Mandatory training for all staff at Verona Area High School in Dane County Monday advanced the idea that traditional standards of grading and assessment are actually "characteristics of white supremacy culture" that need to be "disrupted" and "dismantled."
A source provided "The Dan O'Donnell Show" with slides from the presentation, including one that reads "Disrupting systems of White Supremacy is difficult, messy, and upsetting to those for whom the system works."
A second slide was titled "Traditional Grading Values & White Supremacy" and identified "15 Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture" that could arise when enforcing such grading standards. Among these characteristics are "perfectionism," "objectivity," and "individualism."
"I feel like we’re doing these kids a terrible disservice," a source told "The Dan O'Donnell Show." "Somehow doing the basic work expected in society is ‘white culture.’ That’s just incredibly insulting to people of other cultures."
This year, Verona High School prohibited teachers from penalizing students for late assignments and changed its standards for missing work. In years past, a missing assignment would result in a grade of 0%. Now it gets a 50%.
"If the student doesn't do the work at all, they still get credit for half of the work," the source explained. "What sense does that make?"
"The Verona Area School District believes that professional development is an opportunity to reflect on current practices," a district spokeswoman said in an email. "Therefore, it is our responsibility, as part of our mission to ensure that "Every Student MUST Be Successful," to examine any system that may lead to disproportionate outcomes."