An archived stack of papers: 'failing'
After Day One Of Finals
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Jan
- 16
- 2008
Grades are on my mind and weighing heavily.
My school uses School loop and I’ve been using their gradebook faithfully all semester long. I just realized that things aren’t organized in a way that lets me see patterns. Assignments are arranged by date and not by category. There’s no convenient report showing the percentage of students earning each grade. Even the breakdown of... read more
The Shrinking Educational Middle Class
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- May
- 07
- 2007
After a conversation with a colleague today, I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized that I’m not the only one. I wonder if you’re like me too, reader.
Several tangents later, our conversation veered onto the subject of grades. This colleague visits different... read more
Why You Should Change Grades
In a stack of papers called Grading.
- Feb
- 01
- 2007
A student who earns a D or an F first semester can change that grade by earning a C the second semester.
Why?
Regularly, poor performance in my class equates to not doing the work assigned. A student earning an F usually can change that with a little effort. Attempting to do the writing, reading, speaking, or thinking I’m asking gives me ideas of what a student needs in order to do... read more
Don’t Call Home
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Dec
- 14
- 2006
It is December 14th. We start Winter Holiday tomorrow at 1:15. When we get back from break, there are only 2 weeks before semester finals. That means that, even though it’s a month away on the calendar, there are only 2 weeks left in this semester.
And this is the week that parents start to call or email teachers about their child who is failing or in danger of failing a course. Why are... read more
Stats At Grading Period End
In a stack of papers called Instruction.
- Nov
- 30
- 2006
Total number of Ds and Fs earned: 35 (31% of my students)
Total number of Fs earned: 14 (12% of my students) With at least one F in other classes: 10 With at least one D in other classes, but no other Fs: 1 With Cs or higher in other classes: 3
Total number of Ds earned: 21 (18% of my students) With at least one F in other classes: 9 With at least one D in... read more
TTOT: Student Failure Rates
In a stack of papers called Podcasts.
- Nov
- 11
- 2005
Two Teachers On Teaching: Episode Three, featuring Laurie Weckesser in a discussion involving class size, standards-based instruction, and teachers letting go of the status quo. This one clocks in at 11 and a half minutes and is 2.7MB. Ambient noise abounds on this one, so I’ll have to be more careful of my microphone placement next... read more