Our last student day was last Thursday. After the final test in my first period Algebra class I asked B if he thought he should receive a passing grade. He had been suspended for 10 days for a bad choice, and had not made up the missed work, or corrected the tests that he had done poorly on. He said no, he knew he had not done the things he needed to do to pass. I told him I was sorry, but I agreed. He had more than enough chances and had not taken advantage of them.
It was also the day my mother died. It was sudden, but not unexpected. She was 93, and had a wonderful life. So I rushed through the checkout procedure, turned my grades in and left for Seattle to be with my sister and brother. When I got back home yesterday I checked my school e-mail and found this message:
“Hello Mr.Berg This message is a concern for my final grade, and was
wondering if there was anything at all I can do even though we are out
of school to get it up a 3%, and I know I don’t deserve to cause I
didn’t do any of my homework
or anything, and i’m sorry so if there is anything at all I can do
please let me know thank you.”
I can change his grade. The question is: should I? He had 57%, and by completing the missing assignments he can get to 60% and pass. B is a junior. He did not pass the WASL or the HSPE, so he needs to take and pass a math class each year to be able to graduate. If I don’t give him this opportunity he may give up and drop out. If I do he will get the message that deadlines aren’t really deadlines, and there really aren’t consequences for being irresponsible.
I know what I’m going to do. What would you do?
As a tutor i also agree with Jennifer. Students should get the opportunity to make up for the missed assignment.
Of course it also is good that the teachers let them know, there is help available in different forms.
I am not saying this to make business for me but to be honest I did not know that I could get a tutor’s help until my second year in college.
I disagree with the above comment, you’re not changing his predetermined fate. He didn’t jsut see the score and shrug, he called, accepted responsibility for his inaction, and asked for a way to remedy it. I’d say, give him the opportunity to make up missed assignments. He’s trying to take control of his own fate. Give him a boost.
This is such a great discussion. I’ve had the same one several times with colleagues, and we’ve never reached a consensus. In my 9th-grade English class this year, I had a very bright student, “R.” All of R’s test scores are above average, he’s has passed all WASL’s he’s taken, and he contributed daily to what we were doing. However, he didn’t turn in a lick of work, and his percentage going into the final was 32%. On the final exam, he got the highest score of all my students, but even that A+ (worth 25% of his grade) was not enough to bring him higher than about 45%. Did I pass him? How could I not? He demonstrated on that final that he learned just about everything I expected my kids to learn academically. The question I always end up asking myself is this: “Would it benefit this student to re-take 9th-grade English?” Thus, R passed, but D, whose grade was 52% and who still reads and writes well below standard, did not. Is that fair? Probably not, but is it what’s best for the students? I believe so.
An issue here – part of me wants to know if there is a history or pattern here that warrants a further look. Has this just happened or has this been happening for a few years and across various subjects? Patterns need to be broken and fixed – one’s off’s need a helping hand
Mark
They may be indicators, but that does not prove causation… that’s my hangup with the research. It shows correlation, not causation. I notice that the majority of the kids who fail my class are boys. Does that mean being a boy causes one to fail my class? No. Does that mean that being a boy predisposes one to failing my class? Nope.
To me, the same things that cause a kid to fail a class and then be held back are the things which later cause them to drop out. The two are results of the same underlying causes…one does not cause the other. What about all the kids who are moved on before they are ready, then flounder, lose hope, and drop out? If 50% of the kids who eventually drop out were at some point held back in a class, that means that 50% of the kids who eventually drop out were not held back. I don’t know the actual numbers, but I do not think holding a kid back causes them to drop out. What causes the need for being held back is the same situation/condition which causes one to drop out. Y doesn’t cause Z in this case, just becaues Y came before Z…the unspoken and often invisible X causes both Y and Z.
i would not, you should change it. there is much research that attests to failing courses and attendance are the main indicators for hs drop outs.
Red Dwarf fans will know the petty bureaucrat character Rimmer. He meets his parallel universe equivalent known as Ace, a successful all-round hero type. The divergence in their life-paths was a test as described above. Of course, Ace failed by 1 mark.
I have a hard time relating to this dilemma. In elementary school (at least in our district) we’ve moved to “standards-based” grading. Essentially, we’re supposed to give students a grade based on the extent to which their work demonstrates that they’ve met standard. We can’t use the accumulation of points to give students a grade. A kid who goofs around for most of the semester and then turns in high-quality work in June can conceivable get a high score, since his work demonstrates that he’s at the standard.
I mention this by way of saying that I agree with DrPezz; if B has demonstrated that he knows the material, then he should pass.
Aaaargh! These dilemmas are the ones I despise as a teacher.
A part of me says timeliness is not a standard when I look at the GLEs, so I would give B the chance to raise the score. Another part of me says he realizes he should have done more and he didn’t, so I wouldn’t give him the chance.
In the past I have tended to err on the side of the student’s test and major assignments (papers/projects) scores. If they are above 60%, I would pass him. This eliminates homework (which I believe should just be practice) and attendance as factors and focuses on accomplishment.
I’d love to hear what you do though.
First, I’m sorry for your loss. Even though it wasn’t unexpected–it’s still hard.
As for the grade, I’d stick with the 57%. In what way will passing versus not passing change his fate in ways that are not his own choice? He’s going to have to take math next year anyway since he hasn’t passed the tests, why not take the class he needs to master, rather than move on to the next level perhaps not really ready to do so. Maybe counseling him with his other options–summer school? Taking simultaneous classes for credit? I think offering support is the way to head off that risk of dropping out. Their are no guarantees either way. You could give him the credit and he still might drop out. You might leave the 57% and it might be the wake up call he needs to kick it into gear (I bet you and I both know kids who’ve finally “grown up” around the end of their junior year and pull themselves up by their bootstraps).