8 MAY 21, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Parents on Queens education council blast new
DOE grade policy, claim agency ignored them
Photo via Getty Images
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@QNS.COM
@QNS
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 hardworking
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 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.”
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