D’s disappear from some area report cards

Parents, what do you see when you receive your teen's report card?

All A's? Some B's. Maybe a C?

Here's one thing you won't see on some Cedar Rapids Washington High School report cards - a D.

Three years ago, some of the school's science teachers dropped D from the grading scale. Students in freshman science classes - environmental science, foundations of science and advanced placement biology - must have a C to pass the class. Those who don't, fail.

The point isn't failure, though. The D was dropped to facilitate better grades among ninth-graders, with hopes that they continue to work hard throughout high school.

“We want to get it through to students that grades matter,” said J.P. Graham, a Washington science teacher. “From Day 1, they matter.”

The idea stemmed from a conference at which model schools shared the I-Contract - an agreement between the teacher, student and parent that the student's grade would be a C or better in the designated class. If a student's grade falls at or below 70 percent, their parents are notified and after-school tutoring sessions scheduled.

“We're not just raising the expectations and telling them to go do it,” said Jessica Johnson, also a Washington science teacher. “We have a plan in place to help the students who need it.”

Washington students struggling in science know their teachers are available after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays for help.

Not extra credit. Extra instruction.

“The point here isn't ‘How do I get kids to pass?' It's ‘How do we get them to understand the material?' ” said Ian Kleman, who also teaches at Washington.

Grades reflect how well students understand academics, although not always accurately. Letter grades don't identify what concepts, if any, students don't understand. At the same time, an A in one class can be different from an A in another.

Letter grades don't exist at most Eastern Iowa elementary schools. Instead, elementary students in the Corridor bring home report cards that track their progress toward end-of-the-year expectations.

These standards-based report cards inform parents of their children's academic understanding from “limited or no progress” to “student exceeds learning expectation.” This allows teachers to identify what concepts students need help with before they fall behind.

It's similar to how Matt Townsley taught his math students at Solon High School.

Townsley made his students part of the process. Leaving behind the traditional grading system, where a concept is introduced to students and they have a certain amount of time to master it before an exam, Townsley allowed students to learn at their own pace.

He'd introduce new material and give assessments until students understood it. Some passed on the first try, others didn't. This meant more work for Townsley, who had to create multiple assessments for the same material. He said students were working harder, too.

“Students were coming up to me, asking if they could be reassessed,” he said. “We want to encourage students to learn, to demonstrate what they know, and that isn't possible with traditional grading.”

Several Solon teachers have since adopted Townsley's system, including the high school science department. Teachers track student progress through standards-based grading, but report semester grades on the traditional A-through-F scale.

Letter grades are what college admission departments and scholarship committees recognize, even if they aren't an accurate portrayal of students' academic knowledge.

College is what Washington's science teachers emphasize with the altered grading scale. It's never too soon, Graham said, for students to prepare for their future - and Washington students are grateful for it.

“It holds us up to higher standards,” said Brian Williams, 14. “If you pay attention, take notes and do the work, you'll be fine. If you don't, that's your own fault.”