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Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Grades are a first proposal
Posted by:
Mr. T
()
Date: June 25, 2014 04:11PM
I am an FCPS teacher, and I have been for some time. I work at the high school level, but I am sure that at least some of what I am about to say is germane to elementary and middle schoolers too.
I am not a disenfranchised teacher either. While I, like anyone, would like more money, I realize that whining to the school board is unlikely to bring about a raise. We work for the government, and the government is not likely to empathize with personal problems when cheap labor is on the line, and cheap labor that won't fight to boot. Plus, I enjoy my job and, despite the downsides, I genuinely like going to work in the morning.
So, what I am saying is an observation from a content teacher who has seen the comings and goings of many educational pendulum swings over the years, and this is what I am telling you: if you want your kid's grade changed, you can almost always make it happen. At the high school level we have to :
1. Submit our gradebooks to the admins
2. Answer for any discrepancies between the number of assignments we give and the number a colleague gives.
3. Answer for discrepancies between the grades we give and the grades colleagues give.
4. Submit our final exam, a rationale for it, and how much it counts.
5. Give phone numbers where we can be reached throughout the summer if a grade is contested.
All of these measures are put in place because there is a deathly fear of parents: parents look at grades as initial bargaining positions, and they should. After all, any child who passes and SOL has met a minimum competency for graduation. With that in mind, anyone who passes and SOL , since it is the grad requirement, should be judged to have an adequate knowledge of the subject. I think this idea is absurd, but it is the way it is for now. So, in theory, even a kid who never comes to class, never does work, or both, has demonstrated minimal competency for graduation so long as they pass the SOL.Again, this doesn't reflect the importance of work ethic, following rules, dealing with deadlines etc, but we have thrown out those ideas. SO, if a kid who never shows up, never does work, and fails every test can pass the SOL many schools are now making it mandatory to pass them anyway. That mean that it's open season for kids who DO show up, DO turn in work etc. If someone who does nothing passes, then it creates a very ambiguous idea of how to judge students who do put in effort. Most teachers have given up fighting. Let's say you are on vacation and your principal calls and tells you a parent is contesting a B and wants a B+. You know , as a teacher, the burden is now on you and you are on the ropes to defend your grade. You can either A. Fight it, knowing you will probably lose anyway and the grade will be changed or B. Say "How will this effect my life" and give the extra half-grade. Since you know the grade will most likely be changed regardless of your protests, you go ahead and allow it. You are now seen as a "team player" by the higher ups, because they don't have to engage in a fight they probably can't win either, and you can enjoy your time off ( and that's what it is for me) without worrying about a battle over a half a grade with the parents of a student over issues you probably can't recall.
This situation is awful, and it's why we are falling do far behind educationally (at least in part), but it is absolutely where we are. SO, up the ante, and see you in September!
I am not a disenfranchised teacher either. While I, like anyone, would like more money, I realize that whining to the school board is unlikely to bring about a raise. We work for the government, and the government is not likely to empathize with personal problems when cheap labor is on the line, and cheap labor that won't fight to boot. Plus, I enjoy my job and, despite the downsides, I genuinely like going to work in the morning.
So, what I am saying is an observation from a content teacher who has seen the comings and goings of many educational pendulum swings over the years, and this is what I am telling you: if you want your kid's grade changed, you can almost always make it happen. At the high school level we have to :
1. Submit our gradebooks to the admins
2. Answer for any discrepancies between the number of assignments we give and the number a colleague gives.
3. Answer for discrepancies between the grades we give and the grades colleagues give.
4. Submit our final exam, a rationale for it, and how much it counts.
5. Give phone numbers where we can be reached throughout the summer if a grade is contested.
All of these measures are put in place because there is a deathly fear of parents: parents look at grades as initial bargaining positions, and they should. After all, any child who passes and SOL has met a minimum competency for graduation. With that in mind, anyone who passes and SOL , since it is the grad requirement, should be judged to have an adequate knowledge of the subject. I think this idea is absurd, but it is the way it is for now. So, in theory, even a kid who never comes to class, never does work, or both, has demonstrated minimal competency for graduation so long as they pass the SOL.Again, this doesn't reflect the importance of work ethic, following rules, dealing with deadlines etc, but we have thrown out those ideas. SO, if a kid who never shows up, never does work, and fails every test can pass the SOL many schools are now making it mandatory to pass them anyway. That mean that it's open season for kids who DO show up, DO turn in work etc. If someone who does nothing passes, then it creates a very ambiguous idea of how to judge students who do put in effort. Most teachers have given up fighting. Let's say you are on vacation and your principal calls and tells you a parent is contesting a B and wants a B+. You know , as a teacher, the burden is now on you and you are on the ropes to defend your grade. You can either A. Fight it, knowing you will probably lose anyway and the grade will be changed or B. Say "How will this effect my life" and give the extra half-grade. Since you know the grade will most likely be changed regardless of your protests, you go ahead and allow it. You are now seen as a "team player" by the higher ups, because they don't have to engage in a fight they probably can't win either, and you can enjoy your time off ( and that's what it is for me) without worrying about a battle over a half a grade with the parents of a student over issues you probably can't recall.
This situation is awful, and it's why we are falling do far behind educationally (at least in part), but it is absolutely where we are. SO, up the ante, and see you in September!