Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New Poster.

In OP's defense, I would be upset if my sixth grader was being graded on coloring too. That's bullshit.

Another NP in OP's defense. OP is also advocating for partial credit. We can argue the details (how much to take off for failing to indicate the unit, etc) but partial credit isn't a radical idea.

The colorful border on the English assignment is interesting. For some students the poem will be more challenging and for others, the colorful border will be more challenging. It's almost like the teacher was hedging her bets in terms of student outcomes by adding that piece to the assignment. In my experience (HS classroom) generally the colorful border will help more girls grade-wise than it will help boys.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason for my child to take a foreign language class is to get proficiency in that language. What the OP’s child did reflected that goal and showed that proficiency.
The reason for my child to take English is to learn poetry and be able to compose one. The OP’s child did exactly the task needed, while drawing borders was completely irrelevant.
The teacher of OP’s child is grading compliance, not academic content, which is ridiculous.
If my main purpose for sending a child to school was to teach him to follow directions, I’ll give him a map of DC, directions, and ask to find some random addresses.
If compliance is so important, have a separate grade for it, but don’t confuse it with the academic grades.

YES

The arbitrary rules test form, not substance.

Anonymous wrote:I have to agree with the OP. The idea, that form is more important than substance, is crazy in an academic world, and this type of grading sends a completely wrong message. OP’s child will follow directions, I am sure, when those directions actually matter, because that child is clearly intelligent and focuses on what’s important in a given task.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. You are right. I was upset because he came home so disappointed. He studied really hard for this test and the results didn't show his hard work.

Obviously I agree that he does need to learn how to read directions carefully and make sure he checks off each part one by one.

It's been an ongoing issue with him and a work in progress. He says he feels pressured and rushed because of the short amount of time given (though he is supposed to have time and a half).

He does have a 504 that supposedly accommodates these various issues which the teacher failed to take into consideration (help clarifying instructions, extra time, quiet testing location, etc.). She also doesn't have him sitting at the front of the classroom like she is supposed to. It sounds like she hasn't even read his 504 plan. I guess we will have to talk to her.

This is actually a big deal, OP. You could get her in a lot of trouble with the principal.

Schools are legally required to make these accommodations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Better to learn to follow directions now.

I teach college and last year I had a student hand in an essay that completely missed the purpose of the assignments. She was a great student, had been doing very well in the course, was a lovely person but for whatever reason she just went completely off base on her final term paper. She wrote a great paper and obviously put a lot of work into it but it wasn't the paper that was assigned.

I graded using a rubric and there were parts of the rubric that I couldn't even apply to her paper. I gave her marks where I could and her final mark was around 40%.

She contacted me immediately asking to meet. She came to my office and she looked like she had been through something awful. She told me she couldn't sleep or eat, that she had never failed anything and she didn't know how to cope with this. She started sobbing in my office and it was a bit heart wrenching. I could see that she really didn't know how to cope with this. She pleaded and pleaded to let her rewrite it or to grade it differently or do a bonus assignment or anything because she couldn't accept a failing grade. I said no to all and she was honestly almost traumatized. I really think this was the most difficult thing that she had gone through (as a high achiever). I had to get her support from a friend to leave my office. Her mom called me a couple days later pleading with me to do something as her daughter was not coping well and this had impacted her mental health.

I met twice more with the student helping her to learn to cope and build resilience and never changed her mark. That would have been the easy out for me and made her happy but this was a life lesson she needed to learn and it was what was fair. She never fully understood. She did pull herself back together and did fine in my class (above the class average but lower than her usual marks). It would have been much much better for her to learn this when she was younger.

This story is horrible. Makes you sound awful and sadistic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason for my child to take a foreign language class is to get proficiency in that language. What the OP’s child did reflected that goal and showed that proficiency.
The reason for my child to take English is to learn poetry and be able to compose one. The OP’s child did exactly the task needed, while drawing borders was completely irrelevant.
The teacher of OP’s child is grading compliance, not academic content, which is ridiculous.
If my main purpose for sending a child to school was to teach him to follow directions, I’ll give him a map of DC, directions, and ask to find some random addresses.
If compliance is so important, have a separate grade for it, but don’t confuse it with the academic grades.

I assume that you homeschool, because either you or your children cannot function in the real world. Or maybe both.

