**DISCLAIMER: If you are prompted to pay any money, please know that goes to Change.org and that we are not asking for money, only for community support.**

Overview:

The proposed new additions to the Executive Limitations 12 (EL-12) Learning Environment in the Issaquah School District threatens to negatively impact our students' time management skills, teacher's workload, and the mental health of Issaquah School District students. This policy includes a uniform syllabus across all secondary buildings and courses, elimination of minuses in grading system (A-, B-, etc.), and no penalty for work done during recovery periods. While these changes may seem beneficial on the surface, they could potentially hinder our students' ability to adapt to diverse learning environments in their future endeavors.

Grading Implications:

This implies that a score of 90% or higher would be graded as an A, and assignments could be repeatedly retaken until a 90% is achieved. Similarly, all assessments with significant bearing on the student's grade could be retaken almost infinitely to reach a 90%, leading to widespread grade inflation throughout the school district. The removal of minuses from grades would also lower academic standards as it reduces the precision with which we evaluate student performance.

Mental Health Impact:

This also reinforces the unfounded expectation that an A is the only acceptable grade for our students. As a result, while mental health was centered as the basis for this policy, the accumulated stress of backlogged assignments and assessments can compound and ultimately worsen students' mental health more than before. 

Effect on Teachers:

Moreover, enforcing a blanket policy limits academic freedom and creativity for teachers which can lead to a less dynamic learning environment for students. Also, the new addition of recovery options for all assessments under 90% will significantly increase the workload on teachers to make multiple versions of the tests as well as grade multiple tests per student. Our ISD teachers have already come up with several recovery options that are employed in classrooms across the district and are uniquely catered to the structures of different subject areas.

Our Beliefs About ISD Education:

We believe that education should be about fostering growth and preparing students for real-world challenges rather than creating an overly standardized environment that does not cater to individual needs or promote excellence.

Therefore, we urge you - community members of the Issaquah School District - parents, educators, students, and concerned citizens alike - let's stand together against this proposed change. Let us prioritize what is best for our student's education. Sign this petition today!

Sincerely,

Issaquah Student Advocates