HS teacher not grading papers for two straight semesters. Does FCPS have a policy on this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP teacher.

Those free response questions are the death of me. They take 3-4 minutes each to grade, our tests have two each, so 7 minutes per kid x87 kids = 10 hrs of grading for one test. I have fantasized about not grading them…but I just suck it up and devote one Sunday every 2-3 weeks to nothing but free response grading.

Next year I am going to try to be more strategic and have the kids “pre grade” it themselves using the rubric. Is the teacher showing them what the rubric for the short answer questions looks like? Are they going over what a solid answer looks like and picking apart examples of weaker ones? Are they writing a sample solution as a class after they write individual ones? Are they told what year the question was from so they can look up the rubric in college board’s website?

I think all of these are ways to give feedback without grades. If none of that is happening, then I’d be frustrated and would have my kid reach out to the teacher (cc you on the email for accountability) and ask how to get feedback on the written part. If no answer, then go to the administrator in charge of that department and ask how your child can get feedback on their written portions. That’s the more important piece than the grade, IMO. They are having graded assignments (the gradebook isn’t blank! No surprise entries at the end of the quarter) but your child needs guidance to pass the AP test.

I'm sympathetic, as I used to teach writing, but you have to be joking for the bolded. Those rubrics re idiotic and subjective, for one. But also, it is YOUR job to grade and provide the feedback. I don't know the answer here to help you get that done but it is not the kids doing it for you.

The answer isn’t expecting teachers to give up 20 hours over a weekend. It simply isn’t.

I get less than an hour a day at work to myself. That is all I get to grade papers, plan lessons, answer emails, eat lunch, go to the bathroom, etc. When I collect a stack of essays, I’m then committed to spending over 35 hours grading that assignment ALONE. My other work does not stop.

Something has to be done. I’m watching teachers leave the profession in droves. We lost three in my department mid-year this year, and all because of workload.

Then they should leave and force the issue. I'm serious. Because the answer is also not have kids grade their own work and/or not give feedback. It simply is not, also.

You’re getting your wish. We are quitting. Long-term subs get paid even less than us, so they certainly won’t be grading papers.

I don’t see how encouraging teachers to leave is a solution to this problem, but it appears to be the solution we’ve chosen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Slow/incomplete grading is a huge problem in FCPS that negatively affects learning at the lower grades and college opportunity at the higher grades. The issue will not improve, however, until teachers decide to shift their priorities. Yes, they are overworked, but they are choosing to not grade in order to cope. Chose to not do something else that doesn’t have such a direct negative effect on students.

Alas, they won’t as we see from these comments time and time again. It’s almost as if they don’t care.

Such as? Pray do tell, oh wise one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slow/incomplete grading is a huge problem in FCPS that negatively affects learning at the lower grades and college opportunity at the higher grades. The issue will not improve, however, until teachers decide to shift their priorities. Yes, they are overworked, but they are choosing to not grade in order to cope. Chose to not do something else that doesn’t have such a direct negative effect on students.

Alas, they won’t as we see from these comments time and time again. It’s almost as if they don’t care.

Such as? Pray do tell, oh wise one.

NP and I’ve stopped going to a lot of the “mandatory” meetings, like team meetings, faculty meetings and PD. I’ve also started working from home during some of my planning blocks so I can’t get pulled in a million different directions. I have one at the beginning of the day so I arrive late. Neither of these are allowed at my school and I didn’t ask permission to do either. I just started so I can focus on my actual work and nothing has happened. I’ve been teaching over 25 years. If they want to push me out for focusing on students then I’m okay with that. It’s time for me to leave.

[Anonymous]

12:53. It’s still not enough. I graded for 3 hours this morning and didn’t get through half of the last test. This is high school, upper level and they can easily take 6+ hours every time I give a test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Slow/incomplete grading is a huge problem in FCPS that negatively affects learning at the lower grades and college opportunity at the higher grades. The issue will not improve, however, until teachers decide to shift their priorities. Yes, they are overworked, but they are choosing to not grade in order to cope. Chose to not do something else that doesn’t have such a direct negative effect on students.

Alas, they won’t as we see from these comments time and time again. It’s almost as if they don’t care.

