I received a response on an earlier post that piques my curiosity. I want to hear from teachers about the mid-term grading curve. Please spread the word to teachers in the district because I want a big response.
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Mid-term grading curves...thoughts?
21 comments:
Ms Griffin
Teachers are evaluated based in part on how well students do in their class. Obviously there is some merit to this approach but the data used is too objective and subject to manipulation. I don't think that's an accident.
I sat down with my principal for my evaluation.
She pulled out a large file that had all class GPA's diagregated by subject area and teacher. The average GPA for my classes was about 2.2. I sneaked a look and discovered it was a bit lower than the average in my subject area in the district and my school. If they crept lower I was warned that it could reflect on my final evaluation for the year.
What do you think most teachers would do to prevent that from happening?
Lets face it, it they were really interested in evaluating a teachers effectiveness wouldn't they be looking at numbers that the teacher couldn't manipulate?
I called her on it. She made sure that she denied that this was pressure to get GPA's up. She wrote me that she figured that I would not be happy if my kids performed at a D or F level.
I explained that this wasn't about MY happiness. It was about ethics and honesty. Kid who are failing because they aren't motivated, don't bring materials to school, suffer from poverty and poor parenting and yes, poor teachers DOES make me sad. These facts do not absolve me of my professional responsibility to do my very best and to evaluate my students honestly and dispassionately.
I told her that there was no other way to look at this but an attempt to make the district look good and pressure me to give grades that kids haven't earned.
I was still concerned. Why would they do this, knowing full well that mid-term grades would demonstrate the the truth. Then it hit me. They are covering themselves by asking for the grade curves. Teachers all over the building see the terrible discrepancy. Kid gets a B in class and an F on the mid-term. Why? The kid probably deserved an F in that class. No worries, that F will be a C in no time thanks to Mr. Curve.
Why should a teacher give honest grades when that honesty will cost them their job?
Someday soon the truth is going to come out and guess who will get the blame? You guessed it. I can hear it now.
Ms. Administrator: "How could you have given Janie a B in your class? She doesn't even know how to tell time, or add 3 column numbers, or multiply or divide."
Teacher: silence
Its the silence of knowing you gave a grade they didn't deserve but were pressured to give. You can say nothing because this pressure was NEVER put down in writing, never the subject of an in-service.
I ask my fellow teachers to post here and tell me if I am off base with this.
Come on, an elected member of the school board is soliciting your responses. Tell her.
I'm scared of losing my job too. I may be a loose canon too but someone tell me that what I say is wrong.
Teachers, tell Ms. Griffin that what I say is accurate.
We are pressured to give good grades. Remember, I got an early evaluation because I was sick too often but I am sure if you haven't already, you will see them same data I was shown and you had better pay attention. You will be held fully responsible for your students performance. If too many do poorly, you will ne marked as "NI" needs improvement.
Thanks Ms. Griffin.
T. Y. speaks the truth. Mid-term Grading Scales are so messed up.
Class Grades are reasonable: 100-90=A, 89-80=B, 79-70=C, 69-60=D, everything below 60=F. Then the scales for Final Exams are all messed up. A student can pass a Semester with scores as low as 26%.
If you achieved a 78 or 75 in two social studies electives, you will receive an "A" on your report card in January. Last year, there were several courses in other departments that kids could get an "A" with a 68%.
Don't even try and challenge people in charge...you'll get a stern lecture and be shown the door if you dare question what's going on. They'll bury you with meaningless statistics that they think are really cool.
Teachers have been receiving pressure to pass kids regardless of their effort. It's a subtle message so far, but nonetheless it is forcing grades up.
The "curves", but the way, were developed last year with zero teacher input. Standard operating procedure for this district.
I always found it interesting that these new exam curves were developed district wide when we went to teaching 6 out of 7. The scales are so completely inappropriate that we must have invalid exams. Right? It has become a joke among teachers.
It has always been my argument that it is completely unethical to place an A as an exam grade for a student earning a 90% or higher and also place an A for a student taking the same test and they earned a 78%! It makes the students looks equal to the universities and also when calculating their GPAs. I can't believe parents haven't pushed this point!
In reference to the pressure by administrators to "give" students better grades, it happens at my school too. I know of quite a few people that have been "given" the talk and one teacher marked down on her evaluation for it even though she had documented the students' absences, suspensions, zeros, and failures in other classes. Nobody really believes that administrators want to be called downtown for grades looking as bad as they really are, do they?
