Students Are About to Start Receiving Their Real Grades

No more grade floors

Photo by Fotos on Unsplash

Kids don’t always receive their real grades.

I’m not sure if this is common knowledge. Parents are always confused when I attempt to explain it. When I became a teacher, I was shocked too.

Why are we giving kids grades that they haven’t earned?

Let me explain the crunchy number bit for those who are curious.

When I started teaching, the lowest passing grade was a 70. It is now 60. If a student makes anything lower than a 51 (used to be a 50), their grade will be changed to a 51.

This means if a student completes zero assignments in class, they will still receive a 51. At the end of the class, if the student has a 58 or 59, teachers are expected to give the student a passing grade because, and I quote, “What is one or two points?”

Of course, in many of those cases, we’ve already given dozens of points to get them to a 51 at some point during the year.

When I became a teacher, I attempted to fight this battle before I realized how little power I wielded and how little anyone was willing to talk about it. They would usually agree, dismiss me, and nothing would change.

Well, my very conservative state has banned grade floors. This means kids will start to receive their real grades. I admit, I am torn. I see some of the people who are excited about this change, and I can’t help but wonder:

Am I one of the bad guys?

Why I dislike grade floors

Many of my kids don’t understand consequences. School is a safe place to learn them. When my students arrive in high school, they don’t even believe they can fail.

They learn no matter how poorly they do, they will be passed on. Some students are promoted to the ninth grade without ever passing a class in middle school. Students assume high school will work the same way, so I usually spend half the year convincing them that they can actually fail classes.

Even then, the consequences tend to be minimal. Students can pay $150 and sit in summer school for a few days, mindlessly clicking buttons until they get lucky enough to receive credit for the class. They learn nothing.

Keep in mind, due to grade floors, these are usually the kids who did not do anything most of the school year.

I’m always shocked by the parents who will pay for summer school every year instead of making their kids repeat classes. Most of the classes at my school are not difficult to pass. The administration is more concerned with image than actual learning. They will place pressure on teachers if too many kids are failing.

I’ve noticed teachers who don’t teach but give out high grades are never questioned, even though it is common knowledge they do little in their classrooms. However, if a teacher has too many kids failing, admin is breathing down their neck.

I’ve been in that position before.

Every teacher runs their class a little differently, but I believe strongly in how I run my classes. For this discussion, I’m going to focus on the College Prep classes, which are basically where they throw every kid who isn’t taking an advanced class. This can range from brilliant and motivated kids to kids who struggle, to kids who don’t care, to kids who don’t speak the language, and so on.

My students have the option to meet with me before school, after school, during lunch, etc. They are allowed to ask for extra credit at any time. I have high expectations, but I put in the work to pull my students up, rather than lowering the standards.

I say all this to say that no student fails my class as long as they try.

When we allow students to “succeed” without trying, we fail the kids. We fail to prepare them for the real world.

The bad guys

In my fifteen years of teaching, my school only gave the students real grades for one year. The principal in charge was not my favorite person for many reasons, but he also had a shady history.

In his last school, he secretly placed cameras in classrooms to spy on teachers for the superintendent.

I disagreed with almost every decision he made in the school, but I was happy with his attempt to provide parents with real grades. Of course, I questioned if I was wrong when I found myself on the same side as that principal.

Now, I’m questioning myself again as certain politicians push for this change. Am I missing something?

I want kids to be successful, so I understand some of the arguments. The most common one claims students will become discouraged and give up if they see low grades.

This is possible, but teachers can always offer a path to recovery, even with the worst grades. For some kids, seeing those low grades will motivate them to actually do something. It can be a little embarrassing to tell your peers that you have a 51, but that feeling is amplified when you tell them you have a 3.

Another issue is this assumption that certain kids just can’t do it. Some teachers put all of their energy into their higher-level classes while just letting the rest of the students skate through without academic challenge.

Teachers who did this come from a place of caring, but it shows a bit of ignorance and subconscious bias on their part, especially when we consider that Advanced and College Prep classes are divided by race and socioeconomic status more than by ability at my school.

A John Hopkins study shows white teachers tend to have lower expectations for Black students. When this is the case, pushing a student through class without them getting into significant trouble feels like a success. In a lot of cases, this leads to self-fulfilling prophecy, especially if there are no involved parental figures at home.

Black teachers tend to have higher hopes and expectations for Black students. This translates to us seemingly being harder on Black students than our white peers.

Many kids indeed come from a difficult home life. Some of them don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Some of them are raising siblings or even their own children.

I grew up in a broken home. I had days when my only meals came from school. Crack, alcohol, and violence were more comfortable in my home than the people who lived there.

I still excelled in school, even on the days with no sleep, because my father was beating my mother.

I’m not saying every child needs to do that, but I’m saying a hard life does not mean a lack of capability. It does not mean “don’t push the child.” The child needs to be pushed because the only way their life gets easier is by choosing the right path.

Conclusion

I worry about the state of education for so many reasons. I’m also aware that not every teacher is patient and willing to work with students, and this change could remove some important protections for struggling students.

Heck, for all I know, this could be another step toward replacing teachers with AI.

However, I can’t help but see the positives in this change. The growing pains will be real, but once students learn they have to earn their grades, they will adapt. Hopefully, parents will also become more involved when little Johnny brings home a 3 for the first time.

I’m a single voice, so I would love to know what others think, especially if you are a parent or teacher. Share your thoughts!