IN RESPONSE: New grading policy would better reflect achievement

The Clark County School District has been evaluating the need for potential district-wide grading reform that accurately reflects students’ mastery of academic standards. The district has been studying these ideas for more than a decade, which many other districts throughout the nation have already adopted.

This has been a grassroots effort led by our principals. As a result, the Board of School Trustees will soon be presented with proposed changes to the district’s grading policies that will allow for grades to accurately reflect how a student performs as they master standards throughout the year.

To honor the fact that students learn at different rates, the proposal allows students opportunities to revise assignments and reassess to demonstrate they have mastered skills they may have struggled with initially. This is an acknowledgement of the fact that Nevada Academic Content Standards are built on a yearlong mastery process. Grades should reflect the most recent learning, not an average of a lower score with a newer, higher score.

Take, for instance, learning to drive a car. If you did not master driving skills and failed your first driving test, you were provided with an opportunity to retake the test after more practice. It’s the same idea here: If a student struggles to master fractions at first, the way many drivers struggle with parallel parking, he or she may continue building confidence through practice and deeper learning.

In the real world, we have opportunities to redo work that requires feedback and promotes growth, resulting in the mastery of skills. It is this reality that is ignored by Victor Joecks’ inaccurate, misleading May 16 column, “Here are the stunning details on CCSD’s proposal to gut grading standards.” The author misses the point completely regarding the district’s main focus: student achievement and accuracy in reporting student progress.

The inaccurate column indicates that students would be given 50 percent credit for missing assignments. Under the proposal, students would actually not receive a grade for missing assignments, as educators would not have evidence to measure the student performance. These assignments would instead be marked as missing or late to remind parents/guardians and students that the work still needs to be completed to demonstrate understanding of the content.

The district has worked in partnership with parents/guardians and principals at all levels to develop plans that will help improve student achievement. The proposals do not make classes easier for students — they simply provide more opportunities for students to develop their understanding of the content and show what they know when they have developed a deeper understanding. The proposed changes ensure we are providing accurate grades that support student learning.

The district looks forward to getting additional input on the proposal from the community when the policy changes are presented to the trustees at public board meetings in the coming months.

Jesus F. Jara is the superintendent of the Clark County School District.