Coming from a student:
My semester exam for Business was 200 questions. The highest grade in the class was a 68% without a curve. Teachers don't make their own semester exams and that contributes to the problem as well.
The entirety of education in this county is going right down the toilet because of the micromanaging of superintendent that should be in charge of Wall Street. Bravo to her cost cutting measures, but this isn't Wall Street: This is education, and truth be told, her cost-cutting measures, along with other changes mandated by her, the children's educations are suffering. I am beginning to sound like my father now, but I swear kids today aren't nearly as intelligent as they were five years ago.
But, I saw it coming a long, long time ago. I remember when the grading scale in Hillsborough started out 94-100 was an A. Later on they just went to a 10 point scale and kids who were getting F's (below 70) then began getting D's.
Grade inflation due the pressure Mr. Vaughn illustrated, grading curves and this ever-increasing pressure that comes from the top dog in the county, MaryEllen Elia to increase the AMOUNT of students who take AP classes at the high school level is strictly a salary bonus issue. Note, I said the AMOUNT of students in AP classes, not the quality of students in AP classes. Who came up with this reward system? Elia gets a bonus for the number of students enrolled in AP classes, and not the number of students who pass the AP exam?
We too, are being pressured by administrators to increase recommendations for AP students because our low enrollment in AP "reflects poorly on our school," though, according the FCAT we were one of the A schools this past year. Of course, that is diminished as well as the powers that be changed the grading system for FCAT and as a result there were a record number of high schools that received A's this year. Judging by last year's students, I predicted to my principal that we would do no better than a C.
But on to curving the exams - for once I am in agreement. The reason why? A county made exam for high school English contained at least 10 errors that were identified BY THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES. That doesn't count the 15 or 20 more that I found upon review. This is an exam that someone downtown is in charge of typing, for all intents and purposes, a "superior" of mine and it was so chock full of errors, I was embarrassed to give it. In this case, yes, curve the exam especially in English because some of the errors were faulty directions to grammar items on the test, others flagrant typos, one that contained two correct answers, etc. But that goes hand in hand with the dumbed down Springboard curriculum
I'm also appalled that a student receiving a 70% got the same grade as one who di 90%. I know, particularly in science, that the test questions, for both in class and county, have to be honestly on the level of the course. If I give a test and over 60% of the students miss it, then either the question was bad or the teaching/learning missed. If the missed questions were spread out though, each point of curriculum WAS understood by someone. Was that done with the county exam?
We teachers have a responsibility to make the class room experience as positive and engaging as possible. We do all we can to help the students WANT to learn, but some of the responsibility lies with the student as well. When, week after week, we employ every tool, technique, and trick to motivate a student and they STILL refuse to hand in one assignment or truly participate in class, does this failure rest with the teacher? It breaks my heart when a parent asks ME for advise on how to motivate their child because nothing the parent has done has worked.
Most importantly, we cannot neglect the higher achieving students while trying to motivate the lower quartile. Yes, there is merit in allowing those students to tutor the others, but we also want to challenge each student to their highest level. When a person has truly stretched themselves to their utmost and achieved success, the sense of accomplishment engendered validates the individual more than any cheaply given, and lightly esteemed, ranking.
Anonymous at 8:14am is lucky! Teachers at my high school are NEVER asked for any input about students placed in our AP classes. When we express concern about a placement based on test scores, GPAs, attendance records, behavior records, or past experience with the student, we are told by guidance that "downtown has told us we MUST put the kids in AP classes."
Even in cases where it is obvious that the school is setting the student up for failure, administration and guidance do not remove the student from AP! I can't wait to see what percentage of students pass their AP classes in the next couple of years if this is the districts new policy. People thought teaching an AP class was stressful before...try teaching college level material to a ninth or tenth grader reading on level 1 or 2! We'll still get called to the main office about our grades though. Very depressing.
There is a subtle pressure to fill up AP classes district wide.
Then there are "thinking out loud" questions by administration highlighting why so many students have failed certain classes (let's say sophomore regular English or Algebra).
The message: too many failures. Teachers aren't teaching.
The solution: play the game, "adjust" your scoring template.
The results: more college remedial classes and an ill equipped workforce.
Also, Thomas and Charles are right and more articulate.
The secret is out. Students will openly tell you there's no need to study very hard for their finals because they know the curve is so generous.
Honestly, April, it's a complete joke. I would suggest you get a bunch of teachers together before a CTA meeting. You'll be absolutely amazed at what you hear.
I agree with Anon 11:29. One of Elia's senior staff members told teachers at a CTA meeting that not one single teacher was involved in the development or roll-out of the program.
