"What can I do to pull my grade up?"

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by sll3454

That was pretty much my policy when I taught middle school. There is no "mercy A." An A on a report card means that the student did the work and learned almost all of what was presented. A grade of B could mean that the student learned the material but was a little lax in completing work, or it could mean that the student worked very hard but just didn't quite get it all, or it could mean that a very capable student was taking it easy.

A C- was the only mercy grade I gave, and I only allowed it because of pressure from administration and parents.

My policy exactly but my mercy grade is a D- which is our lowest passing grade. Everything else is earned. I only give that mercy D- when I see no justice in making the student retake the class. It does not go to the lazy. If I think a student has done all they can do and will gain nothing by repeating my class I give the mercy D-.

[tnff]

I can to an extent understand this, esp since that kids isn't going to be a chemist but will work in the factory, military, or skilled trades.

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

My policy exactly but my mercy grade is a D- which is our lowest passing grade. Everything else is earned. I only give that mercy D- when I see no justice in making the student retake the class. It does not go to the lazy. If I think a student has done all they can do and will gain nothing by repeating my class I give the mercy D-.

But I do not understand this considering that D/C student will, regardless of grade, work in a factory, military, or skilled trades.

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

And yeah, for some kids, getting that D (or C) will have more impact than an A does for another kid.

How does giving the mercy C impact their life one bit? But for the college bound kid, a B instead of an A might mean the difference in a scholarship, or college acceptance, which could mean the difference in which college he/she goes to. That has life changing effects.


I saw this when I was in school and see it today with my kids in school, the variable grading scale where the top student has to work twice as hard for the same point difference as the slacker at the bottom end of the scale.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by tnff

I can to an extent understand this, esp since that kids isn't going to be a chemist but will work in the factory, military, or skilled trades.




But I do not understand this considering that D/C student will, regardless of grade, work in a factory, military, or skilled trades.



How does giving the mercy C impact their life one bit? But for the college bound kid, a B instead of an A might mean the difference in a scholarship, or college acceptance, which could mean the difference in which college he/she goes to. That has life changing effects.


I saw this when I was in school and see it today with my kids in school, the variable grading scale where the top student has to work twice as hard for the same point difference as the slacker at the bottom end of the scale.

The mercy passing grade means the student can graduate.


It is precisely BECAUSE upper students are competing for scholarships that I do not bump higher grades. When I give a failing student a D- that has zero impact on other students. When I give a student an A who earned an A-, I just pushed them ahead of other students who are competing for entry into the same colleges or for the same scholarships and that is not fair to the student who earned the A or other students whose A-'s were not bumped. Grade bumping at the top impacts all of the students at the top not just the student who got the bump. At the bottom it impacts only the student in question. They get to graduate without repeating a class that I've deemed a waste of time for them to repeat because I believe that they will not learn any more the second time around. Disclaimer: I do not bump grades for the lazy. I only bump them for students who have done all they can to pass on their own but just can't make it. If you're lazy you need to learn a life lesson about your choices. You get to fail.


Yes the top students work harder for the same point spread. The objectives are different for the top and bottom. I want my bottom to have a basic understanding of the material so 70% of the questions on my tests and lab assessments are basic. 15% are more difficult application problems and 15% are more difficult problems that require understanding the material and putting it together in different ways. At the bottom my objective is minimum understanding and the ability to apply what they've been shown to do. At the top it's to apply the material in different ways which shows a thorough understanding. The kid who is going to work in that factory doesn't need to be able to do what the kid who is going on to college to study chemistry needs to do. I'm giving one a basic education to improve their understanding of things that impact their lives and preparing the other for success in college chemistry.