Mayor announces new grading standards for remote learning, city-wide virtual graduation ceremony

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that New York City Public Schools is working to make sure students get the education they deserve during remote learning.

News 12 Staff

Apr 28, 2020, 11:48 AM

Updated 1,465 days ago

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Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that New York City Public Schools is working to make sure students get the education they deserve during remote learning.
The mayor says the city is working to close the digital divide that could hinder a student’s chance of learning remotely.
The Department of Education says it will meet a goal of putting internet-enabled devices for remote learning in the hands of families who need them.
According to the mayor, 247,000 iPads will be in the hands of students who requested them by April 30.
Families who have not yet requested a device can continue to do so at schools.nyc.gov or by calling 311.
The mayor also talked about new grading standards as remote learning continues.
He said for kindergarten through fifth grade, students will receive either a grade of “Meets Standards” or “Needs Improvement” as a basis for evaluation.
Evaluation will include existing course requirements such as submitted assignments.
For grades six through eight, the grading standards will be “Meets Standards” or “Needs Improvement” or “Course in Progress.”
Evaluation is based on existing course requirements such as remote class discussion, presentations, submitted assignments and tests where appropriate. Students who cannot demonstrate mastery or have not completed work will be enrolled in summer programming to develop skills.
High schoolers, grades nine through 12, will keep same grading system. Students who require more time to show mastery will receive “Course in Progress” and will be enrolled in summer-fall support programs. Students have the option after receiving passing letter grade to convert it to “pass” rating, leaving GPA unaffected.
Schools have adapted current school year curriculum and assessments for remote learning, including term papers, exams and oral presentations, allowing students to show content mastery. Students will have until Jan. 2021 to complete outstanding coursework
The mayor also addressed that every school will have its own approach to celebrating seniors, even if it is mainly virtual. He says the city will also be gifting New York City high school seniors with a city-wide virtual graduation ceremony. He says the event with include special guests who are graduates of the New York City Public Schools system.
He said details of the event will be announced in the coming weeks.


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