Clark County School District Implements Adjustments to Grading Policy for Upcoming School Year

LAS VEGAS – In response to feedback from educators during roundtable meetings, the Clark County School District (CCSD) announced Thursday night that it will be making adjustments to its controversial grading policy. These changes are set to take effect for the upcoming school year, starting on August 7.

Superintendent Jesus Jara expressed his appreciation for the constructive dialogue with teachers, stating, “We will continue working together to ensure the grading system sets high standards and is equitable while equipping our teachers with a system that reflects their input.”

One significant change in the revised policy is that the grading scale at middle and high schools will no longer apply to individual assignments. Instead, it will only be applied to grades at the end of each quarter. The district believes that this adjustment will provide students with more opportunities to demonstrate improvement in their academic achievement.

The updated policy will also clarify how late or missing work is scored at all grade levels. Schools will now be required to set deadlines of at least five school days for missing work.

The School Board trustees had initially made the grading policy change in 2021, aiming to create a “consistent and uniform grading system” across the district. The goal is to ensure that students’ grades accurately reflect their knowledge and skills while minimizing the impact of non-academic factors.

The revised grading scale for first through 12th grades includes a “minimum F,” with 50 percent as the lowest score. The policy also allows students to retake tests and revise assignments while prohibiting the incorporation of behavioral factors like classroom participation and attendance into academic grades.

Opponents of the policy have argued that it lowers standards for students and places too much emphasis on “summative assessments” like tests, leading some students to neglect their day-to-day assignments.

Reactions to the changes have been mixed. Brenda Pearson, director of strategic initiatives for the Clark County Education Association, criticized the modifications, calling them “nothing more than cosmetic” and arguing that they fail to address the policy’s fundamental issues.

On the other hand, some educators welcomed the changes but expressed frustration that the announcement was made right before the start of the new school year. There remains a lack of consistency and understanding about the policy’s purpose and its impact on students, according to Rebecca Garcia, an administrator for the “CCSD Parents” Facebook group.

As the new school year approaches, the CCSD aims to strike a balance between high standards, equity, and effective feedback to provide the best learning experience for its students.

Credits: Review Journal

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