Thoughts on this grading philosophy

[lmwbasye]

So the boys are in a new public school this year and, honestly, I'm not loving it. I won't go into too much but wanted to get some opinions on something that DS1's teacher does that is bothering me. If any student scores below a 70 on something (quiz, test, etc), they are allowed to use their resources (books, notes, etc) to correct/redo the assignment and then she averages out the two grades for an improved grade. So, for example, if DS1 received a 57 on a test, she would then send it home with the book asking him to correct the incorrect answers for homework. He could then turn that back in and then she would average the two scores for a higher grade...raising it possible from an F or D to as high as a C or even a B.

Honestly, I'm a bit concerned about this but maybe I'm not thinking the right way about it. My concern is that DS will "fall through the cracks" so to speak and his raised grades won't accurate reflect his true abilities. This is particularly important as he struggles in school and has several diagnoses along with an IEP that we track and I don't want his grades to give a false impression of his abilities. In addition, we move every two years and I'm concerned about turning over a report card of Bs and As when he may actually not be able to do that caliber of work on his own. In addition, I want those hard-earned, honest As and Bs to be true As and Bs that stand out as the improvement that he has achieved over time.

I'm hoping this makes sense but I can clarify, if needed. I just really wanted to some thoughts on this. Am I over-reacting and should I just be grateful for a teacher being nice?

[bisous]

My sister is a teacher in a large public school district and they are starting to implement a grading policy like you've described. Although in her school they are actually considering not averaging the grade with the first, low score but accepting at full weight only the second score. The idea is that kids should be graded on mastery of information and a higher grade shows mastery. She doesn't like the policy at all frankly. Like you, she worries that although this policy seems "nice" in reality it disadvantages the kids who already don't do well. If a child hasn't studied well the first time around, how likely will the same child be to take extra time to study again, all the while still keeping up with current assignments? I suppose the policy will aid those kids that just have one bad test score but I think it will be harder for poor students to keep up with work if they are constantly allowed to retake tests.

I don't know if this is helpful or not. Just know that you aren't alone in your skepticism! If it were my DS (who has a 504 for ADHD among other things) I might consider not "allowing" taking the test a second time unless there were extenuating circumstances. That would retain the illusion that studying for the ONE test really counts and help keep him up to speed. But I'm on him like crazy anyway and totally micromanage his progress. I swear I talk to the teachers about every ten days.

[HannaAddict]

Private competitive/highly selective entry middle school here has kids correct their work, explaining or showing the answer, on quizzes and can receive full credit. I think it is fine, you would be amazed how many kids won't even bother at the younger grades (6th). It doesn't work for tests just quiz type work and kids do learn from it.


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[JBaxter]

Last year Nathan was in 5th grade and they were allowed to go back and correct their missed answers for 1/2 credit for tests quizzes and homework. I have no problem with it because they do learn from correcting their mistakes. The correction was optional and not all kids took advantage. Middle school ( here) it is not an option

[SnuggleBuggles]

I like it. One bad test doesn't doom them. Plus, they have an incentive to learn the material vs chucking the test in the trash and walking away.

[Philly Mom]

I like it. One bad test doesn't doom them. Plus, they have an incentive to learn the material vs chucking the test in the trash and walking away.

I agree.


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[Simon]

I didn't read all the responses, but I do think you're over-reacting. I would fully support a procedure like this one. This is a policy that prioritizes truly learning the material and wants students to invest themselves in the learning process. Also, this policy recognizes that a test is not always the best measure of what a person does/does not know and gives students the option of showing (later, in writing) that they do know the answer now.
I don't think you need to worry about overly inflated grades threatening the IEP. The state/district standardized testing should continue to show areas of need. If nothing else, this will only last 2 years and you can tell the next school you felt your son's grades were too high.

[hillview]

I feel like I'd discuss it with the IEP person -- perhaps your DS needs a different grading method? While I think for SOME kids this might work well I agree for a kid with other challenges this might not flag things the right way.

[KpbS]

I can understand your concerns. I hadn't encountered this until this year with my second grader. I know for a fact this is not the policy in 4th grade here and our teacher is using as a motivator to help the kids learn from their mistakes, improve their grades, and try to be more careful in their answering. It is the first year they receive grades, which I think factors into the decision to have them correct their work.

Have you spoken to the teacher about your concerns? I am curious what her response would be.

[KrisM]

DS1 is in middle school and it's the policy of the school to do this. It's a little different, as the max they can get is 80%. So if you have a quiz with 70%, you can redo it and have up to 80%. A few teachers will let them do it for higher grades and DS got a 92% on a math test and is redoing what he got wrong for half credit to improve to a 96%. He has to write out what he did wrong, why it was wrong, and how to do it right. I like it as it allows the kids to go back and learn what they missed the first time. I think it's a good incentive to learn the material.

