What Teachers Think About Equitable Grading Policies

I have masters degree in teaching. I think that the most equitable form of education and grading is in mastery with pass/fail: this is where students must learn a topic or concept to pass a quiz before moving on to the next topic. This is complicated, and impractical for large classes--there are too many students to try to help move along and finish the required material. So that's why it isn't often used--because administrators pack 30+ kids into a classroom. But if there were 15-20 kids, it's hard to beat mastery education. Everyone gets a real shot at passing, the kids who struggle get more attention, and the education goals are met. If you are interested, look up "Winnetka System" for an explanation and example.

These are fundamentally feel good policies that have little basis in reality. The people supporting this are doing their best to make it seem academically rigorous. But they’re lacking perspective and would be laughed out of any serious conversation in other countries, where it just wouldn’t make sense to enable undisciplined students or inflate grades with unlimited retakes of tests.

That said - I do think homework need to be rethought. It’s not appropriate for schools to take up hours of the day and then for them to take away the remaining limited time with their parents and family at home. Schools need to do the job of educating students during school hours. Children need family time and play time too.