Evidence Based Grading is bad for students, confusing for parents and awful for teachers

 Hello colleagues and students,

I have truly loved teaching sociology and the students of SHS. And I have loved sharing that with so many of you. I feel that I have plenty more of that left in me. However, as some of you have heard, I am resigning effective at the end of this school year.


In short, I have been voicing concerns and frustration with EBR for years. Then this past winter I had 20 kids simply not turn in a final essay with only 2 weeks left of the semester. My frustration boiled over. Turns out that I had been walking around really high blood pressure - stopped into the nurses office and it was at 190 one day!! I think the high blood pressure was contributing to my irritability. Anyway, admin heard that I lost my temper about the kids failing and they decided to have a meeting and sanction me. I apologized profusely at the meeting, said that I discovered this medical condition and am getting treatment and that I am committed to getting better and not losing my temper again. But I also explained that this was not simply a one time frustration - instead, I have been voicing concerns about the grading to admin for years. And I documented that. Despite all of that, admin chose to give me a really harshly worded letter (harsh was even their own description of it). They said that I must follow all rules and directives of any kind without question and I must treat everyone in the SHS community - including admin, faculty, students, parents and even community members with politeness and respect in all circumstances. And if I violate any of these demands I will face sanction again including termination. So, not only am I being forced to teach and grade with a pedagogy and ethical standard that I disagree with, but now it is with disregard for my health and with a draconian ultimatum of threat hanging over my head. That is no way to teach and no way to run a school. So, with that, I have resigned. I'll attach the letter below.

Here is my official letter of resignation.

I sent the letter to the Board with this preface:

Dear District 125 School Board Members,

Attached is my letter of resignation.  I know it's tempting to ignore one letter of resignation in such a large district and the Superintendent told me that he has already spoken to the board members about this, but because I know that you care about the education of students in D125, I implore you to read it earnestly.  There are dozens of teachers who feel the same as I do but they do not have the means to take the step that I am.  This is NOT due to the pandemic nor is it because of another opportunity.  This is solely in the interest of students and the district.  The administration that you continue to empower is peddling a lie in their marketing of Evidence Based Grading.  The longer that you allow the charade to continue not only will more students be harmed but the fall from grace will be even higher for SHS.   Please read my letter and feel free to contact me to discuss further. 

I sent the letter to the union with this preface:

It is really annoying that I feel forced to resign and give up thousands of dollars of retirement money and the job that I have loved and devoted 25 years of my life to but I am still having to spend time on all of this.  Do you think there is any recourse here?  Can I suit? Can I demand to have my job back without the ridiculousness that is EBR?  My plan is that after the year ends, I will meet with Loyola and explain my ethical concerns and show them the emails.  It is wrong.  What SHS is doing is wrong.  It is unethical, has zero pedagogical research, and is bad for students.  My students all agree and I know that teachers all across disciplines agree.  And Student Services specifically, is a mess - they have no idea how to help kids and they have no idea what kids grades are or what kids need to pass. If you have a frank conversation with students they will tell you.  But I have heard nothing from Troy or Eric or Tony!  After 9 years of trying EBR and doing research and trying to be part of a professional learning community - nothing! And kids come up to me constantly and say, "I am so sad - because you are great and I wish you weren't leaving" and, "I agree with you".

The book

It is really hard to ignore that the administration wrote a book that not only outlined their idea of what assessment should be (EBR), but they published it BEFORE most teachers at SHS were even using it!  I tried to pioneer it as early as 2013, but I realized the many ways that it was flawed.  I tried to ask questions and give my professional recommendations but admin refused to listen.  Instead they published a book and subsequently told teachers from all over the nation that this is what SHS is doing and that this somehow might make their schools better.  Those are lies.  There is no evidence of this.  SHS did not even mandate that teachers switch to EBR until 2020, but the book was published in 2016!

It sure has the appearance that admin has published a book and so they are all in on what's in the book despite its flaws.  They do a lot of outside consulting and admitting that their publication is flawed would damage those side gigs.  I would be willing to bet that they have done more professional development with teachers from other school districts than they have done in their own district.

You can call it what you want, but Evidence Based Reporting (EBR), or Proficiency Based Assessment or Evidence Based Grading is untested, lacks research and was uncollaborative.  Their presumptuously published book is suspect.