How do we get districts to start being honest with families about their kids being “passed along”? 😔 I am not taking about the parent who is counting on just that… I am advocating for families who have no idea…
The thorniness of this is incredibly real for schools, I think. Let's say you hypothetically shift to a system in which students' grades are 100% tied to mastery of learning on assessments and they cannot pass a class without showing that mastery—and you have 10-15% more students failing classes as a result. You're going to get major pushback, right? From both people above you but also from families of students who want them to graduate on time.
I think you re 100% right to bring up this point—but I think the "solution" is ridiculously complicated, too.
I think solution is simple and even cost effective: if kids aren’t meeting standards, look at teachers, first.
If the teachers are willing to grow, provide training (often from within).
If not, like Tyler mentioned in his chapter long post (which I appreciated), unions have to consider that our primary role is to be an effective educator!
Of course, attendance and holding students and families accountable is key as well
That one is tricky. I don’t think truancy courts of yore will have any impact.
I believe parents need to see, actually come in and see, what their student reading at a 3rd grade level in 8th grade looks like.
I have had meetings
with parents on my own to have these difficult conversations and they cried over all that has been in their control all along, is in their control, and all that they may not be able to control.
And of these meetings, 50% of them show turn around in parenting and growth—maybe not at grade level, but huge growth.
But this all came at MY time and knowledge.
Next grade, next teacher: not doing a whole lot and passed along again.
We need to break the systemic lethargy from top and within. And it is possible. And the long run, more cost effective.
That definitely is a ton of weight on summarize—not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, but I could imagine that being tricky as far as the day-to-day!
If given that context, I know my initial goal would be to have as many smaller/targeted summatives as possible—with a really intentional revision strategy for students who struggle on first attempt.
How do we get districts to start being honest with families about their kids being “passed along”? 😔 I am not taking about the parent who is counting on just that… I am advocating for families who have no idea…
The thorniness of this is incredibly real for schools, I think. Let's say you hypothetically shift to a system in which students' grades are 100% tied to mastery of learning on assessments and they cannot pass a class without showing that mastery—and you have 10-15% more students failing classes as a result. You're going to get major pushback, right? From both people above you but also from families of students who want them to graduate on time.
I think you re 100% right to bring up this point—but I think the "solution" is ridiculously complicated, too.
I think solution is simple and even cost effective: if kids aren’t meeting standards, look at teachers, first.
If the teachers are willing to grow, provide training (often from within).
If not, like Tyler mentioned in his chapter long post (which I appreciated), unions have to consider that our primary role is to be an effective educator!
Of course, attendance and holding students and families accountable is key as well
That one is tricky. I don’t think truancy courts of yore will have any impact.
I believe parents need to see, actually come in and see, what their student reading at a 3rd grade level in 8th grade looks like.
I have had meetings
with parents on my own to have these difficult conversations and they cried over all that has been in their control all along, is in their control, and all that they may not be able to control.
And of these meetings, 50% of them show turn around in parenting and growth—maybe not at grade level, but huge growth.
But this all came at MY time and knowledge.
Next grade, next teacher: not doing a whole lot and passed along again.
We need to break the systemic lethargy from top and within. And it is possible. And the long run, more cost effective.
Loved this conversation. How would you handle 20% formative and 80% summative?
That definitely is a ton of weight on summarize—not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, but I could imagine that being tricky as far as the day-to-day!
If given that context, I know my initial goal would be to have as many smaller/targeted summatives as possible—with a really intentional revision strategy for students who struggle on first attempt.