If you have a bright MCPS 3rd grader…

[Anonymous]

For us as parents and guardians, grades are only one (very, very small) data point to help us understand whether our children are learning what they need to know - and "what they need to know" includes, of course, not only academic knowledge, but also practical abilities, life skills, emotional growth, and the ethical content of what our families (and/or our cultural and faith backgrounds as applicable) consider part of becoming a good person.

We necessarily know our children better than any teacher ever can, and at this grade level it is not too hard to find out what the standards are and whether they are meeting them. Some of this information is published; some of it is available through the school; some of it is visible in their work (much of which shows up online now); and some of it emerges in conversations with teachers and counselors.

DC is stable on literacy and math skills, and I know where their strengths and weaknesses are in terms of their approach to their work (as opposed to their knowledge). Since I am comfortable with my level of acquaintance with those things, if DC is learning what they need to know, doing their best job under nearly all circumstances, holding up their responsibilities, learning independence, showing respect to teachers and classmates, and trying new things, I _generally_ don't worry much about grades. Chances are that if DC brings home a lower grade one quarter, they tanked on a key assessment by rushing or not paying attention, or they missed a concept that we can repair at home.

There are, however, a few important moments in ES where grades matter. One is quarters 1 and 2 of grade 3, where the grades in literacy-based courses determine in vs. out of the lottery for seats in the CES for grade 4. DC earned a significantly positioned B in grade 3, so that CES game is over for them. But our ES offers plenty of interest and challenge generally speaking, and DC's other qualifications should help them make the bar for ELC at our school (ELC will include those who qualified for the CES lottery, but not _only_ those students). I care more about curriculum and challenge than I do about the specific program, so that is fine with me.

For MS this past year (YMMV in later years), what mattered grade-wise was quarters 1 and 2 of grade 5 for the lottery for the qualifications-based magnets (TPMS and EMS in the Downcounty).

Takeaway: grades and learning are so separate from one another that I just don't stress about the grades unless they are demonstrating that DC is making poor behavioral decisions. Will I care in HS? Only insofar as the grades reflect good decision-making (across both academic life and social life), honest hard work, and commitment. If that produces less than perfection, that's still OK with me. I'm a college prof, so I have plenty of experience with the way that HS performance predicts or doesn't predict success in college. And I also know how many possible college matches exist out there for every kid, including the ones who don't graduate with A averages from HS. With good family support, grades are an extremely small piece of a bright future.

[Anonymous]

Elementary school grading is very subjective and random. My kid is in 4th, 99% in MAP, and only got highest grade in the IXL assessments at the end of trimester. The teacher uses some PBS materials, Cyber chase, where he scores below grade level.

He also takes 6th grade math and the grading is more consistent with rubrics for homework, the weekly quiz, participation etc. He scored max for everything except for one of the weekly quizzes.

Don’t sweat it, elementary grades don’t count for anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elementary school grading is very subjective and random. My kid is in 4th, 99% in MAP, and only got highest grade in the IXL assessments at the end of trimester. The teacher uses some PBS materials, Cyber chase, where he scores below grade level.

He also takes 6th grade math and the grading is more consistent with rubrics for homework, the weekly quiz, participation etc. He scored max for everything except for one of the weekly quizzes.

Don’t sweat it, elementary grades don’t count for anything.

MAP provides a more consistent metric than anything for early ES.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

NP. If the teacher won’t or isn’t sending anything home then you have a teacher concern and possibly a child understanding concern. Email the teacher and request a conference. If you don’t get a response or an appropriate response, followup and copy the counselor or AP. There are mechanism to easily resolve this list times. As other have said all of the Eureka material is available on line for free. The MCPS curriculum page has links to support. There is even pages teachers can send home specifically for parents to know what is being taught. Your concern is about a specific teacher, maybe a problem at a specific school. It you want or need improved teacher/school/parent communication request it.

Did that twice but no response from the teacher either time.

