In February, in a seemingly contradictory presentation, Hartford Schools leadership gave the Board of Education an update on the secondary and post-secondary success of Hartford students, while at the same time reiterating the district’s “policy and guidance” on grading, which states that for each of the first three marking periods, students will receive a minimum grade score of fifty.  This is the district discussing instances of success while masking failure as success.

Requiring no child to be graded below a 50, no matter the work or effort put forth, or even if the kid doesn’t appear in a classroom for three quarters, may arguably satisfy the equity and non-biased grading crowd, but it fails miserably for the followers of accuracy and motivation.  Joe Feldman, in the book Grading for Equity, states that the “three pillars” of equitable grading are bias-resistant, accuracy, and motivation.  Feldman supports minimum grading but his argument for how it stands up under the element of accuracy was weak, unmoving, and caused me to stop reading the book.

I’m not sure if Hartford Federation of Teachers President Carol Gale read the book, but she appeared before the BOE’s Regular Meeting  this month to urge the superintendent and board to change the 50-minumum rule, a rule she called “detrimental to students.”

Gale spoke about the many problems associated with the 50-minumum rule:

• Students can earn a 50 by doing little or nothing, which contradicts the notion of work ethic.

• Teachers face ethical dilemmas in handing out grades which differ from the actual score earned.

• The rule creates tension between teachers and administrators over the changing of actual grades.

• Students pass courses without learning the material or without learning new skills, which ill-prepares them for post-secondary success.

• The rule “perpetuates the soft bigotry of low expectations.”

Gale stated that there are other methods which the district ought to employ to support students in passing courses.  Gale mentioned maintaining high expectations, academic detention and probation, Saturday academies, and tutoring as a few examples of how a district can help a failing child. 

Rewarding a failing child with a fantasy grade does the child no favors.  Apparently, however, it makes for some good reports for Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez.  Speaking for the superintendent during the February Workshop meeting on secondary success, Tory Niles-Outler (“Principal, Hartford Board of Education”) said that “inconsistencies” in following the 50-minunum rule is affecting the district’s “on-track” results.  I assume she meant that in a negative way, as “on-track” numbers would fall if students received their actual grade.

In a seemingly laughable statement to a critique by Board Member Walker on the 50-minumum rule, Ms. Niles-Outler stated: “We want to ensure all of our students are competitive and prepared to attend any college.”  And there’s your argument against the 50-minumum rule.