HS Teachers, I'm curious-- do this semester's grade distributions look different from prior years?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Not going to try to figure out the mess of the quote thread from my original post about all my kids having zeros.

We do graded work in class every single day. Most PP assignments are assignments that are designed to be done in a single class period. the AT assignments are assignments that will be worked on over 2-3 days. Everything we do in my class can and should be completed in class with no expectation of actual homework. However, if they don't use their time in class wisely, they then have to do it at home. The issue is that a lot of these 9th graders seem to think that they don't have to finish or do anything at home.

I even tell my kids at least 3-4 times a semester that turning in an incomplete assignment can still potentially earn them a 50% which is better than a 0. They still won't do it. They complete 70% of the assignment in class and then throw it away when they leave the room. It's weird but hopefully they get the wake up call they need

Do you at least expect your English students to read the books on their own? Or are you giving them time in class for that too? This sounds like very low standards and expectations, but I realize that is built into the MCPS-written curriculum.

As a matter of fact, I am an English teacher and yes we do the reading in class. PDF and Audiobook versions of the book are available on Canvas for students to follow along at home but it's not required. Sadly, we don't actually require the students to read the entire book but rather selected close reading passages. If they choose to read the rest of the book that's on them.

That is pathetic.

It really is. I hate that i have to do it this way but its the only way we can ensure the kids read ANY of the book. One of my colleagues required kids to read at home and not shockingly only 1 of 20 kids in the class made it past page 6 before giving up.

Do you feel this way about dyslexic students??

Sorry about the extra struggles, but if dyslexic students can't read the assignments, they shouldn't be in that class OR they should have a lower grade. That's kind of the point of grades - to communicate the student's level of mastery.

Ohh I don't agree with that. I'm a Special Ed teacher and a disability (LAD) does not limit a student from getting good grades. We just have to place accommodations and supports to personalize learning for them. Often this is extended time on tests and assignments, small group instruction, or even a developmental reading class designed to strengthen their reading skills.

Interestingly enough, my LAD kids are not the ones that are failing most of the time. Some of them are but it's more often due to sever organizational issues that are being addressed through the assignment of a resource class.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I kept a running tally all semester of how many times I had to tell each student to get off their phone, put headphones away, get off youtube or games, etc. Last week I checked to see which students would fall a percentage point short of the next higher semester grade. Students who had less than 3 strikes, I made sure I found that extra percentage point somewhere in their MP2 grade and bumped them up.

Is it fair to the student who barely missed an A but had a phone addiction? Maybe not. Do I care? Nope. Sometimes it pays to follow the rules

Teacher here. I like this approach. I bumped up a few kids who were on the edge of a higher grade if they actively engaged in class (asked and answered questions consistently, etc.,) and a few who showed strong effort and a genuine interest in learning

Do you just give them a higher grade than deserves on assignments? Because extra credit is not allowed under the grading regulation.

Yes. A 18 out of 20 becomes a 19. A 45 out of 50 becomes a 47. I'm not giving an A on an assignment to a kid who originally had a D or anything like that.

That's wrong.

I'm a college professor and if I bump one person I bump everyone. It's too easy to harm students with subjectivity by adding points after the fact, just because you want to (they were nice, they talked in class, they came to class). I'm disappointed to hear this is happening. It seems ripe for abuse and easier for privileged kids to get better grades because they "show" better.

If you read my original post about this you would have read that I don't do it because of participation or being nice. I do it based on a well documented chart that shows whether a student followed county mandated policies. You don't need to be "privileged" to keep your phone in your pocket or not watch music videos in class. Following clearly laid out behavior policies and expectations is something that every student is capable of doing no matter what their background is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not going to try to figure out the mess of the quote thread from my original post about all my kids having zeros.

We do graded work in class every single day. Most PP assignments are assignments that are designed to be done in a single class period. the AT assignments are assignments that will be worked on over 2-3 days. Everything we do in my class can and should be completed in class with no expectation of actual homework. However, if they don't use their time in class wisely, they then have to do it at home. The issue is that a lot of these 9th graders seem to think that they don't have to finish or do anything at home.

I even tell my kids at least 3-4 times a semester that turning in an incomplete assignment can still potentially earn them a 50% which is better than a 0. They still won't do it. They complete 70% of the assignment in class and then throw it away when they leave the room. It's weird but hopefully they get the wake up call they need

Do you at least expect your English students to read the books on their own? Or are you giving them time in class for that too? This sounds like very low standards and expectations, but I realize that is built into the MCPS-written curriculum.

As a matter of fact, I am an English teacher and yes we do the reading in class. PDF and Audiobook versions of the book are available on Canvas for students to follow along at home but it's not required. Sadly, we don't actually require the students to read the entire book but rather selected close reading passages. If they choose to read the rest of the book that's on them.

That is pathetic.

It really is. I hate that i have to do it this way but its the only way we can ensure the kids read ANY of the book. One of my colleagues required kids to read at home and not shockingly only 1 of 20 kids in the class made it past page 6 before giving up.

Do you feel this way about dyslexic students??

Sorry about the extra struggles, but if dyslexic students can't read the assignments, they shouldn't be in that class OR they should have a lower grade. That's kind of the point of grades - to communicate the student's level of mastery.

What do you mean, "shouldn't be in that class?". All kids are in the same English classes regardless of whether they are performing below, at, or above grade-level (until they're old enough for APs, anyway.)