Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The goal of school is to learn the material. Why does it matter if they do retakes — they demonstrate they have learned the material. If you fail the bar exam you can take it again. If you fail your drivers license exam you can retake. So why should school be any different?

+1 That's growth mindset, "I don't know this yet"

Exactly. We want kids to learn the material and be motivated to keep trying.

My kid right now has a cool grading policy for geometry that is motivating: the grade is only based on quizzes and tests. If you do better on the test than the quizzes then your quiz scores get bumped up to the test score. And if you get any problems incorrect on the test, you can do a thoughtful exercise on why you got it wrong and how to do it correctly - to bump up grade by 1/2 point per problem.

It's been very motivating for my kid and I hope to see more teachers (esp math) use this grading policy.

I used to agree with this but then I heard someone say - what it’s going to be like when it’s these kids age working at nasa. Oops we just missed the moon - we will just do a redo.

I have zero problem with retakes and some additional credit given. I DO have problems with retakes and allowing full credit. I have problems with allowing late assignments and kids getting full credit. If you missed a deadline, you shouldn't get the same grade as the person who followed directions and turned it in on time. You essentially got a free extension of time to complete the work.

Generally, I'd agree with this, but during the pandemic - and even now somewhat - it's been extra difficult to track assignments. Even hard-working kids can miss assignments here or there.

Tough sh--. And, untrue. Between Schoology, SIS, and parents who should be helping them learn to track assignments, there is no reason not to track assignments.

100% true. It was very difficult to track assignments in virtual/concurrent/hybrid. Every teacher assigned work a little differently. My kid was out with covid several weeks ago and it was a nightmare to track down missing assignments, reschedule tests, etc.

This is no longer the case. Our school uses Schoology - period. Track it. Get a calendar.
It's not that hard. And even if it is, that is a you problem to solve.

And this is an example of why we have the 50 percent floor policy.

Oh aren't you just a peach? What part of this is wrong? Between schoology, a hard copy calendar, and SIS, it's NOT that hard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS high school teacher here. The elimination of 0 grades has killed education. Kids have no consequences because they get 50 no matter what. I have students with 20 absences already, yet they still have a C. Kids are selective when they want to try because they know there is no consequences.

Don't even get me started on the social studies PBA instead of the SOL. What a farse. Kids just sneeze on a piece of paper and they get the verified credit.

I'm hoping Youngkin will get rid of the 50 minimum, SOL for social studies, truancy fines/punishments.

What are the odds any of these ever come back.

You are NUTS and have no idea what you are asking. I hope you don’t teach social studies. The idea that the governor should have so much power over individual school systems is INSANE.

If you start giving the governor that much power welcome to Russia!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The goal of school is to learn the material. Why does it matter if they do retakes — they demonstrate they have learned the material. If you fail the bar exam you can take it again. If you fail your drivers license exam you can retake. So why should school be any different?

+1 That's growth mindset, "I don't know this yet"

Exactly. We want kids to learn the material and be motivated to keep trying.

My kid right now has a cool grading policy for geometry that is motivating: the grade is only based on quizzes and tests. If you do better on the test than the quizzes then your quiz scores get bumped up to the test score. And if you get any problems incorrect on the test, you can do a thoughtful exercise on why you got it wrong and how to do it correctly - to bump up grade by 1/2 point per problem.

It's been very motivating for my kid and I hope to see more teachers (esp math) use this grading policy.

I used to agree with this but then I heard someone say - what it’s going to be like when it’s these kids age working at nasa. Oops we just missed the moon - we will just do a redo.

I have zero problem with retakes and some additional credit given. I DO have problems with retakes and allowing full credit. I have problems with allowing late assignments and kids getting full credit. If you missed a deadline, you shouldn't get the same grade as the person who followed directions and turned it in on time. You essentially got a free extension of time to complete the work.

Generally, I'd agree with this, but during the pandemic - and even now somewhat - it's been extra difficult to track assignments. Even hard-working kids can miss assignments here or there.

Tough sh--. And, untrue. Between Schoology, SIS, and parents who should be helping them learn to track assignments, there is no reason not to track assignments.

100% true. It was very difficult to track assignments in virtual/concurrent/hybrid. Every teacher assigned work a little differently. My kid was out with covid several weeks ago and it was a nightmare to track down missing assignments, reschedule tests, etc.

This is no longer the case. Our school uses Schoology - period. Track it. Get a calendar.
It's not that hard. And even if it is, that is a you problem to solve.

And this is an example of why we have the 50 percent floor policy.

Oh aren't you just a peach? What part of this is wrong? Between schoology, a hard copy calendar, and SIS, it's NOT that hard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You mean like it was when we were kids and nothing was on computers yet? People managed to navigate school for an awful long time without computers.

Somehow my brother and I got through school with ADHD, reasonably serious ADHD, with regular old planners. My brother struggled more then I did but he graduated with a B average, went to college, and graduated from college so he figured it out.

Get your kid a planner. Go on the various sites and write down the assignments that you can find. Go to Teacher and confirm that what is in the planner is what is due.

