ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Stricter standards, higher expectations. That's the idea behind new grading regulations in Anne Arundel County Public Schools, going into effect this fall.
Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell says policies became too lax during the pandemic, and it's time to raise the bar.
"Those things really have become crutches in my opinion, and has enabled bad practices that are transferable when these kids graduate from our school, that's not acceptable," he told WMAR-2 News' Elizabeth Worthington during an interview about a number of topics that will impact students and families this school year.
The new regulations put new focus on student responsibility, like increased penalties for late work and fewer redo opportunities.
"We had far too many retakes. I want to say at one point it was five retakes. So think about the burden that puts on teachers that they have to constantly grade these retakes, and our kids know, I don't have to take it seriously until I get it to number four or five. You're doing a disservice to the kids too," Dr. Bedell explained.
The district is cracking down on cell phones too. Previously, it was up to the teachers to decide when students needed to put their phones away. Now, phones must be out of sight and off/on silent throughout the school day. The only exception is for high schoolers during lunch.
"The one thing that people have really expressed appreciation on is we didn't rip the Band-Aid off and have total bans," Dr. Bedell said. "We want our kids to be able to demonstrate to us that they are young, responsible adults. And I believe that they are, and I believe they won't put me in a position where I have to move to have further conversations around total bans. Because I will not hesitate to do so."
On the topic of student safety, Dr. Bedell's focus is holding kids accountable for bad behavior.
"All of it has paid dividends because our numbers are down across the board in every measurable indicator when it comes to discipline, arrest data, all of that stuff. So I know that what we're doing is working, and we expect to continue to see declines."
But it's not just fellow students who might contribute to an unsafe school environment.
Back in the spring, a Severna Park Elementary School teacher was arrested for sexual abuse. Eight students shared their experiences with police.
"I'm a parent first. I have two daughters, and a son. So I totally understand when these type of accusations are out on someone, that people should be feeling very frustrated," Dr. Bedell told WMAR-2 News. "We have to see what the final verdict reveals. We’ve had situations in this county where somebody was accused of doing something, and it took two years, and everything came back and that person was innocent. So I know it’s easy for us to just say we’re gonna persecute people. But we’re gonna let everything run its course. But I can tell you, I will not tolerate it whatsoever."
We also talked to Dr. Bedell about his philosophy on politics in the classroom, especially during an election year.
"What I try to tell our educators is, I don't care what your political affiliation is, you cannot try to influence a kid into whatever political affiliation is. That is for parents to do. I don't want nobody telling my 7th grader that she needs to be a Democrat or a Republican. She needs to be able to decide that on her own."
One other change happening in Anne Arundel County Schools - students are no longer taking home Chromebooks every day. Laptops will be available in the classroom. Families who can't afford one at home will be provided one. Dr. Bedell says it was no longer financially sustainable, and hopes to lessen screen time even more in the classroom.
Looking ahead to the new school year, Dr. Bedell celebrated the district's improvements on Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) scores, and noted that the district is looking competitive on a national level.
"We did all of this with all of those distractors. We did all of this not, in some cases, being able to get kids to come to school. We did this not being fully staffed. We’re in a whole different place going into this school year. And if we then get those distractors out of the way, the enabling practices that enable, to me, poor habits that hurt them when they get into the workforce or into college, and then the distractors with cell phones. With all of that out of the way, this is going to be a game changer for this school district and this community, in my opinion."
