Grading Freshmen

Jason Morgan said:The questions are phrased quite poorly, I'll give you that.
Instead, they really ought to ask, "By what name do we refer to the day that preceded today?"
If a student has actually been paying attention in class and listening to the teacher, they'll realize the expected response is "yesterday."
And that's precisely where the catch lies—it isn't about finding some absolute, cosmic truth; it's about meeting the specific expectation set by the prompt.

I run into this exact same frustration when I'm studying a foreign language.
We all know there can be multiple grammatically correct tenses to use in a given sentence.
Yet, if I'm tasked with converting a passage into one specific tense, people start complaining because I didn't choose the *one* version they had in mind, even though my choice was technically accurate.
But then again, if you hadn't been listening closely to the instructor, trying to solve it would be an absolute nightmare.

Personally, I’d just look at this and say: Monday (since today is Tuesday, right?). 🤣

hiddendriver34 said:Personally, I’d just look at this and say: Monday (since today is Tuesday, right?). 🤣

Exactly, the question itself is just too vague.
I'm not an educator, and I don't really teach elementary school students anymore, but if I were designing a test, I think I'd probably phrase it something like this:

The missing artistic term:

________ — today — tomorrow

Or something along those lines, anyway.
Then there wouldn't really be any dilemma about what you're supposed to write down.😁

In an elementary school setting, both summative and formative assessments should exist—or at least, they ought to. Yet, formative tracking of progress is frequently missing altogether, or it’s treated as something arbitrary, a secondary concern that people claim isn't particularly vital.

The grading criteria themselves are often so vague that neither the parent nor the child receives any real sense of what is actually required to earn a specific grade. The core issue here is that the Department of Education mandates that the Criterion documents be drafted by individual school teams or subject departments rather than being standardized at the federal level—a task that really should fall to the specialists at the Department of Education. Because of this fragmentation, you end up with a situation where a grade in one school might be based on one set of standards, while in another, the rules are similar but perhaps slightly more lenient or significantly more punishing.

Ideally, collective professional meetings—ranging from district-wide gatherings to national conferences—should establish some sort of unified stance, but in practice, that simply hasn't happened. There is very little discussion regarding formative assessment; instead, these meetings tend to obsess over summative evaluation, and even that lacks consistency, given how much educational achievements and the depth of conceptual mastery can fluctuate from one school to the next.

Furthermore, the specific types of tasks used in oral and written exams should be transparent to both parents and students. Why on earth should the format of an upcoming test be kept a secret? A few weeks ago, children in after-school programs were working through sample problems that mirrored what they would see on their actual exams, yet they weren't allowed to bring those worksheets home. To what end? Any parent would gladly sit down and practice those specific question formats with their child. What is the harm in that transparency? And what about the kids who don't attend after-school care?

Parents and students alike deserve to know the "rules of the game." It is the only way to possibly mitigate the mounting pressure and stress.

I remain firmly opposed to grading in the lower grades because it serves absolutely no purpose. Don't let anyone tell me that life is harsh and that children just need to get used to it. Why should a seven or eight-year-old have to learn that even if they grasp the material, they might still receive a failing mark, or worse, feel shamed because they haven't mastered reading or writing quite yet—skills they might perfectly well develop in just a few months?

No one, especially not first graders, should be subjected to the stress of grading, particularly when there isn't even a clear consensus across the entire USA regarding what constitutes an "A" grade.

Once a child's self-confidence and self-esteem are crushed during those early years, they may never truly recover.

wanderinggardener12 said:In an elementary school setting, both summative and formative assessments should exist—or at least, they ought to. Yet, formative tracking of progress is frequently missing altogether, or it’s treated as something arbitrary, a secondary concern that people claim isn't particularly vital.

