Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 14:16     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Every parent at JMHS should be complaining. Everyone else in FCPS is retaking to 100% but our kids. How does this not disadvantage our students when it comes to college admissions? There are more A- and B+ at this school - it is harder to get an A.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:35     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think I asked this before, but did the new re-take policy make things worse for teachers? If so, why not go back to you can only retake if below80% and you can only get up to an 80%? That way, students are pushed to study hard the first time and not rely on retakes and those with a 78% or close to 80 will be less likely to retake.

I know that is only a small piece and the issue is large classes, no subs, no free time, demanding parents and more, but that retake policy seems insane to me.


Yes, it made it worse for teachers. In one of my honors classes, students are retaking tests because they got a 94% (and even contemplating it at 97%) to attempt ensure their grade has enough padding to overcome a low test score.

About half of my retakes all year scored higher than the original, half scored lower. That's a lot of extra time that I'm spending grading retakes that may or may not help student's grades.
50% scoring higher is wonderful though!


DP.

I just gave a retake. Here are the scores of the last 12 retakes I graded:

1. First score= 22/25. Retake= 22/25
2. First score= 16/25. Retake= 17/25.
3. First score= 24/25. Retake= 15/25.
4. First score= 23/25. Retake= 23/25.
5. First score= 20/25. Retake= 21/25.
6. First score= 24/25. Retake= 25/25.
7. First score= 15/25. Retake= 16/25.
8. First score= 13/25. Retake= 8/25.
9. First score= 21/25. Retake= 18/25.
10. First score= 23/25. Retake= 24/25.
11. First score= 21/25. Retake= 20/25.
12. First score= 23/25. Retake= 20/25.

It took approximately two hours to grade those 12 retakes.
- 2/12 got the same score
- 5/12 got a lower score
- 5/12 earned ONE extra point

We had five summatives this quarter, with a total point value of 150 points. To earn ONE extra point on a retake has a negligible impact on the overall grade.

Every retake is similar. Between 12 and 50 students request a retake, I spend hours grading the retakes, and the overall grade usually barely budges. The students refuse to do any additional work or studying before attempting the retake, so it isn't even as though much learning is occurring before they try the assessment again.


That is insane. They really need to curb this. a 23/25should not even be allowed a retake. Was it less chaotic with the old policy?
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:07     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think I asked this before, but did the new re-take policy make things worse for teachers? If so, why not go back to you can only retake if below80% and you can only get up to an 80%? That way, students are pushed to study hard the first time and not rely on retakes and those with a 78% or close to 80 will be less likely to retake.

I know that is only a small piece and the issue is large classes, no subs, no free time, demanding parents and more, but that retake policy seems insane to me.


Yes, it made it worse for teachers. In one of my honors classes, students are retaking tests because they got a 94% (and even contemplating it at 97%) to attempt ensure their grade has enough padding to overcome a low test score.

About half of my retakes all year scored higher than the original, half scored lower. That's a lot of extra time that I'm spending grading retakes that may or may not help student's grades.
50% scoring higher is wonderful though!


DP.

I just gave a retake. Here are the scores of the last 12 retakes I graded:

1. First score= 22/25. Retake= 22/25
2. First score= 16/25. Retake= 17/25.
3. First score= 24/25. Retake= 15/25.
4. First score= 23/25. Retake= 23/25.
5. First score= 20/25. Retake= 21/25.
6. First score= 24/25. Retake= 25/25.
7. First score= 15/25. Retake= 16/25.
8. First score= 13/25. Retake= 8/25.
9. First score= 21/25. Retake= 18/25.
10. First score= 23/25. Retake= 24/25.
11. First score= 21/25. Retake= 20/25.
12. First score= 23/25. Retake= 20/25.

It took approximately two hours to grade those 12 retakes.
- 2/12 got the same score
- 5/12 got a lower score
- 5/12 earned ONE extra point

We had five summatives this quarter, with a total point value of 150 points. To earn ONE extra point on a retake has a negligible impact on the overall grade.

Every retake is similar. Between 12 and 50 students request a retake, I spend hours grading the retakes, and the overall grade usually barely budges. The students refuse to do any additional work or studying before attempting the retake, so it isn't even as though much learning is occurring before they try the assessment again.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 13:07     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You can’t have your cake and eat it too. All of the retakes cause many teachers not to input grades until everyone has taken the test. That and no subs means teachers don’t have enough planning time to grade.


100%


200%
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 12:49     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do retakes and they still haven't gotten updated.

Teachers have block scheduling. Why can't they grade during class?


During class, they are teaching, whether that be whole-group or small group.

During class, they are dealing with behavior problems, answering questions, reteaching lessons, managing bathroom passes, policing phones, and helping students who were absent.

There is no time to grade!
Policing phones? Aren’t they ‘away for the day’?


They should be. That's funny that you think all kids follow that rule and that parents don't go haywire when the school tells their kids they can't have phones during school.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 12:43     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think I asked this before, but did the new re-take policy make things worse for teachers? If so, why not go back to you can only retake if below80% and you can only get up to an 80%? That way, students are pushed to study hard the first time and not rely on retakes and those with a 78% or close to 80 will be less likely to retake.

I know that is only a small piece and the issue is large classes, no subs, no free time, demanding parents and more, but that retake policy seems insane to me.


