Comments on: Are Elementary School Grades Really that Important?

By: Tony T

Tony T — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:02:24 +0000

Dave, all,

You should research how non-US countries teach and grade their students. Specifically, check out the IB curriculum. I am an American with 3 kids ad have been fortunate to “try out” a few non-US teaching methods. Letter grades are proven to be worthless in developing and encouraging a child. Dave is right – abolish the letter grade and focus on the behaviors like hard work, dedication, etc.

We often make statements like, “if I ruled the world…”. Well, no ken rules te world and there are many differing methods out there. You just need to step away and check out the “rest of the world”, beyond the US.

By: Dave Sherman

Dave Sherman — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:42:58 +0000

Jill,
Thanks for the comments. First, we stopped giving the Presidential award many years ago in my school so that is not at issue here. Second, I find it interesting that you consider a B+ as “mediocrity.” There are so many children who work their butts off in school, and are thrilled to get a B+. Especially when they were earning C grades in the past. If you define yourself or another person based on a subjective letter grade given by someone else then I feel sorry for you. Life is not about straight-A perfection, it is about effort, hard work, learning from mistakes, and always trying to improve oneself. Dumbing down the grading scale so lots of kids receive a mass-produced letter from “The White House” is ridiculous. It is a false accolade created by politicians. There are lots of students who get Bs and Cs even with very hard work. What message are we sending them? “You are not good enough because you are not perfect. You do not deserve a fake letter from the President even though you tried your hardest.”

If you read my post more carefully you would have seen the emphasis I placed on the areas of “Work Habits and socialization.” These are the important areas of life, not letter grades. At my elementary school, we acknowledge strong effort and good citizenship, not straight As. If I were in charge of the world, I would abolish letter grades altogether and move to a standards based report card that emphasized formative assessments and growth over time, instead of a summative letter grade.
BTW – the PARENT was not “out of the running” for the Presidential award, the CHILD was. By making this about the parent and not the student you have helped make my argument more sound. Thanks.

- Dave

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:42:39 +0000

Yeah, well in my school they award kids in 5th grade with the “Presidential Award.” It’s a big accolade for kids that keep straight “A” averages in 4th and 5th grade. It’s a big deal and gets a lot of attention going into the middle school. So maybe that parent was ticked off about being out of the running for the President Award-it actually comes from The White House. Furthermore-good grades and study habits in elementary school carries into the grades that do count-High School. Colleges are so expensive now that the best hope kids have to go without drowning in student loans are scholarships which are awarded to kids with ridiculous averages and high SAT scores…You seem to want to applaud mediocrity, Dave, and that’s fine, but it’s also a red flag that you are an educator and think a 7% drop in grade isn’t a big deal.

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:58:27 +0000

I am a parent of two school-age boys in a NYS suburb. We pay high taxes and have a “good” school system. My children receive letter grades simply because that is how it is done in the U.S. Overseas, the majority of quality school systems use the IB curriculum where there are no letter grades. Instead, a student’s progress is communicated in terms of attributes, e.g. “Your child shows great confidence when dealing with unknown situations.”

Granted, there are pitfalls to a system without letter grades, but I agree with the fellow commentators – you cannot have it both ways. Do not tell a parent that letter grades have no impact on the future, but consistently use them to rate children.

IMHO, children in Elementary school should be graded using attributes, not letters. If you believe in it, make it happen!

By: Dr. Frank Buck

Dr. Frank Buck — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:05:42 +0000

Dave, it looks like every blog needs a troll, and you seem to have found yours with the previous commenter. Too bad she, and others, don’t see if what’s important is not the grade on the report card, but the learning that happened. Growth that happens on the way to the “B” is better than the “A+” freely given. Grades are a tool, but just one tool.

By: Mark Walker

Mark Walker — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 08:59:55 +0000

Dave,
I think Mikah’s extreme viewpoint unfortunately does represent more parents than we would care to admit. I have a teacher who has had 6 meetings with a parent who child’s grades have slipped – all about blame and shame. In fact the teacher asked is there anything going right for your child?

I have suggested to the teacher to focus on one thing (whatever discipline its in) and work on that. For me perhaps the issue is about expectations (us all wanting to be brain surgeons.. I think not) rather than focus on what skills or understandings need development.

This same parent (a parent who is a teacher) wants grades on all work despite the research which I have presented. Now the shoe is on the other foot – I want a meeting with her (again) – something here about squeaky wheels getting the oil here.

By: Dave Sherman

Dave Sherman — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 03:09:57 +0000

Well said, Mikah. You certainly have a way with words, and I can tell that you must be quite persuasive in your line of work. You must have been on your high school debate team. I am sure that all really fine educators would agree that getting A’s in second grade is the best predictor of success in life. Conversely, of course, seven year olds who do not earn good grades are deemed to fail in life. I say, why don’t we just tell these little guys to give it up by the time they turn eight since there is no hope for them anyway. (BTW- you spelled “secind” wrong.)
- Dave

By: Mikah Burton

Mikah Burton — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 01:56:33 +0000

Are you F***ing kidding me? How the F*** are you still with a job. Elementary grades are what form you for the rest of your life. If you don’t have your basic skills down by secind grade, you are f**** for the rest of your life a lot of the time. At least watch “Waiting for SUperman” to get a little more awareness since you obviously live in your own artificial bubble.

By: Kim McCune

Kim McCune — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:50:07 +0000

One of the good things about your dilemma is that you have the luxury of think time since the parent has left you a voicemail. I would definitely take the time to visit with the child’s teacher and review their grades so that you are aware of the reason the child’s grade had a slight drop. I would also be prepared with a few ideas of how communication might improve between the school and home so that the parent is always aware of their child’s academic standing. As stated by the previous comment – access to your school’s online information system is a great suggestion. I agree that you are on track with your first 3 thoughts, but the third is one I would hesitate to share. Grades do mean something to elementary students because they are the way many school districts across the nation measure progress (if they are a true example of what a student can do when working independently). As an administrator you might look at this as an opportunity to have this very conversation with your staff. How do you go about choosing what to grade (formative/summative)? How and when do you communicate with parents regarding a change in a student’s academic performance? How would they work with this parent to come to a positive conclusion?

Here’s hoping that your conversation with the parent came to a positive conclusion!

By: Diana J.

Diana J. — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:32:30 +0000

I think your instructions to the teacher were right on the mark. As a veteran high school English teacher- now administrator, I found myself getting upset that this parent is taking time from your busy day to quibble (yes, quibble, about a drop in grade). What is this parent going to do when his/her child goes to high school and teachers don’t have the luxury of personally calling every parent of a child whose grade drops from A- to B+! I’m curious to know if your district has an online program for parents to view the teacher’s gradebook? Maybe that would help.