Grade-fixing the next epidemic?

Grade-fixing is quickly becoming a controversial issue happening in schools across Quebec.

A teacher named Catherine told CBC’s Daybreak Montreal that grade-fixing devalues diplomas awarded in Quebec and undermines teachers’ professional autonomy.

She says teachers are being told to not give any grades between 55 and 59. They either have to fail the student at 50 or make them pass at 60.

School administrators say giving students a grade so close to 60 allows parents to complain to the school and to challenge the grade that was given to the student.

President of the Fédération autonome des enseignants, Pierre St-Germain, says Bill 88 may be to blame.

The legislation to amend the Education Act places a greater emphasis on graduation rates and success agreements.

St-Germain says that the minister puts pressure on school boards to improve their success rates and the school boards put pressure on school administrations so that their school’s success rate is higher.

Students who are being passed when they should be failing are being affected in the classroom.

Catherine says students tend to get lost when they move into the next grade without having fully learned the previous grade’s curriculum.

Adding that more communication between parents and administrators is needed to help with students struggling in school.

Flickr Photo by: Howard County Library System

STORY WRITTEN BY: JENNA MONNEY-LUPERT