Have you ever tried to reach a MS or HS teacher in FCPS? Pretty sure there is some unwritten rule that says once a kid passes 6th grade teachers no longer need to respond to a student or parent email. In MS and up it's all about self advocacy and they want the kid to do the talking but I'm convinced much of that is because it's easier to ignore a kid, they give up. MS and HS teachers barely grade on time. They surely are not responsive to planner/assignment checks.

Some of you are just making sh-- up now. My DD has done office hours, emailed teachers, stayed after school to ask questions with absolutely no problem. Through MS, through COVID, through HS. I get that some individual teachers may be more difficult. But, this sweeping generalization is pure BS.

Also, ES teachers have around 20-25 students each. MS and HS teachers have 100-150, meaning 100-300 parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The goal of school is to learn the material. Why does it matter if they do retakes — they demonstrate they have learned the material. If you fail the bar exam you can take it again. If you fail your drivers license exam you can retake. So why should school be any different?

+1 That's growth mindset, "I don't know this yet"

Exactly. We want kids to learn the material and be motivated to keep trying.

My kid right now has a cool grading policy for geometry that is motivating: the grade is only based on quizzes and tests. If you do better on the test than the quizzes then your quiz scores get bumped up to the test score. And if you get any problems incorrect on the test, you can do a thoughtful exercise on why you got it wrong and how to do it correctly - to bump up grade by 1/2 point per problem.

It's been very motivating for my kid and I hope to see more teachers (esp math) use this grading policy.

I used to agree with this but then I heard someone say - what it’s going to be like when it’s these kids age working at nasa. Oops we just missed the moon - we will just do a redo.

I have zero problem with retakes and some additional credit given. I DO have problems with retakes and allowing full credit. I have problems with allowing late assignments and kids getting full credit. If you missed a deadline, you shouldn't get the same grade as the person who followed directions and turned it in on time. You essentially got a free extension of time to complete the work.

Generally, I'd agree with this, but during the pandemic - and even now somewhat - it's been extra difficult to track assignments. Even hard-working kids can miss assignments here or there.

Tough sh--. And, untrue. Between Schoology, SIS, and parents who should be helping them learn to track assignments, there is no reason not to track assignments.

100% true. It was very difficult to track assignments in virtual/concurrent/hybrid. Every teacher assigned work a little differently. My kid was out with covid several weeks ago and it was a nightmare to track down missing assignments, reschedule tests, etc.

This is no longer the case. Our school uses Schoology - period. Track it. Get a calendar.
It's not that hard. And even if it is, that is a you problem to solve.

And this is an example of why we have the 50 percent floor policy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You mean like it was when we were kids and nothing was on computers yet? People managed to navigate school for an awful long time without computers.

Somehow my brother and I got through school with ADHD, reasonably serious ADHD, with regular old planners. My brother struggled more then I did but he graduated with a B average, went to college, and graduated from college so he figured it out.

Get your kid a planner. Go on the various sites and write down the assignments that you can find. Go to Teacher and confirm that what is in the planner is what is due.

Have you ever tried to reach a MS or HS teacher in FCPS? Pretty sure there is some unwritten rule that says once a kid passes 6th grade teachers no longer need to respond to a student or parent email. In MS and up it's all about self advocacy and they want the kid to do the talking but I'm convinced much of that is because it's easier to ignore a kid, they give up. MS and HS teachers barely grade on time. They surely are not responsive to planner/assignment checks.

Some of you are just making sh-- up now. My DD has done office hours, emailed teachers, stayed after school to ask questions with absolutely no problem. Through MS, through COVID, through HS. I get that some individual teachers may be more difficult. But, this sweeping generalization is pure BS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 50 is an F

If I can pick the assignments I don't want to do and know that they will receive a 50%, then I know that if I do certain assignments and earn a higher grade, it is easier for me to get to a 70%, a C- and passing grade. I can choose what I want to do and not do. I don't have to do the assignments I really don't want to do and I can still pass the class.

If not turning in work means a 0 then I cannot pick and choose what I want to do because even a perfect score on half of the work is a 50% and an F.

I taught at the College level. Every semester I had students ask me what they needed to do to earn a C. My class was required for their major or met a Gen Ed requirement but they didn't really want to take it. I always knew those students were going to fail because they were going to try and cherry pick what work they needed to do and that was going to lead to trouble. If I had to give those students 50% on assignments and tests that they did not take, they might have been able to get that C because the amount of work that they needed to do to get the C was significantly lessened.

It is a stupid policy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 50 is an F

Yup. But the grade is recoverable. Why put a struggling student into situation from which he cannot recover? Why would they even try if they know there is no hope of passing the class? I think the policy is a good one.

Anonymous wrote:Not to push the blame onto parents and students, but many of these policies are a result of the urbanization of Fairfax County which brings families who are more likely to struggle academically. If FCPS was more harsh by giving 0s and actually failing students, we would have problems with too many students staying behind and likely dropping out eventually.

