Dozens of school districts across America have embraced “equitable grading,” an educational approach which denounces the emphasis on homework, deadlines, and traditional testing. Under this new model, if tests are administered, they come with multiple retake opportunities. Attendance, conduct, and homework is no longer a factor in the grading scale, creating an environment with no rewards, nor penalties.
“They’re relying on children having intrinsic motivation, and that is the furthest thing from the truth for this age group,” said Ms. Laura Jeanne Penrod, a Las Vegas-based English teacher of 17 years.
Initially, Ms. Penrod believed the new pedagogical method in her district made sense as it gives children with disadvantaged home lives more opportunities to show mastery of a subject, as opposed to downgrading their scores by way of arbitrary rules and deadlines.
After the system was established, Ms. Penrod’s students began to forgo imperative assignments such as brainstorming activities and rough drafts which are typically required as preliminary steps for writing an essay. Taking the low expectations further, some students failed to turn in the final essays at all since lack of emphasis on homework results in multiple opportunities to make up assignments.
Supporters of equitable grading claim the approach take students’ hardships into consideration in a manner that traditional instruction does not. They add that the more relaxed methodology benefits students with learning disabilities, as well as those with responsibilities outside of the classroom such as jobs or caring for younger family members. Proponents argue that conventional grading practices favor students with hands-on parents and stable home lives.
“Classrooms are pressure cookers,” stated equitable learning’s pioneer, Joe Feldman. “[Students are] now able to relax, say, ‘I can have a bad day,’ and spend more time on things. It changes the way the classroom feels.”
This isn’t just a high school trend. More than 80 percent of four-year universities do no anticipate requiring standardized tests like the SAT or ACT in their application processes this fall. The reason being that exams fail to sufficiently consider countless socio-economic factors that may impact an applicant’s score.
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