If Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr could have his way, he’d stop grading students.
“I’m actually a believer in not having grades,” he told a crowd of 100 students during a Town Hall-style meeting this week at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring.
That’s because getting grades doesn’t reflect the way things work outside of school, he said. At work, for example, employees receive feedback on how well they are doing or how to improve, Starr said.
But don’t expect grades to disappear any time soon. “I’m not doing away with grades, so don’t start any rumors,” Starr said, as students chuckled. But “we will be taking a look at grading policies going forward.”
Issues raised by the students—including grading policy, equitable distribution of resources, availability of technology, college readiness and whether students should be tracked into academic paths—echo themes that have resonated as Starr has met throughout the school year with hundreds of other students, parents and educators.
This was his last of four meetings with students. He’ll finish up the year with a public forum on special education Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown and another session on social and emotional learning May 10 at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda.
At Wheaton, sophomore Marvin Velasquez of Silver Spring told Starr that his school needed more technology, such as smart boards in classrooms, to help students learn. But Starr had bad news.
“We don’t have money to invest in the kind of technology you deserve and the kind of technology that teachers would like to have in the classroom,” he said, noting that “it’s frustrating because I’d like to do more technology sooner.”
But Starr also said that schools shouldn’t invest in technology just “for technology’s sake.” Rather, educators need to figure out what would work best, recognizing that there’s a disconnect between what kids and parents think are good uses.
Velasquez couldn’t agree more, talking after the session about how much better he understood lessons about World War II after watching videos on the subject. “If you can see that, you can imagine the war,” he said. “I think hearing the stuff is better than reading about it.”
One student wanted to know what Starr planned to do to get parents more involved in the schools.
Increasing community and family engagement is a priority for next year, Starr said. He wants MCPS to work with local agencies on helping parents understand how important it is to be involved in their children’s lives—to set limits, to offer guidance, to know what they’re doing and who their friends are.
“You should not have a TV in your room,” he said, to more chuckles from students.
The many issues raised during the public sessions have given Starr plenty to think about as he moves closer to the end of his first year on the job. He expects to issue a report detailing the four community forums held on topics of special interest, and will examine how MCPS is tackling the other issues that have been raised.
Looking into the perception of inequity among schools will be a priority. Starr said again that he’s not certain that the perception matches reality. Wheaton Principal Kevin Lowndes seemed to agree.
“The county does a good job of making sure students get everything we need,” Lowndes said. “I don’t feel we’re slighted in any way.”
Nonetheless, that perception that some schools have more than others persists across the school district.
“I have got to start taking a hard look at it,” Starr said.