See Ms. Griffin?
Its all about how things look.
The teachers who have posted here are good decent professionals. They care about their students more than they care about how their school "looks". Window dressing means nothing to them. Wouldn't you want someone like those folks teaching your kids?
Setting kids up for failure is depressing for those of us who care about kids. Depressing. Makes us sick.
Here's the dilemma. Do we tell the truth, give grades that are an honest representation of their progress or do we "go along" so as to keep pour jobs and help our schools "look" good? Can you blame them? We all see what happens to people who stick their necks out.
Why should a teacher go against the flow, rock the boat and get singled out by administration for extra walk troughs, punishment for being sick too often made up accusations of wrongdoing, AP's with their ear to your door listening for a "gotcha" moment.
I am not making this up. It happens. I dread going back to work tomorrow. Not because of the kids, I love them and they love and respect me. They make my life sweet. I suspect every teacher who posted on this thread can say the same thing.
I dread the daily pressure from people who have NO idea what it is to really teach, people who care more about the way things look than the way things are. I am sure that many of them are decent people who just want to keep their admin jobs and have decided to keep quiet.
The deceit comes from a level above building level administrators but they do the dirty work and I wish to God one of them would have the courage to speak out.
Please keep reading Ms. Griffin. When other teachers see your request for education, they will fill this thread up.
I am sure you have figured out why I sign my real name havn't you?
Thanks again Ms. Griffin
Setting kids up for failure is exactly what the district has decided to do by placing everyone in AP classes in order to earn bonus money and make our schools look good. Thomas is right, I certainly did NOT become an educator to play games like the ones I witness everyday now. And the games do make me sick.
Ms. Griffin,
Do you have a copy of the English exams grading scale? I would be interested to know the response you get from downtown for such a request. And yes, the errors on the exams are unbelievable.
Thanks for asking for input. Yes, the above is all true. I am still bitter about Springboard. I just sent a dozen seniors off to college without any knowledge about British literature. They also received much less writing instruction and practice. I have apologized to them numerous times in response to their remarks and questions, but I had NO opportunity to offer ideas, criticisms and suggestions before Springboard was purchased. We teachers did not get a look at our teacher editions (ha!) until our four day class this summer. I feel worse about the students in 11th gtade this year--they will miss both American literature and British literature. It is unconscionable to do this to our students. Gutting entire curriculums is no answer to poor student performance and embassassment to higher ups. Springbaord does have some useful tools, strategies and approaches to learning. It all could have been incorporated into the curriculum. We have done this with reading strategies, CRISS and other methods that we have learned and shared. We have a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience in my school which is perpetuated by further education, new, younger teachers, transfers form other schools/dictricts, etc. Teachers are continually learning and growing. (This is in addition to whatever service hours required for re certification). We take pride and get our satisfaction from student achievement. The better they perform, the sweeter the reward for us. I am infuriated by the increasingly lower curvesover several years' time. I felt this year that the curve was only fair--given the quality of the exam and the material in Springboard. Why penalize students for something beyond everyone's control? Check the number of film angle/lighting terms on the senior exam....the only relevance of this would be an exam in a film/media production class!I am now getting AP students in my regular classes who shouldn't have been in AP classes to begin with! We knew that would happen! No problem for the supe--she got a bonus for students enrolled--correct? It will be interesting to see how many AP students pass that exam--there is no curve for it. Again, I must state--not every student will/wants to attend college. $30 million could have gone a long, long way to shore up our collapsing vocational programs. Yes, I know it was a grant--we could have written one for vocational purposes also. My principal is wonderful--but on our grade printouts there is a breakdown by percentages of students earning each grade. Grade inflation makes us all look good an distracts attention from the problem. Nobody is well served with this situation. It's not about appearance--it's about performance.It's just wrong, wrong, wrong.
Again, thanks for your interest. Hope this has been of some help.
April, I'm sure that you're aware of Education Week's report ranking Florida's school's 10th in the nation.
On the surface, this looks like cause for celebration. That is until you look further into the individual categories. Namely, Florida's ranking of 44th for its graduation rate. That's just deplorable.
I'd love to see Hillsborough's graduation rate tied into Mrs. Elia's performance pay, instead of the AP enrollment nonsense.
I concur that the exam grading scale was a joke. To be honest, Springboard is a joke. It is not rigorous and preparing students for college. It is boring, unchallenging, and very subjective. I teach juniors (Honors and A.P.). My honors students hate the curriculum. Many of my students I had as freshmen and know my teaching style. Although they tell me my class was much work and challenging, they were happy when they had me again and constantly tell me how much they had learned previously with me. I know that A.P. students I get next year will definitely not be prepared based on the Springboard curriculum. Education is in a sad state of affairs.
