NC students are learning online amid pandemic. Many aren’t being graded by teachers.
North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students are now learning online due to the coronavirus pandemic, but lack of equal access to technology means traditional grades aren’t being given to many students.
Many North Carolina school districts aren’t grading the work given remotely by teachers or are using pass/fail grades instead of traditional grades. School officials say they have to adjust grading practices in recognition of how not all students can participate in the online classes.
“There are so many complexities and challenges that students are facing — especially in these first few weeks with this next phase of remote learning,” Drew Cook, the Wake County school system’s assistant superintendent for academics, said at Tuesday’s school board meeting. “It’s just probably nearly impossible to try to quantify feedback and have it done in a way that’s consistent and equitable across the board.”
But the decision not to go with traditional grades is frustrating some families. They want traditional grades used to help boost grades on transcripts.
“If teachers are prepared to teach all students, the efforts of the students should be recognized through the traditional grading process,” Wake County high school parents Craig and Tracey Coulter wrote in public comments submitted Tuesday to the school board.
All North Carolina public schools are moving to remote learning because they’re closed through at least May 15 to try to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Wake begins remote learning
Monday marked the first official day of online classes for all of Wake County’s 162,000 students. Wake is North Carolina’s largest school system.
Edward McFarland, Wake’s chief academic advancement officer, told the school board that it’s clear that students, parents and staff are excited to be back in school.
“My 9th grader’s online learning has been AMAZING!” Heather Beach Watkins, the parent of a Broughton High School student, tweeted Tuesday. “Teacher’s connected with each individual student during class, reassured them they’re all in this together & then discussed coursework, supplied them w/lesson plans, homework links & etc.”
McFarland said the key has been doing the learning in small increments. He said the way it’s offered will get better over time.
But McFarland said there have been challenges, such as parents feeling overwhelmed in how to help their children.
Michelle Marshall, the parent of two elementary school students, told the school board she hopes the work isn’t being graded.
“Every day my 1st grader is so overwhelmed he cries,” Marshall wrote. “I am a single mom still working 40 hrs and have two children under two and two 10 and 7, it is exceedingly difficult to sit down and navigate the websites and assignments while working from home and caring for my younger children.
“It is creating so much extra stress and grief in this already difficult time.”
Wake County families who need technical support for remote learning can get it 24/7 at http://StudentTechHelp.wcpss.net or by calling the district’s Remote Learning Help Desk at 919-694-8100 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Spanish speaking staff are available.
Some students not going online for classes
Another challenge, McFarland said, is that not all of Wake’s students are going online. He estimated that high schools have been able to contact 85% of students with the rates being higher at elementary schools.
Wake is the midst of distributing 28,000 computers and 10,500 mobile hotspots to students who need them to learn remotely.
The State Board of Education told school districts they could only issue traditional grades in grades K-11 if they could meet five “critical factors” so that students could access the materials during remote learning.
School districts are following state guidance to give high school seniors a passing grade if they were passing a class on March 13 — the last day before schools closed.
Cook said Wake and many other North Carolina districts can’t meet the critical factors. So Wake teachers are being told for now to give feedback and not traditional grades on assignments.
Wake isn’t alone. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the state’s second largest district, the Charlotte Observer reported that teachers aren’t giving grades but instead will make assignments, provide feedback and take anecdotal notes on student work,
In the Triangle, Durham Public Schools and Johnston and Orange counties say they’re not grading the assignments.
“Students’ grades up to March 13th will not be negatively impacted,” Jason Johnson, Orange County’s executive director of schools, said in an email. “In lieu of grades, students and families will receive meaningful feedback on remote learning assignments to promote student growth that are submitted before schools reopen.”
Grades given for online assignments
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system will grade the remote learning assignments in grades 6-11. But instead of a traditional grade, students will get a pass or incomplete grade for their work.
Outside the Triangle, Guilford County Schools will give K-11 students marks of complete, incomplete or missing for their work. Students in the state’s third-largest district will need to complete all assignments online to get a passing grade for the 4th quarter.
Some districts are still issuing traditional grades.
A video posted on Iredell-Statesville Schools’ website tells students in grades 6-11 to keep working during remote learning because “the grades you make now will affect future course selections and possible college admissions.”
“Teachers are currently assigning number grades and providing feedback,” Kelly Cooper, Iredell-Statesville’s executive director of secondary education, said in an email. “Our school administrators felt this approach would keep students more engaged.”
Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, which is the state’s 4th-largest district, is pursuing a middle ground. The district is still issuing traditional grades but says it won’t lower the marks of students who can’t do the work remotely.
“We won’t penalize students who don’t have access or maybe miss deadlines etc. as it relates to their ability to connect or use eLearning,” Brent Campbell, a district spokesman, said in an email. “We understand some students/families are still facing challenges.”
Uncertainty about final semester grades
The big uncertainty for schools across the state is how final spring semester grades will be issued. Even the districts which are giving grades for remote learning say that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be used for the final grades.
School districts are telling families that they’re awaiting guidance from the state, which says it will make a decision based on whether schools reopen after May 15.
An online petition urging Wake County to let students use their 3rd-quarter grades for the final semester grades had 4,600 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon. Those parents have also lobbied school board members who pressed administrators Tuesday about that possibility.
Cook, Wake’s assistant superintendent for academics, reiterated Tuesday that no decision has been made yet on final semester grades. He said the pass/fail grades being used for 3rd quarter are a placeholder until a decision is made about the entire semester.
Cook said nothing has been ruled yet, including the proposal from the petition. But Cook also brought up the fairness issue, saying they’d like all the school districts in the state to use the same standard for final spring grades.
“We have to acknowledge, and do, appreciate that students have been and are working hard to post strong grades and rigorous content across all levels of coursework,” Cook said. “We do believe we should honor those efforts appropriately, just as we also believe we must work to honor those students whose circumstances make it impossible to give complete focus and attention to their schoolwork during these unprecedented circumstances.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
