Can Our Standards Get Any Lower?

Parenting

by Ronnie Tyler | on September 24th, 2008 | 13 comments

A new grading policy in Dallas TX says that a student who fails a test can retake it and the lower score will be thrown out. As reported by CNN, other grading policies include:

“• For elementary and middle school students, only homework grades “that raise a student’s average” will be recorded.
• Students must be given one opportunity to turn in homework assignments that weren’t finished on time.
• Parents must be contacted before a teacher records a zero in the grade book.”

This new grading policy was implemented in order to keep kids from dropping out of school as Dallas has one of the highest drop out rates in Texas. However, some parents feel that lowering the standards is fostering an “atmosphere of mediocrity.” And I agree with them. The United States is falling behind when it comes to the educational ranking with other developed countries, especially in areas of Math and Science.

I don’t think the county where I live in Maryland has officially adopted those grading policies. However, last night I went to open house at my son’s school. This is where the parents (using a copy of the kid’s schedule) go around to each class for about 10 minutes. During this time, the teacher reviews the grading policies and the course objectives and projects for the year…and then the bell rings and you go to the next class.

Well 3 of my son’s teachers said that the kids could retake tests as many times as they wanted and that only the highest score would count. They told me that they are doing this because their objective is to make sure that the child learns the material.

I have to be honest. When I read the article last week about Dallas’s grading policy, I did not like it. I said to myself, that is not real life and the kids are going to be setup to fail. For the most part, you can’t re-do a job interview if you mess up… if you are bidding for a competitive contract…you can’t just go back and re-bid and re-bid until you get the the contract, you can’t re-audition for acting jobs and dancing jobs if you mess up.. I mean how is that real life….right??

I graduated from high school with a 3.6 or 3.7 GPA and you can best believe that if I could re-take a test.. it would have sho-nuff been a 4.0 GPA!! When I was in the band and we competed for first chair…you can best believe that I would have had first chair everytime if I could just start over every time I played the wrong note.

But anyway back to last night. When my son’s math teacher told me he could re-take his math test (the one that was returned yesterday…the one that he got a 60% on), my eyes lit up!!! As soon as we got into the hallway, I told my son.. you will be taking that test by the end of next week!!! So it’s like I have mixed feelings about this policy..on the one hand something does not seem right about it… on the other hand…I am sure glad my son can re-take that test.

But what is disturbing me the most I think is my son’s attitude. I actually have to make this child re-take the test. He was huffing and puffing…It’s like, you have this opportunity and you still don’t want to take advantage of it. I was so angry with him. And this is why I don’t think that this policy is going to help prevent kids from dropping out. So you mean to tell me that those same kids that are on the brink of dropping out are going to take the initiative to re-study for a test,..they are going to take the initiative to go to the teacher and schedule to re-take the test.

It seems to me that the students that are going to benefit from this policy the most are those students that are already concerned about their grades and their futures..etc… But I am not an educator.. so I would like to hear a teacher’s or an administrator’s perspective on this issue…as they might be able to let us know how these new grading policies will help or hurt our kids.

About the author

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler are the creators of the award-winning blog BlackandMarriedWithKids.com . They also are behind the Amazon.com bestselling DVDs Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, You Saved Me and their latest documentary Men Ain’t Boys that explores manhood in the African American community. The Tylers are also the proud parents of four children.

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Comments (13)

Anna Thursday - 25 / 09 / 2008 Reply

This is really setting our kids up for failure. This to me is not about the kids but the grade that the school gets. Schools are graded on the achievements of the teachers. If kids don't pass teachers don't get raises and grant money is not given.
Wizz Thursday - 25 / 09 / 2008 Reply

This is just plain ridiculous.. I'm kinda getting tired of making and hearing excuses. We really have to start letting kids who don't want to be school fail.. And focus our attention on the ones that do. We need to be raising expectations not lowering them.
tina Thursday - 25 / 09 / 2008 Reply

