MCPS is initiating a new policy regarding quarterly progress checks which now count toward part of students’ final grades. Specific math, science, English and social studies classes are implementing this new policy.. In addition to that, these progress checks are going to be rebranded as district assessments.
In the math department, every math class other than Advanced Placement (AP) courses is going to have these graded district assessments. These specific classes include Algebra 1, Geometry, Honors Geometry, Algebra 2, Honors Algebra 2, two-year Algebra 2, Honors Precalculus, Precalculus, Statistics and Mathematical Modeling and Honors Statistics.
“One of the main changes is they have it every quarter. In the last few years, it’s been just like marking period two and three. And every math teacher in the county pretty much agrees with it,” math resource teacher John Chase said.
In previous years, the math progress check was only required to be taken at the end of the second and third quarters. But for the new school year, the district assessments will be necessary to take at the end of each quarter. As this new policy is being added, the grading policy is being changed too. All task assignments now count for only 80% of grades, while practice and preparation stay the same at 10%. The final 10% goes toward the district assessments.
Even though the school will make students take both of these tests, only one will be put into students’ final grade. One district assessment will be given at the end of the second quarter which won’t be put into the final grade, while the third quarter assessment will go towards the final 10% of students’ grades.
Another subject that is being affected by this policy change is the NSL Government social studies class. Students who aren’t taking the AP exam will have an opportunity to show what they learned from the course and get a grade in return.
“I feel like it shouldn’t be graded for your final grade because it’s such a big test that you get so overwhelmed with doing it and a lot of times you might miss days to like take notes so I don’t think it should be graded,” sophomore Kennedi Cunningham said.
In addition to math and social studies, every non-AP English class requires students to take the district assessment. There are many opinions of students and faculty members going around whether or not these progress checks should or should not be put into final grades for the class. If these progress checks don’t have a grade to them, many students don’t feel motivated to do their best on the assessments which will mess with the data being captured by the county.
“Some students see it as transactional,” English resource teacher Anne Cullen said.
Some students don’t take these tests as seriously as other students because they believe they aren’t getting anything in return. Many people including teachers and students believe that putting a grade on a district assessment will motivate the students to work harder and try their best because they are getting something out of it.
Many believe that if students don’t try on the tests, the numbers won’t be an accurate representation of the school in our county. The test results reflect on the teachers and help them understand how well they are teaching their students.
