do B's matter in elementary school?

[Anonymous]

Grades are dumb because they measure against an arbitrary standard that can be too high or too low (or both, across different subjects). What matters is skill progression.


B in what subject?

History trivia? Oh well.

Writing quality? Not great but you can improve over time.

Math? Risk of collapsing the foundation that later math builds upon.

What are they losing points for?
Sloppy and careless, but understanding the main idea? Not great but OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one cares about ES grades

You'd rather ignore signs that your child is struggling?

A B isn't struggling! It's average.

Not in today's public elementary school environment. In an advanced/honors level MS/HS class, maybe. Public elementary school is super easy today so that no one is "behind" EVER. Even remotely smart kids are bored to tears. It sucks but some of us have to choose between money for college or money for private school.

[Anonymous]

Grades in ES don't matter. My public ES doesn't give grades. Instead they tell if you kid knows the material or not on report cards. Exceeds, meets, developing.

My rising 5th grader is immature and not detail oriented. So that shows in math especially as he will make small errors. But he's still in the advanced math class and still learning the concepts.

I'm curious about middle school - grades there will be a wake up call and we'll then address issues.

I also don't need my kid to go to an Ivy. I want him to learn, be happy and well-adjusted, and be able to choose a career path that will hopefully be fulfilling and pay sufficiently. I live in an area where there is so much competition in the schools. My kids are bright and I will support them. But I'm not jumping on the competitive bandwagon. I lived that already, and while it made undergrad so very easy, high school was pretty miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A's are given out like candy. So yes to me that would be a sign of a struggle. Each school is different but if its public school yes that would concern me. Not like a single B on one test, but a B for the quarter? Yes.

Not public school.

Okay, so maybe the school has less grade inflation than public, not sure. I'd still press the teacher and see what she thinks the issue is. Carelessness? Failure to complete assignments in a timely fashion. Laziness? The content is still pretty easy at this point so I would still want to know what exactly is going on.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't mean struggle. Even kids who have mastered a topic can get things wrong if unfocused. It's most likely fine. Grades don't matter in ES. Still may be good to check in with the teacher. If this teacher does grade so leniently that a B indicates struggling, talking to the teacher will reveal this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't mean struggle. Even kids who have mastered a topic can get things wrong if unfocused. It's most likely fine. Grades don't matter in ES. Still may be good to check in with the teacher. If this teacher does grade so leniently that a B indicates struggling, talking to the teacher will reveal this.

*Doesn't usually

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally. Any kid who gets a B is certainly struggling. I mean B basically is a failure, right?

Well, multiple B's won't get you into a decent college. DD hasn't received any but just started 5th grade and we're wondering what to expect.

Colleges now ask for elementary school grades?

[Anonymous]

My second grader got a B last year--he just could care less about certain assignments and wants to get them done asap so he can play or talk with friends. He's not struggling by any means.

[Anonymous]

If your child is very intelligent and getting Bs, it might be a sign of ADHD or something. Most likely it’s a sign that they haven’t developed whatever non-academic skills are required to get As and for the vast majority of people those skills are acquired after elementary.

I will say that a lot of people just assume everybody will pick up these skills and that’s not true. You should help your kid acquire them in the sixth grade when they start really mattering.

[Anonymous]

Public or private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public or private?

Private.

[Anonymous]

DD had an ES teacher who graded solely based on effort. Getting everything right fast was irrelevant

[Anonymous]

There are no letter grades at our elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are they a sign a student is struggling? Something everyone will get at some point? Just wondering.

B isn't a struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they a sign a student is struggling? Something everyone will get at some point? Just wondering.

B isn't a struggle.

I'm concerned it is if a child hasn't ever received one before.