MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A grading policy in the Martin County School District is creating concern for some teachers and parents.
Math teacher John Speck spoke at the school board meeting on Tuesday, sharing his concern about the way Martin County grades its students.
WATCH BELOW: 'We are talking about students learning,' Daniel Moore tells WPTV
Under the policy, the lowest score a student can receive is 50%, even if they don’t complete assignments.
“This policy sets a dangerous precedent,” said Speck. “It tells our students that effort doesn't matter and that failure will be erased for convenience, rather than corrected through learning.”
School board members also raised concerns.
“I do not think it's a good idea for us to be giving a 50% to students that turn in nothing,” said Marsha Powers.
“If they're just not working, I don't believe we should be giving them the opportunity when they are not putting in any effort at all,” said Amy Pritchett.
WPTV went looking for answers from the school district.
Daniel Moore, executive director of curriculum and instruction, said the policy isn’t new and has been in place since the 2023-24 school year, after a committee of administrators, union members and teachers, decided to switch from a 100-point scale to a 5-point scale: A, B, C, D, and F.
Moore said 50% is still an “F” grade, but it does give students an opportunity to rebound with improved scores.
“When you give a student a zero, it has a significantly higher impact on their overall grade,” said Moore. “Ultimately an F being an F, the weight really is on the quizzes, tests and assessments.”
It’s an issue now, Moore said, because teachers are just starting to change the way they grade.
“Even though it has been policy for almost three years, we have teachers that have not been in compliance with policy, and our school administrators have been requiring them to be in alignment,” said Moore.
Moore said the grading system puts the district in line with the state’s grading scale. He adds it can also help students succeed. Giving students scores below 50, Moore said, serves no purpose.
“We are talking about students learning," said Moore. "If a students get a 10 or 15, and your intention as a teacher is to leave that in a grade book, you are failing that student.”
However, Speck sees it differently.
“Grades are not just arbitrary numbers,” said Speck. “They represent what a student has learned and mastered. To artificially inflate them, in effect, is to falsify them.”
