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The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Ring
Is 50 the new 0? Some schools now give a minimum semester score of 50 percent to all failing students, whether their actual numerical average is 50, 30, or even 0. The idea is to give struggling students a chance to improve their grade and pass the class, which might not otherwise be possible for those who have done poorly in the first part of the year.
Those in favor of the "minimum F" argue that this grade inflation gives students an incentive to work harder to pass the class, and they point out that 50 percent is still failing. But opponents of the practice feel that students should not receive more credit than they've earned and that this padding encourages some students to slack off. They also worry that this practice will not prepare students for the challenges of college and the workforce. Should all failing students receive a grade of 50 percent? Tell us what you think!
50% too high?
Submitted by Nicole (not verified) on July 21, 2008 - 12:41.
As a Special education teacher, I love the idea of using the 50% as the bottom out percentage. Given that a student has put forth the effort, but still receives a low grade, the 50% is the perfect accommodation. I do utilize the 50% rule in many of my classes, but I use it carefully. A student who chooses not to turn in an assignment, receives a 0%. The student must prove to me that effort was given in order to get the 50%. Also, I am always providing the student with the true percentage when I hand back their work, it is only in the grade book that I alter the percentage. Most of the time, the students do not even realize that the percentages are different. It seems to work well for me, and I plan on continuing the practice.
Grades not going below 50%
Submitted by Ellen Hirschy (not verified) on July 18, 2008 - 08:27.
This was an issue this year that my fifth grade team briefly discussed. I have tried this strategy for a year at fourth grade. I felt it did not give an accurate assessment for the students' work. If a student receives a 30% on a paper that evaluates his learning or his behavior, which is a part of learning. My son, as a third grader, decided he was just going to fill in the circles on reading tests because he wanted to get finished with it. The 30% he received did not evaluate his knowledge, but it did evaluate his behavior. It was a red flag to the teacher and myself that he was not performing, and needed intervention, just at if he did not understand the reading. The score tells you the degree of intervention needed. Teachers and parents need to figure out what was missing in that score. With my son, he needed intervention in the behavior aspects of assignments and tests. Successful behavior is important with school and with the world of work.
If a child scores low in the first part of the course, then scores high in the later part, the medium score shows what he knows and possibly the behavior of being a slower processessor.
I think making the low of 50% does not accurately evaluate the students. Helping them succeed, like spending time to reteach, or even redo assignments would be good interventions. I don't think a student should be left just getting the low marks over and over again without intervention. There does need to be systems in place to help teachers work with these lower performing students, like study groups, afterschool interventions, recess study groups, study halls with tutors, or even just tutors available at times during the school days and just after school.
No more social promotion
Submitted by Sh Cl (not verified) on June 15, 2008 - 18:45.
I think our big problem is social promotion. Many other countries do not have FREE and COMPULSORY education up through the age of EIGHTEEN. Our educational system gives a lot of opportunties to a lot of people who would not even have a chance in some other countries. This is as it should be. Every student should be given a chance to become educated. However, the idealist whose comment appears at the top of the page does not sound like a person who has taught by him-or herself alone in a classroom with 38 or so students who come in with far-below-basic achievement in all academic areas. What the person writes about as far as compliance with the law and teacher creativity is theoretically possible, but the fact is that to prepare such glorious lessons which differentiate for every student, for three or more subjects per day, for 180 days, is far beyond MY human capability.
I am also a California State Credentialed Teacher, and I have been teaching for ten years. I would love to see that person's lesson plans for the entire school year for the following subjects: 6th grade math, 6th grade science, 7th grade math, and High school geometry. I could really use some help, so if that genius could show me all of his or her fabulous lessons, I would be very grateful...I find it hard just getting through the day. If I come up with what I consider to be a glorious lesson a few times a year, I'm happy. I would really like to see this person podcast him- or herself in action to this website or put a link to him or herself in action because I am definitely not able to live up to her or his standard.
SCORING
Submitted by Michael Joseph Matteucig (not verified) on June 12, 2008 - 21:05.
I am so bemused by the lack of understanding of too many educators for not understanding that ALL STUDENTS CAN BE SUCCESSFUL when given legally mandated accommodations, interventions, and compensatory learning which is differentiated and leveled --not to mention thematic. Yes! Even with assessments, all struggling students are entitled to full assistance. Therefore, they can all succeed academically--including test-wise. Have you not heard of "Response to Intervention" and Dr. Mel Levine M.D's "Eight Neurodevelopmental Constructs" as basis for educating and assessing?
Have you not heard of portfolios and alternative project/place-based assessment which require to student to competently complete tasks using State mandated "Subject Matter "Scope and Sequence."
Have you not heard of "INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2004?" Yes!The students are mandated to pass the examinations based on their grade level. This is possible with appropriate accommodations. With a legal physician's note, all struggling students (even those who do not qualify for Spec.Ed.--which in and of itself is not an answer in too many cases) can be granted assistance. What's tragic is that too many educators lack the creativity to invent multiple-sensory project/place-based lessons based on curriculum tied to the State mandated Frameworks. What's more tragic is the complete non-compliance of legally mandated interventions by too many teachers in traditional elementary, middle, and high schools. The excuse is that there is no time. NONSENSE!!!! Have you ever visited a Montessori school in Japan or China--60 children per class. But, with peer groupings, the educator can give individualized attention to each and every student.
I am a State of California credentialed educator trained by physicians to assess and to implement learning strategies which will allow 100% success for all students--based on the premise that I follow the Federal and State legal mandates tied to meaningful curriculum.