Yes, it made it worse for teachers. In one of my honors classes, students are retaking tests because they got a 94% (and even contemplating it at 97%) to attempt ensure their grade has enough padding to overcome a low test score.

About half of my retakes all year scored higher than the original, half scored lower. That's a lot of extra time that I'm spending grading retakes that may or may not help student's grades.
50% scoring higher is wonderful though!


DP. I don’t read it that way. The other half scored lower, which suggests the retake policy doesn’t have a great success rate. How many students are just doing retakes without bothering to learn the material? That’s a TON of extra work placed on already overworked teachers, and it doesn’t seem to have a great success rate for all of that effort.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:45     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think I asked this before, but did the new re-take policy make things worse for teachers? If so, why not go back to you can only retake if below80% and you can only get up to an 80%? That way, students are pushed to study hard the first time and not rely on retakes and those with a 78% or close to 80 will be less likely to retake.

I know that is only a small piece and the issue is large classes, no subs, no free time, demanding parents and more, but that retake policy seems insane to me.


Yes, it made it worse for teachers. In one of my honors classes, students are retaking tests because they got a 94% (and even contemplating it at 97%) to attempt ensure their grade has enough padding to overcome a low test score.

About half of my retakes all year scored higher than the original, half scored lower. That's a lot of extra time that I'm spending grading retakes that may or may not help student's grades.
50% scoring higher is wonderful though!
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:44     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do retakes and they still haven't gotten updated.

Teachers have block scheduling. Why can't they grade during class?


During class, they are teaching, whether that be whole-group or small group.

During class, they are dealing with behavior problems, answering questions, reteaching lessons, managing bathroom passes, policing phones, and helping students who were absent.

There is no time to grade!
Policing phones? Aren’t they ‘away for the day’?
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:40     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:I think I asked this before, but did the new re-take policy make things worse for teachers? If so, why not go back to you can only retake if below80% and you can only get up to an 80%? That way, students are pushed to study hard the first time and not rely on retakes and those with a 78% or close to 80 will be less likely to retake.

I know that is only a small piece and the issue is large classes, no subs, no free time, demanding parents and more, but that retake policy seems insane to me.


Yes, it made it worse for teachers. In one of my honors classes, students are retaking tests because they got a 94% (and even contemplating it at 97%) to attempt ensure their grade has enough padding to overcome a low test score.

About half of my retakes all year scored higher than the original, half scored lower. That's a lot of extra time that I'm spending grading retakes that may or may not help student's grades.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:34     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
I think I asked this before, but did the new re-take policy make things worse for teachers? If so, why not go back to you can only retake if below80% and you can only get up to an 80%? That way, students are pushed to study hard the first time and not rely on retakes and those with a 78% or close to 80 will be less likely to retake.

I know that is only a small piece and the issue is large classes, no subs, no free time, demanding parents and more, but that retake policy seems insane to me.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 11:30     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do retakes and they still haven't gotten updated.

Teachers have block scheduling. Why can't they grade during class?


FCPS has retakes - kids are allowed to retake up to 100%.


Not at JMHS. SBG - skills are reassessed thorough out the year, and that’s the retake. At the end of the year, there is supposed to be one test that covers all the skills and that can replace your grade in all the skills for the entire year.

The 3 other SBG schools are offering retakes for each summative, but not JMHS. The bigger problem is the formatives, which are mostly very difficult quizzes or harshly graded classwork. Kids are going to end up with about a half letter grade deduction because of the formatives. I thought the grading system at JMHS couldn’t get any worse….


That really stinks. It’s not fair.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 09:50     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do retakes and they still haven't gotten updated.

Teachers have block scheduling. Why can't they grade during class?


FCPS has retakes - kids are allowed to retake up to 100%.


Not at JMHS. SBG - skills are reassessed thorough out the year, and that’s the retake. At the end of the year, there is supposed to be one test that covers all the skills and that can replace your grade in all the skills for the entire year.

The 3 other SBG schools are offering retakes for each summative, but not JMHS. The bigger problem is the formatives, which are mostly very difficult quizzes or harshly graded classwork. Kids are going to end up with about a half letter grade deduction because of the formatives. I thought the grading system at JMHS couldn’t get any worse….



Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 08:34     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do retakes and they still haven't gotten updated.

Teachers have block scheduling. Why can't they grade during class?


FCPS has retakes - kids are allowed to retake up to 100%.
Anonymous
Post 03/29/2025 05:26     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do retakes and they still haven't gotten updated.

Teachers have block scheduling. Why can't they grade during class?


Because we are teaching during class. If I’m not directly instructing students, I am walking around, working with students or dealing with behaviors. And grading requires focus, which I won’t have because of the 30 students I’m responsible for at that moment.

Grading takes about 15 hours a week for me, and (if I’m lucky) I can get about 2 hours done during the work week. Most gets done on the weekend. It also competes with planning, which I do most week nights. These are two required parts of our job, yet our workday doesn’t allow for either.
Anonymous
Post 03/28/2025 23:39     Subject: Gradebook Musical Chairs....another round
Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do retakes and they still haven't gotten updated.

Teachers have block scheduling. Why can't they grade during class?


During class, they are teaching, whether that be whole-group or small group.

During class, they are dealing with behavior problems, answering questions, reteaching lessons, managing bathroom passes, policing phones, and helping students who were absent.

There is no time to grade!