Taking a much-needed break from hour #5 of grading on a Sunday and not even halfway done. I won’t finish today because I easily have 30 hours of grading in front of me. A lot of this won’t get back to students tomorrow, and I suppose that’ll just look like slow/incomplete grading to you.

You have some nerve saying I don’t care.

I would LOVE to hear your recommendations. What can I cut out to make my life easier? Should it be email responses to parents? Planning my next lesson? Please tell me.

[Anonymous]

If you are not getting any response from admin you should escalate to the next level, which is the region executive principal. They should offer the teacher support, including getting the teacher a sub so the teacher can grade papers. They can use admin funds for that, and I know it’s hard to get subs, but something has to give.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are not getting any response from admin you should escalate to the next level, which is the region executive principal. They should offer the teacher support, including getting the teacher a sub so the teacher can grade papers. They can use admin funds for that, and I know it’s hard to get subs, but something has to give.

This makes no sense at all. You want a sub to teach (meaning a warm body to babysit instead of having instructional time) so the teacher can grade?
Do you realize there isn't enough time as is to get through the curriculum even if the teacher never takes any kind of leave?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are not getting any response from admin you should escalate to the next level, which is the region executive principal. They should offer the teacher support, including getting the teacher a sub so the teacher can grade papers. They can use admin funds for that, and I know it’s hard to get subs, but something has to give.

This makes no sense at all. You want a sub to teach (meaning a warm body to babysit instead of having instructional time) so the teacher can grade?
Do you realize there isn't enough time as is to get through the curriculum even if the teacher never takes any kind of leave?

It also takes time to plan lessons for a sub, and if the sub plans include an assignment then that’s more grading to do upon return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exhibit A of grade inflation in public schools. Teachers aren’t even grading assignments. This would never be acceptable at a private. Such a joke.

Private school teacher here. Did you catch the teacher above who wrote that one set of responses can take 10 hours of grading? That’s on top of the teacher’s other work, which doesn’t stop for a stack of papers. I have my alarm set for 6am tomorrow (on a weekend) to grade all day, just to get comments back to my juniors on Monday. I anticipate 10-12 hours of work.

Don’t make this public vs. private. Teachers everywhere are exhausted. We should have time at work to grade if you want comments back. The expectation shouldn’t be sacrificed weekends.

+ a million....it's gone way too far!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slow/incomplete grading is a huge problem in FCPS that negatively affects learning at the lower grades and college opportunity at the higher grades. The issue will not improve, however, until teachers decide to shift their priorities. Yes, they are overworked, but they are choosing to not grade in order to cope. Chose to not do something else that doesn’t have such a direct negative effect on students.

Alas, they won’t as we see from these comments time and time again. It’s almost as if they don’t care.

Taking a much-needed break from hour #5 of grading on a Sunday and not even halfway done. I won’t finish today because I easily have 30 hours of grading in front of me. A lot of this won’t get back to students tomorrow, and I suppose that’ll just look like slow/incomplete grading to you.

You have some nerve saying I don’t care.

I would LOVE to hear your recommendations. What can I cut out to make my life easier? Should it be email responses to parents? Planning my next lesson? Please tell me.

I wouldn't give OP a second thought. This person I'm sure is a couch critic with nothing better to do. Enjoy some of your Sunday!!! And for the rest of the critics just remember teachers are leaving and the shortage is real....so keep on complaining and enjoy your warm body next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP teacher.

Those free response questions are the death of me. They take 3-4 minutes each to grade, our tests have two each, so 7 minutes per kid x87 kids = 10 hrs of grading for one test. I have fantasized about not grading them…but I just suck it up and devote one Sunday every 2-3 weeks to nothing but free response grading.

Next year I am going to try to be more strategic and have the kids “pre grade” it themselves using the rubric. Is the teacher showing them what the rubric for the short answer questions looks like? Are they going over what a solid answer looks like and picking apart examples of weaker ones? Are they writing a sample solution as a class after they write individual ones? Are they told what year the question was from so they can look up the rubric in college board’s website?