It is a very difficult balance to help non-academic students move through the school system while teaching them a useful foundation but without destroying their sense of learning.

This is a new era, and the days of 30 years ago where students came mostly from well-educated, white, federal government workers and everyone's finances were booming. The divide has grown immensely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The goal of school is to learn the material. Why does it matter if they do retakes — they demonstrate they have learned the material. If you fail the bar exam you can take it again. If you fail your drivers license exam you can retake. So why should school be any different?

+1 That's growth mindset, "I don't know this yet"

Exactly. We want kids to learn the material and be motivated to keep trying.

My kid right now has a cool grading policy for geometry that is motivating: the grade is only based on quizzes and tests. If you do better on the test than the quizzes then your quiz scores get bumped up to the test score. And if you get any problems incorrect on the test, you can do a thoughtful exercise on why you got it wrong and how to do it correctly - to bump up grade by 1/2 point per problem.

It's been very motivating for my kid and I hope to see more teachers (esp math) use this grading policy.

I used to agree with this but then I heard someone say - what it’s going to be like when it’s these kids age working at nasa. Oops we just missed the moon - we will just do a redo.

That person was an idiot. NASA needs people who persevere and take time to master things.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS high school teacher here. The elimination of 0 grades has killed education. Kids have no consequences because they get 50 no matter what. I have students with 20 absences already, yet they still have a C. Kids are selective when they want to try because they know there is no consequences.

Don't even get me started on the social studies PBA instead of the SOL. What a farse. Kids just sneeze on a piece of paper and they get the verified credit.

I'm hoping Youngkin will get rid of the 50 minimum, SOL for social studies, truancy fines/punishments.

What are the odds any of these ever come back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The goal of school is to learn the material. Why does it matter if they do retakes — they demonstrate they have learned the material. If you fail the bar exam you can take it again. If you fail your drivers license exam you can retake. So why should school be any different?

+1 That's growth mindset, "I don't know this yet"

Exactly. We want kids to learn the material and be motivated to keep trying.

My kid right now has a cool grading policy for geometry that is motivating: the grade is only based on quizzes and tests. If you do better on the test than the quizzes then your quiz scores get bumped up to the test score. And if you get any problems incorrect on the test, you can do a thoughtful exercise on why you got it wrong and how to do it correctly - to bump up grade by 1/2 point per problem.

It's been very motivating for my kid and I hope to see more teachers (esp math) use this grading policy.

I used to agree with this but then I heard someone say - what it’s going to be like when it’s these kids age working at nasa. Oops we just missed the moon - we will just do a redo.

I have zero problem with retakes and some additional credit given. I DO have problems with retakes and allowing full credit. I have problems with allowing late assignments and kids getting full credit. If you missed a deadline, you shouldn't get the same grade as the person who followed directions and turned it in on time. You essentially got a free extension of time to complete the work.

Generally, I'd agree with this, but during the pandemic - and even now somewhat - it's been extra difficult to track assignments. Even hard-working kids can miss assignments here or there.

Tough sh--. And, untrue. Between Schoology, SIS, and parents who should be helping them learn to track assignments, there is no reason not to track assignments.

100% true. It was very difficult to track assignments in virtual/concurrent/hybrid. Every teacher assigned work a little differently. My kid was out with covid several weeks ago and it was a nightmare to track down missing assignments, reschedule tests, etc.

This is no longer the case. Our school uses Schoology - period. Track it. Get a calendar.
It's not that hard. And even if it is, that is a you problem to solve.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is ridiculous. I think it is ridiculous that parents allow their kids to get away with this crap.

Agree that the parents play a role. I have a number of friends who accept their kids grades, knowing that htey are getting the benefit of this, knowing their kids can submit late assignments for full credit, knowing their kids can do re-takes to increase grades if the initial grade is low enough.

Have some standards for your children.

At our MS you can retake any test. You can retake a 98% if you want. Guess who's kid re-takes a majority of her tests? Mine. I have standards and want my kid to get the best grade possible. Don't think taking retakes says otherwise. She's never score less than an 89% on any original test but why settle for a B+ or A- when you can get an A.

You are going to hurt your child with that attitude. A's are great but studying and getting a B+ or an A- on a test is not a bad thing. Those are good grades. Your kid is being taught that they are only doing well if they score an A and that is going to hurt her when she gets to a place where retakes are not allowed. She is going to freak out about having a B+ or an A- for no good reason.

Our standard is that DS makes his best effort. Did he do his homework and study? Then he earned the grade that he earned and we can accept that. If he needs a tutor because he is not fully understanding the concepts, then fine. But making an kid with an A- retake a test is a bit much. I mean, you are going to do your thing but there can be some negative consequences to that type of extra pressure on a kid who is doing well in school.

Unfortunately, these games need to be played to stand a chance at the more competitive colleges. I agree that aiming for perfectionism with retakes isn't innately helping children be better learners, but it's the kind of thing that you have to do because everyone else is doing it. It's another way that grades are inflated and the floor is higher as a result. And that 0.33-0.5 GPA difference is meaningful enough.

This.