Lawsuits by teachers over forced grade inflation won't fix unfair grades – here's what could

After Toni Ognibene, a highschool chemistry teacher, refused to provide some students grades they didn't deserve sued the Clovis Unified School District in California for alleged retaliation against her. The lawsuit was filed in December 2023.

In 2020, Michael Ramsaroop, a teacher on the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism High School in Brooklyn, New York, sued his principalhis union and town's Department of Education after he was fired following a series of disputes that began when he refused to alter his students' grades.

In 2018, fifth grade teacher Sheri Mimbs sued Henry County Schools in Georgia. She claimed she was fired in 2017 because she objected to the deputy principal's order to alter a series of zeros she reported for missing student assignments. She claims the district has a policy that claims a 60% failing grade is the bottom possible rating a student can receive on a given task or exam.

Ognibene, Ramsaroop and Mimbs are amongst a growing group of teachers rebelling against grade-changing orders — and filing federal lawsuits on the grounds that they were disciplined for his or her refusals or protests.

They oppose policies that seek to calm down grading standards, pass failing students, and institute minimum grade policies—for instance, policies that require all students to receive a grade of no less than “D,” or 60%. Educators claim these are dishonest and unfair practices that misrepresent students' true academic achievements.

As an academic scientist who studies assessment practicesI view these lawsuits as evidence that some districts are undermining teacher autonomy and disregarding the importance of accurate grades. I’m also aware that in lots of cases the administration tries to correct unfair reviews itself.

I imagine the system needs serious reform and I even have some ideas.

Complaints about “grade inflation”

Despite the differences in geography, subject material, and grade level, all of those complaints are the identical.

Ognibene said she received a proper “memorandum of concern” after repeatedly resisting pressure to enhance her students’ grades. “I didn’t want to do it, but since I was against it on ethical and moral grounds, my qualifications were in jeopardy,” Ognibene said Sacramento Bee. Your lawsuit is pending.

Ramsaroop claims that his refusal to extend grades sparked a series of disputes that led to his dismissal in 2017. The principal “created a hostile work environment based on his age and seniority at the academy…in retaliation for his opposition to falsifying student grades.” the lawsuit claims. Ramsaroop's lawsuit was dismissed in 2022.

Likewise, Mimbs claimed in 2018 that she was fired for protesting an administrative directive to not award grades below 60%. The case was dismissed on technical grounds. was revived by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 2022. It remains to be pending. Meanwhile, Mimbs says she didn’t make it to seek out a job as a teacher since her dismissal.

If teachers give their students grades they don't deserve, “how do we know when kids are failing or doing well?” Mimbs WSB-TV asked in Atlanta.

This is a crucial query. Grades remain the first basis for essential decisions about students. They determine a student's promotion, honors status, and enrollment in advanced or remedial classes. They take special education services and college admissions into consideration. Parents use grades to reward their child or determine if support, akin to tutoring, is required.

Everyone involved – the varsity, the teacher, the coed in query, their classmates and colleges – suffer damage when grades are poor inaccurate, inflated and unjustified.

Research shows that bias and inequality in grading are real

However, there are serious concerns about how grading works. As I wrote for The Conversation in March 2023, there may be also a wave of litigation involving students and fogeys across the United States Sue schools They consider overvaluation systems to be unfair and inappropriate.

While teacher autonomy is one fundamental tradition in educationmy research shows that it results in this too Inconsistency, unfairness and even unreliability. For example, what one teacher considers to be a high-quality task or work could be very different from one other. Teachers often incorporate elements of student behavior, akin to effort and participation, into the grades they assign.

I argue that conflating students' behavior with their academic performance distorts the meaning of grades and reduces their academic rigor. Students of Color can worsen grades Studies show that teachers' implicit biases influence the best way they consider behavioral aspects when assigning grades.

Minimum grade requirements are subsequently a way for some schools to handle these issues. But This is shown by several current studies that report card grades often don’t accurately reflect how students perform on tests at the top of the 12 months.

Three ways to repair the issue

School leaders mustn’t wait until a conflict arises to make sure the integrity of grades. Here are three practical steps administrators can take to stop problems before they occur.

1. First, schools could conduct gradebook audits during each grading period to discover common problems akin to grade deflation, where many lower-than-expected grades or missing grades are reported. A proactive intervention could stave off headaches later.

2. Second, schools can generate grade reports using a three- to five-point scale. This would reflect academic performance more accurately than a conventional 100-point scale. On a three- to five-point scale, a zero or low number wouldn’t unduly penalize a student for a missed task or poor performance firstly of an evaluation period. Students would still have the chance to recuperate from low gradesand that's an incentive to try it out.

3. Finally, teachers could use grading rubrics which are explained to students firstly of the semester or when assigning an task. Since I have writtenBy establishing clear and detailed criteria for grading, teachers could be more transparent and reduce the chance of their very own biases influencing the best way they grade.

Conflicts over grades are a solvable problem. The complaining teachers imagine it’s an expert affront to be forced to alter grades, and the complaining families imagine the grading systems are unfair. Both have small print and perspectives. If these three proactive solutions are implemented, most of the conflicts and legal challenges related to grades could be averted.