Greetings BRHS Parent/Guardian(s):
As parents we play a vital role in coaching our children through the ups and downs of life. How we react to their stress has a significant impact on which way they go with it. I am often feeling overwhelmed these days and when face to face with MY upset child, I have to remind my Momself to take a deep breath, slowly place my Coach hat on, whistle in hand, while I let the player settle down -before engaging in any coaching.
Stress is a normal part of everyday life and right now we are all experiencing a significant amount of stress. We need to give ourselves a break and permission to step away. I need to take time for myself so that I can manage my emotional reactions instead of letting them get the best of me and the last of my energy. Self-care is not selfish, it is care. You deserve it! This is hard.
I want share a personal update with you. The dog got her bath (by my husband, Jason). Small victories. I am taking it! All of our teachers and staff at BRHS have been working hard. As we close Quarter three during these challenging times, we have updated our plans to support student learning and reporting.
BRHS teachers are teaching and available to students Monday-Friday 8 am-3 pm. If you have any questions, not sure who your child’s Advisor is, please contact BRHS Guidance Counselor Leanne Burnham (lburnham@aos98schools.org). A reminder: AOS 98 WILL BE recognizing April Vacation. There will be NO expectation for Distance Learning during April Break (April 20-24th). AOS 98 Staff, Students, Teachers and Families all deserve a break and an opportunity to stop, reflect and renew! We will maintain the food security for all of our students. Lunch service will continue during school vacation week.
BRHS seniors: Though it may not be at the previously scheduled time, or look as it has in the past, we will celebrate and honor our graduating seniors. Superintendent Laser continues to be in close communication with the Administrative Team. I will continue to update you as information comes in and decisions are made.
I continue to be impressed with the many kind, helping and supportive hands in our community. If you are in need, please know we are here. We will do all we can to help.
My heart is with you, Tricia
Tricia Campbell BRHS Interim Principal
BRHS Grading During Distance Learning 2019-2020 School Year
The grading determinations (that follow) are based on three principles: 1. Stress related to COVID-19 will negatively impact student academic performance. 2. Student academic performance during school closures is more likely to reflect racial, economic, and resource differences. 3. Teachers are being asked to provide high-quality instruction remotely, for which, in the current circumstance, they may not be adequately and completely prepared.
Boothbay Region High School Semester 2, Grading:
We complete Q3 using our current 0-100 scale.
*Students, who are passing, should receive a numerical grade for Quarter 3.
Students who are not currently passing will receive an Incomplete and be given the opportunity to submit essential coursework for credit.
*Determination of the senior class Valedictorian and Salutatorian will not change from previous years. The cumulative GPA will be calculated including Quarter 3 grades.
Grades for Q4 will only be Pass/Incomplete.
GPA and credit will be determined as follows :
o Complete Q3 with the 0-100 scale, entering I for any failing grades.
o Grades for Q4 will be P/I - both will be exempt from GPA calculation.
o S2 grades would be graded as P/I
o Y1 grades and GPA will be calculated from the values of Q1, Q2 and passing Q3 - 33.33% apiece. Any remaining I grades for Q3 will not be calculated until essential items are completed and graded to receive credit.
o Credit will be determined based on academic performance over all four quarters.
o There will be no Final Exams.
o Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the senior class are determined by calculating cumulative GPAs at the end of Quarter 3.
Rationale:
Use Only Pass/Incomplete Grades:
The only grades for the 4th Quarter of the school year will be either “Pass” or “Incomplete” instead of the traditional 0-100 percentages and A-F letter grades. Schools use percentages and letter grades primarily to distinguish among students and suggest precise distinctions of course content knowledge, but this specificity is impossible when such significant doubts exist about the integrity or fairness of student performance data.
Letter and percentage grades also can add stress and anxiety to students, and Pass/Incomplete grades give students some relief during this extremely stressful time. A student should receive a “Pass” they were meeting the minimum standards in a course. Any student who was not meeting minimum standards in the course up to that point should have the opportunity to fulfill the requirements remotely and receive a “Pass” for the course. If a student is unable to meet the requirements for whatever reason, they should receive an “Incomplete” for the course and be provided sufficient opportunity to fulfill requirements.
Don’t Leave the Choice of Grading to the Student:
Several universities and colleges are allowing students at the end of this semester to decide whether a course should be Pass/No Pass or graded A-F. This apparently reasonable compromise actually perpetuates inequity: it gives students with access to technology and resources the advantage of being able to earn the letter grade, while the less-resourced student cannot realistically exercise that choice. And, for reasons stated above, “Incomplete” is preferred to “No Pass”; “No Pass” connotes a final evaluation of a student’s performance, which during school closures is based on flawed information and disproportionately disadvantages low-income and other less resourced students. “Pass/Incomplete” is a more accurate grade and allows all students, regardless of circumstances, to complete course requirements when they have this opportunity.
*No college, university, or post-secondary institution will be judging our students on their grades or performance during this spring semester. Ms. Burnham has heard from many institutions already, assuring guidance counselors, families, and students that this unprecedented time means they must acknowledge the reality that school is not the same right now.
Continue Providing Feedback on Performance: Teachers will continue to give detailed feedback to students on their performance to support learning. Teacher feedback could be communicated through online meetings or web-based applications, and will give students valuable insight into their understanding, guidance on how to improve, and motivation to learn and grow. Research supports the impact of non-graded feedback to focus students on learning rather than performance, and when the psychological and intellectual “load” on students and their families is so significant, it is important that schools lean on the side of support and learning rather than competition and high-stakes performance.
Students, Not Grades, Come First:
As our Mission Statement decrees, “Boothbay Region High School strives to equip all students with the knowledge, skills, and values to achieve individual and collective success”.
This grading policy aligns with our overarching beliefs about learning, equity, and children. We must work to do all that we can to protect the safety of our students. We must ensure that we are providing the best possible education for our students. Finally, we must ensure the education provided to our students is accessible and equitable for all.
Accessibility and equity are why we are implementing a Pass/Incomplete grading system for Q4. We must do everything possible to ensure that all students who attend Boothbay Region High School are treated equitably. We must also do our best to reduce the barriers that many of our students face to accessing the opportunities we provide.
Research Based:
*The grading recommendations above are grounded in research on effective evaluation, culturally responsive teaching and learning, and Crescendo Education Group’s work since 2013 in multiple geographic and socioeconomic contexts. They also incorporate feedback from teachers, schools, and district leaders.
“Domestic violence increases whenever stress increases, particularly financial. We’re going to see increased rates of child abuse, physical and also neglect as well,” predicted Victor Carrion, director of the Stanford Early Life Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program. Hoge, P., 2020. Coping With Stress Of Coronavirus Crisis A Challenge For California’s Students. [online] EdSource. Vogel, S. (2020). Stress affects the neural ensemble for integrating new information and prior knowledge. PubMed - NCBI. [Online]. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Sonali, K., (2020). Coronavirus-caused LAUSD school shutdown worsens inequities as many students go AWOL. [online] Los Angeles Times. [Accessed 3 April 2020]; Reilly, K., (2020). The achievement gap is 'more glaring than ever' for students dealing with school closures. [Online] Time. Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T. & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. [Online] Educause Review. Butler, R. & Mordecai, N. (1986). Effects of no feedback, task-related comments, and grades on intrinsic motivation and performance. Journal of Educational Psychology (78)3: 210.