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When my daughter was in the sixth grade, she brought her planner to me to sign. I was busy cooking dinner and tending to her 6 month old baby brother. I told her I would sign it in the morning before school. Needless to say, the next morning was very hectic and I totally forgot. My daughter was an A-B student and never had trouble in her classes. Her homeroom teacher made her walk laps because the planner wasn't signed. I wrote a note the next morning to her teacher and explained that I did not want her punished for something that was totally my fault. The wording and tone of my note was not confrontational at all. Apparently, my daughter overhead her homeroom teacher complaining to the other teachers about my note. I couldn't believe it! From that moment on, I have hated those silly planners.
For many kids who may not test particularly well, notebook check may provide another way to demonstrate they grasp the material and to demonstrate valued skills.
I don't think notebook checks help show a child has grasped the material. This is one of my concerns with notebook checks. I do think it is nice to try to teach organizational skills. However, sometimes notebook checks have inflated my middle school daughter's grades.
There are times my daughter has had a good grade in a class where she is really struggling to understand the content. Her grade is fine because of notebook checks and other grades for homework completion. However, if she does not understand the material, then this is a concern to me.
When I was in school, we rarely had notebook checks. Our grades primarily were awarded based on projects and tests, which required you to understand the content to do well. Maybe I would be a more organized person if I had regular notebook checks--I'm not sure. However, I do know that I felt like I earned my grades through my work to understand the content being taught. That is different from what I am seeing now.
I do notebook checks about two times a month. Like a previous poster, the point value is low enough to not cause too much damage.
In high school, my own children had a math teacher who would have "notebook test" instead of notebook checks. He would hand out a test, but instead of math problems to work out, it would have something like this:
1. notebook page 8, problem number 6.
2. notebook page 17, problem number 4.
As long as the student had done their homework and kept it in the notebook, he/she would be fairly safe. Those who never did homework had problems.
These test were random, unannounced and counted the same point value as and announced test.
He rarely gave two classes a test in the same day.
Certainly, gave students an incentive to do their homework.
My daughter has notebook checks as mentioned by the OP, but she also has math notebook tests.
However, unlike the above, they're not related to homework (separate grades for that) but for class notes. If you're a slow, or messy note-taker you do poorly on these and they are a significant part of the grade (equivalent to a regular test score).
I'm on the fence about them. While I understand the point of them, some kids (me, when I was in school) don't need to take great notes to do well in a class, or are disorganized etc.
IMO, if a student can do well on a test that's all that should really matter. Some will need to take great notes and study them a lot, others do better just listening, and taking notes distracts them from the learning part. Grading how well someone takes notes really only props up grades of poor students who take good notes.
I've never even heard of this before. Sounds like a waste of time to me. What matters is whether you can do the math or know what needs knowing and that is what tests are for. People learn differently and some don't need to take copious notes.
I can't believe someone who gets an A+ on an exam can be given a lower grade for their notes. Meanwhile we give better grades to those who are good at copying. I'm starting to see why our schools are such a mess.
Last edited by sandlines; 05-18-2012 at 07:18 PM..
Did you - or your children - have "notebook checks" in middle or high school?
A "notebook check" basically takes the form of the teacher periodically collecting the student's notebooks (to see if they have made a sufficient, legible entry of notes for each class day) and/or folders (to see if they are neat and in order). These are usually graded and can account for a significant percentage of the student's grade.
They are supposed to reinforce organizational skills.
Also, what is your opinion on them?
I would have failed if my grades were based on notebook checks because I'm a poor listener and a lousy note taker. I still am. Three seconds into a conversation my mind is elsewhere. I always got good grades if the tests were based on the reading material or research. I can recall the written word and even tell you where on a page I saw the information weeks/months ago but don't ask me to tell you what you said 5 minutes ago. If the tests were based on the lectures, didn't do as well except for math. I only remember one teacher checking notebooks, thank God.
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