Reply to MCPS policy on not returning quizzes, tests and exams to students

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is the purpose of these county-level formatives?  What does "formative" really mean...what does it refer to?  The concepts are in formation?  I wish MCPS would explain their jargon.

I am a PP who "sides" with the OP.  I think it's ridiculous that any test doesn't go home to be reviewed with parents if so chosen by student or parents.  Why?  Because that's how I learned when I was a student and I was a top student with excellent study skills.  Part of studying is going over mistakes and re-doing, or at least looking closely at what was missed and understanding why it was missed (careless error? computational error? wrong set-up? teacher grading error? new type of problem--this one happens a lot--the formatives sometimes have problems that don't reflect what was in homework).

The reason I find this especially frustrating is that my kid is not a great math student and he does not have good study skills and his motivation lies in other subjects.  And since he is young, I am still in the process of coaching him in study skills and monitoring his work so I know where he needs help.  I am effectively his tutor, as many parents are.  I don't think that in 45 minutes of going over the test in class time he is able to understand why he made some of his mistakes.  I also want to understand how things are graded because in the past he has gotten low scores on things that he did mostly right.  Sometimes I have needed to tell him he actually did well and demonstrated pretty good understanding despite getting a C--sometimes the grading is harsh.

[b]Now with more demands for explaining every answer, this is all the more important.  I have the type of kid who can figure out the answer in his head and write it down but can't show his work well and can't articulate how he did it.  Imagine getting every answer right but getting a C because you could not say how you did it.  I want to be able to say, Wow, you did great level problem solving--you really do know what you're doing (so he doesn't think he's terrible at math when he isn't), and now let's work on how to break down the steps you did in your head and write each step down.  [/b]

There are many reasons to want to see a test that a child studies for and it is ridiculous that parents have to take time off to go in and see a test.  It would make more sense to keep quizzes secret because less preparation goes into them but for a test that requires days of studying, to get so little feedback is just bad teaching.  If the purpose of giving these formatives is for teachers to be able to assess what kids are grasping and where they need to allocate more teaching time, maybe they shouldn't grade them or make a big deal about them.

I will reiterate, some of these county tests present problems (in both math and English I've seen this) in ways the students haven't been taught.  For me it's important to know how my kid does on novel problems, whether it's good or bad.  The teachers are not invested in this level of detail and they seem to be fine with kids getting low grades.  I do not see any additional intervention offered, so it's up to me.  I accept that but I expect to be given the tools and information to help my kid learn and stay afloat.  Some people's kids may be more independent or higher performing, but not all kids are like that.  [/quote]

I agree but sadly most parents don't care to help their middle schooler out so they don't give a crap if the tests come home or not.  [/quote]

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