Message on Edline

Dear B-CC Families,

I recently posted the following message in response to questions regarding the implementation of Edline and Pinnacle at B-CC:

I'm passing along a system response to this question from the Montgomery County Education Association (teachers' union) newsletter:

"Despite rumors to the contrary, all teachers have up to three weeks to enter grades into Pinnacle, starting from the assignment's due date. A process is also in place if extenuating circumstances call for a longer window to post grades. Student grades are automatically copied from Pinnacle to Edline nightly."

Prior to the beginning of the school year I asked the staff to keep the grades accurate to within two weeks, but based on the above statement, I can only request that as principal and can't enforce a timeline shorter than three weeks.

County-wide we continue to experience technical challenges that are causing the uploads to be more sporadic than had been promised. This grading system holds great promise for having a significant positive impact on student achievement, but it brings a huge shift for teachers', parents', and students' approach to grades and grading in general. Achieving such a shift takes time.

I have been pleased with the overall work from the staff, who in many ways, have exceeded expectations in the short term. There is much to this system that we have not yet begun to access, and over time, we will discover other ways this system can be used to support student
achievement.

One specific challenge we face is that of staffing. The two people who do the most work with Pinnacle (Sarah Strauss) and Edline (Abbie Gauthier) both teach a full load of classes and have received only nominal training stipends for their work. They have devoted tremendous
amounts of time to supporting teachers, students, and parents as they learn these new programs, and uncover technical challenges.

With that perspective, I want to thank everyone for their patience. I understand this is a sensitive topic, but it is something that we take very seriously.

Regards,

Sean Bulson
Principal
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
(240) 497-6307