LET’S TALK ABOUT IT…
Equity or Academics?

Does academic merit need to be protected?

Representative Burgess Owens, a Republican from Utah and chairman of the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee announced a new US House of Representatives caucus this week designed to address the issue of merit in K-12 public education.  The Merit Caucus aims to promote “…the idea that with determination, effort, and merit, success, the very foundation of this great nation, can be achieved,” according to Owens.

The goal of the caucus is to protect merit-based, challenging curriculums and combat what they say is the growing trend of lowering expectations for students with implementation of “equitable grading” practices. The caucus listed examples of their concern, including Seattle Public Schools’ closure of several schools dedicated to educating gifted and talented students, and the implementation of “equitable grading” systems in both Boston Public Schools and Portland Public Schools.

So this made us wonder if our local school districts were following in the footsteps of other districts pivoting from away from merit and academic achievement toward equity.

Once again we had to pull up Poudre School District’s strategic planning slide. We think the district is crystal clear about its values.

Diversity.

Equity.

Inclusion.

In EVERYTHING the district does.

Equitable Grading Supports DEI

In 2021, PSD apparently bought the book Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman to use for training staff on equitable grading practices. The book’s criticism of the traditional, merit-based grading system clearly aligns with the philosophy behind diversity, equity, and inclusion PSD stated as a district value.

Equitable Grading Means Multiple Tries

But how does equitable grading work and how is it different from the traditional merit-based system?

Blevins Middle School’s website provides a helpful explanation of equitable grading, or standards-based grading, as it is also known. The key difference between equitable grading and the traditional system is that equitable grading allows for assessments of required skills to be repeated as many times as the student needs until the particular skill is mastered. Homework is not routinely graded and is simply provided as a tool to help the student achieve mastery.

We discovered that PSD incorporated equitable grading practices in all district middle schools during the 2014-2015 school year. By 2021, equitable grading had been implemented in elementary schools and, according to PSD’s state-mandated Unified Improvement Plan from 2022, PSD cited a pilot of equitable grading practices in two high schools. In January of this year, PSD cabinet member Dwayne Schmitz reportedly told the District Accountability Committee that the district is implementing equitable grading practices as a way to improve graduation rates. Graduation rates have taken a tremendous unexplained jump over the past year, so perhaps implementing a system by which students are not graded on homework yet can retake tests as many times as needed to demonstrate they’ve achieved mastery of the subject works. But does that mean those students are actually more knowledgeable?

Equity Over Academics

What sort of academic results are achieved then, by shifting away from a traditional grading model focused on rewarding merit and achievement and replacing it with one based on equity?

Using the state administered annual tests as a way to evaluate equitable grading efficacy-the results seem poor.

According to Colorado Measure of Academic Success data from the past several years, equitable grading seems academically ineffective. Recall that equitable grading was implemented in middle schools back in 2014.

• Over the past several years, 55% of PSD middle school students are below expectations in math

• Nearly half of PSD elementary students do not meet grade level expectations in math

• 43% of PSD MS students are below expectations in ELA

• 40% of PSD Elementary students do not meet ELA expectations

• In 2023, Blevins Middle School, cited in the explanation of equitable grading above, had 64% of its students perform below grade level on CMAS math tests.

• In 2023, 60% of middle schoolers at Boltz Middle School performed below grade level on the ELA exams.

Who Benefits from Equitable Grading?

Given the disappointing academic results, we wondered if there was something about equitable grading we were missing. Were there benefits that could justify these poor standardized testing results? So we reviewed one of the district’s recommended resources for understanding equitable grading: Seven Reasons for Standards-Based Grading (ascd.org). In the article, Patricia Scriffiny, writing for ACSD, “…the preeminent global leader of professional learning resources for all classroom teachers...” states a benefit of standards-based grading is reduction in meaningless paperwork.

PSD’s recommended resource regarding standards-based, or equitable grading, seems to demonstrate a benefit for teachers who no longer have to spend time providing graded feedback to students on homework. We don’t understand how this practice benefits students academically, however.

The same expert cited by PSD also stated, “I don't assess student mastery of any objective until I am confident that a reasonable number of students will score proficiently, and that makes each assessment mean much more. Students who are still struggling after a significant portion of the class has demonstrated mastery can retest individually.”

Given the results and the words from PSD’s recommended resource, we can understand how this system benefits teachers by eliminating annoying homework grading and allowing for delays in testing. But does that benefit come at the expense of student learning? The CMAS results seem to suggest it does.

Questions Remain

Providing students multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of academic subjects sounds like a kind and good idea, but looking at the terrible CMAS results, we wonder if the focus on equitable grading actually benefits students. Is it kind of our community to support a program which does not provide our local children with a solid academic foundation?

TRENDING CONVERSATIONS
Democracy? Or Republic?

It seems everywhere we turn these days, politicians and activists are shouting about our “democracy”. Colorado State University made democracy their theme for last school year (do school years need themes?). President Joe Biden stated that Make American Great Again supporters are threats to democracy. Parents advocating for their rights to control the upbringing of their children are threats to democracy.

Are these labels correct? And what do those labels mean considering the United States is NOT a democracy, but a Constitutional Republic?

IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?
PSD Teacher Arrested for Sexual Assault

Why does assault on PSD students keep happening? This week yet another PSD teacher was arrested for alleged sexual assault of PSD students. According to the Fort Collins Police Department, Lincoln Middle School teacher and multi-sport coach Evan King was charged with two Class 3 felonies after the department concluded a four-month investigation. The FCPD Crimes Against Persons Unit identified two female student victims, and King is accused of inappropriately touching them on multiple occasions.

We wonder why King’s alleged behavior was not reported immediately after the first incident. What is broken in PSD’s culture which allows for multiple sexual assaults of students to occur?

Review the press release from FCPD HERE.

WHY WAS I NEVER TOLD?
Introducing-Letters from American History

Sometimes the world seems to be hell-bent on dividing us. But here at Hi Kid, we are passionate about the fascinating and meaningful ways Americans are connected to each other. One of the most significant ways we are bound together is by our shared American history. So, we are excited to introduce you to our new weekly podcast-Dear Americans.

Each week, Dear Americans will give a voice to American History as our fascinating shared history is reignited and restored to the forefronts of our minds. Listen as American History shares riveting forgotten American stories through letters written from the past. You will hear accounts of bravery, courage, perseverance, freedom, and liberty as America reconnects with our lost history. Episodes release weekly, each recounting another of America’s remarkable stories. Stories which belong not to the past, but to the present. Stories which belong to us all.

Find Dear Americans on Apple Podcasts HERE or Spotify HERE.

This week’s letter from American History comes to you from a small, seemingly insignificant field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where, in the skies above, some of the most brave and courageous Americans were attempting to do the unthinkable. Join us in remembering our shared story of Todd Beamer and United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11th, 2001.

DINNER TABLE DISCUSSION
Freedom or Force?

Is it better for people to be forced into actions or are humans and societies better off when people are allowed the freedom to make their own decisions? What is the proper role of government in compelling human actions? Do governments that allow for human flourishing force the actions of their citizens or do humans flourish when governments allow them to exercise their freedoms?

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

☑️ READ a teacher’s perspective on the limits of equitable grading and how the practice makes students apathetic instead of wise HERE.

☑️ CONSIDER Poudre School District’s desire for increasing taxes to fund what many say is a failing district. You have the opportunity to join the conversation and let the Board of Education know what you think. Complete the community survey HERE.

☑️ VOTE for your favorite regional businesses in the Coloradoan’s annual Community Choice Awards HERE. You have until July 15th!