DENTON - Denton ISD's new, radical style of grading will go into effect Monday with the start of the district's 2014-2015 school year.
That means sixth through 12th graders, like incoming freshman Bryce Linton, will be starting the year in new surroundings with the new scale.
'It's going to be pretty interesting seeing how they fully get that to work,' he said.
The changes were first announced last spring. Late or missing work will no longer immediately earn zeros or incompletes, as long as the work is eventually completed -- and it's expected to be. Students can also retake tests, with only the highest grade recorded. That's only if students ask for help and another chance at taking the exam.
The district said it's a better way to measure what students really learn and retain. But there are concerned parents, including Bryce's dad, Russ.
'I don't know what that's going to mean for his admission into college,' Russ Linton said.
He's worried some real world lessons that start in class, like deadlines, won't have the same effect.
'If, for some reason, he has trouble meeting deadlines, he needs to develop strategies to cope,' Russ Linton said. 'He's not going to be able to do that if he's just given unlimited chances.'
So he and other parents - and the district at large - will see how the change in grading goes over in its first school year. They have their fingers crossed.
'I'm hopeful, I know there's a lot of good teachers out there, and I think those teachers will be able to do what they've always done and do the best with what they've got,' the father said.
Click here for more information on the grading changes from Denton ISD's superintendent.
E-mail msaavedra@wfaa.com
