Numbers or Letters What does it Mean?

Dear Principal X,

My son and daughter attend your elementary school. Dominick is in the third grade and Ashley is in the second. When my paper came home on Friday of last week I read a very interesting article in the Tribune that discussed the way the students are being graded in school. I find this number system to be confusing and promotes a different set of standards for students. I am very concerned that the students are being told that as long as they show up to class and complete their work then they will receive a passing grade or better. I think that the numbers are confusing and when every other school system in America uses the letter grading system than so should we. Please help me to understand why our school district chooses to use this style of grading. I look forward to hearing from you than k you for your time.

Sincerely,

Mike

Dear Mike,

First of all I want to thank you for sending me this letter and showing such a passion for your children’s education. I think that it is very important that parents be come involved in the schooling of their children as the opportunities increase student learning and bonding experiences between children and parents. To address your concerns about the grading system that we use I think it is important to understand that the numbering system is put in place to evaluate individual student performance against the standards that have been set fourth through the state of Illinois. These numbers allow us as educators to evaluate student performance and not performance compared to other students. The number grading system is beginning to gain popularity in other school districts because of its evaluation of students grades against performance. We believe that students that receive letter grades often simply compare their grades with other students and do not understand how they have performed against the standards. Thank you for your concern and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Principal X