Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 12, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Homework, spelling tests, and timed exams don't help kids learn, according to an Edmonton-based educator who came to Yellowknife last week, praising a new reporting system that encourages no zeros and extended deadlines for incomplete assignments.

Dale Skoreyko, a principal at Eastglen high school in Edmonton, gives a presentation to parents and teachers at the Yellowknife Catholic Schools board meeting last Thursday concerning a new grading system that encourages teachers not to punish students for late assignments. - Cara Loverock/ NNSL Photo

The new grading system, developed by U.S. based educator Rick Stiggins, was adopted by Yellowknife Catholic Schools this fall.

Dale Skoreyko, principal of Edmonton's Eastglen high school, gave a presentation on the new grading system last Thursday to a group of 12 teachers and parents, including Yellowknife Catholic Schools Superintendent Kern Von Hagen and Claudia Parker, assistant superintendent of learning.

While some parents expressed concern about the new method, Skoreyko said he has used it for 17 years - seven as a teacher and 10 as a principal.

"Parents should be absolutely outraged that students are assigned zeros," said Skoreyko, adding that a zero diminishes a child's confidence.

The idea behind the new grading system is that students who do not do well in the beginning of the year will not have their grade affected and have time to learn at their own pace. Skoreyko also pointed out some teaching methods that he said were impractical, such as timed exams and spelling tests.

One parent at the meeting wondered whether a lack of spelling skills might a hinder students' future job prospects.

What if a person applied for a job with a poorly spelled resume, asked Brad Herriot. "Would you hire the person that wrote that?"

"I would hire him and get him a secretary," replied Skoreyko.

He said spelling skills aren't as necessary these days with the advent of the Spell Check tool in word processing programs.

The new grading method also calls for students not to have homework because, according to Skoreyko, if they don't do it correctly and don't get the help with it they need, they will learn assignments incorrectly. "The kids that get messed up from (homework) can't be fixed because you don't have time," said Skoreyko.

Parent Laurette Debogorski wasn't all that sure.

"I watch how my kids progress and how they're doing through their homework," said Debogorski.

Skoreyko said better communication between parents and their children would help them better understand their child's progress, not homework. He said the idea behind the grading system is that students will become motivated on their own to learn and be able to understand things at their own pace, without being penalized for not understanding something right away.

"What we're talking about is getting kids to learn how to learn," said Von Hagen.

Amanda Mallon, president of the NWT Teachers Association, said the association has not received any complaints from teachers about the new grading system.

"We respond to the concerns of our teachers and there has not been one complaint," said Mallon.

"Yellowknife Catholic Schools does not go into anything lightly. They're well researched."