The grading criteria themselves are often so vague that neither the parent nor the child receives any real sense of what is actually required to earn a specific grade. The core issue here is that the Department of Education mandates that the Criterion documents be drafted by individual school teams or subject departments rather than being standardized at the federal level—a task that really should fall to the specialists at the Department of Education. Because of this fragmentation, you end up with a situation where a grade in one school might be based on one set of standards, while in another, the rules are similar but perhaps slightly more lenient or significantly more punishing.

Ideally, collective professional meetings—ranging from district-wide gatherings to national conferences—should establish some sort of unified stance, but in practice, that simply hasn't happened. There is very little discussion regarding formative assessment; instead, these meetings tend to obsess over summative evaluation, and even that lacks consistency, given how much educational achievements and the depth of conceptual mastery can fluctuate from one school to the next.

Furthermore, the specific types of tasks used in oral and written exams should be transparent to both parents and students. Why on earth should the format of an upcoming test be kept a secret? A few weeks ago, children in after-school programs were working through sample problems that mirrored what they would see on their actual exams, yet they weren't allowed to bring those worksheets home. To what end? Any parent would gladly sit down and practice those specific question formats with their child. What is the harm in that transparency? And what about the kids who don't attend after-school care?

Parents and students alike deserve to know the "rules of the game." It is the only way to possibly mitigate the mounting pressure and stress.

I remain firmly opposed to grading in the lower grades because it serves absolutely no purpose. Don't let anyone tell me that life is harsh and that children just need to get used to it. Why should a seven or eight-year-old have to learn that even if they grasp the material, they might still receive a failing mark, or worse, feel shamed because they haven't mastered reading or writing quite yet—skills they might perfectly well develop in just a few months?

No one, especially not first graders, should be subjected to the stress of grading, particularly when there isn't even a clear consensus across the entire USA regarding what constitutes an "A" grade.

Once a child's self-confidence and self-esteem are crushed during those early years, they may never truly recover.

It happens in high school, too, but at the end of the day, the final GPA is still just a summative measure. 😉

northernmaker7 said:Some members of my family were part of that generation where numerical grades were scrapped up through 5th grade. Look what happened. When they hit middle school and instead of smiley faces and hearts, an instructor from England handed them a D or an F, it was more of a shock than if they had been getting low marks since 1st grade. Honestly, it was brutal for the kids.

We aren't some wealthy nation like Finland. Life is hard, and not everyone can afford an ideal 9-to-5 schedule that supports family life. There are people in this country who don't see their children for two or three days at a time because of shift work. And what now? No one is lecturing them; they chose those jobs themselves. It isn't that simple.

They also need, without all the heavy philosophy, a clear and straightforward system to track their children's progress.

Here is a small example from my kids' school.

If I haven't mentioned the moment when a teacher leaves the classroom after school (talking about elementary school) and tells parents what needs to be brought, prepared, organized, or baked for TOMORROW, then I am screwed.

Specifically, my shift work makes it impossible for me to react between 11:25 PM tonight and 8:00 AM tomorrow to prepare product boxes, toilet paper rolls, buy a specific wide brush, or whatever else is required.

And now everything depends on what kind of kid you have.

If you have a motivated child with straight As, they might take charge of their own responsibilities and things work fine.

If you have a distracted or uninterested child, it creates unnecessary chaos that doesn't actually help my child learn to be prepared.

I will say it again: this kind of nonsense doesn't bother me much in middle school, where you can be a bit firmer, but for grades 1 through 4, such ridiculousness truly drove me crazy. 🙂

As for whether schools have decent internet systems for posting basic notifications online? There is simply no interest, time, or willpower for it.

After significant resistance, we finally managed to get a teacher to post updates on a bulletin board so I can check at 6:00 PM what is needed for tomorrow or the day after. It’s better that way; even if I have to check the board daily, I don't have to go insane trying to check my phone constantly while at work.

You can't really know if things would have turned out differently.
It might have been just as tough as it is for kids today who breeze through the first four grades with straight As, only to hit 5th grade and suddenly struggle with Cs and Ds. It’s not just about the grading, though—it's the transition. They go from having one teacher who looks after them in a single classroom to dealing with 11 different professors across 9 different rooms, and it takes those teachers months just to memorize the students' names.

