My family has found a troubling practice with our middle school kids over time: the consistent recommendation that our kids repeat any course in which they earn less than a 'B.' (I hope my kids will forgive me for revealing that they haven't yet achieved straight-As). This has happened for more than one child, and at more than one middle school. A child told to repeat a class is being told that she has failed. Lori & I feel very strongly that while a 'C' leaves much to be desired, it is not failure. We feel that a child who earns a 'C' in a class the first time will be terribly bored in the class the second time around.
When we ask where these recommendations come from, we are rarely told "this is my recommendation." We are usually told various forms of "this is what we do", "this is what is done," "this is our practice," "this is policy." That last one always gets my attention.
Lori & I are so alarmed by this that I asked whether this was indeed LCPS policy or practice. I got an unequivocal "no" from the very highest authorities, Superintendent Ed Hatrick and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Sharon Ackerman. Repeating a course simply on the basis of a 'C' average is not considered best practice. This is not endorsed by LCPS. I quote Mrs. Ackerman's response to me below:
"This is absolutely not the official position of the school system. Please
encourage any parent being told this to contact me."
How's that for certainty? Mrs. Ackerman is working now to ensure that teachers, principals and guidance counselors are fully aware of this. With this, I am working to ensure that parents are fully aware.
Each time Lori & I have received a recommendation to repeat a class due to a 'C' average, we have protested and insisted on placement at the next higher level. But I have to tell you that pushing back against those recommendations wasn't easy. And I have to think that if rejecting those recommendations is difficult for us, it will be even more difficult for most parents and impossible for some. So I want you to know that you have every right to determine what courses are best for your child.
As a parent, you make the decisions about what courses your child will take next year. You are the best judge of whether your child is ready for the next level or not. You have the right to change your child's course selections for several weeks still, even if you have already submitted your course selections.
If you encounter resistance to your choice of courses for your student because of a 'C' average, contact Sharon Ackerman, Assitant Superintendent for Instruction, and let her know. And then make your own decision with confidence, knowing that you are the most important educator in your childs life.
John I am glad to see that you not only support pay reductions and greater workloads for teachers, but now you try to undermine a suggested recommendation by a teacher. In my experience, this is not a policy, nor is it a common practice. Talking to a few individuals does not make it a common practice. The recommendations are just that, a recommendation. Teachers are asked to make the recommendation based on what they think is in the best interest of the student. This recommendation is not taken lightly. It is based on an entire year's worth of data (both qualitative and quantitative). Perhaps, a C grade is an indication that the child will struggle in a higher level in which they are not prepared.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, the parents are the final deciding factor in this decision, as they should be. The recommendation is not something set in stone, and carries little weight in course selections. It is just a recommendation.
I am also displeased that as a SB member you request parents to disregard the 'chain of command' procedures for discussing minor problems such as this. It is little wonder that the Supervisors and higher Admin email accounts are flooded by parents with trivial complaints in regards to their child. Contact the teacher, guidance director, or principal of that school. Then, if a satisfactory conclusion isn't met, move up the chain.
I have had a similar problem with the school. My younger son went to a private, full-day, non-accredited kindergarten (stress "full-day") because his b-day came 26 days after the cut-off. I pushed the principal on placing him in 1st grade, not kindergarten. First it was 1/2 day kindergarten, 1/2 day 1st grade. Of course he didn't shine. When I expressed concern that he would atrophy because he'd learned much of it already and because public kindergarten was only 3 hours I was told he'd be placed on the computer to keep him up to his current skill level - how was THAT supposed to happen? I was repeatedly warned about having him "skip" kindergarten (what skip?) and the detrimental affects it would have. Keep him in kindergarten so that he can be a "shining star". When I found out all but 1 child in the private kindergarten had gone to 1st grade I went over the principal's head to the head of elementary education for LoCo and stated my case. I didn't like doing it, but I know my child better than the school and I knew making him repeat kindergarten would be detrimental, so I won.
ReplyDeleteIn second grade when my son's teacher gave him a "shining star" certificate it was all I could do to not shove it in the principal's face.
IMHO the schools, the teachers, the administration are more concerned about their rankings than what is truly in the best interest of the child.
I've had this decision work both ways, but they were with high school credited classes in middle school. Our son, who was strong in math, didn't do as well as I thought he could have in Algebra 1, so I made him retake it at as a Freshman. He was bored and put in less effort than the first time - I should have let him go on to Geometry.
ReplyDeleteOur daughter made a C in Spanish 1 in eighth grade and I was concerned that she didn't know enough to make it through two more years of the language. She was very unhappy with me that I made her retake it as a Freshman. It was the right move this time around as her improved grade demonstrated a better understanding of the material and she went on to have two more years of success.
Different kids, different strengths, different subjects, but the same decision produced different outcomes.
"IMHO the schools, the teachers, the administration are more concerned about their rankings than what is truly in the best interest of the child."
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that the central office is concerned about rankings, but I can tell you the teachers aren't concerned with any rankings. (I'm not actually sure what rankings you're even talking about.)
I teach Spanish at the HS level. When I write that a student should repeat the class it is because I am sure that he or she will not earn a "C" or higher in the next level. Over a decade of this, and I don't think I've been wrong once. Parents do have the ultimate decision, but the opinion of teachers should not be disregarded. We are experienced professionals and have do have the students' best interest in mind. How would we benefit from recommending or not recommending a student to move on to the next level?
Also, John, the issue at the middle school, at least in foreign language, is that I've never heard or seen a grade lower than a "C." So,if a "C" is the lowest grade given out to a student it's like grad school where a C= an F.
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I put little stock in teacher recommendations. Until I started challenging the placement recommendations, my oldest child was consistently placed in classes which were far too easy for her. When she started middle school she took only the 2 recommended honors classes (out of a possible 4) and was bored within weeks. We actually joke about this now as this was a child who ended up taking many AP's and graduating at the top of her high school class.
ReplyDeletea "C" means that the child only learned 70% of the material presented in a course. I should think that you would want a higher average than that. It can really benefit your child in the long run to repeat a course- especially math since you need concepts presented in a previous year to be successful the next. There are a lot of factors one should look at but if you are pushing forward so that you can tell your neighbors and friends that your kids are taking "higher" level classes- get over it, you are doing more harm than good. It seems to be common practice in some neighborhoods to push a kid ahead who simply is not ready because of some sort of competition with everyone else. That is plain wrong. on the flip side, there is nothing wrong with being average. (unless you want to go to Tech or UVA)
ReplyDeleteIf parents want to not follow a recommendation, I hope they don't want the teacher of the next level to help get their child caught up.
ReplyDelete