In the real world, despite discrimination caused by intentional non-compliance of the law, individuals with learning challenges, deficits, and disorders are to be accommodated.
So long as educators implement curriculum which is multiple-sensory, thus, bi-hemispheric and not simply left-brain (based on student interest) which follows the "Scope and Sequence," ALL STUDENT CAN BE SUCCESSFUL--EVEN IN ASSESSMENTS.
I work with students with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Non-verbal Language disorder who have average to high intelligence quotient. They are allowed extra time on examinations as well as proctors, technology, readers, and writers.
I expect all these students to become caring, compassionate, sensitive, and selfless human beings who will serve their community as good citizens in some manner.
50 for a failing grade?
Submitted by ronnie (not verified) on June 22, 2008 - 06:04.
So the high school senior who passes 1 out of 2 marking periods of a half year course; spends the second marking period putting on makeup..and then chooses not to show up for the final exam, should pass the course? WOW that's great. You hire her.
1-on-1 is much different than 38-43 per teacher
Submitted by Sh Cl (not verified) on June 15, 2008 - 18:52.
You state on your web page that you do one-on-one teaching. One-on-one is a joy because we can facilitate each student's individual learning path as the student shares with us his or her interests and strengths.
I do not believe that one-on-one teaching qualifies you to write scathing bits about how awful you appear to believe the majority of teachers are.
Try teaching in Los Angeles urban public schools with no other adult assistants in the room, with 36+ students for ten years, then come back and comment.
Differentiated and leveled instruction strategies
Submitted by Michael Joseph Matteucig (not verified) on June 16, 2008 - 13:53.
It is tragic that you have not been trained to individualize education. Each and every child has his/her learning portfolio. For each and every student, you write the grade level goals and then you enumerate the objectives which will lead to the grade-level goals. You must remember that most students are either Pre-referal candidates or Section 504 candidates because of the left-brain methods used to impart information. Furthermore, IDEIA 2004 no longer requires discrepancy between actual performance and ability. All that needs to exist is difficulty in learning left-brain (oral-aural-visual) curriculum. So, you should make the lesson fun. Case in point, Algebra-- for a mixture problem I make ice cream using the favorite flavors of the students (democracy in action--vote to select particular flavor); then, I ask the students, "Would you like to strengthen the flavor or weaken the flavor or would you prefer to strengthen the cream content or weaken the cream content). This form of education costs me money; but,"HOW WOULD YOU TREAT YOUR OWN CHILDREN IF THEY WERE IN YOUR OWN CLASS?"
As for the lesson plans, you are to focus on a specific concept as mandated by the State in question and
are to level and differentiate (learning modalities: tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, oral, visual, olfactoral, gustatoral, etc.) it according to the specific learning modalities of the student. Thus, at the begining of the semester, multiple-sensory assessments are to be undertaken:read: "Eight Neurodevelopmental Constructs."
Furthermore, it appears as if you have no training in differentiated and leveled instruction. You are to focus on the student's strengths and to develop on the student's areas of weakness--with focus on the positive.
For over thirty years I have taught in URBAN--low income first grade classes (SFUSD, WCCUSD) with enrollment from 32 in 1978 to 20 in 1997. At this time, I work with a Catholic school whose first/second grade class has 42 students. Many of these children are Dyslexic. How do I do it?
I suggest you train in Dr. Levine M.D.'s "Schools Attuned" program, Orton-Gillingham, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia so that you may learn how to do it--peer groupings and individualized attention.
Peace and Good!
Michael Joseph Matteucig
50 the new zero
Submitted by Bill (not verified) on June 12, 2008 - 07:27.
I don't think that you can make something like this so black and white, and say that it helps or hurts. First of all you have to consider whether you are thinking of "self-esteem" or "self efficacy". In most cases when this is implemented it is because some administrator or some group has decided to help the child with "self-esteem" issues. "If we say they only got a 50% it does not look as bad to them and they will feel better about themselves and have better "self-esteem"."
Let's recognize that "self-esteem" is never self-esteem it is other esteem. It is, in reality, defining myself based on the other. How do I measure up, socially, intellectually, monetarily (read grade), with other students or peers.
What we as teachers actually need to be concerned with is self-efficacy. Do they believe they can do it. The grade, whether it is a zero or a 50 or 100 is only feedback on an arbitrary measure as determined by the teacher, the curriculum or heaven forbid some government official (standardized test) far removed from the classroom or reality.
We need to ask ourselves what happened to the child who on their own learned to walk, talk and navigate in their world with little or no formal training. Where did their enthusiasm for learning go. Frankly we "self-esteemed" it right out of them by constructing artificial comparisons, dependent on a system designed during the height of the industrial revolution.
All that to say leave the grade as it is. Focus on the child and their interest and ability and let them know that it is only feedback. It is no different than the gas gauge on your car. The world does not come to an end when it reaches E, it just means you need to fill the tank. We make F's an end in themselves and define the child based on that.
I for one am glad that Einstein didn't buy into what children are subjected to.
50 or 0
Submitted by lauren (not verified) on June 12, 2008 - 04:18.
Any student who earns lower than a 50% on an assessment receives a 50% in their grade calculations.
Any student who does not even attempt the assignment receives a 0.
Does rounding up an F to 50% help, or harm, students?
Submitted by Bill (not verified) on June 15, 2008 - 11:06.
So, what is considered making an attempt? If I answer one or two questions poorly with minimal effort that is an attempt. So, I then receive a 50%? This is ludicrous. Just like the fact that 48% of students entering college have A averages compared to 19% forty years ago.
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