On September 24, 2024 the Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) held a board meeting to discuss important updates to the grading policy for English teachers. Revisions were made to the Board Policy Manual to provide English teachers with additional time to grade essays and major projects, thereby enhancing the quality of feedback they can give to students.
In a previous meeting conducted September 11th, a key topic of discussion was the grading policy implemented for the teachers of MBUSD. Numerous English teachers voiced concerns over the strict deadlines for submitting grades which not only hindered their ability to provide thorough and meaningful feedback, but also limited their capacity to assist students in other ways, such as writing personalized letters of recommendation.
“The thing that people should know is that individual teachers are protected by their union rights even when it’s not a union action,” said Shawn Chen, Mira Costa English teacher and MBUTA Union President. “The district is actually currently proposing to force teachers to write letters of rec, which would really negatively impact them. The whole point of writing a letter is that you want to do it, and that’s what makes the letter valuable: that a person chose to recommend you.”
Initially, teachers were required to return all grades back to students within three weeks of submission. This timeline posed an issue for English teachers who emphasized that their subject demands more time to assess assignments due to its inherent subjectivity and the extensive revisions often needed for written work.
The Board Policy Manual formerly stated, “Letter grades for all graded assignments and/or tests shall be recorded in the District’s Student Information System (AERIES) no later than three weeks after their completion and submission by the student.”
The updated grading policy at MBUSD provides English teachers with more time to grade multi-page essays and major projects, moving the deadline from three weeks to five weeks. This adjustment aims to improve the capability for English teachers to provide crucial feedback and evaluate assignments thoroughly.
This amendment to the Board Policy Manual specifies that: “Grades for all graded assignments and/or tests (with exception of multi-page essays and major projects) shall be recorded in the District’s Student Information System (AERIES) no later than three weeks after their completion and submission by the student. Multi-page essays and major projects shall be recorded in AERIES no later than five weeks after their completion and submission by the student.”
Overall, these changes to the grading policy show a commitment to building a more supportive educational environment that benefits both teachers and students. As Mira Costa Junior Cade Lagerwey said, “I definitely noticed a difference in the grading that I have gotten back. I feel like it’s better and more detailed than before, and I’m hoping this change will ease the workload for some of the English teachers and let them start doing letters of rec again.” With these adjustments, teachers will have the time they need to connect with students, making the learning experience better for everyone at MBUSD.
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