King Said Progress Not Grades Most Important

Putnam County Director Of Schools Corby King said grades are less important right now than ending the school year with a lot of learning.

“How student work is assessed will depend on the grade level and the course in which a student is enrolled,” King said. “Our focus during this closure will be to provide learning opportunities and activities that will prepare students for the next grade level, of course, that they will enter.”

King said these final four weeks of school will be spent introducing concepts needed to go forward. And King added there remains a lot of content to cover.

“We want to make sure if you’re a first grade student, you are ready for second grade or fifth graders ready to go into sixth grade, or if you’re a high school student that’s taking an integrated one math course, that you have the skills necessary to be successful when you go into integrated two.”

King reminded high schools taking dual enrollment courses to make sure they are meeting requirements of the higher education facilities in which they are enrolled.

With decisions about summer programs, classes and camps approaching, King said he would wait until the second week of May to make a final decision on those activities. King said school officials wanted to see how COVID-19 evolved.

Governor Bill Lee recommended earlier this week that schools should remain closed for the remainder of the year.