School Grading Plan Raises Internet Access Questions

The New Britain school system has announced the different way students are to be graded this year because of the weeks of school buildings closures from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan involves the assignment of three grades – “Pass with Distinction,” “Pass” and “Incomplete” – for students, based on grades before the school closing and engagement with Google classes offered online.

But, for students with a combination of low grades before the pandemic and lack of internet access, the plan appears to make a comeback to passing grades more difficult.

The Consolidated School District of New Britain says that the Connecticut State Department of Education,

has provided guidance to all Connecticut school districts to view the second half of the 2020 school year as a special case in terms of grading, GPA’s and transcripts. All districts have been encouraged to focus priorities on student engagement and learning and to adopt a locally guided Pass/Fail protocol for grading.

The New Britain school district has announced that it has taken this guidance to assign students one of three grade levels, saying,

• Students who were passing as of March 13th and continue to consistently engage in their Google classes will be graded “Pass with Distinction”
• Students who were passing on March 13th and do not consistently engage in their Google classes will be graded “Pass”
• Students who were not passing as of March 13th but are consistently engaging in their Google classes will be graded as “Pass”
• Students who were not passing as of March 13th and do not consistently engage in their Google classes will be graded “Incomplete”
• Students that receive an “Incomplete” in grades 5-12 will be given work to complete over a specific period of time during the summer to make up the Incomplete and earn credit for passing the class or classes.

The announcement has raised questions about the case of students who have not had access to computers during the school building closures.

“It’s been more then 2 weeks, when will another wave of chromebooks go out?,” one person commented in response to the announcement on Facebook. “There are kids who don’t have one, and can only partway participate.”

“I’m still waiting for the chromebook for my both kids,” said another person.

The school district responded to both that, “school principals are currently working on a plan to roll out the next Chromebook distribution. Please contact your school secretary.”

Meanwhile, a City Council member has submitted a Council petition requesting information concerning the computer access for city students. Ald. Sharon Beloin-Saavedra (R-AL) asks, “How many Chromebooks given out?”, “How many Chromebooks left to distribute?” and, “Connectivity using free services offered by providers?” The petition also seeks information on, “Participation rate of students logging in to remote learning?”

The petition will be introduced at the Council meeting tonight, April 22, 2020, the same meeting at which the Council will receive a report in response to another petition asking about possibilities for free wi-fi in low-income ares of the city.

The wi-fi petition, introduced by Ald. Aram Ayalon (D-3) and Ald. Iris Sanchez (D-3), has come into special focus as lack internet access has become an educational equity concern.

A City Council petition is procedure in New Britain by which an individual member or more than one member of the Council is empowered to require consideration of action from or a report by a city department or commission. Council members frequently use this process to formally propose that the city take action on a particular concern.