Is it ok to ask?

[anonomom]

DD's report card came home today. She's graded on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being "exemplary" and 3 being "proficient." A 3, as I understand it, covers everything between "barely scraping by" and "thriving but just short of stellar."

DD got almost all 3s. I understand her math grade because we see all of the work she brings home. But for ELA (reading/writing), I'm a little mystified. Her writing work is all done at school and is never sent home, nor does it seem that any form of feedback is provided once she hands in an assignment. She does bring reading/grammar worksheets home and has never gotten less than a 90% on those (and even the 90s are rare). I have asked the teachers in a general manner how she's doing and they always say she's doing fine. I feel, though, that if there is room for improvement (as there must be if she's not getting 4s), then she should be receiving feedback on where she needs work.

Is it ok for me at this point to ask for that feedback, even if it's just asking to see her writing work and get the teachers' comments on it? We did request a conference after her first-quarter report card and at the time the teachers seemed a bit miffed by it, so I'm wondering if it's bad form to act as if ones cares if your kid gets 3s or 4s? To be clear, I'm not claiming she should have gotten 4s, I just want to know what the standards are and where DD is falling on that wide range covered by a 3 and how she could improve.

[PZMommy]

In my district a 4 means you are performing above grade level. A 3 covers everything from a 70% to 100%. I hate that grading system, but I can't do much about it. I think it would be fine to ask the teacher what kinds of things your DD can do to improve. I know I have to keep almost all of my students' writing samples as the district is super concerned with writing and we have to have all sorts of samples and portfolios available at all times. I'm afraid to send any of it home for fear of needing to show it later on. I do let parents stop in and look through their child's portfolios whenever they ask.

[rlu]

It should always be ok to ask for a teacher/parent conference. At our school one is scheduled in the fall. In the spring only those who need one are scheduled, but we can always request one.

I would ask the teacher for a conference to review her writing assignments and ask how you can help your child to improve.

We get everything DS does sent home at some point, and I can't imagine the teacher wants to store all that paperwork, so I'm not sure why you don't see her classwork. Ask, it is not unreasonable.

eta: ok, I posted while PP did, and I see why the teacher would keep some of the writing, but everything seems excessive.

[schrocat]

It's hard to get 4s for writing. By all means ask for feedback. We get the tests back and marking rubric so we know where DS falls. It's getting harder to get 4s for language arts in our school district. It's just not equivalent to an A.

[mommylamb]

It's absolutely ok to ask for a conference with the teacher. In our district, everyone does a conference in the fall, and there is no regularly scheduled conference time for the spring. I don't like that. I always want to have a spring check in, regardless of how DS1 does on his report card. But, his teacher (and his teacher last year) have always been very open to that and it was never a problem. I'd be irked that the teacher seemed miffed that you asked for a conference (assuming she really was and that it wasn't just a miscommunication).

[ahisma]

I think it's okay to ask. We had a similar situation, DS got a 3 in math. He's working far above grade level in math, so I was pretty puzzled. Turns out that they only assess to grade level. Go figure!

My main concern was making sure that he wasn't precluded from being accelerated in math down the road.

[maestramommy]

Agree that in our district 4 means exceeding expectations, and you don't often get them. DD has had a couple, but mostly for reading and decoding. Her teacher says her real strength is writing, But I think she's gotten all 3s. We've already had 2 conferences this year too, so I have a pretty good idea of what the standards are and where she stands in relation to them.

[Green_Tea]

I think you should ask. In the district that I teach in we don't use the 1-4 scale on report cards, but I am familiar with it because we use it to assess as we teach. A 4 means that the student consistently masters the material without additional assistance. It also means that when material taught several months ago is revisited, that the student continues to demonstrate independent mastery.

In my district we assign letters on report cards: L=Limited Progress; P=Progressing Toward Mastery; and M=Mastery. Mastery is considered a year-end goal, and can only be assigned after all the units that pertain to a topic have been covered. I have students who have aced every geometry unit we've covered so far, but they were still at a P for geometry on their March report cards because we have another unit in the spring. The same goes for writing. We haven't covered persuasive writing yet, so no students have received Ms in writing on their report cards. Perhaps 4s are considered a year-end goal in your district. 4s may also be considered something that students who consistently perform above grade level can earn. I have plenty of kids who score very well (90-100 range) on math and language arts assessments but do not demonstrate an understanding of the material that I would consider to be above grade level or exceptional.

Every district handles these nuances differently, so I'd ask some questions via email. Perhaps once they have explained what differentiates a 3 from a 4, you won't feel that a conference is in order.

[Thatchermom]

We just switched to this standard. DS consistently performs way above grade level (6th grader in advanced algebra) yet his report card is all 3s. I went the conference route and got mostly upsetting answers ranging from "fours are not possible" to. "I don't know what a student can do in my class to achieve a four." Obviously this is a continuing discussion here!

It can't hurt to ask so that you have clear expectations for your student. At least I know now it's not DS's issue.


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[Green_Tea]

We just switched to this standard. DS consistently performs way above grade level (6th grader in advanced algebra) yet his report card is all 3s. I went the conference route and got mostly upsetting answers ranging from "fours are not possible" to. "I don't know what a student can do in my class to achieve a four." Obviously this is a continuing discussion here!



I totally understand why you are frustrated. I think teachers are frustrated, too - every teacher in my district was basically told that we could not put ANY child at mastery for ANYTHING in the first marking period. All of my students basically got identical report cards. Our district sent home a letter explaining that mastery is a year end goal, so not to expect "Ms" (which could equate to a 3 or a 4 on the scale referenced here) until June.

[lalasmama]

DD's school uses the 1-4 system of grading too. Since DH is a teacher in her school, I asked him about it, as well as her teacher. As others have said, that "4" is generally reserved for consistently above grade level in that area. "3" is performing at grade level. The "grade level" what needs to be known by the end of the year.

For what it's worth, both DH and DD's teacher said "1" and "2" is common in the fall, and only by spring should they be looking at "3" and, maybe, a rare "4".

Drives me batty too! I want to know exactly how DD is doing, and a "3" doesn't tell me if she's cruising on Easy Street, or clawing her way up to the bare minimum!

[wendibird22]

DD's school uses the 1-4 system of grading too. Since DH is a teacher in her school, I asked him about it, as well as her teacher. As others have said, that "4" is generally reserved for consistently above grade level in that area. "3" is performing at grade level. The "grade level" what needs to be known by the end of the year.

For what it's worth, both DH and DD's teacher said "1" and "2" is common in the fall, and only by spring should they be looking at "3" and, maybe, a rare "4".

Drives me batty too! I want to know exactly how DD is doing, and a "3" doesn't tell me if she's cruising on Easy Street, or clawing her way up to the bare minimum!

Same in our school. The scale is based upon where the child should be on the last day of school. So if your kid is ahead of where they should be in January but this is equal to the end of the year benchmark the child would get a 3.

[jenmcadams]

In my district a 4 means you are performing above grade level. A 3 covers everything from a 70% to 100%.

This is the same in our public schools - often, there's no opportunity for a 4. If the teacher hasn't given any above grade level work, your child could be getting 100% on everything and is only eligible for a 3. I'm not a huge fan of grades/honor rolls/etc. in elementary, but this grading system is useless for everyone. My friend's daughter who struggles with math was consistently getting 3s and they didn't realize she was so far behind until she scored unsatisfactory on the state testing. My DD never missed a math problem, but was also never challenged. My older DD is in a private middle school now and grades are more traditional which makes it easier to gauge her performance.

I just kind of resigned myself to elementary school report cards being useless and relied on conferences and communication with teachers