As a teacher, I hate this line of thought. It's more work for the teacher and takes the responsibility off of the student. This teaches kids that you don't have to do well, you don't have to apply yourself, that you can just try try try try try try try again - but only if you want to. If you don't, then it won't count against you anyhow. But if the teacher doesn't do what he or she is supposed to do, then they can lose their job. Doesn't make sense to me. And only the kids who actually care about their academics are going to want to do what it takes to raise their grades. Some kids are so lazy when it comes to school nowadays they don't even want to write their names on their work. They don't want to do homework. They don't want to read. If breathing wasn't involuntary, they wouldn't do that either. Lowering the standards isn't going to do anything but produce more mediocre lazy kids who feel that they're entitled to everything and produce the most pathetic batch of adults this nation has ever seen. Colleges are already complaining about the low quality of students they're getting nowadays, could it be because the standards are constantly being lowered instead of raised? I think so. It's why I decided years ago that I don't want my children in public schools and am considering moving to another country where education is valued among the youth. tinas last blog post..Tina Update 9.24
kim h20s Thursday - 25 / 09 / 2008 Reply

i remember when i was a kid we had something known as a "practice" test. monday you got the spelling list, the practice test of most of the words was on wednesday, so you knew what you had to study for the real test on friday. but the real test was your final grade. i will always remember the week we had "rhthym" & "rhyme"! there are two sides to this coin - the focus should be on getting kids to learn the material and rewarding children who do. if i get an A on the test the first time - my A should be worth more than the next kid who doesn't get an A until the second or third try. society does allow us to take certain tests more than once - drivers license, the bar exam, GRE, SATs(even that had a practice test!) - until you pass.
Nicole Thursday - 25 / 09 / 2008 Reply

I graduated in 1996 and I can't believe how much school has changed. If I'd had the internet back then I would've been a 4.0 student without a doubt. There's no excuse not to be on top of every subject with all the resources available now. I like the idea of retaking the test, but how about an average of the two grades combined. The good thing is at least they'll learn it and won't go on without the knowledge, which is crucial in math. I don't see how these things are going to keep kids in school though. I know plenty of kids that did really well in school and still dropped out.
Jenifer Friday - 26 / 09 / 2008 Reply

If I ever thought about moving to Dallas...I just changed my mind. I teach at Comm Coll and this is that same crap the students try to feed me..."can I turn it in again?" "I know I am late but..."
Mocha Dad Friday - 26 / 09 / 2008 Reply

My wife was a teacher and she was so frustrated that she could not fail a student and the kids knew it. Even if a kid failed every test and got zeros on all assignments, she had to give them opportunities to make up the work. This environment did nothing but nurture mediocrity. Mocha Dads last blog post..A Special Thank You to The Troops Serving in Iraq
Huemanity Friday - 26 / 09 / 2008 Reply

Can our standards get any lower? Yes, paying kids to get good grades. Huemanitys last blog post..We Love: Toti Bunk
ruby128 Friday - 26 / 09 / 2008 Reply

I kinda have mixed feelings on this one because my first thought is that the main objective should be for them to learn the material, and we have to keep in mind that everyone learns at a different pace. So the only concern I have is for the kids that might actually be having trouble understanding the work to really excel in it the way another kid might, so in their case re-taking might not be a bad option. Either way there's a problem, but part of the problem is that some kids just want to do what the heck they want to do – regardless. Some of these kids priorities are all messed up so we have to raise the standards for them to be more productive. The recipie of lowering standards creates a false sense of reality. Nine times out of ten they are capable of learning the materials – they just are not taking the time to learn it…and if they don’t like the class/material – then they loose interest and end up failing, and for some kids, the mentality of re-taking a test is like double work cause they didn’t want to take it in the first place. But I bet if you asked them if they knew all the words to the latest songs out, they could recite it to you backwards! The question/issue/solution of how we get our kids to realize and focus on the importance of education might be a question all parents/teachers will be asking forever.
MarriedToIt Tuesday - 30 / 09 / 2008 Reply

I just spent the last 15mins talking to a friend about this subject. We are breeding children who will have to be propped up for everything.
Anna Tuesday - 30 / 09 / 2008 Reply