A curve is a little inaccurate in describing the disservice we are doing to our students. A curve would distribute the grades in a particular fashion. Simply stated, in a standard bell curve the idea is that you have a standard distribution of results - the same amount of A’s as F’s, the same amount of B’s as D’s. That is far from what SDHC is doing. "I can guarantee you no student is going to get a worse grade," said David Steele, the Hillsborough County School District's general director for secondary education. "Our goal is to ensure the grade on the semester exam mirrors the class grades for the nine weeks." That is not a curve. That is grade scaling, which is quite a bit different. To automatically have an exam “mirror” the nine week grade is nonsense and an admission that the exams are flawed. Is it surprising that the exam grades are low? Students typically are trained to take less than 30 item tests in a less than a 50 minute window. Now we give them 75+ item tests in a two hour time frame for an entire week. If you ask an Olympic sprinter to run a marathon you’d get the same result…a poor performance. All of this underscores two points. Scaling is wrong in this instance and we have exceedingly poor exams.
November 1992 issue of THE MATHEMATICS TEACHER, p. 608)
“When our students' performance on tests or quizzes is below our expectations, we have a number of options, including the following: (a) let the results stand, (b) throw out the test, (c) give a retest (Spiegel 1991), (d) change the scale used to assign a letter grade, or (e) adjust,
or scale, the numerical grades.
The following is not an endorsement of modifying grades to fit expectations. Such action, used improperly, can easily dilute the integrity of teaching by creating an illusion of success. However, occasionally such action is justifiable. If teachers must modify grades,
they should do so fairly and infrequently.”
SDHC is “diluting the integrity of teaching by creating an illusion of success”. The fact that it is not done infrequently underscores that the tests are poor and therefore we should (b) throws out the test.
Let me use SDHC’s World History – Regular 1st semester exam as an example. Of the 74 questions, you would need ZERO prior knowledge on 45% of the test, good enough to land in the B-C range. If you want to test skills let’s say so, but do not call it a history examination. These skills include: 15 questions on charts, 2 on timelines, 7 map questions, and 9 that involve reading passages. If you’re an Honors student you take the EXACT same exam, plus three more questions based on a…reading passage. 8 of the 74 questions are bad from the start because they involve negative stated stems: not, except, etc. Let’s not even get into the format issues such as changing font types, map on one page and the questions on the next, etc. I would be happy to construct a much better exam than what is available; however, I don’t believe the SDHC is interested in solid exams that provide true measurement (besides, I don’t think they can afford to pay me what it is worth – however, if I was a retired principal I bet I could name my price.) It is much easier to give woeful exams and scale them so that “the grade on the semester exam mirrors the class grades for the nine weeks." It is truly shameful.
Let’s get together soon. I have a few money $aving ideas for the district I would like to share with you.
Keep up the good fight.
MaryEllen
Ms Griffin
In March of 07, a group of 13 Hillsborough Co. teachers were invited to discuss education issues with the editorial editor of the Tampa Tribune. We showed up and spent 3 hours with them.
Why don't you consider holding a forum? While there was some fear of retaliation, I believe it was worth it to finally be heard.
By the way, Springboard and grade dilution were prominent issues discussed at that meeting almost 2 years ago. Those present warned of the consequences of implementing Springboard and diluting the reliability of grades.
Maybe you can see if any of your readers would be interested in meeting with you. We are all interested in improving eduction.
Just don't take down names. :)
As an elementary teacher and a parent of HS and MS children I think that curving the mid term and final grades is the worst thing we can do for our children. If they earn an F I want that reflected. How does this help them in college or in life? I was under the assumption that hard work moved you forward....in this district that does not seem to be so, mediocrity rules the day.
As an AP teacher, I am handing out Fs to those students who have earned them -- fully one third of the kids. These are good, nice kids who have been set up by the system through absolutely no fault of their own. Report cards just came out. I'm waiting for the phone calls to start. I know the parents are going to take it out on me, but I'm just going to redirect their anger toward the system. I can't wait for the stuff to hit the fan then.
3:26AM
Good for you.
Your principal will call you to task for this but I am sure you will have an appropriate response. What are we afraid of? These jobs?
Once they know that you don't fear them, you win. They lose their power. When teachers like you win, so do kids.
If we all told the truth, told the Emperor that he was naked, we could begin to make progress.
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