Failure is not an option at Kearns Jr. High

Kearns Junior High School's report cards are going to look a little different this year: Instead of a D or an F, teachers will hand out "in progress" grades.

Kearns Junior High is moving to a system of competency-based education in which students are expected to obtain a grade of C or better.

The students will be told the core concepts they must learn at the beginning of the term. If they master those concepts, they will receive a grade of C. Those who go above and beyond will receive grades of A or B. Students who don't meet the core requirements will get an "in progress" grade, meaning they are still in the process of mastering the material.

Failure is not an option: Struggling students will receive extra help after school, in the summer or during field trips and assemblies. Students who don't master the core subjects will be retained for a quarter or more, although principal Kandace Barber doesn't want to hold students back.

"Our goal is not retain anybody, but we will retain students if they do not achieve the skill level that is required of them," Barber said.

Competency-based education has been used in the Granite School District since 2003 and in other districts across the state since 1997 — and it has been working, school officials say.

Robert McDaniel was the principal of Granite Park Middle School when that school began the program. He said Granite Park saw double-digit gains in test scores and a decrease in behavior problems.

Kearns Junior High has its own set of problems. Many students are dropping out once they have advanced to high school, and their CRT test scores are low.

Darryl Thomas, director of research, assessment and evaluation for Granite School District, said 59 percent of the school's ninth-graders graders in 2003 were proficient in language arts — but in 2004 and 2005, the numbers dropped to 52 percent. The district average in 2005 was 69 percent. The numbers are even lower for math.

The problem is that students fall behind and never catch up — and they can keep being promoted from grade to grade.

"The kids are not stupid. They've figured out that they can get six, seven F's and still be passed on," Barber said.

Kearns is changing its approach so students can feel that they are succeeding — not that they are failures and can't do anything about it.

"We're just trying to find a way to make them be successful, to improve their self-confidence to show that they can be successful," Barber said.