@ MarriedTolth, I just spent the last 15mins talking to a friend about this subject. We are breeding children who will have to be propped up for everything. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yes we are. No child left behind means that my child got pushed through the system and because he is tall and started school late(he has a late birthday accordng to the schools rules) In 4th grade teachers assigned him to the next grade and this went on until he got to high school. I did say something about it then but no one cared. Parents, complain, complain and complain more. Kids deserve more of not just us but our teachers. It really does start at home. I am going to give a real example. I, another life time ago worked at a day care center. It is so hard when we had such great success potty training the kids durning the week, only to find out the parents put them in diapers after they picked them up and durning the entire weekend. A parents involvement is really what it takes. You can talk till you are blue in the face and tell the parents that little Bobby does know how to use the restroom. Some paents are so concered with themselves that being able to say "I have kids" is what makes them feel special. These kids were dumped off at day care all day and the older ones had transportaion from the day care to take them to their non public school and returned at the end of the school day to stay until 6pm. And of course parents were still not on time to pick up thier "latch key kids". No child left behind means that we have inexperienced teacher who will work in a school with "inner city" kids to pay off their student loans and don't know one thing about our kids. New teachers who are overwhelmed with the system that they have to pass the kid to keep a paycheck and a passing grade grade for the school they work for. Who really wins? I know there are dedicated teachers who know their pay check does suck, but are willing to do somethng they are so passionate about. I also know parents who do care and some that don't give a darn as long as Bobby has somewhere to go to. We all need to look at the big pic and remember that even a 19 yr old is our next generation. We are living longer and who do you want to take care of you in your golden years? Bobby being the kid who his parents forgot to pick up as a child from day care or my son who the system let slip through the system? My answer is (plan) Financial Planning. A Will a Life Insurance Policy and save for a great Retirement Facilty, so we are not a burdeon to our kids. Our kids don't want to really inherit us but our assests.
Kryssi Friday - 21 / 11 / 2008 Reply

Personally....I agree with the whole concept. I don't really see it as a set up for failure because it gives the child the opportunity to learn the forgotten facts and re-apply them. As long as the answers aren't a giveaway, i think it'll work. The whole concept of failure is what discourages kids from not wanting to go to school. During my college years, math was my enemy, and my grades were not always good even after i spent days studying. Yeah, I thought hard about calling it quits, but i was so close to graduating that i pressed on, and i got through! Motivation! When you constantly try, and repeatedly fail, it's discouraging and makes you want to surrender. Some just need that extra push to keep going or better yet that motivation to strive harder!
AB Sunday - 01 / 11 / 2009 Reply

OK, I haven't read the previous comments, but here is my 2 cents: I am a high school Math teacher outside of Metro-Atlanta. Last year, we had an administrator who was RELENTLESS about this re-testing policy. He even went so far as to REQUIRE re-testing for any student who did not score above 80 on any test AND the re-test had to be given during class time. I, like you have mixed feelings about this policy. In support of the policy, I completely agree that every student isn't going to master a topic in the same time frame so, the re-test policy offers them the opportunity to show mastery when they finally get there. In opposition of the policy, I have two issues. First, There already aren't enough instructional days on our calendar to give kids all the time they need to do their best in our curriculum. We cannot sacrifice instructional days to allow them the opportunity to re-test because that is one less day we have to explore the current topic. That sacrificed day is especially wasteful because of my second and biggest concern, student attitude. When students caught wind of the require re-test policy, my colleagues and I noticed that more and more students began to ask about the re-test before the first administration of a test. These students had no intention of preparing for the first test, because they knew they would get another shot at it later. I had more than one student ask me about the re-test date as I was handing them the original test....and don't be deceived, they didn't prepare for the re-test either and often scored lower the second time. To combat the negative effects of the re-test policy, I inserted a required tutoring clause. A student could not be offered a re-test unless they attended at least 2 tutoring sessions on that material (not the current curriculum, but the material on the failed test), and provided a parent signature indicating they were informed of the first test grade, the mandatory tutoring, and the re-test date. The worst part of the re-test policy is that most students won't take advantage of the opportunity to take more time to improve their content knowledge. They view it as another shot-in-the-dark. All-in-all, it is not a completely bad concept, but until the students have the maturity to understand its true purpose, it will foster more bad habits than good ones.