Descriptive Grading in Schools

[Fancy]

*removed*

[Glacier]

Middle School seems like a new thing. When I was in school it was elementary school to grade 7 and junior high was 8-9, and high school was 10-12. That all changed about 15 years ago when all the schools switched from junior high to middle school. Maybe a distinction without a difference, I don't know. perhaps it was follow the Americans. We LOVE copying the USA in Canada. Last year I noticed Vernon was doing a super American thing by changing all the 4-way stop signs to "all way stop" signs.

[Fancy]

Junior high and middle school are the same - depends maybe on what part of the country you're from.

[LeroyJ]

We had K-8 for elementary school and 9-12 for high school. Some small towns just do K-12 all in one school.

[Bsuds]

Last year I noticed Vernon was doing a super American thing by changing all the 4-way stop signs to "all way stop" signs.

That's because a majority of Americans can't count to 4.

[Babba_not_Gump]

Thought high school started at grade 10.

I guess I’m from the Dark ages… elementary school I went to was 1 to 7 then off to high school 8 to 12.

When I was in grade 6, grade 7 was high school.
The following year grade 7 was moved to elementary school. I was ripped off.

[Fancy]

Seems to change every decade.

[rustled]

Configuration is different in different districts, and sometimes more related to availability in school buildings and student numbers.

Pity the staff dealing solely with grade 7-8, like they were in one district I was in...

[seewood]

Pity the staff dealing solely with grade 7-8, like they were in one district I was in...

Isn't that when puberty kicks in and hormones are a raging? Or at least the start of it.

Gawd, poor teachers, school full of raging hormones.

I figure the school boards hire university grads that have been taught by profs that have been perhaps ostracized in some way while they were going to school and for 4 years instill some kind of fluffy nonsense to the grads.
These grads now at the school boards change things around to satisfy snowflake students and perhaps even parents where everyone gets a ribbon. Don't want to traumatize anyone that is not working for any positive results.

My Dad went to school in Britain during the war and after, during our equivalent of post secondary ( after national service), mentioned the schooling was not the best but he managed.
I went to school in the 60's to the mid 70's and what I was bringing home for homework was easy peasy for him, especially maths and physics.
On many occasions he mentioned that the teachers were soft and the kids are learning nothing for future endeavors.
I could say the same when my kids went to school in the 90's and my brother with his second set of kids say much of the material in schools today could be considered pablum.
I do wonder how teachers are going to prepare students today for the world where if you don't produce you are sent down the road.
Is fluffy comments on a report card going to do that?

[rustled]

Pity the staff dealing solely with grade 7-8, like they were in one district I was in...

Isn't that when puberty kicks in and hormones are a raging? Or at least the start of it.

Gawd, poor teachers, school full of raging hormones.

Yup. Takes some real dedication to work in an environment where the entire student body is in the throes of puberty.

I figure the school boards hire university grads that have been taught by profs that have been perhaps ostracized in some way while they were going to school and for 4 years instill some kind of fluffy nonsense to the grads.
These grads now at the school boards change things around to satisfy snowflake students and perhaps even parents where everyone gets a ribbon. Don't want to traumatize anyone that is not working for any positive results.

My Dad went to school in Britain during the war and after, during our equivalent of post secondary ( after national service), mentioned the schooling was not the best but he managed.
I went to school in the 60's to the mid 70's and what I was bringing home for homework was easy peasy for him, especially maths and physics.
On many occasions he mentioned that the teachers were soft and the kids are learning nothing for future endeavors.
I could say the same when my kids went to school in the 90's and my brother with his second set of kids say much of the material in schools today could be considered pablum.
I do wonder how teachers are going to prepare students today for the world where if you don't produce you are sent down the road.
Is fluffy comments on a report card going to do that?

Nope. Your father was right, IMO. The shift began happening while we were still in public school. I recall the tensions between the older teachers and those fresh out of university, with the older teachers concerned about the erosion of standards and the increasing emphasis on participation in social activities. When my kids were little most of my friends were teachers, and the few who took seriously whether or not their students mastered the material were outnumbered by those already under the influence of the "new thinking" about what public education should focus on.

I've been reading James Lindsay's book on this topic, about the influence of Paulo Freire's theories about pedagogy and how heavily his work has influenced public education.

The bottom line is, the mastery of core academic curriculum is no longer the objective of public education. Which is why so many parents are turning to alternatives.

And in my experience, talking to our public school trustees about this is like talking to someone who believes so strongly they are doing God's work, they're impervious to the consequences of their actions, and whole-heartedly embracing the shift from education to activism at the expense of education. Mark Twain's stinging rebuke is disappointingly relevant.

[normaM]

I remember when they started marking tests in curves so the not to leave any student behind :(
Did they stop allowing grade skipping?
Elementary was to grade 6, then junior 7 to 9, then the big league 10 to 12

[Lady tehMa]

In the small burg I went to high school at, elementary was 1-7 and highschool was 8-12. Kids were bussed in from 2 hours away for the latter.

It seems to me as though academia is changing, turning into a lovefest instead of actually promoting education. Everyone gets validated, but few actually learn.

[ferri]

Descriptive Grading in Schools

[Bsuds]

The grading I got in school was pretty descriptive...F minus!

I knew I would get a beating when I got home...

[strongarm242]

This is a stupid idea considering they need to revert back to letter and/or percentage grades when entering high school. Why make the change for middle school? Are they worried about hurting someone's feelings in middle school when they're flunking school? Little Johnny goes home with a "developing" grade when in actuality he's getting a "D" or worse. Maybe the harsh reality of a poor letter grade is what's needed to wake up the parents and help their kid start to improve.

To me there are two things driving this stupid concept. Worrying about hurting some kids feelings from the snowflake generation, and taking away more accountability from teachers.