Postpone the introduction of MPE grades in Highcrest Middle School

Please postpone

Grades should be the feedback system to the student and parents, not MPE!!

My concern is not whether or not the strategy for this is correct. It may very well be a good idea and it seems that the petition does not rule this out. There are some very valid points regarding the levels, the training etc. My concern currently is with the implementation. With such a big change, getting parents concerns would have been extremely helpful My experience with the K-4 reports cards is not positive. I have no real understanding of how my child performs and relative strengths and weaknesses. Not until Middle school do I have an idea and this has a lot to do with the grading system. Additionally 5-8 is a time for a child to understand not just how to do homework but how to study (where efforts make a difference, how to prioritize work load, difference between a test and a quiz, etc)These are incredibly important as they get to NT (or any other hs). 7th grade can be a tough year for many with the social pressures, puberty and just an increase in workload. Adding grades at this time could be have a negative effect. My sentiments is that we should evaluate, test (like the iPad implementation - have one house/team) trial it to see how it works. Maybe have parents opt in or opt out.. Learn and adjust.

It’s even frustrating at the elementary level to see how your student compares. I understand that puts pressure on a student and family, the “real world” applies similar pressures. I would rather my children learn to cope with this and set high expectations for themselves.

We should encourage student competition spirit by having appropriate number of levels.

MPE progress indicators are super vague ,inadequate.

keep current letter grading system, there is nothing wrong with it, it has been used for many many years and seems to be a non issue. letter grades are very motivating for children

I fully support this effort. Thank you for putting this together.

I agree completely with all the points outlined in this petition. At the middle school, the children are certainly old enough to be receiving grades. We are doing them a disservice by postponing the transition to grades. Grades are a much better indicator of where they stand academically. The MPE standard is very vague and does not really provide any useful assessment to the students or the parents.

Parent of students William Vulgaris-Wieczorek and Anastasia Vulgaris-Wieczorek.

7 years ago Featured

My thanks to the petition writers. Regardless of the District's intent, the decision to switch to MPE seems rushed and poorly thought-out. Also, I have found the MPE system to be vague and inherently negative, only pointing out kids' weak spots, without allowing them to see where they excel.

7 years ago Featured

My wife is a fifth grade teacher and she strongly disagrees with this decision as it severely limits feedback to the student. Also, my daughters are not particularly grade conscious but they want to keep letter grades so they have a better idea of how they are performing.

I don’t understand the meaning/reason of expand the MPE grading system currently in use in the elementary schools to grades 5-6 at Highcrest Middle School.

I could not agree more with the sentiment expressed in the letter. Children need to know where they stand and the school needs to ensure parents understand the performance of their child. This is best accomplished through the use of a clear system that distinguishes performance vs expectations. Letter grades do this and they should be retained. I have not read anything from the district that explains why the vague terms used in the proposed new system are better.

I agree with the opinion that MPE system is insufficient to represent the performance of a student at school.

Students of all ages should be aware of their true academic performance. Their parents are not in the classroom with them to see how they are performing in relation to peers. When the MSP system is implemented, there is little motivation to improve beyond a passing grade. A child with a B+ will almost always realize that with a little more effort or extra credit an A is attainable and most will strive for the improvement. MSP does not show that one small assignment/quiz/test could result in failure. Healthy competition is a part of life. This grading system, in my opinion, is a dumbing down of our kids and their education. Just stop already.

This is the first time I have ever heard of this type of grading system, My oldest still has one more year of pre-school so we have not been exposed to this yet. In pre-school progress is shown by what my son can and can't do and there are probably at least 50 different skills that are reported on, this is in addition to a few actually measured skills (e.g. highest number he can count to) and comparisons over time (self-portraits and writing his name done several times a year). I completely agree with this system for pre-school since there is no need to test toddlers and those shows where they are developmentally. Sure, I don't know from these reports how much he is learning, but I gather that information from what he talks about and the songs that he signs at home. However, in elementary school the curriculum is much more important, after all, my kids will learn how to read and do math, which are skills needed for the rest of their life. When it comes to grading, I would say that letter grades are insufficient, what does a B in math mean? Does that mean that they make a few mistakes every now and then but in general know everything, or does it mean that they have mastered addition, subtraction, and multiplication, but our struggling with division. At least if they get an A you have a pretty good idea that they have mastered everything. Of course giving grades based on percentages can be flawed as some students excel at testing while others don't, and the same can apply to homework. Does a B simply mean that a student is great at taking tests, or does it mean that there are some areas that have room for improvement? For example, as a student I was always horrible at doing homework but could ace any test. My 6th grade math teacher even said to me that she had never had a student like me who was so bad at doing homework but would get a 100 on every test. I assume that an M in this new system would mean that they would have gotten an A or B, and po

I strongly feel that MPE grading should be postponed. At the very least, 6th graders should be "grandfathered" into the traditional grade systems.

Our children and us (their parents) were looking forward to finally having a grade system. The grade system begins too late in the district and postponing it more won’t do a good service to students. Do not do that.

The message here is spot on