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It's a district policy that varies by school. I thought it was just among middle schools (which doesn't really matter because GPAs don't count in middle school), but my daughter (freshman in HS) just told me that some of her teachers offer retesting too. I find that patently unfair in high school, so I am surprised at this news.
I like the idea...if it was applied with a limit. Maybe 1 time per year per student while in HS, as an example. External factors can pop up that affect preparation. Or a simple brain freeze due to anxiety/stress.
When Wake County tried to require a consistent districtwide grading policy a few years ago that dictated things such as how to handle retesting for higher grades, teachers revolted. They didn't want to be dictated to by the district so policies are left up to individual schools.
It's a district policy that varies by school. I thought it was just among middle schools (which doesn't really matter because GPAs don't count in middle school), but my daughter (freshman in HS) just told me that some of her teachers offer retesting too. I find that patently unfair in high school, so I am surprised at this news.
I think retesting or doing corrections is fantastic. The whole point is for the kids to learn the material, right? If they keep at it and get better grades then awesome.
I view it kinda like those online tests that keep getting harder and harder until you can't answer any more questions and they find what level you're at that way.
I think all schools should offer retesting or corrections on tests. We want kids who know the stuff even if it takes a couple of tries. It shouldn't be a competition. We should lift each kid up no matter how many tries it takes. It would be fantastic if every kid could make an A. I don't mean, give them an A that they don't deserve, but keep teaching and learning until they get it, y'know?
I think retesting or doing corrections is fantastic. The whole point is for the kids to learn the material, right? If they keep at it and get better grades then awesome.
I view it kinda like those online tests that keep getting harder and harder until you can't answer any more questions and they find what level you're at that way.
I think all schools should offer retesting or corrections on tests. We want kids who know the stuff even if it takes a couple of tries. It shouldn't be a competition. We should lift each kid up no matter how many tries it takes. It would be fantastic if every kid could make an A. I don't mean, give them an A that they don't deserve, but keep teaching and learning until they get it, y'know?
I agree. And I think the DDMS policy is fair - you can re-take the test and show mastery but you're not getting an "A" because you couldn't be bothered to study the first time. You can pass the test that you failed...it will be a "D" but you'll pass. This policy also keeps the parents out of it. It is made clear at the beginning of the year.
My daughter is required to make test corrections regardless of grade. She got a 90 on the last math test and spent the weekend bitterly doing test corrections. But she will know the material. She is really struggling with her math teacher this year (as are all the kids in the class) so there is a certain amount of self reliance here; you're not always going to get a gem of a teacher. That's life.
This is like Davis Drive Elementary requiring a multiplication speed test at the beginning of 4th and 5th grade - kids have to get 100 on 3 tests in a row and then they can stop taking the test. Other schools won't do it because it's "against policy". Common sense, if you can't do multiplication by rote you are going to have a very tough time with math at any level and in the real world.
It's a district policy that varies by school. I thought it was just among middle schools (which doesn't really matter because GPAs don't count in middle school), but my daughter (freshman in HS) just told me that some of her teachers offer retesting too. I find that patently unfair in high school, so I am surprised at this news.
Wow. I recall my daughter being allowed to correct answers on a quiz, but not an actual test.
Is this at Green Hope? That is interesting.
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I think retesting or doing corrections is fantastic. The whole point is for the kids to learn the material, right? If they keep at it and get better grades then awesome.
I view it kinda like those online tests that keep getting harder and harder until you can't answer any more questions and they find what level you're at that way.
I think all schools should offer retesting or corrections on tests. We want kids who know the stuff even if it takes a couple of tries. It shouldn't be a competition. We should lift each kid up no matter how many tries it takes. It would be fantastic if every kid could make an A. I don't mean, give them an A that they don't deserve, but keep teaching and learning until they get it, y'know?
Agreed. I think the whole idea is that kids learn the material.
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My kids went to three different middle schools (Ligon, Carnage, Davis Drive Middle) because they each needed different things. Davis Drive middle was a wonderful experience for my younger son; it far surpassed my expectations coming from my Magnet school bias. The teachers communicated expectations very well to the kids and this prompting and "clarity" was exactly what my younger son needed to succeed and make good grades. My older son went to Carnage and did not do as well academically (although being a brilliant kid!). He did get to take a huge variety of courses at Carnage and this did stoke his imagination. But, if I had to do it all over again, I'd have sent him to Davis Drive Middle. The teachers are just far more organized and communicative.
My kiddo went to DDMS and had a great three years there. He had some wonderful, caring teachers. He isn't an athlete and while he is a smart kid, was not at the top of the heap there. I really liked administration there and the changes they made. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the school and miss some of the staff now that we are over at the high school.
Wow, this is great info. Am I allowed to tour these schools when we visit in Feb. or are there set open houses where parents and new students are allowed to visit?
Also, interesting on the soccer front. We are coming from a huge soccer city, Seattle, so psyched to hear it's popular. This is one area where my son is very competitive so it will be interesting to see how his skills stack up.
Be prepared to potentially find other outlets for soccer not tied to the school. Due to the size of certain schools in the area, making a team, even if you are a good player can be a challenge, just because there are so many other children playing the same sport at a high level and only so many spots on each team.
Soccer (along with girls volleyball, football, boys and girls basketball and track) are school sports at the middle school level. These are funded by the school with paid coaches (teachers) and access to school transportation to get to and from games. Certain other sports (baseball, lacrosse, etc.) are club sports where the coaches are parents, activities are self-funded and parents need to provide transportation to and from games.
Davis Drive appears to have kids with higher test scores across the board so not sure if that means there is going to be more pressure between kids there or not to overachieve.
I am wondering if he will have an easier time at one over the other considering he is just an above average student and probably would not do well in an environment if there is intense academic competition.
If your question had been posed to the board like this:
If you had to pick one, what middle school would you say is the most like a pressure cooker?
The answer from the board would probably be Davis Drive, by a wide margin.
I have friends with kids at DD and my kids have friends there as well. It's a fairly high pressure school, as they are very prideful of those test scores. But really a lot of it has to do with the parent culture there, it's particularly helicopter-parenting centric. I have an aquiantance who is a child psychologist, and she actually told me point blank that she would not recommend DD or it's feeder high school Green Hope, because of the number of students she gets from those schools who are buckling under pressure there. Obviously, that could be the parents and not the schools - and it's a wealthy area so it could also be that these parents are simply the ones that can afford her fees. But I did think it was interesting coming from her.
If your son is average+ and pretty laid back, you might want to consider Apex Middle. Good scores, but a very relaxed atmosphere and a lot of the staff have been there a long time, which we really liked. Don't let the ancient building fool you, it's a great school. It feeds into Apex High and Apex Friendship, both of which are great schools. (Apex is getting a new HS in 2 years, so those feeder patterns may change)
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