An 'Insult' To Hinsdale D86 Teachers: Official

DARIEN, IL – A Hinsdale High School District 86 official said last week a policy in place last year was bad for teachers and students.

Chris Covino, the district's assistant superintendent for academics, was referring to the policy giving students 50 percent for missing work. That policy was adjusted for this school year.

"One of the most significant changes ... is making sure students don't get 50 percent for, as our teachers put it, blowing on a piece of paper and handing it in, which was an insult to the teachers and really an insult to the process and really to (students) themselves," Covino told the school board. "So that's no longer a thing. And that's a good no-longer-a-thing."

Board member Debbie Levinthal said it was "still kind of a thing." She said if students show up for a test and write something down, they still get 50 percent.

"If a student does that, are they somehow not incentivized to actually take the next test seriously, knowing they're going to show up and get 50 percent," Levinthal said. "You can turn in homework two days later. You can do half of it and turn in a piece of paper with random numbers written down."

Under the district's policy this year, missing work is treated as a zero. According to the district, "work completed in alignment with teacher expectations and assignment directions is scored on a 100-50% scale."

School board members questioned the 50 percent proposal when it was first presented in spring 2021.

At a board meeting, Covino said schools traditionally put in a zero and move on when a student fails to complete work. Under the district's proposal, students would initially receive an ME grade, standing for "missing and essential," he said.

"By putting a zero in the gradebook, we can never know whether the student is ready for the next unit or the next course," Covino said.

Then-member Tamakia "TJ" Edwards was among those questioning the idea of an ME grade.

"Are we creating a level of dependency for our students?" she asked. "What I mean by that is for those students who choose and pursue a collegiate academic career beyond high school, are they thinking this is the way evaluations are supposed to occur? When it doesn't occur in a college setting, especially in a rigorous academic program, are we setting them up for failure?"

The policy was enacted the following school year. It was done administratively, without a board vote.