Opinions, Please (School Related)

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

I'd like to know others opinions regarding quizzes at school, High School actually. My daughter is a junior, an important school year. Well, all is important but especially now with college in the rear view window. She is a very good student. All A's last semester, honor roll. This semester the teachers are giving out a lot more quizzes than tests and now the quizzes hold more weight towards your final grade. The quizzes are usually 3 questions (many times essay) and sometimes up to 10 questions. What my daughter says, and many other students in class, if you get just 1 wrong, you can get a B or a C. There are no D's, below 70 is an F. And it wrecks your class average. My daughter usually gets A's and B's but on a recent quizz got a 79 which took her grade from an A in physics to a C. Like I said, the quizzes with few questions seem to be the norm now. To me, it doesn't sound right. Without getting all fired up, what's your opinions?

tessam · ‎04-30-2010

I am a school psychologisy and college advisor. I can tell you that it is very rare for a grade on ONE test/quiz to be responsible for an overall grade in a class to drop that significantly. Concerns? Contact the teacher and say my daughter shared with me her recent quiz grade and explained the class grading system. I'm a little confused and wondering if you might clarify your grading system for me. You may not be getting the full picture and only the teacher can explain his or her system to you accurately. There is a difference between a confrontation and seeking clarification. Once you have the information you can best decide how to proceed. Kids are living in a college driven environment and under so much pressure There needs to be a balance really. Good for you to be informed and trying to direct your daughter....now simply collect the information you need to accurately access the situation. Cordial and civil is the key. You are simply asking for information which every parent has "the right" to do. You may be surprised by what you learn. Good luck!!

NicksmomESQ · ‎08-19-2014

It's been a while since my son graduated from high school, but this type of quiz isn't new. My son was in AP & honors classes & had to take many quizzes. Most of them were 2 or 3 questions,sometimes only one question.Most of them were pop quizzes.

Parents complained to the teacher and then the Principal, & we were told the kids had to live with it. It certainly stressed my son out. I told him to be prepared everyday & do the best he could. It ended up not hurting his GPA at all.

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

I think your daughter has to change her approach to studying. She's accustomed to studying for the test. She's focused on the grade. She has to change her approach and study the material at deeper level because those quizzes are assessing course knowledge at a deeper level. Also I think it works better for teachers in assessment what material students are learning and retaining. You don't like it because your kid doesn't like it. The moms of kids who are better grades now do like it.

ECBG · ‎01-08-2011

I always considered constant quizzing as taking away from instructional time., still, it does make the student focus more.

occasionalrain · ‎03-10-2010

There are pros and cons. I commend teachers who give essay tests. They are time consuming to read and grade, but reveal which students know the subject and which just memorize facts, or are good at guessing on multiple choice tests.. They also let teachers know what needs a review. Short quizzes do give more weight to each question, missing one is like missing 10 on a 50 question test.

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

@NicksmomESQ wrote:

It's been a while since my son graduated from high school, but this type of quiz isn't new. My son was in AP & honors classes & had to take many quizzes. Most of them were 2 or 3 questions,sometimes only one question.Most of them were pop quizzes.

Parents complained to the teacher and then the Principal, & we were told the kids had to live with it. It certainly stressed my son out. I told him to be prepared everyday & do the best he could. It ended up not hurting his GPA at all.

I can't imagine complaining to a principal about something like. Of course the response would be "this is just the way it is". But if the kids study well and know the material as your son did, their grades and GPA's won't suffer. They can't. It's best if parents calm their kids down and keep them focused as you did.

StillStelladorable · ‎02-03-2023

Is it logical assume the quizzes also afford her many opportunities to increase her grade? So one miss and one win would negate each other, grade wise?

gizmogal · ‎05-09-2014

I think @tessam had the exact answr you need.

Get more information from the teacher, especially the Physics teacher, about how that grading system works and how tanking one quiz (or scoring just below 80!) can really bring an A to a C. The teacher has a much better view of class participation and total effort to include with test or quiz performances when evaluating an end of term grade for each student.

It's possible the quizzes are also to keep students very prepared for those statewide or standardized exams they have to take, so it improves question-answering skills and focus. It is probably not the biggest basis for a grade.

I think you will be much more at ease and able to help your daughter feel less pressured when you are able to be informed.

The advice is very good and well put: you are just asking for clarificatoin, not "defending" your daughter.

(Also a minor correction on perspective: college is "in the rear view window" when you have graduated from college. It's ahead of you when you are still in high school. After you pass a goal, it's in the rear view, you're leaving it behind as an accomplishment or have moved past it for any reason). College looming ahead right now, for your daughter.

I'm sure she will do very well as a Junior and will have her choice of where to attend for higher education. Having her parents be concerned about her schooling and her having so much motivation are very important factors. Striving for excellence usually gets fulfilled.

deepwaterdotter · ‎03-09-2010

In my experience, essay questions require a deeper understanding of the assigned material than just a yes/no, multiple choice, one-word answer quiz. My teachers used them to assess weather the students had studied the materials in-depth previous to the quiz. As to the amount of weight the quiz scores amount to in the students' final grade would be discussion between the parties concerned.