Franklin Regional will implement pass/fail grading system for remainder of academic year
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The Franklin Regional School District will implement a pass/fail grading system for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, but school board members had a lengthy discussion about its merits and shortcomings.
“I would rather our teachers focus on creating assignments and lessons to engage students instead of focusing on whether the work on this assignment or that assignment is an ‘A’ or a ‘B,’” Director Scott Weinman said.
The board voted 5-4 in favor of instituting the pass/fail system. Weinman was joined by Gregg Neavin, Deb Wohlin, Mark Kozlosky and Herb Yingling in the majority.
Directors Bill Yant, Ed Mittereder, Gary English and Paul Scheinert voted against the measure, after an attempt to delay a vote until next month failed, 5-4.
Scheinert had concerns about how a “pass” grade would affect student grade-point averages, since it is essentially an automatic 100%.
“I don’t believe the district should be taking shortcuts in the grading system,” English said. ““(GPAs) are the most important thing for students when it comes to college.”
English proposed that teachers up through eighth grade use the pass/fail system, with the traditional grade-based system in place for high school students.
Superintendent Gennaro Piraino said that typically, students are assessed on their ability to master a course’s content.
“Right now, given the situation our students and families are facing, I’m not sure that what we’d be measuring is their mastery of that content,” he said. “I think we’d be measuring 1.) the technical skill of the instructor and their ability to deliver content online, 2.) that student’s ability to learn technology and learn in a format they did not sign up for, and 3.) the support that a student may or may not have in their home to overcome the adversity that’s a part of this.”
Director Mark Kozlosky agreed.
“This is a temporary issue, and this essentially freezes the GPA where it is,” he said. “It’s a matter of: How do we most effectively get through this and not hurt kids who are in a disadvantaged position, whether it’s kids who don’t have a great home life, or who just won’t necessarily thrive in this environment?”
For Director Gregg Neavin, the conversation was not theoretical: One of his children is a senior at FR.
“We’re not talking about changing the grading system for this school district,” he said. “We’re talking about 300-some kids who have had their senior year hijacked. We’re looking at an entire school career versus two marking periods.”
High school Principal Ron Suvak said a large number of school districts have adopted the pass/fail model to finish the current academic year.
“We tried to put students and their families in the best position possible,” Suvak said. “That’s why it’s taken until April 13 to have something before you, because we wanted to make sure this is in the best interest of the students.”