is almost unfathomable to some of us because it doesn't make sense.
I know I wasn't the only one looking at the site for the source, sure that it would be the Babylon Bee or some other satire site.
Of course, math is math, science is science, language is language and it is hard for some to see how lowering standards teaches kids anything other than half-assed attempts at things will be rewarded lest they "feel" bad about themselves.
"The OPRF failure rate was 77 percent for black students, 49 percent for Hispanics, 27 percent for Asians and 25 percent for whites. Sullivan calls grading based on traditional classroom testing and homework performance “outdated practices” and foster "unconscious biases."
What they appear to be saying is that blacks as a group are intellectually challenged and need special concessions and lowered standards.
I suppose lowering standards is simply easier than actually educating kids.
You can instantly claim success as grades 'improve" and pat your "woke" selves on the back.
We need Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield to start pushing this approach at the UN. It could help with how we compete internationally in math and science.
We need to stop weaponizing grades for minorities and when you think about it with an open mind, this isn't that different than English as a Second Language (ESOL), except for our Black students.
Grades are often kind of bullshit, anyway. We already have the problem of grade inflation, but even in an honest system, one teacher's C is another one's A. It also varies from school to school.
I wouldn't adjust the grading for anyone based on race only, but it might be smart to adjust the way you teach a thing based on the needs of individual students. And race might alert a teacher to that need - or not. Unfortunately, teachers are rarely that flexible.
So true is the subjectively graded courses. Not so in the non subjective courses like math and sciences. Testing standards can get squirrelly but 2+2 will always equal 4 .... even in the new math.
Grading is subjective even in the sciences. I’ll show you how with an example.
A math test has a complex problem. Let’s assume it’s something a little advanced like Algebra II, Trig, or Calculus. To solve the problem, the student needs to have an understanding of multiple concepts and perform several computations.
Student 1 does everything right but copied the problem wrong, and so ended up with the wrong answer.
Student 2 does everything right, including solving the correct problem, but because of nothing more than a minor brain fart, screws up some basic arithmetic or reverses a sign, resulting in a wrong answer.
Student 3 doesn’t have a fucking clue and makes several steps that reflect a broad misunderstanding of the class curriculum and learning objectives, and so also comes up with the wrong answer.
Teacher A grades all the tests and gives all the students a zero because they failed to produce the correct answer.
Teacher B grades all the tests and gives Students 1 and 2 a score of 90% because she examines their work and realizes the students have actually mastered everything they were supposed to master. They just made human mistakes that have nothing to do with the core curriculum. Student 3 gets the F he deserves.
We can have a debate about which is the best way to grade, but the fact is that these two styles of grading exist in the world and are a personal choice by each teacher. So looking at three students who all get the same grade on a test doesn’t necessarily tell you anything about what those students know.
Horsepucky. A good teacher can discern the accuracy of the students method in solving a math problem if work is shown
Student one copied the wrong problem? All the tests I’ve ever taken gave you the problem. No method to evaluate here since the student somehow tried to solve the wrong problem,. Student one fails
Student 2 appears to have demonstrated the proper method to solve the problem. Graded down for errors but not a fail. Object lesson here, small mistakes in math can cause bridges to fall and satellites to fail. A down grade is called for vs a properly solved problems.
Student 3 didn’t even show up. Easily a fail.
Granted, proper method with the wrong answer is subjective to how much the student is graded down but a mindful teacher will give credit where credit is due. We can however agree that all teachers are not mindful.
Your opinion on how best to grade tests is not relevant to my comment. My point was that teachers grade according to their own preferences. And that makes it subjective.
It’s completely relevant as notated.
In math, there are only correct answers....and wrong answers.
Approximations and earnest efforts don't count.
Tacos!' point was that math and science teachers do have subjectivity in how they award points for a WRONG answer. He illustrated that there is a difference between a student who made a mistake but otherwise demonstrated an understanding of the material vs. one who clearly does not understand the material.
