Less than six months after successfully repealing its grading floor policy, the Sumter County School Board is now considering resurrecting the initiative, according to the Sumter Item. The rule had barred teachers in the district from assigning students a grade of less than 50% for the quarter (except for the last quarter).
The school board’s 5-3 decision last August to strike the grade floor policy was praised by many parents, community leaders, and, most of all, teachers. CALN also supported the decision.
On Feb. 5, the board’s Policy Committee discussed the possibility of reinstating the 50% rule. The full board is set to review the proposal at its Monday night meeting (Feb. 10), with potential revisions, including limiting its application to high schools.
CALN’s position is clear: grade floor policies cause harm by lowering our expectations of students, rewarding poor effort, and distorting the truth regarding academic achievement.
We are not alone in this sentiment. A staggering 82.5% of Sumter teachers said they opposed the grade floor rule when surveyed last spring, according to The Item (though some have contended the survey results included non-teacher participants).
“Students should be encouraged to reach their full potential, earning a score that reflects their true effort and the quality of their work,” said Bryce Fiedler, director of CALN. “Our schools will not improve by putting guardrails on grades.”
South Carolina Senator Jeff Zell, a former Sumter school board trustee who voted to disband the policy last year, urged Sumter board leaders to “concentrate on motivating young students to meet the minimum acceptable performance levels, rather than lowering the standards and promoting failure…” in a statement shared on Facebook.
***
Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (CALN) exists to empower school board members in North Carolina and South Carolina with the training and tools they need to serve students and their districts free from the toxicity often found in today’s political climate.