by Anthony Rifilato
Parents strongly criticized the Baldwin school administration and Board of Education, saying that the district did not adequately inform teachers and parents about the new grading system, which now uses a 1-through-4 rubric. Although the new method mirrors the way state math and English Language Arts assessments are graded, 1 meaning that a student falls below standards and 4 meaning that a child is exceeding them, the rubric has been a source of confusion in and out of the classroom.
The board heard from more than 50 concerned parents, mostly from Meadow Elementary School, who demanded answers and urged the board to postpone implementing the new rubric. Parents presented a petition opposing the change signed by more than 100 parents and read a letter to the board that they addressed to school superintendent Kathy Weiss.
"We have no problem with the restructuring of the new report card to keep up with the vast changes in our learning system," Robin Sciortino read. "However, more time to implement this restructuring is greatly needed."
Saying that teachers have not been sufficiently trained to use the rubric, parents argued that the new system is too vague. For example, a student who scores a 70 on a test and a child who scores a 98 would both receive a new score of 3. As a result, parents have said that the new system grades students disproportionately and may encourage some kids to underperform. One parent said that after her daughter did well on a test and received a 3, she told her mother, "It doesn't matter, everyone gets a 3."
Parents were also concerned about not receiving their children's report cards for the first quarter as the district moves to implement the new system. Parents were given written summaries of their children's progress at parent-teacher conferences Nov. 13 and 14.
"I can't believe we are not getting a report card," said Jacqueline Tsenes, who was applauded by other parents. "That's outrageous."
Board members explained that the new report card will provide more information about a child's strengths and weaknesses, and that despite a transition process, the new format ultimately will be more detailed. The board also explained that the state has indicated it wants school districts across New York to use a rubric system, although the district is not obligated to switch.
But many parents weren't satisfied with the board's explanations, and in an addendum to their original petition, parents speculated that the new system was "a desperate attempt to try and raise our failing test scores," and said if that was the case, "this new marking system must be stopped at once."
After the meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Jeff Hollman said that was not the case, and that the old report cards for grades one through five were weak when it came to telling parents how a child is developing. Last year, a committee of teachers began looking into changing the report card.
"It's not about test scores," Hollman said of parents' speculation. "We realized that ours [report cards] were not very good. They didn't have very much information on them."
Whatever the reasons for changing the grading system, parents said the rubric was being implemented too quickly and without any consistency. One man even told the board that based on the new rubric, the board deserves a 1 for the way it is handling the situation.
"The entire staff at the elementary schools cannot utilize the new system in such a short time," one parent said. "Here we are just toeing the line because other school districts are going along with it."
Parents said teachers have expressed to them their confusion over the grading system and, despite recent staff development workshops, have had difficulty adjusting. "When you figure it out, let us know," parent Barbara Cohen said her child's teacher replied when Cohen inquired about the new format. Like some parents, Cohen said that she wasn't completely opposed to the rubric, but argued that it needs to be more informative on the report cards. Others said they wouldn't mind a report card using the rubric, as long as numeric and letter grades are maintained in the classroom.
One parent asked what a rubric is and how it is applied in the classroom. Weiss said the rubric grading system is based on certain criteria such as using accurate facts, full sentences, the proper mechanics of writing and other factor.
Parents expressed disappointment that Weiss and other board members did not attend a meeting with Hollman several weeks ago, where he discussed the new system. Weiss said she has met with teacher union representatives about the changes, and that the district was committed to training teachers to use the new system with ongoing staff development workshops.
"We're changing the system and that's always difficult," said Hollman.
The board seemed taken aback by the level of frustration. Board President James Scannell admitted that the confusion needs to be resolved and that the board has to discuss whether to delay implementing the new system, although the new report cards are expected to be sent home for the second marking period. To the chagrin of some parents, Scannell said the issue may be addressed at next month's school board meeting.
"Clearly, there isn't a transition to the classroom that's happening the way we'd want it to," Scannell said.
