New grading sweeps district

A new grading policy in place at LHS emphasizes no zeros in the grade book as of the beginning of the year. Principal Kevin Driskill, explained that the high school staff are trying help students succeed and turn in more of their assignments.
With the new policy, LHS teachers are giving students an incomplete overall grade for missing assignments rather than entering grades as zeros.
  “Zeros deflate grades but incompletes show both students and parents that not all of the expected work is turned in,” Driskill explained.
Incomplete assignments will result in lunch detentions and Saturday school in order to give students time to make up missing assignments, he said.
  Debbie Wicks, U.S. History and AP government teacher said the new policy works for her.
  “All assignments I assign are important and lead to the assessments, so all assignments need to be done,” she said.  
  “We want to grade learning. Our staff is giving leeway to help our students succeed,” Driskill said. “Instead of just giving zeros, we are giving opportunity to make these assignments up. There are expectations and help will be given to all students to help them succeed.”
In the future, Driskill discussed looking towards a work ethic-based grade. Jenifer Junior High implemented a grade based on the work ethics displayed by the student.
  Joanne Greear, Jenifer principal, explained the work ethic grading system is in a fine tuning process.
  “Letter grades are what gets a student into college. A work ethic grade keeps them in college,” said Greear.
  The work ethic grading policy is on a scale from one to three. The criteria teachers are grading includes assignment completion by deadlines, respect towards others and the learning environment, coming to class prepared on time, constructive participation and self-directed learning.
   Eighth grade math teachers at Jenifer, Jessi McLean and Lindsay Falkenstein, experienced the work ethic grade first-hand.
  “It gave teachers the ability to determine what aspects of the students’performance were behavioral versus the students’ actual knowledge,” said McLean.  
  Work ethic grades could also open up more opportunities than regular letter grades, they added
  “[Businesses like] Schweitzer want to know if their future hires have work ethic and they can look at these work ethic grades and find out,” said McLean.