Schools

VVSD Board to Review New 90/10 Grading Policy

The Valley View board of education is slated to meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

If you’ve attended any of — or even read about them — you’ve probably heard about it: the 90/10 grading policy, an initiative that puts more emphasis on tests and what students can prove they know than homework and class participation.

On Monday, Mitchem is set to present an information report on the policy at the regular board of education meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the , 755 Dalhart Drive in Romeoville.

The 90/10 policy places less emphasis on formative assessments and compliance, like homework or class projects, and more on the end result — summative assessments, or passing tests and proving mastery of the subject.

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Under the new policy, the decision to promote a student to the next grade level will be based on successful completion of curriculum, attendance and performance on assessments — and not on classroom participation.

District documents show that classroom performance or participation has been removed from the criteria for promoting a student.

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The document also notes that administrators will arrange for remedial assistance for students who don’t show mastery of a subject or adequate progress toward standards. That policy aligns with Mitchem’s pledge that students who fail assessments will receive interventions to help them get up to speed, and are required to retake tests until they’re able to demonstrate that they’ve mastered the content.

Students who receive a D or below on a test will be required to retake the assessment. If a student receives higher than a D, it will be up to the teacher to determine whether to allow a retake.

According to the policy, “a student’s grade will primarily reflect the student’s mastery of the academic content of the curriculum of any given course,” basing 90 percent of a student’s final grade on summative assessments. The remaining 10 percent can be based on the teacher’s assessment of the student in compliance activities, such as homework, class work, practice drills and perceived effort.

Read the policy by clicking here.

Also on the agenda

The board is scheduled to vote on two policies regarding the safety of student athletes:

  • Under the Concussion and Head Injury Return to Play policy, any athlete who shows symptoms consistent with a concussion will be immediately removed from the game and will not return unless he or she is cleared by the appropriate health care professional. Students who are not cleared to return on the same day of play will not be allowed to participate in their sport until they are evaluated and receive written clearance from a licensed health care provider.
  • A second policy, the Soccer Goal Safety and Education policy, outlines safety issued associated with movable soccer goals. Under the policy, only authorized district personnel would be permitted to re-secure movable goals that come loose, and a warning label will be placed on all movable goals. Any new removable goals must be tip-resistant, and all goals will be subject to routine inspections by the district.


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