VOICES
New JumpRope Grading System Confuses Students and
Teachers
January 1, 2020
By Dariana Restrepo, Malak Saleh & Yawen Wang
As is known to all, Flushing International High School has changed its grading system from number 1-4 to the letters. This made students and teachers confused. Then we interviewed the students and teachers to know what is the reason to make them get confused. In order to find the reason, we made some interviewed.
One of the teachers said, “Our school uses the old version since she started teaching here which is 2 years, the old system was pretty clear, but since we just started to use the new one, it makes me get confused.” She also mentions if the code can match the number it will be easy for them to understand. So when she looks at the code ME, MT she can’t directly know what it said. From interview her, I know that our school is a mastery collaborative school and our school has its own system and it is different from the NYC grading system.
Furthermore, we also doing an interview of a student, we want students can speak out for our voices and opinions about this. We thought that this can help people understand the reason of grading system changed, so we started to interview. We interviewed a student. She is a senior. With her replies, We understand that our school started using this new system but none of bridges teachers explain what does each code really mean or represent. That make our students more confused. Also she told us a very interesting answer that is she doesn't like the new system, and they were even not asked our opinions which is weird. Because we are the ones who are using it more. So we should be the first ones to say yes or no to change the system of the school grades system.
Even though we already got answers from the students and teachers, but one of my group members still wants to get answers from the school’s principal, so we also interview the assistant principal she is Ms.Rosmery about why the school changed the jumpRope and see her opinion. She said it was because most of the student just focus in the number and not really about what the outcomes represent. "We are a master collaborative school, this means that we want the students to be available to show the proficiency and understanding to different goals. We hope this helps the student for their college in a future. It is a conversation that all teachers having for the last 2 years. Teacher talk in teams and then on coordinating council is that we have where we make the all decide that happen in the school until the get the revise feedback from everyone.”
She also stated that, "We can’t give you a percentage of people who want it and people who do not because is not like people voting. We make this decision by consent, and even if people do not agree with that decision that is something that our school want to try.”” In the end, she said that she really hope that make something where the student can also participant about happen around the school.
Our group thinks that we should try to interview more people and receive more student’s opinion, because the student is the one who use their Jump Rope every single day. It is very important to let students speak up for themselves.