Reply to What Percentage of Middle School Students Get All As

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am the PP that you responded to on this. I think it's fine to resubmit*sometimes* (hw, for sure, or maybe pop quizzes). But I think you are doing a disservice to the kids by not teaching them some basic study skills..for example, maybe if you have a test, you should study for it a few days before, attend study sessions with the teacher, and do well the first time, instead of asking to take a makeup exam.

And I am speaking as a parent whose kid gets straight A's but has poor study habits. She has taken several (GT) math tests over the last year after doing average the first time (80-85%). Most of the time, it's because she didn't even bother to study. A sense that there aren't second chances for everything would maybe motivate her. She has a ton of other GT friends also with straight A's taking makeups too.

I could care less whether my kid (or anyone else's kid) gets recognition for straight A's. But straight A's should translate to competence and hard work which isn't the case often.

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It doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can encourage good study skills and preparation and also allow room for making an attempt, receiving feedback, and going back and re-learning the material properly. I also disagree with you that straight As should have anything to do with hard work. Sometimes understanding comes easily to students. If they have mastered the material they should earn an A. Others might have to put in more effort. That’s fine too. The A indicates mastery and understanding. Every single student will have a different pathway to pursue mastery and understanding, and for many, the retakes are a beneficial pathway. It’s not a reward for working the hardest and it’s also not a competition. [/quote]

I didn't say it was a competition. That's what someone else assumes further up in the thread. I could care less. But an A should mean something - mastery either via natural talent or thru hard work. I mean - do the work you need to do to get mastery. That could be 10 mins or it could be 10 hrs. But when a teacher has a test scheduled, there are some kids who prepare for it right away. And there are others who avoid or procrastinate...the latter's grades should not be equal to the former.[/quote]

Our school’s policy is you can retake quizzes and written responses and stuff but not unit tests or papers that have already gone through the editing process with feedback. I think that’s fair. Pop quizzes don’t allow you to study or prep, but they do let the teacher know which students are understanding what and what may need reteaching. I think this is a fair way to operate and I suspect you might agree. [/quote]

Pop quizzes don’t allow you to study? Students should be studying at home. It’s part of doing homework. The book Make It Stick explains that spaced out practice is best for learning. “recommends frequent, low-stakes quizzes and other activities that require active, effortful recall. Both teacher- and student-generated quizzes are effective, and the authors recommend students adopt a reading practice of generating possible test questions as they read and use these as a study aid” [/quote]

Part of doing homework? There is barely homework! Good luck getting middle school students to voluntarily study something their teachers didn’t assign to them. [/quote]

Sounds like you have lazy kids. My son was required to hand write his notes that he typed in class that day plus whatever else the teacher assigned. [/quote]

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