The evening before Maryland officials extended the public school closure until mid-May due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Howard County Board of Education approved new grading policies for all students through the end of the academic year.
Bill Barnes, the county school system’s chief academic officer, presented the recommended changes during Thursday’s virtual school board meeting, where the measures were approved unanimously.
“We set out to establish expectations that honor the difficult situations we are all experiencing. Teachers and students are engaging in educational methodology that is brand new for almost everyone involved,” Barnes said during his presentation.
“We set out to develop recommendations that did not penalize students for this outbreak.”
This change comes as the school system’s nearly 59,000 students have been out of school since March, with online learning being implemented at various stages this month for elementary, middle and high schoolers.
State schools Superintendent Karen Salmon announced Friday that the statewide public school closure would continue through May 15; schools had been scheduled to reopen April 24.
“With regards to the remainder of the school year and the summer, we will use this time to examine every option, and continue to develop a long-term plan for recovery,” Salmon said during a Friday news conference in Annapolis.
For the fourth quarter, all Howard County elementary, middle and high school students will receive one of two grades: either a “P” for pass or an “I” for incomplete. To receive a pass, students must complete 50% of all online assignments.
If a student receives an incomplete for fourth-quarter grades, they will have the opportunity to turn that into a passing grade. Students will have until mid-September to complete the 50% amount of work to receive a passing grade.
If high school students do not make up the work, their incomplete grade will become an “N/A” and their overall grade for the class will be decided by the first three marking periods and the midterm exam. Middle school students who receive an “N/A” will have their final grade decided without a midterm exam, and elementary students will receive an “N/A” with no final grade calculations.
“There is no perfect solution, but I believe [the school system’s] policy comes close to it,” school board Vice Chairwoman Vicky Cutroneo said.
“It does no harm and as [Bill Barnes] stated ... it honors the situation. I thank him and his team for their thoughtful work on this policy, and I believe it should be the gold standard for other counties.”
Howard schools Superintendent Michael Martirano addressed the extended school closure in a districtwide email Friday afternoon to students and families.
“We anticipated this extension and I want to assure our families and staff that, no matter the end date of the closure, we are well-positioned to continue our continuity of learning plan as long as it is needed,” Martirano wrote.
Questions regarding high school graduations, proms, summer school, field trips and other items still cannot be fully answered at this time as the school system must await guidance from the Maryland State Department of Education on whether those decisions can be made on the local level.
For the time being, the school system has been in contact with Merriweather Post Pavilion — where county graduations are held — to discuss alternative plans, and high school seniors and staff have been discussing potential alternative celebrations for the Class of 2020.
“The well-being of our students, staff and families continue to fill my mind and heart, and I offer my best wishes for your continued health and serenity,” Martirano wrote.