The "More" Child

Sorry that things have been quiet here of late. Between my increased workload and setting up a new laptop this week I haven’t had any time to blog lately, let alone get cozy with my feedreader….

Thorough readers of this blog know that one of the things I’ve been trying to do is to post periodically about C.’s schooling odyssey. I thought a retrospective chronicle might be of interest to others and besides, one can’t really understand our present without knowing all that went before.

As they used to say in the old radio dramas, “When we last left our heroine…” I had blogged about how we had had educational testing done at CTY and C. was on the brink of starting 6th grade. Which is the point from which I was going to continue. However this week I learned something that so typifies the attitude we ultimately came to know at the Middle School Magnet That Shall Not Be Named that I feel compelled to post out of order (hence the title).

I suppose I was vaguely aware that students at the Middle School Magnet That Shall Not Be Named were made to focus on their grades and scores. After all it was by going through C.’s agenda after we withdrew her that I discovered her MSA and MAP-R scores pasted onto one of the pages. The idea, she told me, was to provide a “benchmark” thereby motivating everyone to do better on the next try. But exhorting kids–who were already topping out the tests and reading at late high school levels and beyond–to “do better” in this way struck me as rather counterproductive, breeding cynicism at best and needless stress at worst. For C. it did both. I know that heavy-handed emphasis by the teachers on grades and competition, rather than on learning for the love of learning, really really bothered her.

Well, evidently the practice continues and extends to report cards. Current students are being asked to open their report cards in class and calculate their GPA’s. When concern about the privacy implication of this was brought up to the principal by a parent (and shared on a listserv), the response from the administration was as follows:

Thanks for your message about report cards.

I am sorry you have concerns about the process of GPA calculation we have used to help students monitor their progress and set goals. This is a very important learning experience for middle school students, since many of them find planning ahead to be a real challenge. We want to send our students off to high school with a real understanding of what their grades mean, what impact the GPA has on the future, and how their academic habits affect their report cards.

This is why we ask them to look at their report cards and calculate their GPAs as report cards are distributed when their teachers will be talking with them about such topics as trends, using interims to make mid-course adjustments, and, at this time of year especially, how final grades are determined for the transcript – a real incentive in most cases to finish the school year strong.

These calculations are intended to be personal and not a matter of whole-class discussion. Each child has his or her own worksheet and is directed to make his or her own analysis. I know students sometimes show each other their report cards and sometimes ask to see each other’s report cards, but this happens whether or not we are teaching about GPAs, and, of course, students can always say no. I hope if privacy is a particular concern to your child, you will remind her that students are not required to show their report cards to anyone. The sample calculation is based on a hypothetical student with completely made-up grades.

If you feel your child needs a little extra support during this activity, I would be happy to contact her Gold Time teacher, or you could do so directly.

Thanks -

I’m sorry, but this response just took my breath away. “Students can always say no…” “Remind her that students are not required to show their report cards to anyone.” “If your child needs a little extra support.” What planet are these people living on? How is it possible for these “educators” to be so far removed from the social and emotional reality of middle school students, let alone highly gifted middle school students? Because I can just imagine the scene in all its overexcitable, hormonal, competitive, mean girl reality–and it’s not good.

What do you think? Am I off base in thinking that this is repellent rather than educationally sound?

Is this bass-ackward?

[Note: I just found this great article from 2002 entitled "Peer Grading / Peer Pressure by Katherine Bontrager 00-1073 Owasso Indep. School District v. Falvo" which discusses the Supreme Court case on peer gradeing, educational records and FERPA.]