Agreed, except as I clearly noted for those who care to read with unbiased comprehension. Proper problem solving technique does have merit and can be graded subjectively if so desired but in the end you are correct. There is nothing subjective about proper answers to a math problem.
One either gets the correct answer or they don’t.
Incorrect answers are not helpful in the real world. No extra credit after the bridge collapses .....
Do you understand what the word “subjective” means?
They do in many classrooms. That’s what makes grading subjective.
And consider if you have this kind of zero tolerance policy toward grading, as you describe, do the grades really have any value? One student makes clumsy errors and a second totally doesn’t understand the material at all, but they get the same grade. Do the grades tell anyone anything that is useful?
I have to admit when driving over a bridge, I prefer to drive over the one built by the engineer who got the answer correct rather than the engineer who got extra credit for subjective matters.
Of course in real life (when one's knowledge is being applied in the real world) the criteria are different.
In school, the objective is to learn. While learning, one will make mistakes — it is part of the process. Grades ideally reflect the degree to which one has learned. Grades thus help the student make appropriate corrections. If one gets ½ credit on a problem for demonstrating proper understanding of the method but making an error in a calculation they are penalized for the wrong answer but are rewarded for learning the method. Nothing wrong with giving credit for learning while reinforcing the importance of ultimately being correct.
And it makes sense that as one progresses, the tolerance for mistakes will lessen. For example, a grad student likely should NOT get any credit if the answer is wrong.
In the real world, mistakes can be devastating and that is why the methods of professionals employ safeguards such as peer review, prototypes, simulations, etc. In the real world it does not matter if you know the material; all that matters is that you get the right answer. Different criteria.
First of all, it’s math class, not a bridge.
But in the case of a real bridge, the kid who doesn’t understand the material at all, never even gets started on the bridge. So ya get no bridge. You get to climb down the ravine, swim across, and climb back up.
The kid who might make the occasional mistake has a chance to review the work he started via inspections and safety protocols that give him a chance to review his work. Because he understands the process, he can actually learn from mistakes and knows how to correct them.
But ok, if you want to treat both students the same, go for it. Hope it works out for you.
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I’m sorry. Since you didn’t read, understand, and agree with me 100% in all things, you get a ZERO.
No
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Remember a few years back, a teachers union out of Florida I believe, stated that their members would no longer use red ink in grading papers because of the negative connotations about the color and they would start to use purple ink instead. This kind of reminds me of that same mindset, gotta change how we do business so that we don't make the poor children feel bad about how they did. Don't worry about how the children will take care of themselves when they are older, that's for someone else to worry about. sigh...
"Also coming under scrutiny are extra-credit assignments than can favor students with more advantages.""
Yea, you don't want to be the long pole in the tent.
Better to learn that someone will always have some advantage over you in some facet of your life. Just like you will also have advantages over everyone in something. Pretending that isn't true leads to thinking everyone needs participation trophies and encourages a sense of unearned-entitlement thinking.
For some, equal opportunity isn't the goal. It is equal outcome regardless of any factors other than inclusion and "justice".
“…someone will always have some advantage over you…”
That’s so true and funny. I remember the kid who, in four years of high school, ALWAYS had the right answer and reasoning in math - and I’d kick myself after every discussion. That’s just the way it is.
They will be in for a shock when they have to join the real world
Nahhh.
They'll just vote themselves a share of the treasury and tax the hell out of the rich.
I just hope I'm not around by then.
Meh ..... Illinois ..... not a surprise.
I’m just shocked it’s not California.
Will they add points to low achievers grades or subtract form the smart ones?
A conversion chart is needed
Should this idea be applied to sports to make things fair?
Oh I hope so. But a question on that, how badly do those NFL contracts mess with Social Security payments? hehe
On my first job after graduating from college, I quickly learned that knowing the process was so you would get the right answer every time. If I made a mistake on paper the shop made the same mistake in metal.
I wonder if Black millionaires would be in favor of lowing educational standards for Black children.