I think all of these are ways to give feedback without grades. If none of that is happening, then I’d be frustrated and would have my kid reach out to the teacher (cc you on the email for accountability) and ask how to get feedback on the written part. If no answer, then go to the administrator in charge of that department and ask how your child can get feedback on their written portions. That’s the more important piece than the grade, IMO. They are having graded assignments (the gradebook isn’t blank! No surprise entries at the end of the quarter) but your child needs guidance to pass the AP test.

I'm sympathetic, as I used to teach writing, but you have to be joking for the bolded. Those rubrics re idiotic and subjective, for one. But also, it is YOUR job to grade and provide the feedback. I don't know the answer here to help you get that done but it is not the kids doing it for you.

The answer isn’t expecting teachers to give up 20 hours over a weekend. It simply isn’t.

I get less than an hour a day at work to myself. That is all I get to grade papers, plan lessons, answer emails, eat lunch, go to the bathroom, etc. When I collect a stack of essays, I’m then committed to spending over 35 hours grading that assignment ALONE. My other work does not stop.

Something has to be done. I’m watching teachers leave the profession in droves. We lost three in my department mid-year this year, and all because of workload.

+1

[Anonymous]

Op here! Thank you all for you candid and honest responses. I can guarantee this is not a case of my DC lying…DC’s grade is fine in the class…he has had to work really hard because DC typically doesn’t perform as well on tests and relies upon DCs written work (which is better than DC’s multiple choose testing skills) to pull up his grade. That is how this came to light..,because DC couldn’t rely on any of his written work to help his grade since 1st marking period. I see blanks spots in the grade book for the last two marking periods where assignments were handed in and not graded or tests were bifurcated in the grade book and only the multiple choice part has a grade.

DC has also stated that they don’t get any feedback in class on these assignments …just never see them again. This DC frustration that DC has no clue how DC’s writing is versus what is expected on the test!

This problem sounds impossible to solve…how are teachers supposed to get it all done. Has this always been how it is in the teaching profession…or has something changed to make it harder to grade? For the teachers responding that have taught for the last 25 years…have you been doing this crazy work life balance that long? Or has something changed? I personally agree that the no fail policy in FCPS is crap and not doing students or teachers any favors! Wish there was something i could do to help!

[Anonymous]

“ Has this always been how it is in the teaching profession…or has something changed to make it harder to grade? For the teachers responding that have taught for the last 25 years…have you been doing this crazy work life balance that long? Or has something changed? ”

This is the fundamental question. What’s been added to teachers’ plates now that parents could try to lobby gets taken back off to create time for grading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“ Has this always been how it is in the teaching profession…or has something changed to make it harder to grade? For the teachers responding that have taught for the last 25 years…have you been doing this crazy work life balance that long? Or has something changed? ”

This is the fundamental question. What’s been added to teachers’ plates now that parents could try to lobby gets taken back off to create time for grading.

It’s a combination of things, but I’d say increased class sizes and more responsibilities during planning periods are the biggest culprits.

I’ve been teaching for over 20 years. I think student behaviors are also a part of the problem. I used to be able to get a bit of grading done while students were working independently. Many of today’s students can’t work independently, and I find myself always redirecting focus, answering questions, etc. There’s a dependency among the students that wasn’t there 2 decades ago. Even simple assignments need an extreme amount of hand-holding, which means there’s no point during a class at which I can sit at my desk and tackle the piles of papers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slow/incomplete grading is a huge problem in FCPS that negatively affects learning at the lower grades and college opportunity at the higher grades. The issue will not improve, however, until teachers decide to shift their priorities. Yes, they are overworked, but they are choosing to not grade in order to cope. Chose to not do something else that doesn’t have such a direct negative effect on students.

Alas, they won’t as we see from these comments time and time again. It’s almost as if they don’t care.

Such as? Pray do tell, oh wise one.

NP and I’ve stopped going to a lot of the “mandatory” meetings, like team meetings, faculty meetings and PD. I’ve also started working from home during some of my planning blocks so I can’t get pulled in a million different directions. I have one at the beginning of the day so I arrive late. Neither of these are allowed at my school and I didn’t ask permission to do either. I just started so I can focus on my actual work and nothing has happened. I’ve been teaching over 25 years. If they want to push me out for focusing on students then I’m okay with that. It’s time for me to leave.

Thank you. More teachers need to prioritize like this and take a stand.