Whose idea was it to change The District grading system?

Last week this blog posted on changes to The District's grading system being blocked by the IHSA.

As previously posted, changing The District's grading system has been proven to not be conducive to students who are seeking to go to college. Additionally, it has proven to not be conducive to student athletes. So, why was the change made? More importantly, why was the change allowed to be made without knowing how it would affect students? 

Today, we learn that apparently some blame falls on principals, counselors and athletic directors for the change being made, because "they didn't mention concerns." If they had mentioned concerns, would anybody have listened? They certainly didn't listen to parents when they showed up to voice their concerns.

IHSA rules compel District 150 to reverse grading policy

School District 150 is going back to semester-long courses, with semester grades and credits, for all high school classes, reversing a policy of yearlong courses and credits that went into effect this year.

Though several parents protested yearlong courses, saying it could jeopardize some seniors' chances for college admissions and scholarships, the district's reversal came about because of athletic eligibility rules.

"Essentially, it's being done to be compliant with IHSA," said District 150 spokesman Chris Coplan.

Kim Hudson, mother of a Peoria High School senior who ran into problems applying for colleges and scholarships because of the yearlong policy, still is frustrated with the district, but she's ready to move on.

"To me, it makes it look like they consider what happens to athletes more important than what happens to the average student," Hudson said. "But I'm not ready to fight that battle."

 "...neither principals, counselors nor athletic directors mentioned concerns about the yearlong policy

when it was first discussed in the spring." Coplan

"It didn't come up until we started moving forward with the policy," he said.

Concerns about how yearlong courses would affect athletic eligibility - for instance, if a high school junior failed a yearlong course would he be ineligible for a year - came up about the same time parents started expressing concerns about college admissions, Coplan said.

After contacting the IHSA, the district chose to return to allowing students to accumulate credits at the end of a semester rather than the end of the school year.

Hudson and Paris McConnell, another parent of a Peoria High student, said they wish the district had gotten more input from parents before switching to yearlong courses.

Most colleges make admissions decisions based on a student's showing in the junior year of high school. In some cases, admissions officers want to see a high school senior's grades for the first semester, which can't happen with yearlong courses.

Hudson said at least one college placed her daughter's application on hold until she submitted first semester grades. Another said her chances of receiving a scholarship would be diminished. Source

When a parent goes before the School Board

It's not easy to get up and speak at a School Board meeting. When you are hoping to persuade the Board to move on something you care deeply about (your child), it can be very intimidating. 

You certainly don't want to tell all of your student's personal business, but you will have to reveal certain information to get a response. So, if one (or two) parent(s) get the nerve to go before the Board to discuss an issue, does that mean the issue is less valid because other parents have not shown up to articulate the same need?

District 150 explores options for grading system changes

Paris McConnell

Peoria School District 150 Superintendent Grenita Lathan is meeting with high school principals and counselors to look at new options for posting high school seniors grades for first semester classes.

The meeting comes after two parents expressed frustrations that District 150's change from semester to year-long courses could jeopardize students' chances for college admissions and scholarships, along with other problems they encountered concerning transcripts and grades.

"I'm all about change if it's effective, if it's going to make us progressive," Paris McConnell, parent of a Peoria High School senior, told board members during a regular board meeting Tuesday. McConnell described the problems she had getting an accurate transcript as "foolishness" and urged Lathan to communicate better with parents.

Lathan said the district could have done a better job of communicating with parents about move to year-long courses and that a curriculum review found past practices that did not always benefit students.

"You're right, there were mistakes" she said, referring to McConnell's concerns about how her son's eighth-grade algebra class was not part of his transcript. "When we found them we have tried to clean them up."

But overall, Lathan added,

"We can't change the formula for one student."

Many colleges base students' applications on grades they've earned through the junior year. But in some cases, especially for students trying to raise their grade point average, colleges will ask to see grades from the first semester of their senior year. The district's move to year-long courses means students' grades aren't posted until May for many classes. Source