Placer Union students to start school year with new grading system

Moving toward improved educational practices, the Placer Union High School District will launch its Competency-Based Education program this year. Students officially return to their high schools Tuesday and the district is taking its new grading system across all its campuses after piloting the system last year. According to the district, Competency-Based Education (CBE) is a system of instruction, assessment, grading and academic reporting that makes learning goals and expectations clear and easily understood by teachers, students and families. This transparency ensures all students and their support teams have access to monitor progress toward proficiency and offer appropriate support as needed. When it comes to traditional grading practices, which are based on a point system for assignments and activities and then averaged, details are lacking, said Trent Wilson, Placer Union executive director of educational services. "The problem with that is you don't really have a clear understanding of what a student knows and can do within a particular subject area. So a student's grade isn't very accurate in identifying what they can do, where they struggle and what they need more support on," Wilson said. CBE is designed to accurately identify the level of student understanding, allowing students to progress as they demonstrate mastery of the academic content, regardless of time, place or pace of learning. This means a student may accelerate through a course when they display mastery of content. "Competency-Based Education takes each course and identifies the specific learning expectations in smaller chunks within the course," Wilson said. Teachers will use proficiency scales to evaluate the student's level of learning for each competency. "By doing so, we get a much clearer picture on what the student knows and what they need support on," he said. "The student and the parents will be much more aware of the areas of which the student needs help on and what they are doing really well in." To align with the CBE system, the district is using new grades of A, B, C, I, NC or IP. Letter grades A, B, C have not changed. ·&emsp;I (Incomplete) means a student is very close to completing the course and will have an opportunity (4 1/2 weeks) to do so in the following term. If they do not complete the course, their grade will be changed to NC (No Credit). An "I" counts as zero points in the GPA calculation and could lead to an ineligible status for student-athletes. ·&emsp;NC (No Credit) is similar to the traditional "F" and is counted as a zero when calculated into the GPA. ·&emsp;IP (In Progress) grade marks are used during the progress reporting periods only. It means a student is making adequate progress toward a passing grade, even though their current grade might not reflect it at that moment. An "IP" will count as two points in the GPA calculation and will not affect eligibility status. "We know that change can cause confusion, anxiety and misconceptions," Wilson said in a letter sent to parents this week. "One of the major concerns that has been expressed is how this will impact students' ability to go to college. The short answer is that it will have no impact on transcripts or GPA calculations. It may, however, feel more rigorous as it forces students to demonstrate their knowledge of each topic in the entire course." New administrators There are administrative shifts and one new face at the high schools this year. The district has hired one new administrator, and two current staff members will serve in new administrative roles. Katrina (KC) Wachs-Worden was hired to act as assistant principal at Placer and Confluence high schools. She is a familiar figure in the Auburn community, having previously worked at Bear River High School and EV Cain Middle School. She has engaged with students and communities by teaching English learners, being an English teacher and serving as a school counselor. "We are fortunate that other administrative vacancies were able to be filled by highly qualified and talented administrators within our district, especially during these times of budgetary uncertainty," said Sarah Rath, communications officer for the district. "Like districts throughout California, PUHSD is experiencing declining enrollment while facing higher operating costs resulting in budget constraints. PUHSD remains committed to providing a high-quality education for our students while continuing to be fiscally responsible." Jeff Walters, who most recently served as assistant principal at Foresthill High School for the last two years, will serve as an assistant principal at Placer High this year. Cris Everett will serve as a half-time assistant principal for Foresthill. Transportation news Rath said Mid-Placer Public Schools Transportation Agency has restored some bus routes; however, not all of the schools have busses for students. To address the need for alternative school transportation, the district has partnered with GoKid, a leading school carpooling program. Placer Union has provided district families with a free app to organize carpools with other school families.