Comments

When she checks off both NP and UC for, say, Determine GCF... does this really mean that she assiduously classified every item from every homework, quiz, and test she gave this year, as to whether the item does or does not give evidence of mastery in determining greatest common factors, and she did this for every skill, all year long, and she put all these data into a giant matrix (one matrix for each of the twenty-five children in Christopher's class) so that she can now state with confidence that Christopher both understands how to determine GCF and he needs practice?

How helpful.

I'm sure this is really going to help you design a summer curriculum tailored to Christopher's weaknesses.

I'm so happy for you, that she's done the heavy lifting.

I mean, if she didn't tell you what to brush up on, how would you know? ;)

-- BeckyC - 30 Jun 2006

This really is breathtaking.

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

I feel another email coming on.

A whole suite of emails.

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

I have been told that rubrics are better than letter grades because they give you more information about the details. However, that's only if, as Becky says, the teacher maintains and updates this rubric matrix for each child all throughout the year. I suspect that most teachers fill it in off the top of their heads at the end of the year. Even if the teacher was very careful about completing the rubric, it gives very little useful information to the parent. Besides, what plan should the parent follow during the summer - just a vague "brush up on your math skills"? Also, this is something that should be discussed during the year, not sent to the parents after the school is closed and teachers are gone.

This rubric, with so many "needs practice" boxes checked off, tells me that either the student is doing a very poor job or the school is doing a very poor job. Guess which one I think it is. My favorite is when the school sends home notes to the parents to have them practice their "math facts" (I really, really hate that term) at home. They don't want to send home "drill and kill" worksheets, so they tell the parents to do the dirty work. That way, they can keep their hands pedagogically clean. Schools do very little practice to mastery, but send home rubrics that tell parents to do what they will not do. (but deep down, they know it has to be done) Low expectations and accept no responsibility.

-- SteveH - 30 Jun 2006

You said it.

Low expectations & no responsibility.

And punitive grading.

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

My favorite is when the school sends home notes to the parents to have them practice their "math facts" (I really, really hate that term) at home. They don't want to send home "drill and kill" worksheets, so they tell the parents to do the dirty work. That way, they can keep their hands pedagogically clean.

Wow Steve, does your child go to our school??? Our school adopted Investigations last year. Halfway through the school year, the teachers sent home a note to parents saying that our children are lagging in their computation skills, and that our children must now complete mandatory computation packets for practice in these skills, at home.

There's a packet for practicing decimal operations, for instance, xeroxed out of old Houghton Mifflin texts copyright 1972. Great stuff... but do they keep this textbook locked up somewhere at District offices???

The hilarious thing is that parent volunteers are the ones who make copies of the packets at school for teachers to hand out, and then these same parent volunteers correct the packets when children bring them back to school.

-- BeckyC - 30 Jun 2006

hoo boy

I've been complaining about our school district's refusal to use parent volunteers....

Maybe I should reconsider.

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

I remember back in L.A. - and this was at least a decade ago - my friend Wendy telling me that schools today expect parents to teach the math facts.

There was nothing surreptitious about it. It was up to the parents.

My sister's school didn't teach time, either. The parents were supposed to teach their kids how to tell time.

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

".. our children must now complete mandatory computation packets for practice in these skills, at home."

Homework practice is one thing, but this is another. They play at learning at school, but send the real work home and expect the parents to help.

"The hilarious thing is that parent volunteers are the ones who make copies of the packets at school for teachers to hand out, and then these same parent volunteers correct the packets when children bring them back to school."

NO! They should do a test. Have the teachers stop teaching math, but continue with the homework packets and parent volunteers. Then see if there is any difference in scores.

-- SteveH - 30 Jun 2006

Isn't it normal for parents to teach their kids how to tell time? That hardly seems like the school's job. Or are schools supposed to be teaching kids how to tie their shoelaces, too?

-- RudbeckiaHirta - 30 Jun 2006

Interestingly, speaking as a parent, telling time just doesn't come up as an important thing for every child... so it depends on the child I suppose.

My own boys never showed an interest, which fits with their rather laid-back personality. So it is extremely helpful to me if schools directly ask my children to learn to tell the time... by first grade? It saves some wear and tear on parents whose children engage them in normal power struggles.

Isn't it normal for parents to teach their kids how to (fill in the blank) takes us all the way back to the idea that it is supposed to be more efficient for a small number of adults to teach a large number of children (fill in the blank). And no, shoelaces isn't one of them, but I'm sure many kids in daycare learn that from their daycare teachers.

-- BeckyC - 30 Jun 2006

To extend this thought,

Isn't it normal for teachers to make their own damn copies? ;)

I'd hate to leave them dependent on me to make the copies and free up their time for more important pursuits, like improving their teaching. :D

-- BeckyC - 30 Jun 2006

NO! They should do a test. Have the teachers stop teaching math, but continue with the homework packets and parent volunteers. Then see if there is any difference in scores.

yes!

yes! yes! yes!

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

I think time has normally been taught by schools, but I'll check.

It's not a simple skill. One of my friend's children, another Phase 4 kid, can't read an analog clock.

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

Isn't it normal for teachers to make their own damn copies? ;)

The horror with the middle school is that no one expects the parents to do anything. We are not allowed in the classrooms; we can barely make it through the front door to the office.

They expect the kids to struggle.

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

yup

how to tell time is core material in a serious grammar school curriculum

-- CatherineJohnson - 30 Jun 2006

Isn't it normal for parents to teach their kids how to tell time? That hardly seems like the school's job

As a taxpayer, I thought the point of publicly funded schools was to make sure every kid learns the same basic things.

-- TracyW - 30 Jun 2006

Catherine, I think you should send Mrs Kahl a rubric, with a list of skills you think she needs to brush up on over the summer.

-- TracyW - 30 Jun 2006

Catherine, I think you should send Mrs Kahl a rubric, with a list of skills you think she needs to brush up on over the summer.

Ho ho ho... that takes a lotta nerve. Catherine, do you want to be on the receiving end of a whole suite of emails? LOL.

-- BrendaM - 01 Jul 2006

BRENDA I'm way ahead of you!

I just may do it.

Brenda - what's your blog address????

-- CatherineJohnson - 01 Jul 2006