When your kid's teacher has a poor grading system
Hi parents. I am finding myself in the unexpected and unpleasant situation of arguing with my 11th grader's teacher. It's a situation that snowballed and was fed by my frustration and the high school's system situation-blind approach to parents. It's the Bay Area and there are tons of helicopter parents who want their darling's to get A's. But that doesn't mean that striving for an A and encouraging your child to do so makes you one of "those parents". However, the system at my daughter's high school makes it such.
She has ADHD and depression, diagnosed by 3 different medical professionals and is on medication. She forgot her meds one day and had an in-class essay in honors English. It was the first essay of the semester, during the 3rd week. She thought she did a good job but didn't get the grade back for 7 weeks. For that entire time, she had 98% in the class and A's in all of her other classes. Then one day, during week 10 the A became a C, as the essay she wrote received a 71% and essays count for 75% of the grade. But at week 10 there was only one essay. Many students scored below 70% and they were allowed to rewrite. Their final essay grades came up to about 80. She asked to rewrite and was told "no". Even she knew it was a crappy essay--the grade was fair, but it was not typical of her at all. My daughter received an A on the second essay, and an A on the other assignment in that category. In the end, there were only 3 assignments in the category, two worth 75 points and one worth 40. The two A's brought the C up to an 86%. The final exam was worth 10% and my daughter received a 98%. She received a B in the class.
I contacted the teacher again about her weighting, pointing out that my daughter received 90% or better on everything but the first essay and that her first essay counted for 33% of the final grade which seemed ridiculously unfair. I also pointed out that my initial concern at week 10 that there wouldn't be enough assignments in that 75% category to balance out the one bad grade came true, despite her assurance that multiple assignments would be given. I have received no response.
I am not usually a helicopter parent but this is ridiculous and the combination of the "we hate parents who just want A's" and "the students need to talk to the teachers themselves" is making this a paralyzing situation. My daughter is already on medication for anxiety and is terrified of this teacher. This style of evaluation is not even in the spirit of teaching. A student should not receive the lowest grade they've ever gotten based on a single assignment at the beginning of the school year--the end maybe---but not the beginning. Do I take this to the principal directly? Or just ignore it and take a few colleges off the table for her?
Parent Replies
Went through similar in 10th grade. In fact, it was so bad that eventually parent pressure led the school to force the teacher to resign. My best advice is to get your kid away from that teacher. We are also not helicopter parents, and this was one of only 2 times between K and 12th grade we ever had to do this. We not only helicoptered in on it, we flew in on a fighter jet. Have your child moved to a different section of the same class. Call an emergency IEP meeting if you have to. Go directly to the Principal of the school, as they are usually the only one that can make that change happen mid-year. Do not engage further with that teacher. Make it clear to your kid that you're on this side on this issue and that you've got their back an that this is an adult problem that will be resolved by the adults. We had the added degree of difficulty because our kid didn't want to switch out for fear of stigmatization (the bad teacher was already stigmatizing her verbally in class anyway - announcing parts of her 504 Plan and ridiculing her for it). Once we got her switched, though, that second teacher became a mentor to her. Most importantly, the second teacher understood and was able to adhere to the plan and get our kid through the class with a passing grade that was earned honestly. Good luck. If you don't have a fighter jet, I find a broom works nicely ;-)
Let it go. A "B" in one class is not going to materially affect her college choices. You and she should not put so much stress on getting straight "A"s. That will only add to her anxiety and depression.
It sounds like you are being very fair, and the teacher is not. Why was your daughter not allowed to rewrite? That seems very unfair when other students were allowed to rewrite. I would go straight to the vice principal or principal, and fast, while they can still adjust grades. Grades in High School do matter. But also try not to convey your anxiety to your daughter.... Also, maybe she should have a 504, which is for medical conditions, which she certainly seems to have. Best wishes! Sounds like you are on the right path, not a 'helicopter'.
Definitely contact an administrator. The fact that your daughter's grade showed no change until week ten isn't right. Your child's chances for the most competitive universities shouldn't be jeopardized because of a teacher's unfair grading system. It's worth bringing it up to an administrator--your daughter (and you) have every right to fight for her grade. (I've taught high school, including an AP course for 20 years.)
I used the parents grievance procedure to change a grade.It took over a year as I was not getting a written response like I should have within a certain time frame.I finally complained to someone on the school board that my written grievance was not being responded to and that moved things along.My child's situation was different as there were no teacher records showing how the grade was arrived at.We did win,but then when we checked with the guidance counselor the grade had never been entered.I sat there at watched her do it finally.Unfortunately getting a B instead of an A can affect what college you get into as the competition is fierce.I would fight it if I were you and if you do not win at least you know you tried
Wow, I feel like you are really over-reacting to this situation. You cannot always be there to fight teachers about grades for your child. As well, she's got to learn to deal with disappointment and learn from her mistakes. I think that this is the real lesson you should be teaching her from this experience.
My thoughts are that if your daughter wants a different grade she should be initiating the fight for it. We had something similar happen; my son (now an 11th grader) has an IEP and misses a lot of school due to his condition. In one particular class in his sophomore year he was not getting homework sent to him in a timely manner, causing assignments to be late and to not always have all the information needed for tests. I asked my son what he wanted to have happen. He wanted things to change so that he could get a better grade of course, so we asked him to come up with a strategy for dealing with it (with our help) and to take the lead on implementing it. He did do it successfully, and learned a lot in the process. It required some nudging and hand holding and there was the possibility that there would be not enough follow through or that it wouldn't make a difference. We felt, however, whatever the outcome, that a (then) 16 year old should be learning to advocate for himself effectively, ESPECIALLY with a handicap. We (the adults) were there to provide backup, help with setting up meetings, editing emails, etc. It turned out that the teacher and other staff were impressed that our student was making the effort ,and I think that that ultimately turned the tide in his favor. Also note, that if it hadn't turned out well I was ready to step in (unbeknownst to my son), but felt that a good faith effort by my son was a good first step.