PSEO for Honors Credit

Questions to be answered:
What is the current criteria for accepting a PSEO class for Honors Credit? (Case-
by-case...decided upon by TaLS via a circuitous route of paperwork)
Why wouldnt you accept a PSEO Class for an Honors Credit? (It is a process
with the TALS that upon a complaint that can get overturned at a higher level)
Why is the criteria for a Honors Credit? (History? Is honors credit the same as
honors designation)
What is the purpose of Honors Credit? (Why is it so important to control this?
Again, are the terms honors credit and honors designation the same thing?)
What is the purpose of Grades? (may be a different conversation)
What role do grades play in college admittance? (It is my understanding that
students want high school honors credit for college coursework for class rank. I am not
sure of the why but can only guess its for recognition of their hard work. We need to
ask more questions to get a clear picture)

PSEO Schools accepted or denied for Honors Credit

Input:
*TALS feel that we cannot give credit for all of the classes, especially if they are
lower level (what if the student is performing at a level where their grades would be
weighted at the HS level...achieving an A or a B in college coursework = an honors
designation. Are grades weighted at the college level? I am not aware that a P.E. credit
would be weighted less than a biology credit at the college level.)
See PSEO List - Most have similar names as some of ours
*TALS and others feel no credit for 100 level courses (Rationale)
St. Paul - all PSEO classes get Honor Credit Lets gather as much info on this
from comparable districts, so it can be part of our conversation with the TaLS.

*TALS-information not collected directly from TALS

Brainstorming:
Discussions about the purpose of grades
Debunk the the role of grades & Honors in college admittance with parents,
counselors, teachers and students. Find the evidence. (This would be a much larger
project to take on - perhaps a future endeavor)
The Problem With Ds-Why the letter grade should be banned from
schools
An opportunity to discuss why we give grades and what is there purpose
An opportunity to bring all stakeholders into the discussion
 PSEO for Honors Credit

Problems/Obstacles:
1. Parents/students playing the system if we allow all PSEO for
Honors Credit
2. Staff seeing other discipline offerings as not being rigorous
enough
3. TALS make the call getting all the pressure on them.
4. Culture and belief of parents

Strategies For Resolution:

Process that is facilitated through our counseling department.

Path goes to counselors to Jennifer Clark to the TALS they make a decision then
Back to Jennifer, back to counselors. Push back from parents and back

Plan

Short Term
Protocol for deciding -
include stakeholders TALS & Principals
Share the data we have collected
Only the St. Paul District gives PSEO WGTed
Grades
No WGTed Grades
Minneapolis/Robbinsdale/Spring Lake Park
Several Schools WGT PLTW
Several Schools WGT CIS
Those that WGT usually WGT AP
One WGT only if they take the AP
test
Several Schools WGT IB
Choices
WGT all PSEO Grades
Stop WGTing PSEO Grades
WGT all PSEO and PLTW Grades
Research from other schools - due by 9-13-16
share findings 8:00
The Problem With Ds-Why letter grades should be
banned from schools
Leave everything where it is this year
Run everything by Kim
CIAC includes Jeff, David, board members and CIAC includs board members

Long Term
 PSEO for Honors Credit

Change how we grade and weighting of grades

Research best practices and why
Form a Task Force to work on this problem
Process of forming at this time, first meeting January
Change how we grade to one that shows the student knows and can use the
state standards

The University of MN was very useful for help on

Talk with the admission office from the U of M - will have the perspective of other
schools
Oct. 28-Rachelle Hernandez (Rachelle Hernandez, Associate Vice Provost for
Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions) of the U of M
Looked at everything holistically:
1. How does your school grade?
2. What is the makeup of your grade?
3. What is the rigor of the classes?
4. Want people that know what they need to know in different
disciplines.
5. They test in math for knowledge
a. Algebra II is different in different schools
b. Algebra II is different from teacher to teacher
6. Want students that are active in activities
If your school weights certain classes they need that information because it is
relative.
Grades vary from school to school classroom to classroom. Weighting of grades
is relative.
Your school needs to do what is right by your culture of the community.
***U of M only gives credit to academic courses. All are marked in the course
catalog. A course that brings a student up to the standard for math does not count as an
academic grade.
***PSEO grades weigh heavily in not being accepted if they are Ds and Cs

CIAC Directed me to set-up a task force.