This is a serious failure of our school board... and a serious failure of our students.
D
Delfina Szigethy
6 years ago
This greatly impacts the late bloomers. I did not excel during freshmen and sophomore year. Junior year I finally found my way and improved tremendously. This second semester I had all As while taking 2 APs and 3 honors classes. This would significantly raise my QPA and GPA. The current system is unfair for people finding their way junior year, the year that most impacts college admittance. Bumping my GPA and QPA up will allow me to receive better scholarships, a chance at acceptance into better schools, and the opportunity to demonstrate my academic ability if the SAT or ACT is canceled.
S
Sara Dunnr
6 years ago
Overall, very disappointed with Mt Lebanon’s lazy response to online “ teaching” and pass/fail continues to encourage and support it.
A
Allison Peiritsch
6 years ago
A pass/fail policy is demoralizing to motivated students like my son — he had straight As this semester prior to this change. I work for a university that is giving students the option to be graded on a pass/no credit or letter grade basis. We professors won’t know what scheme they’ve chosen — we just grade their work. Let the students decide what grading scheme they want to apply based on their personal situation and goals. MtL needs to rescind its short-sighted policy.
K
Kristen M
6 years ago
This was a stupid decision on the district’s part. I would think the best move is to keep things as “normal” as possible. My normally honor roll/high honor roll student has no motivation to try hard.
B
Bonnie Bagay
6 years ago
Thanks !
A
Anonymous
6 years ago
My son worked hard for his grades and GPA. Not having a GPA or grades could impact his choice of colleges.
D
donald gilberg
6 years ago
answer to the community! explain your actions!
J
Jill Smolenski
6 years ago
What motivation do our students have to do their very best when just enough to pass will do? And for those students who either were not able to take college boards, or who will have only limited opportunity to take them when (and if) they are offered before applying to colleges next fall, they will need every advantage to showcase their skills and hard work on those applications. If grades are the only way they will be able to do that, then please, don’t take that away.
K
Kristen Goodell
6 years ago
Mt. Lebanon should not operate with less criteria than other "competitive" schools districts are. This is a cop out and shameful for a "top" district.
M
Michelle Kearns
6 years ago
Parent of current Junior
N
Nick Goodell
6 years ago
Our daughter is a junior and worked hard on her GPA in preparation for college applications
W
Wendy Capristo
6 years ago
We must stay competitive with our neighboring institutions. My daughter is a junior and carried close to a 4.0 . Universities need to see her hard work and dedication , like they will see her colleges at NA, USC,, I pay taxes to ensure my children are receiving a competitive education.
M
Michele Psilos
6 years ago
I was just about to contact my twins’ counselor at the HS and ask if there were “other” options available instead of just P/F. Thanks for sharing!
J
Julie Hall
6 years ago
This policy will make a big difference in our children's future. A large number of colleges are going test optional for the fall's applicants, we don't want our kids to be at a further disadvantage due to this grading system. Why not implement a system that would still give grades and also give kids the option to do pass/fail if they want once they get their end of semester grades. (This is what Penn State is doing.) I feel that having grades will encourage the students and teachers to do their best. We need to be better aligned with what our peer schools are doing.
A
Anonymous
6 years ago
This situation is hard enough- don’t take away all of their hard work and make their climb to college even harder!
M
Mollie Gannon
6 years ago
Featured
I strongly urge Mt Lebanon School District to adjust their grading policy for the remainder of the school year. Students have worked too hard to simply receive a Pass with no percentage value. Why would the district not want kids to keep trying to reach their individual goals and feel that their schoolwork is important?
P
Patrick Duffy
6 years ago
This is demotivating to students. Not the right message.
C
Carrie Albert
6 years ago
I already wrote three emails to Steinhauer, Davis and Irvin beginning on March 27, 2020 about my concern asking them to please reconsider the pass/ fail at least for the third report. I am a teacher of 25 years in the PITTSBURGH PUBLIC Schools. I have two sons in the school one at Lincoln and one at Jefferson. I did not appreciate the response. I wrote the email to Steinhauer and cc Irvin and Davis and he didn’t even respond Irvin did both times.
