by Ziv Golan ‘26

The MCPS “50% rule” has been a hot topic for debate since students have returned from virtual learning, prompting increasing frustration among teachers, including many at Sherwood. Due to concerns over a lack of consistency in how teachers implemented the 50% rule, Principal Tim Britton instituted a clearer policy at Sherwood that went into effect on January 30. Now, Sherwood students cannot receive a grade of less than 50 percent on any All Tasks assignments. Students may still receive a zero for work they do not complete in the Completion/Participation category.

In 2006, MCPS created the original 50% rule where students could get a minimum of 50 percent if they put in at least a minimal effort into the assignment. If a student didn’t give any effort or didn’t complete the assignment or assessment at all by a designated time period, the student would receive a zero. As students returned to in-person learning after being virtual, MCPS made the decision to revise its grading policies. This included implementing a new 50% rule which allowed students to be able to receive a minimum of 50 percent on any assignment even if they did nothing. In its explanation of the new policy, MCPS stated that teachers should “grade with grace” that erred on the side of the students “to be mindful of the extreme challenges that students faced during the pandemic and will continue to face during the recovery period,” according to MCPS’s ‘Secondary Grading and Reporting: Guidance and Best Practices’, updated in April of 2022.

“It is important to remember the impetus behind the [50%] rule is for students who are underperforming to not be so overwhelmed by the trench they have dug for themselves, to begin to put forth the effort in order to turn things around and earn a passing grade or better,” said general/choral music teacher Johnathan Dunn, who is also the resource teacher of the Music and World Languages departments.

Engineering and computer teacher Jason Daigle, the head of the CTE department, believes students who have hardships should get support, but the current 50% rule as a policy for all students has consequences on students’ learning. “I’ve observed that giving students credit for something they never did or for work even though they don’t attend school, reinforces the idea that you will be given something for nothing,” said Daigle. “I’ve observed that [the 50% rule] decreases the motivation of many students to complete all work and to complete quality work.”

A number of teachers worry that such lenient grading policies hurt students in later endeavors. “By having the 50% rule, it’s unfair to students because it shortcuts their efforts and it makes them work less when in reality it sets them up for failure later on,” said special education teacher Donovan Clark.
Katie Ross, another special education teacher, doesn’t think that the 50% rule promotes good academic habits for students; however, she said that if it is MCPS’s policy, the rule needs to be followed consistently by teachers. “As a resource room teacher, I see teachers who don’t do the 50% rule and teachers who do, so I see a schoolwide policy as the most equitable way to do it. Personally, I don’t think [the 50% rule] really helps kids in the long term, but it needs to be consistent and the same no matter what class you’re in,” said Ross.

Science teacher Britani Greco has also seen changes to how the 50% rule has impacted student’s post Covid-19. “I have seen big changes. Students have been less attentive, not as motivated, very addicted to phones, severe attitude problems, and for some students, lack of maturity and responsibility,” said Greco.

Christine McKeldin, the head of the Social Studies department, also believes there has to be consistency among teachers across Sherwood. However, McKeldin noted that the 50% rule is problematic in that a student can pick and choose which assignments to do. “The way the rule affects things is that in a required class like U.S. History or Government, for example, students can do one or two assignments and pass the class,” said McKeldin.

The growing outrage among teachers about the 50% rule has rippled across MCPS. The Council on Teaching and Learning (CTL) is an advisory body of MCPS teachers who work with MCPS and MCEA, which is the MCPS teachers union, on issues of curriculum, assessment, instruction, and staff development. Recently, members of CTL representing HS English teachers have recommended changes to the 50% rule based on teacher feedback.

“As we strive towards an equitable result, MCPS and its students alike share the same goal of finding a mutually beneficial compromise,” said Tia Butts, a representative for HS English teachers on CTL. “We seek to arrive at a solution that would both promote academic integrity while avoiding dangerously high grades due to inflated scores or skewed data. Toward this end, we are hoping for either lowered percentages in terms of the current 50% rule or allowing zero points after using up the 50% rule after two assessments.” Butts noted that thus far there hasn’t been a response or indication from MCPS of whether its grading policies will change based on teachers’ concerns.