What I mean is, 5th grade brings massive changes regardless, and I wouldn't say they need those easy grades in the early years just to soften the blow of such a huge shift.

northernmaker7 said:Some members of my family were part of that generation where numerical grades were scrapped up through 5th grade. Look what happened. When they hit middle school and instead of smiley faces and hearts, an instructor from England handed them a D or an F, it was more of a shock than if they had been getting low marks since 1st grade. Honestly, it was brutal for the kids.

We aren't some wealthy nation like Finland. Life is hard, and not everyone can afford an ideal 9-to-5 schedule that supports family life. There are people in this country who don't see their children for two or three days at a time because of shift work. And what now? No one is lecturing them; they chose those jobs themselves. It isn't that simple.

They also need, without all the heavy philosophy, a clear and straightforward system to track their children's progress.

Here is a small example from my kids' school.

If I haven't mentioned the moment when a teacher leaves the classroom after school (talking about elementary school) and tells parents what needs to be brought, prepared, organized, or baked for TOMORROW, then I am screwed.

Specifically, my shift work makes it impossible for me to react between 11:25 PM tonight and 8:00 AM tomorrow to prepare product boxes, toilet paper rolls, buy a specific wide brush, or whatever else is required.

And now everything depends on what kind of kid you have.

If you have a motivated child with straight As, they might take charge of their own responsibilities and things work fine.

If you have a distracted or uninterested child, it creates unnecessary chaos that doesn't actually help my child learn to be prepared.

I will say it again: this kind of nonsense doesn't bother me much in middle school, where you can be a bit firmer, but for grades 1 through 4, such ridiculousness truly drove me crazy. 🙂

As for whether schools have decent internet systems for posting basic notifications online? There is simply no interest, time, or willpower for it.

After significant resistance, we finally managed to get a teacher to post updates on a bulletin board so I can check at 6:00 PM what is needed for tomorrow or the day after. It’s better that way; even if I have to check the board daily, I don't have to go insane trying to check my phone constantly while at work.

I agree that parents need a transparent way to monitor their kids' progress, but traditional letter grades aren't the answer.
Aside from being prone to a teacher's subjective opinion, they also lead to constant arguing, negotiating, and trying to talk your way into a better grade...

Look, a 1-5 scale is definitely not objective enough; you gotta go with 1-10 if you want some real depth

I’ve been following the discussion, though I find myself skimming through because you all certainly have a lot to say. My daughter, L., is starting first grade and will be attending after-school care. Almost every day she has some sort of extracurricular activity lined up—either sports or language classes. Generally, everything at school seems to be fine, but I think it’s unrealistic to expect a single after-school instructor to sit down and drill reading or writing with every individual child. At the start of the term, there were 38 kids assigned to one teacher. They eventually realized that was a mess and hired another person, so now it's 23 kids per teacher. In my opinion, that’s still far too many, especially considering they have students with special needs in the mix. My L. is bright, but she’s headstrong and quite spirited; emotionally, she’s more like a five-year-old. She’s also about as fast as a snail. She might finish two-thirds of her work during class, but in after-school care, she might finish half the homework, sometimes all of it, and sometimes nothing at all because she’s just quietly doodling or playing while the teacher fails to notice she hasn't actually written anything down. I’ve been advised to have her practice more at home to build up her speed. I know that simply doing homework isn't enough to achieve that. I suspect we occasionally hold teachers to impossible standards on one hand, and on the other, we demand way too much from the children. Just yesterday they were playing around without a care in the world, and then suddenly, we expect them to have a sense of time management, a grasp of their obligations, the responsibility to meet deadlines, and the sheer concentration required to remember what their actual assignments even are.

