Author: MCS Staff

This marking period, Whitman administrators began to roll out through department meetings a revised, county-wide grading policy, including new guidance regarding the current “50 percent” rule. The new guidance, to go into effect in the second semester in MCPS, allows teachers to give students zeros for missing work provided that they contact the student’s guardians. Previously, MCPS administrators expectedteachers to participate in two-way communication before assigning a zero, meaning they had to contact the student’s guardian and receive a response.

The change shortens the steps between a student missing an assignment and their receiving a zero and may substantially change the culture surrounding the 50 percent rule. The English department was the first at Whitman to receive the new guidance via a summary sheet at their department meeting on Dec. 18. Administrators across MCPS are now circulating similar guides as the second semester approaches. In addition to the guidance change to the zero rule, the new grading policy includes a commitment to clear reassessment opportunities and consistent grading between different sections of a class.