Everyone gets a Trophy in North Andover – School Committee Dumbs-Down Grades

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL

 

January 2013

The North Andover School Committee has decided that grading children in the school system with the time tested letter grades which reflect their achievement on tests and projects, is no longer needed.

Instead, they have decided to create a complicated number grading system that parents say do not reflect actual achievement. Parents complained at a public forum that two students getting a different number of questions wrong on the same test were given the same grade.

The public forum on the issue was held after the school committee made their decision.

This is hardly the act of elected officials concerned with transparency in government or public input.

Whatever convoluted lies and excuses the school committee tells the voters of North Andover, we believe that this is nothing more than politics and the dumbing down of educational standards.
We also believe it is a purposely complicated number grading system which will result in parents not really knowing what level of achievement their children have really mastered.

When two students can get the same grade for getting a different number of questions wrong on a test; it is no different than holding a baseball tournament where everyone gets a trophy just for participating.

By blurring the line between an exact letter grade and a subjective number grading system, The North Andover School Committee has shown how out of touch they really are.

And by holding a public forum after making the decision to implement such a grading system, they proved that deep down they know it.

The North Andover School Committee has done some amazing work in increasing educational standards over the last ten years. We do not believe this to be one of them.

We believe in this case, that the North Andover School Committee has not acted in the best interest of the students or the voters. We believe the result of that bad faith effort means a lower standard of education.

This spring the voters of North Andover have a chance to change the direction and the leadership (or should we say lack of leadership) in the North Andover School System.

We encourage them to take a long, hard look at the decisions this current school committee has made over the last three years. We also encourage them to pay a little more attention to the school committee candidates before they vote.