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Potsdam Central's homework grading policy featured in New York Times, Detroit News

Posted 11/29/10

POTSDAM – Potsdam Central’s controversial new homework grading policy was featured Sunday in a New York Times story published in the Detroit news on the disadvantages of giving students good …

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Potsdam Central's homework grading policy featured in New York Times, Detroit News

Posted

POTSDAM – Potsdam Central’s controversial new homework grading policy was featured Sunday in a New York Times story published in the Detroit news on the disadvantages of giving students good grades for good behavior.

The story describes Potsdam Central as a “high-performing” district and quotes Carolyn Stone, an adjunct professor of literacy at SUNY Potsdam and a mother of a Potsdam high school freshman. Potsdam Superintendent Pat Brady is also quoted

The complete Detroit News article can be viewed here. The original New York Times article can be viewed here.

Potsdam’s new policy limits to 10 percent the portion of a student’s overall grade based on homework. The minimum grade for incomplete homework is now 50 instead of zero.

Advocates say the policy ensures students receiving high grades have truly demonstrated they understand and have mastered the topic and have not just received good grades for completing homework on time and taken on extra credit options.

Opponents of the new policy say some students will fail to complete homework because they realize the impact on their overall grade will not be significant. In addition, they say, students who put little effort into homework will not learn as much as in the past, because homework reinforces what’s learned in school and helps people remember.

Potsdam is mentioned towards the end of the New York Times article:

“After a high-performing public school district in Potsdam, N.Y., began changing its grading formula, 175 parents and community members -- many of them professors from local universities -- signed a petition in protest. Carolyn Stone, an adjunct professor of literacy at SUNY Potsdam and a mother of a Potsdam high school freshman, was one of the protesters,” the story says.

“She says the new policy, which makes daily homework, even when it is handed in late, account for only 10 percent of the grade, encourages laziness. ‘Does the old system reward compliance? Yes,’ she said. ‘Do those who fit in the box of school do better? Yes. But to revamp the policy in a way that could be of detriment to the kids who do well is not the answer.’ In the real world, she points out, attitude counts. “

The article continues, "We are getting rid of grade fog," Brady said. "We need to stop overlooking kids who can do the work and falsely inflate grades of kids who can't but who look good. We think this will be good for everyone."