M
Mimi Gamble
6 years ago
Featured
Thank you for looking out for our children. While most of us are still in shock, you are making such a valid point. A lot of schools award automatic scholarships by comparing GPA’s of the incoming freshman. My older daughter qualified for $20k/year at one school but missed the matching scholarship at another by a tenth of a point on her GPA.
This is a serious failure of our school board... and a serious failure of our students.
This greatly impacts the late bloomers. I did not excel during freshmen and sophomore year. Junior year I finally found my way and improved tremendously. This second semester I had all As while taking 2 APs and 3 honors classes. This would significantly raise my QPA and GPA. The current system is unfair for people finding their way junior year, the year that most impacts college admittance. Bumping my GPA and QPA up will allow me to receive better scholarships, a chance at acceptance into better schools, and the opportunity to demonstrate my academic ability if the SAT or ACT is canceled.
Overall, very disappointed with Mt Lebanon’s lazy response to online “ teaching” and pass/fail continues to encourage and support it.
A pass/fail policy is demoralizing to motivated students like my son — he had straight As this semester prior to this change. I work for a university that is giving students the option to be graded on a pass/no credit or letter grade basis. We professors won’t know what scheme they’ve chosen — we just grade their work. Let the students decide what grading scheme they want to apply based on their personal situation and goals. MtL needs to rescind its short-sighted policy.
This was a stupid decision on the district’s part. I would think the best move is to keep things as “normal” as possible. My normally honor roll/high honor roll student has no motivation to try hard.
Thanks !
My son worked hard for his grades and GPA. Not having a GPA or grades could impact his choice of colleges.
answer to the community! explain your actions!
What motivation do our students have to do their very best when just enough to pass will do? And for those students who either were not able to take college boards, or who will have only limited opportunity to take them when (and if) they are offered before applying to colleges next fall, they will need every advantage to showcase their skills and hard work on those applications. If grades are the only way they will be able to do that, then please, don’t take that away.
Mt. Lebanon should not operate with less criteria than other "competitive" schools districts are. This is a cop out and shameful for a "top" district.
Parent of current Junior
Our daughter is a junior and worked hard on her GPA in preparation for college applications
We must stay competitive with our neighboring institutions. My daughter is a junior and carried close to a 4.0 . Universities need to see her hard work and dedication , like they will see her colleges at NA, USC,, I pay taxes to ensure my children are receiving a competitive education.
I was just about to contact my twins’ counselor at the HS and ask if there were “other” options available instead of just P/F. Thanks for sharing!
This policy will make a big difference in our children's future. A large number of colleges are going test optional for the fall's applicants, we don't want our kids to be at a further disadvantage due to this grading system. Why not implement a system that would still give grades and also give kids the option to do pass/fail if they want once they get their end of semester grades. (This is what Penn State is doing.) I feel that having grades will encourage the students and teachers to do their best. We need to be better aligned with what our peer schools are doing.
This situation is hard enough- don’t take away all of their hard work and make their climb to college even harder!
I strongly urge Mt Lebanon School District to adjust their grading policy for the remainder of the school year. Students have worked too hard to simply receive a Pass with no percentage value. Why would the district not want kids to keep trying to reach their individual goals and feel that their schoolwork is important?
This is demotivating to students. Not the right message.
I already wrote three emails to Steinhauer, Davis and Irvin beginning on March 27, 2020 about my concern asking them to please reconsider the pass/ fail at least for the third report. I am a teacher of 25 years in the PITTSBURGH PUBLIC Schools. I have two sons in the school one at Lincoln and one at Jefferson. I did not appreciate the response. I wrote the email to Steinhauer and cc Irvin and Davis and he didn’t even respond Irvin did both times.
Thank you for looking out for our children. While most of us are still in shock, you are making such a valid point. A lot of schools award automatic scholarships by comparing GPA’s of the incoming freshman. My older daughter qualified for $20k/year at one school but missed the matching scholarship at another by a tenth of a point on her GPA.