College eligibility as class policy

Antero Garcia, an English teacher at Manual Arts High, writes:

Apropos to my recent post on student understanding of college eligibility, a discussion on student grades seemed to be in order.

As students review the syllabus for my classes on day one of school, there is the occasional frown at the third paragraph: "Please be aware that there is a ‘no D’ grading policy in regards to your final grade. As classes receiving a D grade are not recognized by most universities, you will be receiving an A, B, C, or F at the end of the semester." The actual grading scale remains the same in the class – anything below 70% earns a fail. This being the second year I’ve implemented the policy, I can say I’m happy with the results. I’ve yet to actually fail a student who would have earned a D if the policy was not in place. Many students are comfortable with the idea of doing just enough to pass – they’ve expressed frustration at not being able to get "just a D," and actually do the required amount to earn a C or better. In this sense, I feel the policy encourages students to work harder than when they were able to use a meager D as a crutch for doing the minimum required (the minimum is now simply 10% more work). I know college may not be for everybody. However, I make every effort to prepare students for and encourage students to consider college as a viable and enticing future. Everyone who passes my class is at least one step closer to being able to make a decision about college. What happens from here is up to them.

Comments

[glmeme]

Although this is a good policy to have, it is just as important to evaluate the criteria used to merit a C or higher grade. I recalled reading a news headline about an increased in academic grades for high school graduates, yet their reading and writing skills had decreased. Giving a grade is much more than just adding points and determining averages. I believe teachers need to have such discussions on evaluating grading criteria and policies.