Bellevue School District not reporting grades for the first quarter

Online learning has been an up-and-down experience for both parents and teachers, a sentiment echoed when the Bellevue School District told parents it will not report first quarter grades for students in grades 6-12. The announcement stated that quarter grades “are causing undue stress for educators and students with the impact of remote learning and the limited amount of evidence that demonstrates learning.”

A Bellevue mom named Jill joined the Dori Monson Show on KIRO Radio to discuss why she’s disappointed in the move.

“This was a big red flag because these kids have no incentive to learn if the grades don’t count, then they want to give up, and they’re already being frustrated. They’ve been trying really hard to do the virtual learning, and now to find out that what they’ve done doesn’t really count, there’s no motivation for these kids,” she said.

For Jill, the way this is being handled is a testament to how flawed the remote learning experience has been.

“It’s obviously been horrible, and the teachers didn’t even know about this. They weren’t talked to at all by the BSD. I belong to a Facebook page called ‘School is Essential,’ and that’s how I found out some teachers were obviously concerned,” she said.

“And one teacher wrote, ‘What? I’m a BSD teacher and didn’t even know that. I was wondering when grades would were due. This is a mess. Many of my students are struggling, myself, too,’” Jill read from the page.

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Jill has been able to set up things for her daughter at home to offset the issues with remote learning, but says other parents and children are struggling.

“I am lucky that I’m a stay at home mom, and I was able to set up a little micro school for her, so there’s a tutor that comes to a house — there’s four of them socially distanced, so they get the extra help, which she said has been incredibly beneficial … so for her, she’s lucky,” Jill said. “But for so many other parents, if you go through the ‘School is Essential website, it is just a colossal nightmare. The kids are struggling unbelievably.”

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from noon – 3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.