George Peterson said:I’ve been following the discussion, though I find myself skimming through because you all certainly have a lot to say. My daughter, L., is starting first grade and will be attending after-school care. Almost every day she has some sort of extracurricular activity lined up—either sports or language classes. Generally, everything at school seems to be fine, but I think it’s unrealistic to expect a single after-school instructor to sit down and drill reading or writing with every individual child. At the start of the term, there were 38 kids assigned to one teacher. They eventually realized that was a mess and hired another person, so now it's 23 kids per teacher. In my opinion, that’s still far too many, especially considering they have students with special needs in the mix. My L. is bright, but she’s headstrong and quite spirited; emotionally, she’s more like a five-year-old. She’s also about as fast as a snail. She might finish two-thirds of her work during class, but in after-school care, she might finish half the homework, sometimes all of it, and sometimes nothing at all because she’s just quietly doodling or playing while the teacher fails to notice she hasn't actually written anything down. I’ve been advised to have her practice more at home to build up her speed. I know that simply doing homework isn't enough to achieve that. I suspect we occasionally hold teachers to impossible standards on one hand, and on the other, we demand way too much from the children. Just yesterday they were playing around without a care in the world, and then suddenly, we expect them to have a sense of time management, a grasp of their obligations, the responsibility to meet deadlines, and the sheer concentration required to remember what their actual assignments even are.

Besides, does anyone actually need grades? Or did you already realize everything you wrote without needing a report card to tell you? How do these grades even affect your little girl? Do you honestly believe that a letter grade is going to magically instill speed, a sense of time, or better study habits?

wanderinggardener12 said:Besides, does anyone actually need grades? Or did you already realize everything you wrote without needing a report card to tell you? How do these grades even affect your little girl? Do you honestly believe that a letter grade is going to magically instill speed, a sense of time, or better study habits?

I honestly don't know. I’m feeling pretty ambivalent about the whole grading thing right now. For me, they just serve as a rough guide to show where she stands with her current lessons. Sadly, tomorrow, those numbers will start defining her future. It seems our society just can't function without metrics and data points. As for how they impact her—it's hard to say. Honestly, a smiley face sticker seems to excite her more than an A. At least, that's my impression, though she doesn't exactly seem to be grinding for extra credit. And as for developing speed, responsibility, or discipline through testing? I have no clue how that works. How do you teach a child to keep their word? How do you teach them to honor a deal? Right now, she only practices what she wants to do, not what she actually needs to do. She only does the "necessary" stuff when I'm hovering over her, which is exhausting—constantly chasing, pushing, and micromanaging. Eventually, she'll have to figure out how to navigate this system on her own.

George Peterson said:I honestly don't know. I’m feeling pretty ambivalent about the whole grading thing right now. For me, they just serve as a rough guide to show where she stands with her current lessons. Sadly, tomorrow, those numbers will start defining her future. It seems our society just can't function without metrics and data points. As for how they impact her—it's hard to say. Honestly, a smiley face sticker seems to excite her more than an A. At least, that's my impression, though she doesn't exactly seem to be grinding for extra credit. And as for developing speed, responsibility, or discipline through testing? I have no clue how that works. How do you teach a child to keep their word? How do you teach them to honor a deal? Right now, she only practices what she wants to do, not what she actually needs to do. She only does the "necessary" stuff when I'm hovering over her, which is exhausting—constantly chasing, pushing, and micromanaging. Eventually, she'll have to figure out how to navigate this system on her own.

Both smileys and grades are just external feedback.
It really turns into a mess if we rely solely on outside validation (like what you mentioned about our society being obsessed with grades).

Real work habits come from doing what needs to be done every single day, regardless of whether someone gives you a pat on the back or not.
You do it because you need to survive.
To function daily (I mean, they're at an age where it's fine to follow their passions, but they also need to learn to tackle the chores or tasks they dislike—even when it's boring, hard, or just plain annoying).
I don't think motivating through control and grading makes sense; they need to reach a point of internal realization regarding why something is meaningful or useful.
I know some kids are driven by a smiley face, an A, or a compliment to finish something they find tedious, but in the long run, I see much more value in teaching them: "Look, I know this is boring, but you have to get it done because it builds skills you'll need later for this or that."

