Professor of Educational Studies David Hutchison wrote a piece recently published in the St. Catharines Standard about the Ontario government's new mandate that grades for all high school courses include participation and attendance. Professor of Educational Studies David Hutchison wrote a piece recently published in the St. Catharines Standard about a new provincial mandate that grades for all Ontario high school courses include participation and attendance.
He writes:
“A 10 to 15 per cent grade incentive is likely too modest to prevent those students who skip school and then hand in their assignments at the end of the year from continuing to do so. And a more stringent grading requirement would unduly punish the many students who avoid school for mental health reasons and other factors beyond their control.
High school absenteeism is a serious issue. Only 40 per cent of Ontario’s high school students are meeting the attendance standard of no more than 10 per cent missed classes. That is an alarming statistic that bodes poorly for the future careers and life successes of many young people and Ontario’s economic outlook more generally.”
Continue reading the full article on the St. Catharines Standard website.
