Reply to More sub 50% means in HS AP Science Classes

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ugh.  What are these teachers doing?  [b]If for each and every test, the mean hovers at 50% all year long, doesn't it indicate that the test is out of alignment with the instruction?[/b]  In College, they curve.  Here, the teacher allows correction, but the max when one gets 50% is 75%.  [/quote]
No. It means students are not performing to the level of standard for the class. This year’s juniors in particular seem to be significantly lacking in study skills. They had a virtual 9th grade where they were passive observers of instruction, and an easy 10th grade with overly flexible deadlines, retakes, and grading. They have arrived in 11th grade with an overinflated idea of their natural abilities, and when faced with difficulty have no idea they should do something about it. Many aren’t even doing classwork during class time (they do work for other classes), don’t complete basic homework like reading a textbook, and certainly don’t know how to review for a test. I don’t teach APES specifically, but I get an earful about it from that teacher. They are very experienced and usually have students earning great scores, but this year is just not coming together for kids.[/quote]

How are they addressing the study skill deficit?[/quote]

The schools cannot cure all problems. Kids have to learn to step up.
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I second this as a parent.  Education is a two way street.  It’s not passive.  If you aren’t getting the grades you desire then first and foremost it is on the student to determine what needs to change.  Be it additional studying, getting help from the teacher or tutor, changing how notes are recorded, etc.  This doesn’t mean that all teachers are great, as some do did additional training and support.  However, in 2023, there are many ways for kids to be able to work around a not so great teacher and still be successful.  At a certain point the responsibility for learning shifts to the learner.  [/quote]

:!:  :!:

Kids have developed serious learned helplessness and blame shifting and some well-meaning parents are enabling this crap by preventing their kids from dealing with the consequences of their lackluster effort or poor choices. If you get one bad grade, you as the student need to pay attention to that grade, inquire why you got that grade and how you can do better next time. That is not on the teacher, that is 100% on the student.[/quote]

IMO it is both the teacher and student.  For example, the student says "what can I do?" and the teacher replies "do more practice problems."  There may literally be a million practice problems on the web.  It helps if the teacher drills down a bit more by suggesting a source for the problems that they find particularly valuable, or that has a good explanation.  Yes, kid can ask follow-up about that, but often these interactions are over email, and how many back-and-forth efforts should be expected? [/quote]

Are some teachers less than helpful? Yes. Should and could a teacher be more specific? Sure. But it's on the kids to advocate for themselves.

In my experience, with my own kids, teachers often provide all of the tools and resources needed to succeed in the course. Kids, however, often times aren't paying attention in class or can't be bothered to read something comprehensively and thoroughly, so they default to wanting the teacher to tell them what to do, which is not what's expected of an AP student.

In the scenario you outlined, a kid who has paid attention in class and is aware of the resources suggested in the syllabus or by the teacher would approach the teacher from the onset and say, "Hi, I've been doing the practice problems you pointed us to on DeltaMath for at least 2 hours each week, but the practice problems don't seem to be helping me do better on the quiz."

Instead, most kids say something vague or generic like, "How can I get a better grade in the class? My parents are mad at me." The student is not actually engaged or motivated in their learning journey, they're just looking to check a box that their parents are forcing them to and that attitude is apparent in their communication. So I can't blame the teacher for answering a vague question with a vague answer. Developing advocacy and communication skills is part of what is expected of an AP-level student.

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