That's why I think grading things like how well they write the letter 'A' or how they join letters together to make a word is pointless.
Seriously, she’s going to need those literacy skills for the rest of her life.
You don't learn to read and write just to hear someone say "great job"; you learn it so you can study other subjects and communicate with people.
Speed comes with practice (you could give her examples from her own life, showing her how she got faster at something just by practicing, and explaining that being quicker gives her more free time for other things).

I truly believe people learn to keep their word by seeing others—people they respect—do the same, and by observing that the people around them are responsible.
That's a real "external" motivator: seeing how others treat you and deciding what kind of person you want to be toward others.
An 'A' or a 'C' isn't going to make someone more responsible, and especially not the fear of a failing grade.

Honestly, it bugs me that grading isn't even realistic in first grade...
In my little one's class, it’s nothing but straight A's and B's right now...
The teacher explained that she won't hand out any bad grades yet—she doesn't want to crush their spirits right at the start of their schooling. Apparently, they're too emotionally sensitive, and such a massive shift would be too much for them to handle early on...

In practice, this means if they bomb a spelling test or a quiz, she doesn't actually record a failing grade; instead, she just keeps having them retake it until they get it right, and only then does she finally grade it...

The kids end up with zero clue how they're actually performing. They're going to hit a massive wall in second grade when the grades actually reflect reality—I just hope they're prepared for the shock.

Kate Morgan14 said:Honestly, it bugs me that grading isn't even realistic in first grade...
In my little one's class, it’s nothing but straight A's and B's right now...
The teacher explained that she won't hand out any bad grades yet—she doesn't want to crush their spirits right at the start of their schooling. Apparently, they're too emotionally sensitive, and such a massive shift would be too much for them to handle early on...

In practice, this means if they bomb a spelling test or a quiz, she doesn't actually record a failing grade; instead, she just keeps having them retake it until they get it right, and only then does she finally grade it...

The kids end up with zero clue how they're actually performing. They're going to hit a massive wall in second grade when the grades actually reflect reality—I just hope they're prepared for the shock.

Honestly, if that’s how things work at your school, most parents in our district would kill for a teacher like that!😁
But for my kid, even a single mistake on a spelling test means they've already dropped to a B, and there's zero chance for a retake—everything goes straight onto the record...
I feel like in a 30-question test, maybe allowing one or two mistakes is okay, but only if the questions themselves were a bit "fuzzy"... like that recent science quiz they had about circling which tree shows autumn characteristics. They had pictures of trees with leaves, flowers, and one bare tree, and since the blossoms haven't even popped yet, most of them circled the ones with leaves they'd seen outside...

What’s better? Honestly, I have no clue... it's a total double-edged sword.
It's not smart to scare these little kids away from school in their first year, but it's also not great to just hand them participation trophies in the form of grades...

Kate Morgan14 said:Honestly, it bugs me that grading isn't even realistic in first grade...
In my little one's class, it’s nothing but straight A's and B's right now...
The teacher explained that she won't hand out any bad grades yet—she doesn't want to crush their spirits right at the start of their schooling. Apparently, they're too emotionally sensitive, and such a massive shift would be too much for them to handle early on...

In practice, this means if they bomb a spelling test or a quiz, she doesn't actually record a failing grade; instead, she just keeps having them retake it until they get it right, and only then does she finally grade it...

The kids end up with zero clue how they're actually performing. They're going to hit a massive wall in second grade when the grades actually reflect reality—I just hope they're prepared for the shock.

Don't hold your breath; that woman isn't going to develop any backbone, even if she were back in middle school. ☕ It’s looking pretty likely that your kid won't see a decent grade until they hit fifth grade.

Don't go thinking I'm taking a shot at you personally; my beef is strictly with that one teacher. It’s just frustrating how everyone wants to pin the blame on that tiny fraction of aggressive parents instead of addressing the actual root of the problem—this culture of grade inflation driven by professors and teachers who are too afraid to actually grade anything strictly.