Then try another method. Send a note to the teacher in your child’s folder, drop a note off with the school secretary so it will be placed in the teacher mailbox. Send a message to the counselor noting your concern and questions for your child and concern that you have theses back from the teacher after 2-3request. Should you have to do any of this, No. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t and shouldn’t. If you want a different result, then show this matters to you and act differently. Stop acting like because one teacher hasn’t responded 2 emails as you would want that there is a conspiracy, or all teachers lack communication, or there’s system wide effort not to communicate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

NP. If the teacher won’t or isn’t sending anything home then you have a teacher concern and possibly a child understanding concern. Email the teacher and request a conference. If you don’t get a response or an appropriate response, followup and copy the counselor or AP. There are mechanism to easily resolve this list times. As other have said all of the Eureka material is available on line for free. The MCPS curriculum page has links to support. There is even pages teachers can send home specifically for parents to know what is being taught. Your concern is about a specific teacher, maybe a problem at a specific school. It you want or need improved teacher/school/parent communication request it.

Did that twice but no response from the teacher either time.

Then try another method. Send a note to the teacher in your child’s folder, drop a note off with the school secretary so it will be placed in the teacher mailbox. Send a message to the counselor noting your concern and questions for your child and concern that you have theses back from the teacher after 2-3request. Should you have to do any of this, No. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t and shouldn’t. If you want a different result, then show this matters to you and act differently. Stop acting like because one teacher hasn’t responded 2 emails as you would want that there is a conspiracy, or all teachers lack communication, or there’s system wide effort not to communicate.

Writing the principal's supervisor at the CO usually does the trick for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

Check their grades in Synergy. You keep coming back here to blame everyone else without actually doing any real work of your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

Check their grades in Synergy. You keep coming back here to blame everyone else without actually doing any real work of your own.

The only thing posted in Synergy is the end-of-quarter report card. Everything else is blank at least for ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

Check their grades in Synergy. You keep coming back here to blame everyone else without actually doing any real work of your own.

The only thing posted in Synergy is the end-of-quarter report card. Everything else is blank at least for ES.

So let me get this:

* Teacher refuses to provide any feedback or grade papers.
* When asked for a conference multiple times, the teacher is unresponsive.
* Teacher has ignored multiple emails.
* Teacher refuses to post grades on synergy.

Sounds like you got a bad teacher. It happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are they earning all As on report cards?

It was my impression after chatting with the teacher and multiple other 3rd grade parents at our school that literally nobody makes straight As. The nature of the grading system makes it very difficult. I was fine with it. No big deal.

Then today I was chatting with a friend who has a 3rd grader at a different mcps school and got a totally different perspective. She made it seem like any kid who’s working hard gets coached along in class if they need it and they’re all getting straight As.

So is my school being too hard on kids? Or is her school being too soft? Is it even possible that two mcps schools could approach grading so differently?

OMG just stop this is 3rd grade.

MYOB and focus on your own kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

Check their grades in Synergy. You keep coming back here to blame everyone else without actually doing any real work of your own.

The only thing posted in Synergy is the end-of-quarter report card. Everything else is blank at least for ES.

So let me get this:

* Teacher refuses to provide any feedback or grade papers.
* When asked for a conference multiple times, the teacher is unresponsive.
* Teacher has ignored multiple emails.
* Teacher refuses to post grades on synergy.

Sounds like you got a bad teacher. It happens.

It sounds made up. Poster is mad enough to post here…. Yelling into the void where we can’t do anything to help… but doesn’t think to contact admin at this school? They just want to feel justified when people agree with them. The OP just wants to hear others agree with them to feel better. Kind of pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elementary school grading is very subjective and random. My kid is in 4th, 99% in MAP, and only got highest grade in the IXL assessments at the end of trimester. The teacher uses some PBS materials, Cyber chase, where he scores below grade level.

He also takes 6th grade math and the grading is more consistent with rubrics for homework, the weekly quiz, participation etc. He scored max for everything except for one of the weekly quizzes.

Don’t sweat it, elementary grades don’t count for anything.

6th grade math on the fast track is pre-algebra or algebra.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

Check their grades in Synergy. You keep coming back here to blame everyone else without actually doing any real work of your own.

The only thing posted in Synergy is the end-of-quarter report card. Everything else is blank at least for ES.

