Changes coming for grading and teaching high school students in Fargo Public Schools

Image by: Fargo Public Schools
Image by: Fargo Public Schools

(Fargo, ND) -- High School students in Fargo Public Schools will soon see changes in how they're graded and how they're taught.  The new approach is Evidence Based Learning. 

"I think strict A through F grading can be and is subjective by the teacher and by the students," said Dr. Liann Hanson, the district's Director of Standards Based Instruction.

Hanson says the approach emphasizes scientific evidence rather than tradition or personal judgement when teaching and grading students.  It also moves away from letter grades and evaluates student progress using the numbers 1 through 4 to measure student mastery in relation to standards.  

For students looking to advance to college, Hanson says the district is working on an approach to help colleges and universities interpret numerical student evaluations when considering students for enrollment.    

"If post-secondary looks like college for them and they need transcripts, we want those transcripts to be an accurate portrait of their learning and so that is something we will continue to work on," said Hanson.  

Hanson says Evidence Based Learning has been in use in grades K through 5 for years, and says it's being implemented in 6th grade classrooms this year.  Some teachers are currently implementing the approach at the high school level.  Full implementation at high schools is anticipated by 2025.