Stop Misleading Our Kids About the World of Work
I wish Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr would stop misleading our kids about the world of work.
At an April 11 student town hall meeting at Wheaton High School, Superintendent Starr told his student audience that he didn’t like grades—you know A's, B's, C's, D's, and F's. He also told students that in the real world—the world of work—workers were not graded. Click here to read an account from Bethesda Magazine of what Starr told Wheaton students.
Well, I’m not sure what world of work Starr is talking about, but I did a quick check of three colleagues working at private Washington D.C. firms—all internationally known—and they each grade workers' performance. I’m not going to reveal the names of the companies because I promised not to do so. But via email here is what the three friends wrote:
- Friend No. 1: “We rate people on a five-point scale.”
- Friend No. 2: “There are numerical values across a number of categories—everything is totaled.”
- Friend No. 3: “Employees are rated with four different letter grades across a variety of categories.”
All of this sounds like “school” grades and grading to me. And each friend noted that the ratings are used to promote and award bonuses (cash and/or stocks).
Now, I’m sure I could have found three friends who work where there is no such thing as grading or anything closely resembling "school" grading. Nevertheless, I easily found workplaces that grade. So, I wish Superintendent Starr would stop misleading our kids.
Susan Byrne
9:36 am on Monday, April 23, 2012
There does seem to be a logical disconnect in Starr's reasoning, and perhaps he hasn't made his point effectively. Point-based merit systems are not uncommon in the work world. It makes economic sense for companies to tie performance to compensation and promotions. His argument that employees receive feedback on how well they are doing or how to improve would seem the more relevant point for improving performance evaluations of student progress.
But don’t expect grades to disappear any time soon. “I’m not doing away with grades, so don’t start any rumors,” Starr said, as students chuckled. But “we will be taking a look at grading policies going forward.”