I have a few friends who kids have done quite a few redos. They do them at lunch or at homework club after school. They seem to like the policy as well.

[Green_Tea]

Honestly, I'm a bit concerned about this but maybe I'm not thinking the right way about it. My concern is that DS will "fall through the cracks" so to speak and his raised grades won't accurate reflect his true abilities. This is particularly important as he struggles in school and has several diagnoses along with an IEP that we track and I don't want his grades to give a false impression of his abilities. In addition, we move every two years and I'm concerned about turning over a report card of Bs and As when he may actually not be able to do that caliber of work on his own. In addition, I want those hard-earned, honest As and Bs to be true As and Bs that stand out as the improvement that he has achieved over time.

I'm hoping this makes sense but I can clarify, if needed. I just really wanted to some thoughts on this. Am I over-reacting and should I just be grateful for a teacher being nice?

I guess that I wouldn't consider an A or a B to be a "false impression" of his abilities if he is doing the corrections completely on his own and learning from them. I think it is good practice to encourage students to examine their mistakes and work hard to correct them. In the process students typically learn and retain the material, which is - if course - the ultimate goal. I agree with the poster who said that many students won't take advantage of this opportunity - you would be surprised by how many kids are totally fine with a low grade! I think that if your son has the desire and motivation to correct his work, he should continue to do so. It is far preferable than the alternative (to not correct the work or relearn the material, and simply settle for a low grade.)

[mommy111]

I like it. One bad test doesn't doom them. Plus, they have an incentive to learn the material vs chucking the test in the trash and walking away.
:yeahthat: Seems like they're actually using the test as an opportunity to learn/teach which is what the point is, right? It's what I wish people would do in real life instead of turning in the same doomed mistakes every single time

[wendmatt]

We do this with our 2nd graders but they can only get a final total of 70. I agree that it inflates grades, but it shows up in gradebook that it was a redo. Plus, if it was a low score to begin, I make a note. If there are learning issues those final grades are not what will get your child the help they need. It's a way to allow students to feel successful and have a chance to redo it (and hopefully get the material 2nd time around). If your child has some special needs and he has an IEP he is not going to fall through the cracks, especially if you are proactive.

[JustMe]

I think I understand your concern. My dd has an IEP, but it took forever to get her one because she gave false impressions in many ways of learning and understanding more than she did. If your concern is that he will get decent/good grades with this system and that will create the impression that he does not need extra services/help, I totally have been there and get that. However, I agree with talking to the special ed case manager/IEP person about your concerns and letting them know that you would like it documented that part of your ds' good grades were due to being able to take the test again, along with any other things you think appropriate. This could go in the IEP and/or in the comment section of the report card.

As far as allowing kids to boost poor grades by letting them correct their mistake, this happens at my dd's school too and I like it. I feel like it does help her learn things she would otherwise not learn, and that is important to me. It does bother me a little that they can copy straight from a book/notes, as sometimes I am not even sure she understands what she is copying when it is a word for word similar to the book/notes question, so I definitely don't like those. In any case, its unlikely that you can change this system, so I would try to see about including info on how if helped ds to get better grades he would otherwise not have gotten on his IEP or report card.

[ellies mom]

DD1's math teacher offers this option. In addition to correcting the missed questions, they need to explain what they did wrong the first time around. I don't have a problem with it because it gives her the opportunity to think about what went wrong and then learn from it.

[trcy]

I like it. One bad test doesn't doom them. Plus, they have an incentive to learn the material vs chucking the test in the trash and walking away.


:yeahthat: Seems like they're actually using the test as an opportunity to learn/teach which is what the point is, right? It's what I wish people would do in real life instead of turning in the same doomed mistakes every single time
:yeahthat: I agree with both posts. My memories of school were memorizing for the tests and moving on. This teaches how to use resources, which is what should happen in real life.

[KrisM]

I wanted to add some about your concern to get false A's.

Your example was a 57%. If he redoes it and gets 100%, his score is now 78.5%, which is a C or C+, depending on what your school does. Even if he has the highest score you can get and still redo it, a 70%, the most he'll have is an 85%, moving from a C- to B. He can't move to an A mathematically.

He would still need to have enough other high scores to move a grade up to an A. If he has a bunch of 75% scores, he can't redo as they are already too high, and that will then bring back down his overall grade. I don't think any A or B on his report card would be anything but hard work by him. He'd have to have enough As and Bs to get the overall score up there. And doing the work it will take to redo a lower score should be counted as hard work, too.

[klwa]

I have no problem with it because they do learn from correcting their mistakes.

