WAYNESBORO, Pa. — A discussion of “standard” versus “traditional” grading systems was a key topic at last week’s Waynesboro Area School District board meeting.
The topic of grading was featured in the main presentation of the board meeting on Oct. 13, primarily on what the differences between traditional and standard grading practices are.
Traditional grading uses the A-F system, with A being the highest grade and F representing failure. Standards-based grading, on the other hand, uses a 1-4 scale to measure students’ mastery of specific academic standards.
Traditional grading measures the average scores of tests and homework but can also measure the student’s behavior in class as well as attendance. The timeline for this system is that it averages early failures into the final grade.
Some pros and cons of traditional grading according to a study by Point Loma Nazarene University are that is it universally recognized by most institutions, is good for monitoring progress and is an excellent tool for teacher feedback. Studies have shown, however, that it causes high anxiety in students, can create a loss of focus and can cause inconsistency and bias.
Standard grading, on the other hand, measures the mastery of a specific, isolated academic standard. Its timeline offers a better opportunity for rewarding growth as it focuses on the student’s current level of knowledge. The pros and cons of standard grading include the focus on the mastery of a specific subject; it also offers detailed feedback, encourages a growth mindset and separates behavior from academics.
The issues with the system are that it can be very time consuming for teachers, can create confusion and is inconsistent for both students and parents. It also overlooks the soft skills like time management, work ethic and meeting deadlines.
The Waynesboro school district schools use the traditional form of grading, but there is talk of possibly switching to the standard grading style in the area’s elementary schools. The idea is to give families a more comprehensive look at how their children are doing in a specific subject. There are still several questions about how the process will work and when it could be implemented, but there has been a positive interest shown by community parents.
Dress code for schools?
During the public comments segment of the meeting, local resident Kim Ruppert voiced some concern over the lack of dress code in the area schools. Ruppert shared that on multiple occasions she had seen several children walking to school in their pajamas, shorts that go way above the knee and “saggy jeans.”
According to the Waynesboro Area School District dress code, located on its website:
– No exposed skin (including midriff, cleavage or buttocks)
– Tank tops and spaghetti strap tops are not allowed
– Headgear and hoods — hoods from sweatshirts, sweaters and hoodies cannot be worn inside the buildings.
– Pants and bottoms — no pants or shorts can be worn below the waist (sagging) Jeans and pants with rips or tears are only acceptable if they are below mid-thigh. Yoga pants and leggings are permitted as long as they are not sheer or see-through
– No offensive or suggestive content can be worn. This included shirts, jackets, pins, patches, jewelry, backpacks or tattoos.
There is also a section that states that “if a staff or administrator determines that a student’s attire violates the policy, the student may be asked to change, parents may be contacted or the student may be sent home.”
There is no mention that pajamas violate any school dress code policies. For a full list of the policies, visit wasd.k12.pa.us/o/wams/page/dress-code.
