50/50 Series: Grading Mykelle  March 31, 2009  Download Story
For years, Chicago's Robeson High School has produced more
dropouts than graduates. The school is part of a pilot project
this year to try to prevent students from quitting. And that is
casting a light on Robeson's grading system. Students arrive at
this neighborhood high school well below grade level. But
teachers and administrators know that kids who flunk classes as
freshmen are much more likely to eventually drop out. For many,
giving kids an “F” is a real dilemma.  “There's definitely a
sense of, “We've gotta move these kids through.” Even though
they're not even close to grade level. “ --Caitlin Ring, English
teacher  Freshman Mykelle Wheeler got off to a rough start at
Robeson High School. He flunked every subject but one the first
quarterâ€”thanks in part to a lot of class cutting. But by the
semesterâ€”which is when students earn credits toward
graduationâ€”Mykelle had turned all but one of those grades into
Cs and Ds. He had a BIG incent