Class Average on Exam 40% - WWYD?

[Anonymous]

My kid is in a science class in a W high school where the average on the last test was 40%. The teacher allows corrections to raise the grades, but the most the average kid in the class will get is a C on this test.

There is a method to the teacher's approach, but it is clear that simply attending class and doing the assigned work does not prepare the students for the test. Would you approach the teacher about this situation?

[Anonymous]

I would absolutely not approach the teacher. That sounds absurd to me. If the average kid gets a C on a test, so be it. It's one grade of many.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like the kids need to put in more study hours. Just attending class and doing homework isn’t enough. You need dive into the curriculum and understand it from all angles.

[Anonymous]

It’s bad teaching if everybody flunks. If you approach anyone, let it be an administrator.

[Anonymous]

Good grief. Trying studying. People are absurd.

[Anonymous]

Tell your kid to study more next time. There are sooo many kids at our W school who just don’t care and don’t do the work. When they run into a hard class or a hard teacher, it’s always the teacher’s fault. Yes, some aren’t great. My DC has one this year who doesn’t teach well. DC goes online and learns material himself. And you know what, he does well on those tests that others fail. That’s life. Not everything will always be spoon fed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s bad teaching if everybody flunks. If you approach anyone, let it be an administrator.

Depends. Maybe none of the kids decided to study. Maybe they were planning on just using the test corrections to bump up their grade. My kid (at a magnet) and their peers sometimes use this strategy.

I would let your kid handle it though. They are in HS. Not ES. They need to learn to advocate for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s bad teaching if everybody flunks. If you approach anyone, let it be an administrator.

Depends. Maybe none of the kids decided to study. Maybe they were planning on just using the test corrections to bump up their grade. My kid (at a magnet) and their peers sometimes use this strategy.

I would let your kid handle it though. They are in HS. Not ES. They need to learn to advocate for themselves.

Classic what-about-ism.

It’s the teacher.

[Anonymous]

It’s the teacher and they are tanking a class worth of GPAs. I’d talk to the principal

[Anonymous]

I had a college class where out of 150 only 5 or so passed a test. The professor rightly recognized that either her teaching or test writing was an issue. She s wonderful college professor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a college class where out of 150 only 5 or so passed a test. The professor rightly recognized that either her teaching or test writing was an issue. She s wonderful college professor and was dedicated enough, adjusted and the entire class benefited.

[Anonymous]

The teacher in a public high school is not going to fail everyone. There's a thing called a grading curve you use when this happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is in a science class in a W high school where the average on the last test was 40%. The teacher allows corrections to raise the grades, but the most the average kid in the class will get is a C on this test.

There is a method to the teacher's approach, but it is clear that simply attending class and doing the assigned work does not prepare the students for the test. Would you approach the teacher about this situation?

You identified the problem right here. "Simply attending class" - how engaged are they? Are they taking notes? Are they asking questions? Are they thinking about the content? Students should be monitoring their own thinking and understanding of the content before, during, and after class, and they should be proactive in seeking help (textbook, video, teacher) when they don't understand something. "Doing assigned work" - again, are they thinking and actively engaged in the content? or are they just skimming and copying down notes, relying on peers to answer questions, and acting like a completed worksheet is the goal rather than a tool for gaining understanding. I've started giving open note, auto-graded, retake-able quizzes, based straight off of instructional worksheets so that students are held accountable to actually completing worksheets correctly and getting feedback on their understanding quickly. It's shocking how many students fail the first time around. They have many words on their papers, but no understanding of the meaning.

I'm a HS teacher and this problem has been growing over the years, and was exacerbated by virtual instruction and students passively watching lessons. Too many students don't understand that the purpose of school is to learn how to think. They are just focused on going through the process of school while missing the point. It's not the fault of the teacher that students are doing poorly. Test corrections are a good way for students to learn and very common in AP/IB science classes where there is a clear standard of achievement that students need to reach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a HS teacher and this problem has been growing over the years, and was exacerbated by virtual instruction and students passively watching lessons. Too many students don't understand that the purpose of school is to learn how to think. They are just focused on going through the process of school while missing the point. It's not the fault of the teacher that students are doing poorly. Test corrections are a good way for students to learn and very common in AP/IB science classes where there is a clear standard of achievement that students need to reach.

Is something wrong at the MS level that this is happening now? What is the solution?

[Anonymous]

Isn't C student an average student? What subject was it?

Make sure that you have a copy of curriculum and syllabus with you and all the required reading.