Anonymous wrote:The reason for my child to take a foreign language class is to get proficiency in that language. What the OP’s child did reflected that goal and showed that proficiency.
The reason for my child to take English is to learn poetry and be able to compose one. The OP’s child did exactly the task needed, while drawing borders was completely irrelevant.
The teacher of OP’s child is grading compliance, not academic content, which is ridiculous.
If my main purpose for sending a child to school was to teach him to follow directions, I’ll give him a map of DC, directions, and ask to find some random addresses.
If compliance is so important, have a separate grade for it, but don’t confuse it with the academic grades.

Anonymous wrote:Better to learn to follow directions now.

I teach college and last year I had a student hand in an essay that completely missed the purpose of the assignments. She was a great student, had been doing very well in the course, was a lovely person but for whatever reason she just went completely off base on her final term paper. She wrote a great paper and obviously put a lot of work into it but it wasn't the paper that was assigned.

I graded using a rubric and there were parts of the rubric that I couldn't even apply to her paper. I gave her marks where I could and her final mark was around 40%.

She contacted me immediately asking to meet. She came to my office and she looked like she had been through something awful. She told me she couldn't sleep or eat, that she had never failed anything and she didn't know how to cope with this. She started sobbing in my office and it was a bit heart wrenching. I could see that she really didn't know how to cope with this. She pleaded and pleaded to let her rewrite it or to grade it differently or do a bonus assignment or anything because she couldn't accept a failing grade. I said no to all and she was honestly almost traumatized. I really think this was the most difficult thing that she had gone through (as a high achiever). I had to get her support from a friend to leave my office. Her mom called me a couple days later pleading with me to do something as her daughter was not coping well and this had impacted her mental health.

I met twice more with the student helping her to learn to cope and build resilience and never changed her mark. That would have been the easy out for me and made her happy but this was a life lesson she needed to learn and it was what was fair. She never fully understood. She did pull herself back together and did fine in my class (above the class average but lower than her usual marks). It would have been much much better for her to learn this when she was younger.

Anonymous wrote:The reason for my child to take a foreign language class is to get proficiency in that language. What the OP’s child did reflected that goal and showed that proficiency.
The reason for my child to take English is to learn poetry and be able to compose one. The OP’s child did exactly the task needed, while drawing borders was completely irrelevant.
The teacher of OP’s child is grading compliance, not academic content, which is ridiculous.
If my main purpose for sending a child to school was to teach him to follow directions, I’ll give him a map of DC, directions, and ask to find some random addresses.
If compliance is so important, have a separate grade for it, but don’t confuse it with the academic grades.

Anonymous wrote:Better to learn to follow directions now.

I teach college and last year I had a student hand in an essay that completely missed the purpose of the assignments. She was a great student, had been doing very well in the course, was a lovely person but for whatever reason she just went completely off base on her final term paper. She wrote a great paper and obviously put a lot of work into it but it wasn't the paper that was assigned.

I graded using a rubric and there were parts of the rubric that I couldn't even apply to her paper. I gave her marks where I could and her final mark was around 40%.

She contacted me immediately asking to meet. She came to my office and she looked like she had been through something awful. She told me she couldn't sleep or eat, that she had never failed anything and she didn't know how to cope with this. She started sobbing in my office and it was a bit heart wrenching. I could see that she really didn't know how to cope with this. She pleaded and pleaded to let her rewrite it or to grade it differently or do a bonus assignment or anything because she couldn't accept a failing grade. I said no to all and she was honestly almost traumatized. I really think this was the most difficult thing that she had gone through (as a high achiever). I had to get her support from a friend to leave my office. Her mom called me a couple days later pleading with me to do something as her daughter was not coping well and this had impacted her mental health.

I met twice more with the student helping her to learn to cope and build resilience and never changed her mark. That would have been the easy out for me and made her happy but this was a life lesson she needed to learn and it was what was fair. She never fully understood. She did pull herself back together and did fine in my class (above the class average but lower than her usual marks). It would have been much much better for her to learn this when she was younger.

Anonymous wrote:The reason for my child to take a foreign language class is to get proficiency in that language. What the OP’s child did reflected that goal and showed that proficiency.
The reason for my child to take English is to learn poetry and be able to compose one. The OP’s child did exactly the task needed, while drawing borders was completely irrelevant.
The teacher of OP’s child is grading compliance, not academic content, which is ridiculous.
If my main purpose for sending a child to school was to teach him to follow directions, I’ll give him a map of DC, directions, and ask to find some random addresses.
If compliance is so important, have a separate grade for it, but don’t confuse it with the academic grades.