A'S AND B'S ON WAY OUT AT SCHOOLS NUMBERS REPLACING LETTERS.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

The straight-A student may become a thing of the past.

Responding to the wave of state and federal standards that marked the end of the 1990s, districts across Ventura County have been rethinking how they dole out grades.

Over the years, traditional A, B, C, D and F grades have been replaced by marks of proficiency in many elementary schools, reflecting years of standard-based reforms. Though there are no statewide statistics on just how many schools have adopted the practice, it's becoming increasingly popular in Ventura County school districts.

``The whole system has to change, but many schools have hung on to it because, to get into college, you have to get A's, B's and C's,'' said Diane Dempwolf, director of standards, curriculum and assessment for Ventura County Superintendent of Schools office.

For more than two years, Simi Valley Unified School District has used a numerical system based on statewide standards in kindergarten through second grades. And while third- through sixth-graders still receive letter grades, the district is considering a survey that would ask parents and teachers for their input on switching to numerical grades.

Last year, Moorpark's school district also switched from letter grades to numerical marks for kindergartners through fifth-graders. They will examine similar revisions in the upper grades over the next year.

``If you get an A, you think it means something, but when you look at it, it only represents an individual teacher's standard,'' said Charles Weis, the county school superintendent and chairman of a statewide panel on the implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind laws.

``It's generally accepted that (nonstandards based) grades don't clearly identify what the students learn,'' Weis said.

As an example, he points out that low- and high-achieving districts could have the same grade point averages despite the gap in skill levels.

Standards-based grading measure the knowledge base and abandons the traditional bell-curve on which teachers normally grade. Moving away from the letter grades that most public school-educated Americans grew up also refocuses how parents and children view grades.

At the center of the new grading system are state standards and federal standards that measure proficiency in language, math and the sciences. Federal laws that require elementary schools to test children in grades third through eighth grades annually in reading and math have pushed districts that must meet target test rates to rethink how they measure student success.

But many high schools still resist the move, and some parents accustomed to the former grading system meet confusion in trying to assess what these grades mean, educators say.

The most difficult part for some parents was watching their child's grades fall, said Rebecca Wetzel, director of elementary education in Simi Valley.

``There are fewer A's now,'' Wetzel said. ``It's hard for some parents who see their children working hard and then they have a C,'' Wetzel said.

But parents like Karen Blufer appreciate it.

``Now, there is no room for subjectivity,'' said Blufer, the mother of a fifth- and eighth-grader attending public schools in Moorpark, where a number-based grade system was adopted. ``The current grading system, it's clear what the student accomplished.''

Ultimately, the aim is for every school district to have a school brimming with students proficient in each of the areas and subsequently perform better on state mandated tests.

But some educators worry that the rush to fulfill standards and in the process change grades has left a considerable void.

``In traditional grading, if an elementary school kid didn't bring back their homework it reflected in their grade. Now all they need to do is demonstrate they know the standard,'' said Arleigh Kidd, president of the Simi Valley Educator's Association, a union representing more than 1,000 Simi Valley teachers.

``With this testing mania, you are losing a lot because everything is geared toward the standard. There is no room for outside speakers, field trips, things like that.

``I worry that we are raising a generation of kids that can do well on a bubble sheet but not sand a table or run a mile,'' Kidd said.

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com