Arlington Public Schools in Virginia is updating its grading policy, defining the criteria used to determine whether a student is eligible to retake or revise a major assignment, such as a test, project or essay.
Starting Jan. 30, middle and high school students who score below an 80% “must be afforded the opportunity to retake or revise a summative assessment after remediation,” Superintendent Francisco Duran said in a letter to families.
However, only the higher score, up to an 80%, will be used to calculate a student’s overall grade, Duran said.
Under changes the school division implemented last summer, students are allowed to retake or redo an assignment, but there isn’t a threshold that makes students eligible to do so.
“It never was and never should be intended to just be about getting better grades,” Duran said at Thursday’s school board meeting. “This is not a grading game that we’re trying to ask students to do. We want this to be a learning opportunity for students.”
The goal of the policy, Duran said, is to make sure students have an understanding of the material, “not to make higher grades, not to try and get a better grade, but to demonstrate their true proficiency.”
“The key here is that 80% or lower, and then the highest (new score) you can get is the 80%,” Duran said.
The school district decided to make 80% the threshold because according to the school division’s policy, an 80 or above means students have “consistent knowledge of content or skills,” according to the newsletter.
The county will continue to solicit feedback on the update, Duran said, and hold meetings to consider additional revisions that might need to be made before the next school year.
“There was a lot of concern about the need to really refine the procedures that were put in place to meet the ultimate goal of trying to support true remediation for students who needed remediation,” Duran said. “Based on the feedback, we heard that was not happening.”
In June 2023, the school district updated its grading policy, as part of a new approach to grading that emphasizes equity.
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