Stafford County Grading System

This article is from Fairfax County - We just went through the SAME thing here in Stafford County - Our current grading scale is:

100-98 A+
97-94 A
93-90 B+
89-86 B
85-82 C+
81-78 C
77-74 D+
73-70 D
69-0 F

As the article states, it's not fair to our kids. NExt year Stafford County is changing to the 10-point scale. WHat this means is that Nicholas has 2 years at the old system and 2 years at the new system.


To the grade-grubbers go the spoils. And the grade-grubbers in this case are rabble-rousing parents in Virginia's Fairfax County. Residents of the high-powered Washington suburb have been battling the district's tough grading practices; chief among their complaints is that scoring a 93 gets recorded as a lowly B+. After forming an official protest group last year called Fairgrade and goading the school board into voting on whether to ease the standards, parents marshaled 10,000 signatures online and nearly 500 in-person supporters to help plead their case on Jan. 22. After two hours of debate, the resolution passed, a move critics consider a defeat in the war on grade inflation. (Read about students getting paid for good grades.)


At most schools in the U.S., a 90 earns you an A, but in Fairfax County, getting the goods demands a full 94. Merely passing is tougher, too, requiring a 64 rather than a 60. Nor do students get much help clearing those high bars if they take tougher courses. Compared to the kind of GPA "weighting" many districts give for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses, Fairfax County's half-point boost is peanuts. The upshot, protestors say, is that Fairfax kids are at a disadvantage on multiple fronts: snagging good-driver insurance discounts (which often factor in GPA), earning NCAA eligibility, winning merit scholarships, and - oh, yeah - getting into college.

My Birthday

Yes, I am 50 today! I have received some very nice gifts from friends and family. I am still eating the goodies from the Harry and David basket my mom and dad sent me. I have flowers and balloons - wow what a nice treat. Nick bought me a beautiful computerized sewing machine, that I REALLY wanted, so I am thrilled! I will be opening my other gifts later today. We are going to the Asian Bistro later today and then come home to a wonderful fruit tart dessert Nick brought me from Wegmans! Talk to you later...

Philadelphia

We went to Philadelphia this weekend for a party and had a great time! It's only about three hours away but we just never seem to go north. I think it's because of the beltway traffic, and this time of year the weather isn't very good. It was a retirement party and the food was good and the people were very nice. We stopped in Wilmington, Delaware on the way back and had breakfast at a place called The Golden Castle Diner - it was YUMMY! Good old fashion country cooking. They had juke boxes on each table too! We have decided to take a trip to Philly this spring and look at the Liberty Bell, museums, libraries, and other touristy things. It is cold here and going to get colder over the next several days. I guess that's what they make fireplaces for...:)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

A New Year...

It's hard to believe that I will be 50 in January. I went to the D.M.V. today to get my drivers license renewed. I usually do it my mail but this time they wanted me to come in - I guess for an updated picture. My last picture was 12 years ago so I do look different. I went to the grocery store and bought stuff to make an Italian meal for New Year's Eve. We decided to stay home this year and watch the ball drop on TV. I'm going to make home-made Chocolate Chip Cannoli's for the first time. Yummy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Our weekend

Well, we have been very busy lately. I am so glad all the shopping is done and we can just relax and bake! I made fudge yesterday and I am going to make Gingerbread cookies today. It is a little chilly outside and feels like Christmas! We have up all 15 trees. Some are little and some are big, but they are all lit up. My favorite ones are the two outside our front door - one on each side, I also like the big tree in the living room, and the three pines in the family room. Last year was a bummer because of Nicks illness, but this year is much better. We are going to relax tonight and watch the Cowboys play. Go Cowboys!!