Students call for ‘no fail’ policy after COVID-19
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[June 08, 2021]
by
Elyse Kelly
(The Center Square) – As the first full
school year under the COVID-19 pandemic comes to a close in Illinois,
some are calling for grading standards to be eased.
While the impacts of the pandemic on education are still being measured,
students at Oak Park River Forest High School have seen their grades
slip and don’t think they should be punished for it, ABC 7 reported.
They are calling for a ‘no fail’ policy which would allow students to
move on regardless of their grades.
While the final decision on grade promotion policies is up to the local
school boards, Jason Leahy, former principal and executive director for
the Illinois Principals Association, argued that there are creative
solutions that don’t involve pass or fail.
“Rather than giving the kids a failing grade, maybe there’s a way we
give students incompletes until they’ve shown they have done the work
necessary to meet the requirements of the course and get the grade they
need to show they can move on,” he told Illinois Radio Network.
Finding the balance between sufficient academic progress and empathy for
the challenges they’ve faced is the tricky part, he said.
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“When you think about graduating students, you’ve got
to make sure when kids are graduating, they’re going on to the
higher ed institutions that they have what they need,” Leahy said.
He hopes students can understand school is about
giving them the tools necessary to be successful at the next level.
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“Those kids, to come at this from a mature way is to say, ‘I’m not
just looking to be moved on, I’m just looking to be given the time
and support I need in order to achieve at a higher level.’”
Leahy said it is up to individual school districts to decide what’s
best for their students in terms of grade determination, but all are
working harder now more than ever to make sure kids have the help
they need.
“They’re trying to determine the kinds of support that they’re going
to need, maybe the summer, or again as I mentioned things like
high-impact tutoring, there might be some technological support,” he
said. |