Volume 26, Issue 5
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 37
Even Teachers Hate ‘Equitable’ Grading
By Alex Newman September 2025
when the student handed nothing in. Many districts have started giving children a 50 percent score despite the fact that the students did liter- ally zero work. Over 81 percent of teachers think that is wrong, saying it is “harmful to academic engagement” in the survey. A stunning eight in ten “teach- ers of color” agree that the policy is harmful, according to the Fordham report. Over half of teachers said it was “very harmful.” Some of the individual responses offered by outraged teachers were
they like giving students grades they don’t deserve.” Teachers are also worried about what would happen to them if they do not to go along with what critics blasted as “bigotry” of low expec- tations. In fact, 84 percent of the teachers surveyed said supervisors in their school would be concerned if they gave too many low grades — giving them strong pressure to engage in what is known as “grade inflation.” It is not just teachers who are unhappy with the “equitable” grading. Scholars and academics, including researchers at Fordham, have been strongly critical, too. In a policy brief last year called Think Again: Does “equitable” grading benefit students? Ford- ham researchers lambasted the program for harming students and teachers. Equitable grading policies, they said, “tend to reduce expec- tations and accountability for students, hamstring teachers’ ability to manage their classrooms and motivate students, and confuse parents and other stakeholders who do not under- stand what grades have come to signify.” Other critics slammed the idea, too. “If you wondered why our students are falling behind other nations and watching test scores drop, this policy is one of the many culprits of the dumb- ing down of our education system,” said Donald Irvine, chair- man of Accuracy in Academia. “At least in this case, teachers are largely not on board, so there is still some hope.” The new report from Fordham, released late last month, sur- veyed almost 1,000 K-12 district schoolteachers from across America. The educators, reportedly a nationally representative sample, partici- pated in a fall, 2024, Rand Corporation “teacher panel.” The news has gained widespread attention since Fordham’s report was released. It follows incredible developments such as Oregon eliminating aca- demic testing requirements to graduate. In New Jersey, lawmakers went even further, eliminating the “basic skills” test for teachers who want to teach in the state. Apparently, the only credential needed for teaching or graduating is sufficient indoctrination.
So-called “equitable” grading, which seeks to artificially boost scores for minorities under the guise of “equity,” has become all the rage in government “education” across America. But despite being used in about half of government schools nationwide today, most U.S. teach- ers are not fans of the scheme, according to the first major survey on the issue. “Equitable” grading schemes were first popularized before COVID as PhD “educators” tried to end what they perceived as “racial injustice” and “inequality” in education. Fringe left- wing ideologues claimed — falsely — that any disparity be- tween students with lighter and darker skin tones was evidence of “systemic racism” that had to be corrected. But with the government’s “pandemic response” fueling even more failure and disparity among “minorities,” the far-left ram- blings moved more and more into the mainstream. By 2022, schools and districts nationwide were jumping on the band- wagon, as if artificially boosting scores by handing out good grades for subpar work would help fix the problems. Most school districts have not embraced the whole scheme — yet. But about half use at least some grading policies con- sidered part of “equitable” grading. These include policies such as no zeros, no homework, no penalties for late work, allowing students to re-take tests and quizzes without consequence, removing participation scores, and more. Over a third of teachers said their schools follow at least several of those policies, according to the new survey and associated report by the conservative-leaning Fordham Institute. About 52 percent of the almost 1,000 teachers surveyed said their school has adopted at least one element of “equitable” grading. But the report, titled “Equitable Grading Through the Eyes of Teach- ers,” found widespread dissatisfaction among teachers over the poli- cies. The most unpopular one: refusal to give a student a zero, even
included, too. “We have the 50 % rule, which I think is ridiculous,” wrote one teacher. Another said, “Being given a 50 percent for doing nothing seems to enable laziness.” A third noted something important: “Everybody gets at least a 50 percent is insulting to the students who work.” Fordham President Michael Petrilli was not surprised by the re- sponses. “Turns out, teachers don’t like it when the powers that be take a sledgehammer to their few sources of leverage over student motivation and effort,” he said in the foreword to the report. “Nor do
Your Getaway In South Dakota!
Pheasant hunting on our Family Farm for 30 Years! Lodging, Meals and Guides provided for groups of 4-24 guests!
www.PheasantCity.com (605) 539-9244
25 years raising Excellent Family dogs and Hunting Partners for Duck or Upland hunters!
www.HybridRetrievers.com (605) 539-9244
THIS IS WHERE WE GATHER! JOIN US! Meet with your fellow Wisconsin Christian News read- ers and supporters for fellowship, discussion and inter- action with expert guests discussing matters of vital importance! TUESDAYS AT 5 PM CENTRAL TIME (Or listen to archived programs at your convenience) at: WCNTV.net Also available on the WCN TV page at Rumble.com
We can also host RETREATS for your church or organization! • Two lodges, 4,500 quare feet each! • 13 bedrooms total, 2 queen beds per room! • Fireplace to relax by!
• Window view of our 90 acre lake! • 3 Country-style meals each day!
Made with FlippingBook Converter PDF to HTML5