RCMP Classic at Surrey schools page 16
Should the Valley help pay for transit? page 11
Tuesday January 14, 2014
Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
Select Surrey schools implement alternative reporting system
Surrey teen’s accused killer denied bail
Making the grade disappear by Alex Browne
HOW STAKEHOLDERS feel about a pilot project exploring alternatives to letter grades on report cards seems to depend on their comfort zone. If you’re a teacher who’s interested in different ways of assessing students’ learning – like Rosemary Heights Elementary’s Linda Chau – you might be happy with getting away from the As, Bs, and Cs of traditional reporting. “I was relieved when it started,” said Chau, who teaches a Grade 5-6 combined class. “I was already doing alternative reporting. Letter grades didn’t always fit in with what I was doing in class.” But if you’re a parent who grew up with letter grades, and find they’re a crucial yardstick of your child’s academic achievement – or if you’re an “A student” like 10-year-old Paige Evans – you may not be so happy. “I actually don’t like not having a letter grade,” Linda Chau the Rosemary Heights Grade 5 student said, adding she feels it adds to the “half page of comments” that she and her classmates now receive. “You know that you need to work harder to get an A – it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have a goal to reach for,” Paige said. Classmate Thor McKenzie, 10, agreed. “When they don’t give me a grade, I don’t feel I know where I am in my class,” Thor said. But fellow Grade 5 student Mattias Bellan, Paige Evans 11, said he believes the pilot project’s emphasis on each student’s learning process, rather than a letter grade, has been beneficial for him. “I like that they tell us how to improve,” he said. “They don’t just say there’s your letter grade; that’s what you get.” Principal Laura Grills said the pilot project – implemented this school year in select schools in Surrey and Maple Ridge – currently involves three Grade 4 and three Grade 5 classes at Rosemary Heights, but with Grade 6 and 7 teachers observing and participating in discussion.
See SCHOOLS / Page 4
16-year-old charged in Karim Meskine’s murder will remain in custody for now by Grant Granger THE 16-YEAR-OLD charged with sec-
BOAZ JOSEPH / THE LEADER
Crusaders are Fire Fighters’ champs Alli Buck of the Holy Cross Crusaders takes a shot over the shoulder of Jada Jordan of the Fleetwood Park Dragons in the championship game of the Surrey Fire Fighters’ Goodwill Classic Saturday at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School. The Crusaders won 76-47. For more, see page 14.
Editorial 6 Letters 7 Datebook 13 Sports 14 Classifieds 17
Some choices are hard.
ond-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Karim Meskine of Surrey last month has been denied bail. A New Westminster provincial court judge cited several reasons for detaining the youth. During the hearing on Friday, the accused sat in the prisoner’s box with his head Karim Meskine bowed much of the time. Meskine’s family was in attendance, along with supporters. “We feel safer and better there is one more criminal off the street,” said Meskine’s mother Julie afterward. See YOUTH / Page 4
Save time, save money.
Some are easy.
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