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QUEENS WEEKLY, MAY 24, 2020
Parents on Queens education council blast new
DOE grade policy, claim agency ignored them
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
The Community Education
Council 24 passed a
resolution that expressed
their frustration with the
new grading policy during
their virtual monthly meeting
on Tuesday, May 12.
School District 24 represents
Ridgewood, Maspeth,
Glendale, Middle Village,
Elmhurst, Corona, Woodside
as well as parts of Long
Island City and Sunnyside
neighborhoods in Queens
— some of the neighborhoods
hardest hit during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the district is also home
to some of the best performing
schools and students in
the city.
During their virtual
meeting, which had more
than 80 users in attendance,
CEC members, Councilman
Robert Holden and
parents discussed some of
the downfalls of the new
policy and remote learning
as a whole.
Some of their main concerns
involved how the
grading policy will impact
students’ performance during
an already confusing
remote learning period,
and how it will affect admissions
to middle schools
and high schools.
Councilman Holden, a
vocal opponent of the Department
of Education’s
handling of the crisis, said
the “current grading policy
discourages hard work.”
CEC 24 President Phil
Wong echoed Holden’s comment.
“The DOE is telling kids
with a 95 average that they
have the same grade as
another student with a 70
average,” Wong told QNS.
“These grading changes
would affect middle school
admissions, and those
changes are harmful to
hard-working students. To
fight inequality you level
the playing field by bringing
everybody up, not down
to the lower denominator.”
On April 28, Mayor
Bill de Blasio and Schools
Chancellor Richard Carranza
implemented an adjusted
K-12 grading policy
for students grappling with
COVID-19. For grades K-5,
schools will use “Meet
Standards” and “Needs
Improvement;” for grades
6-8, schools will use “Meets
Standards,” “Needs Improvement,”
and “Course
in Progress;” and for 9-12,
schools will continue grading
scale they had before
remote learning with the
addition of “Course in
Progress.”
“Course in Progress,” as
the DOE puts it, is meant to
help students who can’t submit
work or demonstrate
mastery. Failing grades
will be considered “Course
in Progress,” and students
will be given the time and
support they need to complete
coursework and earn
credit through January
2021.
Additionally, in alignment
with CUNY’s COVID-
19 flexible grading policy for
their 2020 Spring Semester,
high school students who
have successfully completed
and earned credit for a
course will have the option
to convert a passing grade
to a “Pass” rating that preserves
their existing GPA,
but will still count as credit
toward graduation.
All students who receive
“Course In Progress”
who haven’t yet completed
required course work, will
be enrolled in summer programming,
according to
the DOE. High school seniors
and current 8th graders
who receive “Course in
Progress” will be prioritized
to keep them on track
for August graduation and
promotion. When students
complete the course, their
grade will be changed from
“Course in Progress” to the
appropriate passing grade.
A DOE spokesperson
told QNS the policy reflects
the input of teachers,
students, and parents from
across the city. During an
Education Council Consortium
(ECC) meeting on
Saturday, April 25, with all
CEC presidents, Chancellor
Carranza spoke about
the grading policy and took
questions from attendees.
“We engaged teachers,
students and parents, including
those on CEC 24, on
our proposed grading policy
prior to its release, and
the final policy incorporated
feedback,” DOE spokesperson
Danielle Filson told
QNS. “The policy explicitly
states that schools must
take into account the full
year of work, and emphasizes
flexibility and patience
for all students in these unprecedented
times.”
But CEC 24’s leadership
maintain that they weren’t
consulted, and that there’s
Photo via Getty Images
been a lack of communication
and uniformity since
remote learning began in
March.
“District 24 consists
of some of the hardest
COVID-19 hit neighborhoods
in the City and Nation;
our children, families,
teachers and schools
are reeling emotionally
and physically from the
devastating effects,” Henry
Choi, vice president of
CEC 24, told QNS. “The
resolution expresses Community
Education Council
24’s frustration with the
Department of Education’s
unilateral decision to alter
the grading methods without
any local consultation.
The resolution, with the inclusion
of the Do No Harm
plan, asks that the DOE respect
and honor students’
hard work from earlier in
the year while also assisting
those who have been so
badly injured and impaired
by COVID-19.”