I think this is the biggest thing. If your DS gets a 57 on the initial test, but then gets a 100 on the corrected test, he'd still only getting a 78. But, he's learned some of those answers during the process. I think it's a reasonable way to go about things to try to get the kids to actually learn the material, even if it's after the initial test.

[jren]

I like the policy. My DD doesn't test well. Will even flunk a test where she knows all the information. We remind her that the point of school is to learn the material, not get the best grades. This makes sure that the kids that need it have spent extra time with the material.

Our school is a teacher by teacher policy. Private school. Some teachers offer extra credit for corrections, others will give a retake of the test for the whole class and go with the higher score.


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[JBaxter]

I think this is the biggest thing. If your DS gets a 57 on the initial test, but then gets a 100 on the corrected test, he'd still only getting a 78. But, he's learned some of those answers during the process. I think it's a reasonable way to go about things to try to get the kids to actually learn the material, even if it's after the initial test.

Yeah but mine would correct everything on any test or homework. if he had a 96 he would correct the questions to get a 98 then do any extra credit to get the grade to a 100. Honestly the goal is for him to learn the material that could be mastered at a 78 or a 100.

[Binkandabee]

My DD has one teacher that has a similar policy, but it is not school wide. It's optional, so not everyone does it. Her policy is the students are able to re-do their assignments/quizzes if they get a C or lower and she takes the higher score. I like the policy because it encourages the kids to learn from their mistakes and to me that is the most important aspect of learning. It rewards students who WANT to learn and I have no problem with that whatsoever.

[ellies mom]

I'm watching my daughter redo her math test right now (she got a 76 originally). On the first problem, it turns out she wrote the problem wrong on her scratch paper, so that is a lesson well learned. Watching her figuring out where she went wrong is a good thing.


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[JBaxter]

My DD has one teacher that has a similar policy, but it is not school wide. It's optional, so not everyone does it. Her policy is the students are able to re-do their assignments/quizzes if they get a C or lower and she takes the higher score. I like the policy because it encourages the kids to learn from their mistakes and to me that is the most important aspect of learning. It rewards students who WANT to learn and I have no problem with that whatsoever.

The only thing is why is it only a C wouldn't a B student benefit from redoing/ correcting what they got wrong? If its allowed it should be allowed for all scores. I would be arguing with that rule. The goal is not the grade but mastery of learning the subject/ question

[Globetrotter]

In our kids schools, even some high school classes, they have a similar policy. I think they get back half the points only. That gives them an incentive to actually look at what they did during the test and correct it and understand it, so I'm supportive of this. The point is to learn the material.
If you're concerned that it may not give an accurate picture of his abilities, couldn't you talk to the school staff when they are placing him next year?

[squimp]

We have this policy now in middle school and I didn't like it at first. I thought it was unfair to the kids who do well. But now that I see it in action, it takes energy and persistence to retake tests, redo assignments - not all kids are willing to do this. When I think about it, if your son is able to retake everything and go from a C student to an A student, it reveals a lot of persistence, hard work, and it shows he learned the material. It really does benefit the kids in the long run.

Placement is not based on grades alone here, so I wouldn't worry about the implications for next year either. In our schools, there are quarterly progress tracking tests, end of year tests and special placement tests (e.g. for math) - placement is a result of all this information.

[KrisM]

I've been thinking about this. As written, I think it's poor. Here's why. If a kid gets 70%, they can retake and get up to 85%. That assumes the retake is 100% and it's averaged. If a kid gets 72%, then are not eligible for a retake and are stuck with the 72%. I don't like that. Our school says 80% and under can retake for up to an 80%. No one is penalized for doing better than an 80%

[Globetrotter]

IOU, anyone can do test corrections, even if they started out with an A, but they get 50% of the points back.

[jenstring95]

In our (elementary) school a child can redo a test if the grade is below 70, but first the teacher reteaches the concept/s with the child. Then the highest they can get (and the redo has to be done in class) - if they get a 100 the second time around - is a 70. I figured it was because teachers don't seem to be allowed to fail kids anymore?

[Mom to Brandon and 2 cats]

DD1's math teacher offers this option. In addition to correcting the missed questions, they need to explain what they did wrong the first time around. I don't have a problem with it because it gives her the opportunity to think about what went wrong and then learn from it.

We have this for 7th grade accelerated math at our public school. I like it. In the two instances where DS has retaken tests it's because he's rushed and made errors (decimal places, rounding, etc.), not because he didn't understand the material. He is willing to put the time in to correct his original test, explain what what went wrong, take his break time to meet with the teacher, and then his lunch and after school to retake the test. I think he deserves to be rewarded somewhat for his perseverence in trying to get the good grades. But then again, this area is crazy, parents start charting in 6th grade their path to get kids into AP Calculus in high school.