I am just wondering how elementary schools around the country are grading their students. My kids don't get grades on their work. I mean there are no percentages. The teacher will put a fraction showing he got 29/30 (29 out of 30 correct). On the report cards they get a 4 if they are working above grade level, 3 if they are on grade level, 2 means they are working hard but aren't quite on grade level, 1 means the child is seriously struggling and is well below grade level. (My rephrasing of what the report card says.). Each subject is given a number grade.
So, how is your child graded in elementary school? Do you agree/disagree with the grading system? How does your child's school perform as a whole? If anything, what would you change? Oh, and is your child in a public or private school? Does it change from lower el. grades to upper el. grades.
Any info you share will be greatly appreciated!!!! Don't worry about writing too much! :)
Thanks in advance!
ETA: I am asking out of curiousity, not necessarily because I disagree with our system. I am frustrated with it, though. I don't like the fact that my older child doesn't feel the pain of getting a bad grade when he doesn't put forth his best effort on an assignment. (He doesn't get grades on daily assignments, only on the report card.) He wants good grades and would work ten times harder if he saw grades on his work. I was the same way. I wanted grades in the 80s and 90s, and anything less wasn't good enough. I didn't get paid for good grades or anything. I just wanted A's and B's and my parents expected A's and B's.
Thanks for the responses so far. First, I am a teacher. I know how to figure out the percentages. :). That cracked me up.
My son is a really good student. However, there is one subject that he doesn't care for and he just doesn't apply himself like he does in the other subjects. If he was getting grades, I think it would have a big impact. He would be working harder to bring up his grades. He is in for a rude awakening once he hits middle school and finds himself getting F's because the teachers are looking for more than just whether or not he completed his assignments.
Thanks ladies!
We have the 4,3,2,1 system also. I prefer the grading letters as well. The kids dont understand the #'s. I had to explain it all to them.
Our report card rubric is just like yours, 4, 3, 2, 1, same definitions you give. Our school district is one of the top performing public school districts in the state. I must add that I live in a very wealthy area, with a highly educated and involved parent population that gives a lot of money to the schools, so obviously that affects our students' overall success.
I see nothing wrong with the 4, 3, 2, 1 rubric. It seems fair and clear at the elementary level.
In K-2nd grade they get N (incomplete), S- (unsatisfactory), S (satisfactory) and S+ (great job). On tests they do get percentage grades (100%, 85%, etc)... but the daily assignments and the final grades on report cards they use the S's.
3rd grade and up they use A, B, C, D, F. as well as percentages. They also have plus and minuses (A+, B-, etc...)
in private K and public 1st, it was S satisfied D still developing N needs improvement.
in 2nd and 3rd public it was 90-100=A
Now, she is in 4th using the grading #/# with examples of work and lots of teacher feedback. I keep a calculator handy to figure out how she is doing.
The emphasis is on what she learned, not the grade or a competition. Since my child was the top student in her class in public school and #2 in the entire grade of 80 kids, I didn't mind the old way. The kids who did terribly in public school feel less pressure and are said to be doing better.
Our school does letter grades (A-F). For "specials" (art, handwriting) music, gym, etc.) they get N (needs improvement) S (satisfactory) or O (outstanding).
Our letter grade scale is the 10% increments 90%+ is an A, 80%+ is a B, etc.
I remember having the stricter scale in my school where 92%+ was an A, etc.
I remember having a survey sent asking which O. the parents prefer, and I guess the lower scale "won" the discussion. Not sure if I completely agree with that or not.....
on papers they get back they get like you say 29/30 correct I don't have a problem with this.This is for homework or in class work, tests are worth 100 pts. It's easy enough to get the percentage if you do the math. On report cards they get numbers, 98, 84, 78, etc . This is for 2nd grade and up.
The 29/30 format is easy to put in the grade book.
Kindergarten-1st they get 4,3,2,1 on their report cards. I THINK 1st does it this way but I can't remember exactly we are due for another report card in Jan.
My kids grading system is: 4,3,2,1
and per assignments they also get fractions.
Public school.
Elementary level.
Whether it is percentages or the 4,3,2,1 type "grading".... the child is being evaluated per their performance and their work effort. You... as the parent, teaches them that. It is not just the numbers or percentage or which is better or worse... but that, the kid realizes WHAT that grading system means. AND that, WORKING for the best grades to the best of their efforts and ability... is what matters. That they strive.
The numbers don't make the kid.... the kid makes those numbers. Whether that is a percentage system or a 4,3,2,1 system of grading or an alphabet type of grading like A/B/C/D/F or fractions.
The point is: that the child understands.... that their effort and working hard in school, reflects.... what outcome they will get per grading.
And the parent needs to teach them, what the grading means.
So, whatever the grading system is.... it all boils down to, the child... and their ability/performance and their striving. To.do.well.
And that the parent teaches them, that.
Grades are grades... and per school type, it may vary.
But the whole point is, that the child understands, what the grades mean... with respect to their work performance.
My daughter is in a public elementary school in MN. She has the same 1, 2, 3, 4 system that you describe. Her teacher also uses that system on every paper or worksheet she turns in. I'm fine with the system. I know the grading system changes to A - F for high school. I'm not sure what the system is for middle school.
There is no guarantee that your son would work harder if he got grades on daily assignments. Maybe, maybe not. Motivation is a complicated thing. And there may be a subject that he doesn't care about, no matter what grade he gets.
when my kids were in elementary (Kansas and California) from K -2nd or 3rd it was S(atsifactory), I(needs improvement) or U(nsatisfactory). Then from 3rd or 4th on up it was A,B,C,D,F with S, U for citizenship.
I can't remember exactly when they started with the letter grades but it was either 3rd or 4th grade both places.
Now I've got one in college, one in high school and one in middle school ... so all we deal with is letter grades, along with citizenship markes and coded notations on their grade cards.
In my 5 years of teaching elementary public school here in Tx (2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades), I never once heard of a 4,3,2,1 grading system, other than on the TAKS test writing exam for 4th graders. In my years of teaching, I put a percentile grade on all assignments that were counted toward their overall grade. If homework didn't count, I put a check, check minus, or check plus. If it did count, I put a grade. They make charts for the teachers to use to quickly and easily calculate their grade if indeed there were 30 questions and the child answered 29 right. I agree that telling the child they got 29/30 does not seem very motivating, as the child doesn't necessarily know if that's good or bad grade. Perhaps the teacher is wanting to motivate them to do the math to find out their own percentile?? I don't see how writing 29/30 into the gradebook would make doing their final grade averages easier. Unless of course they just recieve a 4 or 3 or 2 or 1. Sounds strange to me.
