LTHS Teachers Split On Grading Policies: Official

LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School's teachers appear to be divided over changes to grading practices in the last year.

Members of a school committee, known as the "grading implementation team," have taken heat from some of their colleagues over their support of the school's new grading practices, a top official said at Monday's school board meeting.

Scott Eggerding, the school's curriculum director, said the teachers union commented on the new policies in its meeting minutes. But he said the union did not express those views to the team, which includes teachers, he said.

"I was really disappointed to see how that was being portrayed because we could have addressed all that through our grading implementation team," Eggerding said.

He also said, "I get it. There are always people who don't want to change. But there are people who have really busted their humps to get this to work, and they are really frustrated."

Eggerding said some of the teachers who presented the changes were chastised by their peers for being on board.

"That's wrong," he said. "So I want to make sure we're opening the lines of communication and that we're being professional."

Eggerding said the school wanted feedback from teachers. But he said the school would not waver on its vision statement: "The grading system at Lyons Township High School is consistent throughout the school, equitable and fair to all students and reflective of student performance."

"That is a big goal," he said.

Last fall, parents launched a Change.org petition against the new grading practices. They are opposed to the idea of not allowing homework to be counted in grades. More than 1,700 people have signed the petition.

Lyons Township's new policy featured a number of other changes, including:

• Extra credit will not be offered.
• An M grade will be used in the gradebook to indicate missing work.
• Attendance will not be factored into grades.
• Class grades will not be curved.

Hinsdale High School District 86 has faced a similar controversy.