Well, in the eighth grade class, I attempt to go over some more two-step equations after singing the "Solve It" song for music break. But unfortunately, we do only two more equations.
The problem I have today is with the third quaver progress reports. I completed them on Aeries over the weekend, but the actual deadline for submitting them is noon today. And so I tell the students that they should make up any missing work by noon today in order to raise their grade from a D or F in order to avoid getting a progress report.
There are many more students getting progress reports in eighth than in seventh grade -- and this is true for several reasons. Much of it is because of APEX -- in order to advance to the next quiz, APEX is set up to require eighth graders to earn a score of 60%, but seventh graders must earn at least 70%. And since most quizzes have only five questions, "at least 70%" really means 4/5 or 80%. I force the seventh graders to keep retaking the quizzes and tests until they pass them.
Thus it's impossible for seventh graders to earn less than 70% if they pass the test -- and it's impossible for them to earn more than 59% unless they pass it. Therefore there are no seventh graders with D's -- and only two students in each period missed the test and have F's.
On the other hand, more eighth graders get D's on all the quizzes and the test, and so there are eighth graders with D's, in addition to the ones who missed the test and have F's. And the cohort with the most progress reports is today's first period class -- and it also happens to be the last full class meeting before the noon deadline.
And so I spend the entire time after music break checking and resetting APEX tests. This is for students who missed the test as well as those with D's who wish for me to reset the tests in APEX. I'm glad that many of them are able to raise their grades to C's today.
During the snack break, I ask other teachers for advice on changing the progress report grades -- and they tell me that I shouldn't have offered to raise their grades. At some schools, there is no hard "last day of the quaver" (as there would be for a quarter or semester), but just a "window" to enter progress reports. But here, there was a last day of the third quaver -- last Friday. If the students didn't take their test by the due date, then I should have just given the F's on the progress reports. But because I'd already told them that I'd raise the grades, they suggest that I just give them a C- on the progress report, with an N in work habits as a warning.
But notice that what I do today is create a vicious cycle. Instead of going over the two-step equations, I give students time to make up old assignments. Then without the extra guidance on two-step equations, the students struggle and fall behind. They'll fail the APEX quiz on equations and require extra time to make it up -- which then takes time from a future lesson. Instead, at some point I must put my foot down and tell students that they must move on -- this gives them a fighting chance to keep up with the material.
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