Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again.

I don't understand the point of grading like this in sixth grade. It's not like these grades "count" for anything.

Why be so harsh?!?

Isn't the point to figure out what the kids are actually learning rather than to look for ways to knock them down?

I get the feeling all these people care of about is whether you can jump through dumb hoops (like putting a stupid border on your poem).

So, then I don't understand why YOU are insisting that your kid needs credit for doing the wrong thing, rather than using this as a chance to help him gain the skills he's ging to need for success in high school. You realize that your kid is going to bomb high classes if he doesn't learn to recognize that unpacking instructions is part of the task itself?

+1. Better for your son and half the class to learn this now than to learn it when the grades actually DO count. You are making the case yourself that giving these kids a learning experience re: reading the directions carefully is more important than giving a grade that accurately reflects their knowledge of Spanish.

Anonymous wrote:OP again.

I don't understand the point of grading like this in sixth grade. It's not like these grades "count" for anything.

Why be so harsh?!?

Isn't the point to figure out what the kids are actually learning rather than to look for ways to knock them down?

I get the feeling all these people care of about is whether you can jump through dumb hoops (like putting a stupid border on your poem).

Yes. And the results indicate that your kid is not "actually learning" how to read instructions or follow directions. In sixth grade, this is something that needs to be addressed. This is an important skill, OP, probably more important than translating Spanish greetings into English. And your kid is failing in this aspet. Help him fix it now before he's taking harder classes.

Ok you keep adding things.

He has a 504 requiring teachers to make sure he understands directions but for some reason you didn't mention that to start with.

Now you know that half the class did what your son did.

Anything else you forgot to mention?

Anonymous wrote:OP again.

I don't understand the point of grading like this in sixth grade. It's not like these grades "count" for anything.

Why be so harsh?!?

Isn't the point to figure out what the kids are actually learning rather than to look for ways to knock them down?

I get the feeling all these people care of about is whether you can jump through dumb hoops (like putting a stupid border on your poem).

So, then I don't understand why YOU are insisting that your kid needs credit for doing the wrong thing, rather than using this as a chance to help him gain the skills he's ging to need for success in high school. You realize that your kid is going to bomb high classes if he doesn't learn to recognize that unpacking instructions is part of the task itself?

Anonymous wrote:OP again.

I don't understand the point of grading like this in sixth grade. It's not like these grades "count" for anything.

Why be so harsh?!?

Isn't the point to figure out what the kids are actually learning rather than to look for ways to knock them down?

I get the feeling all these people care of about is whether you can jump through dumb hoops (like putting a stupid border on your poem).

Hey look, the world needs ditch diggers too, OP. So don't worry about it.

(Or you can focus on the fact that your kid has a weakness and needs some help and some support to overcome it.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess I assumed that the purpose of tests in 6th grade (elementary school) is to assess what content the student has actually learned.

By translating the Spanish words into English, he showed that he knows quite a bit (and what he did was harder than what she was asking for).

But he got 0 credit at all, as if she thinks that he doesn't know what those words mean. Which, after all, is supposedly the purpose of the class??

But clearly not since he didn't understand the directions well enough to have understood them....

OP here. He's not the only kid who did this, half the class did the same thing.

Did half the class get no credit for not understanding the directions?

So strange that you're upset about this, when the teacher is not singling out your DS, seems to be trying to get her students to pay more attention the the question. Since it is apparently a widespread issue.

yes I am not the only parent upset about this.

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

Look my point is, he got a D on this test when actually he knows the material very well. He can translate all of the words and spell them correctly, including accent marks.

It's unfair to him that he's practically failing now even though he actually knows the material.

Well you seem to have the minority opinion here.

Suggest to him that he ask the teacher for extra work to make up for the test if this is such a big deal to him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you are being unreasonable and are doing your son no good here. I'm sure your attitude about these issues is apparent to him, and that isn't helping anything.

Yes, a completely wrong answer should be marked "completely wrong" in sixth grade. Your kid needs to pay attention, and learning to stop and read the instructions is part of the task.

Have your kid practice reading instructions to you and then explaining each part of what he is being asked to do to you.

New Poster.

Well come on, I get what she's saying.

Has following "the rules" like a good little girl ever gotten you anywhere in life?

It certainly hasn't for me. As an adult, I've learned that I have to be super aggressive and basically take what I want.

Why, yes, close reading skills and the ability to discern the requirements of a task have indeed gotten me "somewhere" in life, starting with a strong academic performance and Harvard admission.

I don't even want to speculate what your version of being "super aggressive and basically taking what I want" looks like, but I'm sure it isn't what I expect from my own child.

OP again.

I don't understand the point of grading like this in sixth grade. It's not like these grades "count" for anything.

Why be so harsh?!?

Isn't the point to figure out what the kids are actually learning rather than to look for ways to knock them down?

I get the feeling all these people care of about is whether you can jump through dumb hoops (like putting a stupid border on your poem).

OP, can you see that this might actually be helping your son? Having ADHD means that he has to slooow down and pay extra attention to the directions (and extra attention to check his work at the end.)

These teachers are actually making this clear to him in stark relief. This is a good thing because it's a really important skill and he has to learn to work extra hard on it. It may be harder for him than other kids, but he still has to learn to do it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess I assumed that the purpose of tests in 6th grade (elementary school) is to assess what content the student has actually learned.

By translating the Spanish words into English, he showed that he knows quite a bit (and what he did was harder than what she was asking for).

But he got 0 credit at all, as if she thinks that he doesn't know what those words mean. Which, after all, is supposedly the purpose of the class??

But clearly not since he didn't understand the directions well enough to have understood them....

OP here. He's not the only kid who did this, half the class did the same thing.

Did half the class get no credit for not understanding the directions?

So strange that you're upset about this, when the teacher is not singling out your DS, seems to be trying to get her students to pay more attention the the question. Since it is apparently a widespread issue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess I assumed that the purpose of tests in 6th grade (elementary school) is to assess what content the student has actually learned.

By translating the Spanish words into English, he showed that he knows quite a bit (and what he did was harder than what she was asking for).

But he got 0 credit at all, as if she thinks that he doesn't know what those words mean. Which, after all, is supposedly the purpose of the class??

But clearly not since he didn't understand the directions well enough to have understood them....

OP here. He's not the only kid who did this, half the class did the same thing.

OP here.

Look my point is, he got a D on this test when actually he knows the material very well. He can translate all of the words and spell them correctly, including accent marks.

It's unfair to him that he's practically failing now even though he actually knows the material.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I guess I assumed that the purpose of tests in 6th grade (elementary school) is to assess what content the student has actually learned.

By translating the Spanish words into English, he showed that he knows quite a bit (and what he did was harder than what she was asking for).

But he got 0 credit at all, as if she thinks that he doesn't know what those words mean. Which, after all, is supposedly the purpose of the class??

But clearly not since he didn't understand the directions well enough to have understood them....

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

I mentioned this in the OP but he does have an ADHD-I diagnosis and part of his 504 plan requires teachers to make sure he understands the directions to tests.

I know she didn't do that. He had been doing well enough in school that we hadn't been making an issue of his 504.

But now I think we should bring it up??

Absolutely bring it up! Ask the school counselor for guidance as well. Perhaps he needs an IEP, which will place more burden on the teachers to be accountable.