Lol… nope. MCPS sends out interims for every marking period. They would have HAD to have grades in for the interim for this marking period. There’s no way around it or they would have been reprimanded. You really like to play the victim when the reality doesn’t match anything close to what you’re claiming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

Check their grades in Synergy. You keep coming back here to blame everyone else without actually doing any real work of your own.

The only thing posted in Synergy is the end-of-quarter report card. Everything else is blank at least for ES.

So let me get this:

* Teacher refuses to provide any feedback or grade papers.
* When asked for a conference multiple times, the teacher is unresponsive.
* Teacher has ignored multiple emails.
* Teacher refuses to post grades on synergy.

Sounds like you got a bad teacher. It happens.

It sounds made up. Poster is mad enough to post here…. Yelling into the void where we can’t do anything to help… but doesn’t think to contact admin at this school? They just want to feel justified when people agree with them. The OP just wants to hear others agree with them to feel better. Kind of pathetic.

We've had our share of really bad non-responsive teachers. Admin supports it or encourages it at some schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

Check their grades in Synergy. You keep coming back here to blame everyone else without actually doing any real work of your own.

The only thing posted in Synergy is the end-of-quarter report card. Everything else is blank at least for ES.

So let me get this:

* Teacher refuses to provide any feedback or grade papers.
* When asked for a conference multiple times, the teacher is unresponsive.
* Teacher has ignored multiple emails.
* Teacher refuses to post grades on synergy.

Sounds like you got a bad teacher. It happens.

It sounds made up. Poster is mad enough to post here…. Yelling into the void where we can’t do anything to help… but doesn’t think to contact admin at this school? They just want to feel justified when people agree with them. The OP just wants to hear others agree with them to feel better. Kind of pathetic.

We've had our share of really bad non-responsive teachers. Admin supports it or encourages it at some schools.

Then take it to central office. Stop whining on DCUM and DO something that will actually help. Whining here isn't solving anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you meet the on-level standard in ES, you get an A. Kids who are not at grade level get a lower grade. At our school, not everyone gets an A in every class. I do think teachers spend most of their time trying to help kids who are below grade level meet the standard, but they don't succeed with everyone so there are kids who don't get all As.

A kid with 99% on MAP in math somehow got a B in 2nd-grade math. My sense is the teacher just hands out worksheets and doesn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.

Sounds like you arent even paying attention. Eureka is very specific. Teachers cant just grade whatever they feel like and "worksheets" arent part of the curriculum. Quizzes and tests are the only things that are allowed to be graded in MCPS for math. Maybe do some research first.

I'm guessing you've never looked at eureka math book because it's just a book of worksheets.

The problem sets aren’t graded. Move along.

If the exit tickets are, we never see them since the teacher won't share them with parents.

Sigh. Exit tickets aren’t graded either. What part of “only quizzes and assessments are graded” don’t you understand?

We wouldn't know since the teacher won't send anything home or respond to emails.

Check their grades in Synergy. You keep coming back here to blame everyone else without actually doing any real work of your own.

The only thing posted in Synergy is the end-of-quarter report card. Everything else is blank at least for ES.

So let me get this:

* Teacher refuses to provide any feedback or grade papers.
* When asked for a conference multiple times, the teacher is unresponsive.
* Teacher has ignored multiple emails.
* Teacher refuses to post grades on synergy.

Sounds like you got a bad teacher. It happens.

It sounds made up. Poster is mad enough to post here…. Yelling into the void where we can’t do anything to help… but doesn’t think to contact admin at this school? They just want to feel justified when people agree with them. The OP just wants to hear others agree with them to feel better. Kind of pathetic.

We've had our share of really bad non-responsive teachers. Admin supports it or encourages it at some schools.

Then take it to central office. Stop whining on DCUM and DO something that will actually help. Whining here isn't solving anything.

Exactly. There is so many people that can help. Counselors, SDT, Ombudsman, School Admin, School Supervisor, etc. Heck standup at a PTA meeting or other school meeting and just act what kind of act of Congress does it take to get a response from your school. if you want an answer an are persistent you will get one.