Recently, the Des Moines School District moved to standard-referenced grading. It was determined that this new grading system, coupled with differentiation, enables teachers to effectively administer rigorous instruction that meets every child’s learning ability. Therefore, they concluded that it is necessary to eliminate accelerated and advanced courses in our middle schools.
This “philosophical shift” reduces course options and eliminates curricula that are designed specifically to challenge the students that have either mastered or excel in a particular subject.We believe that every child should have every opportunity to succeed and that all classrooms should continue to strive to provide top quality instruction. However, discussions about uniformity, grading, and achievement gaps should be focused on providing more opportunities, not eliminating them. Furthermore, as a concerned educator, parent, student and/or community member, I ask for clarity about the elimination of advanced/accelerated courses, including differentiated instruction and standard referenced grading, and for the opportunity to speak on this matter.