Lawrence Torres56 said:Honestly, if that’s how things work at your school, most parents in our district would kill for a teacher like that!😁
But for my kid, even a single mistake on a spelling test means they've already dropped to a B, and there's zero chance for a retake—everything goes straight onto the record...
I feel like in a 30-question test, maybe allowing one or two mistakes is okay, but only if the questions themselves were a bit "fuzzy"... like that recent science quiz they had about circling which tree shows autumn characteristics. They had pictures of trees with leaves, flowers, and one bare tree, and since the blossoms haven't even popped yet, most of them circled the ones with leaves they'd seen outside...

What’s better? Honestly, I have no clue... it's a total double-edged sword.
It's not smart to scare these little kids away from school in their first year, but it's also not great to just hand them participation trophies in the form of grades...

This is already my second extreme case. Making just two mistakes puts you at 93% for the entire test, and three mistakes drops you to 90%. Honestly, they should probably allow for at least three errors, but since we're talking about first grade, a 90% feels a little too brutal.

Ratings should range from 1 to 5. I don't think there's much point in only handing out A's and B's. In theory, more sensitive kids might end up feeling pretty discouraged if they get a B—since that’s basically the lowest grade in that top tier—and by fifth grade, a D could honestly lead to a total meltdown.

When my daughter was in first grade, she was pulling straight A's on her math tests, until she suddenly hit a D one day. Her teacher explained to her that the specific letter grade isn't what matters most; what really counts is whether she actually learns and understands the material. She ended up having to do some extra credit work, but now everything clicks for her, and she's actually quite proud of herself 🙂
I suppose it's important to use assessments to track a child's progress and see where they might need a little extra help, but we shouldn't use those grades to define their actual worth.

Arthur Moore47 said:Ratings should range from 1 to 5. I don't think there's much point in only handing out A's and B's. In theory, more sensitive kids might end up feeling pretty discouraged if they get a B—since that’s basically the lowest grade in that top tier—and by fifth grade, a D could honestly lead to a total meltdown.

When my daughter was in first grade, she was pulling straight A's on her math tests, until she suddenly hit a D one day. Her teacher explained to her that the specific letter grade isn't what matters most; what really counts is whether she actually learns and understands the material. She ended up having to do some extra credit work, but now everything clicks for her, and she's actually quite proud of herself 🙂
I suppose it's important to use assessments to track a child's progress and see where they might need a little extra help, but we shouldn't use those grades to define their actual worth.

Regarding the grading methodology, I believe the standards were tightened about two years ago, such that 90% and above results in an A, 80-89% is a B, and so on—I don't recall the exact percentages for the lower tiers... the teacher presented these specific benchmarks at the parent-teacher meeting, and naturally, teachers are expected to adhere to them...
Are all mistakes equal? Likely not, but I maintain that both progress and actual knowledge should always be rewarded...
The teachers for both of my children are fair; they observe the students closely and recognize who possesses potential and who is actually applying it... I truly have no issue with the existence of grades... and honestly, if they didn't exist, I wouldn't have an issue with that either... My priority is simply receiving information regarding their progress and how much they know... both from the children themselves and from the teachers...

I still find myself thinking that a letter grade isn't really helpful feedback—not for the parent, and certainly not for the child. Perhaps a percentage makes more sense if we frame it differently: look, this glass is full (show a drawing), and this one is yours (show another drawing), but there is still so much room left in your glass for more knowledge... see how much? We’ll just keep practicing until everyone’s glass is brimming.
The argument usually given is that kids need to get used to being graded, or that by fifth grade, they need to be prepared for whatever comes next, including failure. But let's be honest: life's reality isn't defined by whether you got an A or a C in some subject. Even in the most cutthroat corners of American capitalism, where everything feels like a constant, relentless competition, a single grade doesn't dictate your worth or your future.

