K-4, every paper ever sent home….

Standards Based Report Cards

I have been vocal about them since the beginning. While I was thankful 2 of my kids never had them, I had one child who would have them. As a parent, it’s super frustrating not knowing where your child is struggling and how to help them. I’ve heard the “you can look at the exact standard and help them learn it” comment. Well, “Prepare for collaborative discussions on 4th grade level topics and texts: engage effectively with varied partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing one’s own ideas clearly”… Mind you, I have a B.S. in Education, I’m out. Yes, that is just one of MANY standards over five years. Yes, some are clear and easier to “help with”. Many times I’ve been told, “well, it’s just difficult for parents to understand”.

Now, this year, 5th grade, due to a change in policy, my child will have A, B, C, D, F grades for the first time ever. He will have 0-100 grades on his papers. If you think it’s difficult for parents, what about the kids? Who is thinking about them in this process?

I just took every paper Kyson has ever had sent home K-4 and put them in piles. Let me break them down for you.

Papers with smiley faces and check marks, 245. Yes, there are 245 papers with smiley faces and check marks. There are check marks on papers with everything correct, there are check marks on papers that would be a failing grade (in the traditional grading system). There are no frowny faces. No check minus papers.

Papers with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. No marks, no right or wrong, no feedback, NOTHING, 111. Yes, one hundred and eleven.

Papers with fraction grades, 52. Keep in mind, many kids have no clue if these are good or bad. I asked my child if he thought 2/3 was a good grade or a bad grade. He replied, “I’d say it’s ok”. Well, it’s an F now.

Papers with a 1, 2, 3, or 4, thirty-two. As a parent who read the entire paperwork sent home from the school system on SBRs, and did my own research, 2s concerned me. When I questioned them, I got, “Don’t worry, he’s doing fine. He’s getting better every day.”. I have said, many times, if we’re going to use this way of “grading” kids, every standard should have a link with extra work or ways to help a child improve the skill where they are struggling. I always felt a “this is our job, we know what we need to do” vibe.

And, finally, papers with a 0-100 number grade. There are 8. I believe they are all from 4th grade math. They are all multiplication.

So, am I complaining about teachers, no. I am not. I respect the profession, and my kids have been blessed with some of the best teachers out there. Am I frustrated with what we’ve done to our elementary age kids, yes. Yes, I am.

Just one more photo for comparison. The stack on the left is an older child’s elementary school work. (Keep in mind my three boys were born between 2006 and 2009; there is no huge age gap.) Every graded paper. That child had 0-100, A, B, C, D, and F grades. Technically he only had As; he made all As in elementary. Both of my older children made all As throughout elementary school. Do I believe my youngest would have done the same had he had the same grading system, probably. He may have made the occasional B, but I would have known where he needed help. We would have went over every incorrect answer on every paper brought home, like I did with my other two. If they missed one problem out of one-hundred, we went over what they missed. How do I know my youngest didn’t make the equivalent of all As? When he started 2nd grade, he had a principal who started an honor roll system based on the 1-4 grading scale. Honor Roll, High Honors, and Highest Honors. After my child didn’t make the honor roll the first time, I met with his teacher. I’m not sure she bought in to the system. He walked the red carpet the next 3 nine weeks. The next two years, he never once walked the red carpet for honor roll. I was never able to help him achieve that goal.

Side note: I didn’t count every single one, but the stack on the left has well over 400 graded papers. Remember, the current 5th grader had 8. This picture is of every paper ever sent home though. It would appear my older boys did double the amount of work.

So, what now? Teachers, if you are teaching kids in Sumner County in grades 4-6, this is the first time your students have ever had 0-100 grades or letter grades. It’s possible, they don’t even know how the numbers correspond with the letters. Seriously. They have had very few tests or quizzes on paper. Unlike my older two who had, on average, two tests per week from kindergarten through 5th grade. My youngest doesn’t even understand the pressure or importance of a test. In the past, if they didn’t finish a homework assignment or a paper, it didn’t really have a consequence. Their grades were not affected, and if they were, they didn’t really know it.

I would ask that you PLEASE, put in your grades, often. As parents, we can’t help our children if their grades are put in the day before progress/report cards. Give them lots of grades. Nine weeks of work should not be reduced to six total grades. Yes, my older boys will have 6 grades reported in a nine week period. Explain things to them. Let them know what you are grading. Be patient.

This is just my opinion. We have done a disservice to our children. It is not their fault. It is not your fault. However, we must all work together to fix it. I have said all along that I believe the children involved in SBRs for 5 years will face the consequences for years to come. I don’t have all of the answers. I just know when my child wrote a paragraph last year, he got smiley faces and check marks. Now, he’s getting a 78 on a paragraph he worked really hard writing. I know last year, and his entire time in the public school system when he got 2/4 problems right, he got a check mark. Now, he gets an F.