Bellevue Schools Won’t Report 1st. Qtr Grades–“Undue Stress”

According to KIRO Radio and school district officials, the Bellevue WA School District doesn't plan to release first quarter grades for students grades 6-12.

A statement from the District read in part:

(first quarter grades) "are causing undue stress for educators and students with the impact of remote learning and the limited amount of evidence that demonstrates learning.” 

  According to KIRO host Dori Monson, he interviewed a community activist mother this week who told him about a Bellevue-area Facebook page called School is Essential.  The private page has over 380 members. Monson says a Bellevue District teacher wrote on the page they were not even aware that grades weren't going to be reported.

Monson says the teacher posted that they were waiting and waiting for District officials to ask for student reports etc., but it never happened. That teacher reported that their students were struggling, and now this? --referring to the grades not being reported.

This is rather alarming, considering Bellevue is one of the wealthiest school districts in the state. The area is certainly well off, a high income area.

Most in the Mid-Columbia may recall Bellevue for their incredible H.S. football program a few years ago that made national headlines for a recruiting-grade cheating and paying coaches scandal. Kamiakin played them for a 3A State title a number of years ago, but lost.

But aside from that, for a very well-off stable district like Bellevue to forego reporting MS and HS grades says a lot about the unstable and failing state of distance learning.

If Bellevue is not going to release grades, what does that bode for Districts who already face academic and logistical issues in trying to help their students?