At the beginning of the school year, Falcon High School initiated a new system of grading for all grade levels. The system, referred to as standards-based grading, has been successfully implemented in many schools and districts nationwide.Steve Oberg, assistant principal at FHS, said elementary schools in Falcon School District 49 have been using standard-based grading for more than 10 years. FHS is the first high school in the district to use the system.At a September D 49 Board of Education work session, Oberg and Susan Thomas, principal, presented information on the new system, including the rationale behind it. ìThis system will evaluate whether a student knows or meets a learning standard or benchmark, and determine the depth of that studentís knowledge,î Oberg said.In a separate interview, Oberg further explained the system. ìWith the old grading system, we were measuring qualitative stuff with quantitative numbers,î he said. ìWe were giving points for tasks, as opposed to measuring learning. If they got a 91 percent on a test, we know what questions they missed but not what they needed to learn. We were collecting the wrong data. Those numbers tell us, ëWell this person is a good test taker based on those scores.í The state tests arenít our most accurate reflection of what they know and what they donít know.ìThe standards-based grading system takes behavior out of the system. It takes participation, having good attendance, that kind of stuff out because that tended to inflate or deflate a studentís grade.îThe standards-based grading system uses different letters to demonstrate a studentís level of understanding, Oberg said in his presentation. Previously, an A equated to a 4.0 on the Grade Point Average scale; a B equated to a 3.0; a C equated to a 2.0; a D equated to a 1.0; and an F indicated failing the class.Under the new system, an E stands for ìexceptionalî and is equivalent to a 4.0; an A stands for ìadvancedî and is equivalent to a 3.0; an S stands for ìsatisfactoryî and is equivalent to a 2.0; an M stands for ìmarginalî and is equivalent to a 1.0; and a U for ìunsatisfactoryî or an I for ìinsufficient evidenceî ñ both equate to failing the class, Oberg said.ìThe primary focus of standards-based grading is student learning,î he said. ìStudents know how to play the old system so they could figure out how many points they needed to get the grade they wanted. The assessments at the end of the semester became less and less valuable to use because kids werenít putting in much effort.îThomas and Oberg both said the implementation of the new system has not been without its share of issues. Parents and students have complained that under the new system students who had previously excelled have received lower grades than usual, Thomas said.ìI think itís difficult for parents that their A student doesnít know the material right off the bat,î she said. ìItís hard for the parent because they have seen their child be successful through the whole process rather than at the end when itís most meaningful.îIn his presentation, Oberg said, while students are re-assessed throughout the year, the most recent assessment is the most accurate reflection of what the student knows. ìItís hard to argue that allowing a kid to reassess when theyíve done a bad assessment is a bad idea,î he said.Another concern is that students are receiving grades that render them ineligible for sports, Oberg said. In an email to The New Falcon Herald, Thomas wrote, ìCurrently, the district BOE has a one F policy. This means that any student with an F for the weekly (grade) pull cannot participate in his or her sport until that grade is raised by the next deadline.îAthletic director Randy Hinson provided Thomas with the number of ineligible students from the same time of year in 2011, which was 188 students. This year, there are 187 students ineligible. ìBottom line, we are seeing no direct impact with the implementation of standards-based grading on athletic eligibility,î Thomas wrote.Oberg said rumors were also circulating that students were transferring from FHS to other schools in the district or even pulling out of the district completely. D 49ís public information officer, Stephanie Wurtz, wrote in an email to The New Falcon Herald, ìIn 2011, 27 students dis-enrolled. In 2012, 16 students have dis-enrolled. Additionally, 160 students have enrolled in Falcon High between Aug. 1 and Oct. 1 of this year ñ the school actually has the highest enrollment of the three high schools.ìTo our knowledge, of the 16 students who have dis-enrolled this year, three have stated they were impacted by the standards-based grading.îOberg said he has heard another negative comment that the new system will affect a studentís acceptance to college.ìThatís a non-issue,î said Monty Lammers, Falcon Zone innovation leader. ìNothing has been put on transcripts yet. We encourage parents at any time to come to us because it can really cause panic and concern. It will not affect college transcripts or college admitting. Colleges will continue to see what theyíve seen all along.îChris Beiswanger, director of admissions at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, said that translating the current system to the Grade Point Average system is not a problem. ìA strong student is a strong student either way,î he said. ìWe examine everything that a high school gives us on that student. There are 4.0 scales, 5.0 scales; we deal with a lot of different things.îìThe biggest thing is just a lack of knowledge and understanding and weíre trying to remedy that with parent nights and opportunities for parents and students to come in and ask questions,î Lammers said.On Wednesday mornings, classes donít begin until 9 a.m. so meetings are being held where parents and students can ask questions about the new system, Thomas said.ìWeíve had parent meetings from the beginning and an open door policy, but we havenít had much parent attendance at those meetings,î Lammers said. ìI encourage more parent attendance.îLammers said the staff is also using staff development days to focus on bringing everyone on the same page to provide consistency among the teachers.ìIt will continue to be an education process, so next year weíll have a group of freshmen coming in who donít know about this,î Oberg said. ìEvery year, weíre going to have to educate (on the new system).îìI think Falcon High School has implemented (the system) with fidelity and gone through it at the right pace,î Lammers said. ìWith anything new, thereís going to be rough spots, and they are working to smooth those out as quickly as possible. The kids arenít going to be a casualty of the system.î
