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Midland ISD rolls out progress monitoring system for students

Students will receive one of three marks to indicate their mastery of the

MIDLAND, Texas — Midland ISD has rolled out its progress monitoring system to ensure students continue to learn amid the COVID-19 school shutdown.

The system is part of the district's Phase 3 of planning. This phase includes the use of Google Classroom.

This new monitoring system, which went into place on April 13, will measure students' academic progress by their mastery of the assigned objectives.

In order to receive credit for the spring courses and move on to the next grade level, students will need to show at least a 70% mastery.

Progress reports will feature the following marks for students:

  • OTM-On Track to Mastery. The student is on track to obtaining credit for the course because they demonstrated mastery of course learning objectives.
  • NOT-Not on Track to Mastery. The student is at risk of not obtaining credit for the course because they did not demonstrate mastery of course learning objectives.
  • I-Incomplete. The student is at risk of not obtaining credit for the course because they were unable to complete the assignments.

There will be two evaluation periods for this new system. The first will be January 7 to March 6, while the second will be the at-home instructional period, April 6 to May 1.

This date is based on the current anticipation of the district reopening on May 4, but the district is aware the pandemic situation is very fluid and the date might be extended.

Students are expected to spend up to three hours a day on assignments and assessments as well as utilizing Google Classroom. However, they do not have to follow a traditional school schedule and should work with their parents to find a learning schedule that works for them.

Any student who does not make progress or does not participate during at-home instruction will be eligible for summer school, even virtually.

Teachers have scheduled office hours and can be contacted through email, Google Classroom, Dojo and Remind. Parents and students should maintain communication with teachers for support.

Parents in need of technical assistance can reach out to the district's help desk at 432-240-1110.

 In an email, the MISD stated it opted out of using a pass/fail system for the following reasons:

  • The pass/fail system awards a 70 for the spring 2020 course average, and students would lose the entire semester of weighted grade point averaging, which would significantly lower GPA in most cases.
  • Pass/fail negatively impacts students who would have received an A or B in the course.
  • Students would lose the entire semester of weighted credit because rank is pulled from the semester average, which negatively impacts students taking high school credit courses.
  • The NCAA Clearinghouse treats a “pass” as the lowest possible passing grade. This could put our students who are interested in collegiate athletics at a disadvantage compared to students coming from districts that recorded numerical grades. College courses also look at a “pass” as a C.

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