Chloe Roberts2, look... we’re talking about grades here. 😉

Kate Morgan14 said:Honestly, it bugs me that grading isn't even realistic in first grade...
In my little one's class, it’s nothing but straight A's and B's right now...
The teacher explained that she won't hand out any bad grades yet—she doesn't want to crush their spirits right at the start of their schooling. Apparently, they're too emotionally sensitive, and such a massive shift would be too much for them to handle early on...

In practice, this means if they bomb a spelling test or a quiz, she doesn't actually record a failing grade; instead, she just keeps having them retake it until they get it right, and only then does she finally grade it...

The kids end up with zero clue how they're actually performing. They're going to hit a massive wall in second grade when the grades actually reflect reality—I just hope they're prepared for the shock.

Honestly, some of these goals just aren't grounded in reality. I was looking at a few of these projections earlier, and it's hard to take them seriously when they feel so disconnected from how things actually work on the ground here in the States. It’s easy to dream big, but without a practical plan, it’s just wishful thinking.
When kids start first grade, they aren't all coming from the same starting line. You see such a huge range in their prior knowledge, their motivation levels, and just how naturally they pick things up. Honestly, you can tell most of it just by looking at them during enrollment—it’s pretty obvious from day one—but the real picture usually doesn't fully crystallize until we hit the second half of the school year.
It’s honestly such a struggle when you're trying to grade dictations under these circumstances. You have one kid who can already read fluently at five years old, another who can recognize letters at six and a half but isn't reading yet, and then there's the seven-year-old who is still working on just holding a pencil correctly. Despite those massive developmental gaps, they’re all sitting in the same classroom, moving through the exact same curriculum at the same pace, and being graded on the exact same assignment. It feels like a losing battle sometimes.
I’ve always felt that a truly great teacher focuses on rewarding the actual effort and the visible progress each student makes. It’s not just about the final grade on a test; it's about recognizing how far they've come. When you grade based on growth, you aren't killing their drive—you're actually fueling it. It encourages them to keep practicing the areas where they struggle because they know their hard work is being seen and valued.
I think I might have misspoken or maybe there was just a misunderstanding in how I explained things. My intention wasn't to suggest giving a 4 or a 5 just to avoid any disappointment. It’s more about having a way to actually measure how much progress a child has made between October and February.
If he actually exists, then that's something to consider.

Kate Morgan14 said:Honestly, it bugs me that grading isn't even realistic in first grade...
In my little one's class, it’s nothing but straight A's and B's right now...
The teacher explained that she won't hand out any bad grades yet—she doesn't want to crush their spirits right at the start of their schooling. Apparently, they're too emotionally sensitive, and such a massive shift would be too much for them to handle early on...

In practice, this means if they bomb a spelling test or a quiz, she doesn't actually record a failing grade; instead, she just keeps having them retake it until they get it right, and only then does she finally grade it...

The kids end up with zero clue how they're actually performing. They're going to hit a massive wall in second grade when the grades actually reflect reality—I just hope they're prepared for the shock.

I think that sounds absolutely perfect!
I just sent my kid a quick message letting them know that practice isn't over until they can write down a dictation exactly as it's spoken. It’s all about getting those details right!
It’s perfectly fine to tell the team that some people need more practice while others might need a little less. That kind of tailored feedback is actually pretty helpful. What isn't okay, though, is sending out a message that everyone is forced to hit a flat "5" across the board. Everyone works differently, after all.
They really don't have to.
They really need to learn how to write properly.
If they have to write out a dictation several times until they finally get it right, it sends a pretty clear message to the kid: you just need to put in more practice. It’s kind of like when I was learning to play guitar; sometimes you just have to run through those scales over and over until the muscle memory kicks in.

Kate Morgan14 said:Honestly, it bugs me that grading isn't even realistic in first grade...
In my little one's class, it’s nothing but straight A's and B's right now...
The teacher explained that she won't hand out any bad grades yet—she doesn't want to crush their spirits right at the start of their schooling. Apparently, they're too emotionally sensitive, and such a massive shift would be too much for them to handle early on...

