Grading system miffs parents

Measuring child's performance is difficult, some say

Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 29, 2007 at midnight

Text size

More Education

More stories »

Andrea Schroeder has a hunch that her gifted daughter is an A student.

But she has no sure way of knowing.

A new grading system launched in Denver Public Schools middle schools this fall has done away with the time-honored A-B-C-D report card in favor of a "standards based" system expressed by the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Protesting parents say the new system is vague.

"You're left scratching your heads," said Schroeder, who is among a group of about 50 parents who have become activists over the issue.

The system, which turned up for the first time on middle-school report cards last week, is designed to measure proficiency on state academic standards.

For example, students who score a 3 - the level DPS expects most middle-schoolers to reach - are "well on their way to reaching the (state) standard by the end of the year," according to DPS informational material.

A 4, which parents say they've been told will be given rarely, means that a student is "far ahead of where they are expected to be at that point in time, relative to the standards."

The grading change is part of DPS' massive reform effort called The Denver Plan.

Traditionally, an A grade has been the high bar that measures excellence. The concerned parents argue that without any clear measuring system, middle-schoolers won't develop any sense of concrete academic achievement or clearly see the areas where they need to improve.

"It's like they're using a rubber band instead of a yardstick," said Barbara Hahn, an attorney and mother of Ted, 12, who attends Hamilton Middle School.

Other parents have been supportive of the change.

The community group Metro Organizations for People first asked DPS to consider a common standards-based report card several years ago.

Parents who are critical of the system say it especially hurts gifted children because it doesn't prepare them for the academic rigors of college, where achievement is, by and large, based on traditional measurements.

They also say the school administration made the change without clearly alerting parents.

"I could overhear parents saying, 'What is this?' " said Hahn, who attended a parent-teacher conference Tuesday night at Hamilton. It was the first time parents actually got to see the new 1-2-3-4 report card in action.

National trend

The change follows national trends that began in the early 2000s, when hundreds of school districts began switching to standards-based grading, according to an article in Education Week magazine.

In DPS, this is the second year the new system has been used in the grade schools. It is not planned for high schools, DPS officials say, because students need a more universal grading system when applying to out-of-state colleges.

Aurora Public Schools plans to adopt the system in 2008 from elementary grades through high school, according to spokeswoman Georgia Duran. Jeffco Schools use a version of the system only in elementary schools. Douglas County uses a version in elementary through eighth grade.

The DPS administration says the new system is a better reflection of whether a student is meeting state standards. Jaime Aquino, the district's chief academic officer, said rather than an overall B or C in math, for example, a student will receive a 1, 2, 3 or 4 on each of the state's math standards for that grade.

"It's much more precise," he said.

Aquino said the numerical system also better measures mastery of a subject. He cited the example of a student taking four quizzes and receiving a 0 and then a 90, 90 and 90. Under the letter grading system, those four grades are averaged and a student receives a C.

"Is that a true reflection of mastery?" he said. No, because the student clearly has learned the subject being quizzed.

DPS also insists that parents had ample notice of the change. In 2005 public discussions of The Denver Plan were underway and by fall of the next year the new grading system was being discussed, said Alex Sanchez, the district's spokesman.

In March, meetings were held at middle schools, including Hamilton, to introduce parents to the new report card, and Aquino was there to answer questions.

"This is not a brand new thing by any means," said school board member Bruce Hoyt, a supporter of the new system for the middle schools.

"It was a plan that was recommended by Jaime Aquino and the superintendent (Michael Bennet). We discussed it at length and had some back and forth on it."

By the letters

The origins of the traditional A,B,C grading system are elusive. Web searches consistently cite William Farish, a Cambridge University tutor who is credited with suggesting, in 1792, the idea of grading a student's grasp of a subject.

For most of academic history, students attached themselves to scholars and academies until they could demonstrate a mastery of a subject.

But the idea of universal education brought the need for a more efficient way to judge achievement among huge masses of students. Eventually, that need -morphed into the familiar A- through-F system.

And that's the system Stephen and Andrea Schroeder would prefer for their daughter.

The Schroeders bought a house in Denver based on the fact that, in April, their daughter Ashley was accepted at Hamilton Middle School, known for its rigorous achievement standards.

If Ashley had not won a spot in Hamilton, the Schroeders planned to buy a home in the well- regarded Cherry Creek School district.

They wanted to prepare her for a high-achieving high school experience and an excellent college.

In May, just weeks after the Schroeders bought their Denver home, they learned through an e-mail from another parent that Hamilton no longer would be using traditional grades.

Schroeder says the startling news awoke her activist spirit.

"No, I can't let it go," she said.

Hahn said, "This has got me in touch with my inner community organizer - I feel like I have to keep at this.

"I have heard rumors recently there are people talking about a lawsuit. Parents are pretty angry about this."

torkelsonj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5055

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News