Montgomery Co. Grades to Reflect Only Academic Achievement

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - Montgomery County educators have approved a plan that will ease parents, teachers and administrators into a new grading system over the next five years.

According to The Washington Post, the schedule will include several checkpoints along the way.

Next year, for instance, grades will reflect only academic achievement. The following year, teachers will be asked to grade students based on how well they accomplished specific academic goals set by the county.

Under the previous policy, teachers had more liberty to set grades according to their own standards.

Montgomery County's Board of Education voted last March to revamp the school system's grading system, and expected to have the new system up and running within five months.

Instead, many parents, teachers and students were confused, and the policy was put on hold.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)