At Toronto Catholic high schools, 35% is the new zero

Preparation for the real world

No matter how many assignments they miss or classes they skip, high school students in the Toronto Catholic District School Board can score no lower than 35 per cent on their mid-term report cards this fall.

That bottom line is the result of a new policy enacted by the board in August, which has the teachers’ union in the district fuming about a lack of consultation and decrying the move toward “undermining” educators’ duty to award marks fairly and accurately.

“Our message back to our teachers was that they should not be forced to misrepresent data,” said Dave Szollosy, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association’s Toronto Secondary Unit. “We’re not being honest with (students) and what their needs are.”

The 35 per cent mid-term grade minimum was brought in to fulfill a directive from the Ontario Ministry of Education, which called on all school districts to determine lower limits of failing grades in its 2010 “Growing Success” report.  (more...)

At Toronto Catholic high schools, 35% is the new zero

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For some Toronto students, 35 per cent is the new zero