In practice, this means if they bomb a spelling test or a quiz, she doesn't actually record a failing grade; instead, she just keeps having them retake it until they get it right, and only then does she finally grade it...

The kids end up with zero clue how they're actually performing. They're going to hit a massive wall in second grade when the grades actually reflect reality—I just hope they're prepared for the shock.

The real problem with this approach is that if the focus stays almost entirely on the grade—or just the grade itself—it sends a pretty bad message to the kids. It basically tells them they’ll be stuck doing the same thing over and over again until they hit that "A" mark. It turns learning into a loop where they're just chasing a score rather than actually getting it.
It’s always such a letdown when things shift like that. You know, when you move into second grade and suddenly those five extra practice opportunities aren't there anymore—now they're expected to just sit down and master it all on their own. Or even worse, when they hit fifth grade and really need to step up and show what they've learned, only to end up with mediocre grades. It can be pretty discouraging.

So, my kid’s teacher is honestly pretty intense—like, super strict—and she’s handing out grades like they’re candy, even for stuff like music class ☕. But you know what? I actually dig her style because she doesn't just steamroll through the curriculum; she basically dances around the material until every single kid actually gets it, and only then does she move on. My little one doesn't even sweat it when the grades aren't perfect, and honestly, I figure the whole class is going to be way more prepared for middle school because of it.

Susan James said:Honestly, some of these goals just aren't grounded in reality. I was looking at a few of these projections earlier, and it's hard to take them seriously when they feel so disconnected from how things actually work on the ground here in the States. It’s easy to dream big, but without a practical plan, it’s just wishful thinking.
When kids start first grade, they aren't all coming from the same starting line. You see such a huge range in their prior knowledge, their motivation levels, and just how naturally they pick things up. Honestly, you can tell most of it just by looking at them during enrollment—it’s pretty obvious from day one—but the real picture usually doesn't fully crystallize until we hit the second half of the school year.
It’s honestly such a struggle when you're trying to grade dictations under these circumstances. You have one kid who can already read fluently at five years old, another who can recognize letters at six and a half but isn't reading yet, and then there's the seven-year-old who is still working on just holding a pencil correctly. Despite those massive developmental gaps, they’re all sitting in the same classroom, moving through the exact same curriculum at the same pace, and being graded on the exact same assignment. It feels like a losing battle sometimes.
I’ve always felt that a truly great teacher focuses on rewarding the actual effort and the visible progress each student makes. It’s not just about the final grade on a test; it's about recognizing how far they've come. When you grade based on growth, you aren't killing their drive—you're actually fueling it. It encourages them to keep practicing the areas where they struggle because they know their hard work is being seen and valued.
I think I might have misspoken or maybe there was just a misunderstanding in how I explained things. My intention wasn't to suggest giving a 4 or a 5 just to avoid any disappointment. It’s more about having a way to actually measure how much progress a child has made between October and February.
If he actually exists, then that's something to consider.

I think that sounds absolutely perfect!
I just sent my kid a quick message letting them know that practice isn't over until they can write down a dictation exactly as it's spoken. It’s all about getting those details right!
It’s perfectly fine to tell the team that some people need more practice while others might need a little less. That kind of tailored feedback is actually pretty helpful. What isn't okay, though, is sending out a message that everyone is forced to hit a flat "5" across the board. Everyone works differently, after all.
They really don't have to.
They really need to learn how to write properly.
If they have to write out a dictation several times until they finally get it right, it sends a pretty clear message to the kid: you just need to put in more practice. It’s kind of like when I was learning to play guitar; sometimes you just have to run through those scales over and over until the muscle memory kicks in.

The real problem with this approach is that if the focus stays almost entirely on the grade—or just the grade itself—it sends a pretty bad message to the kids. It basically tells them they’ll be stuck doing the same thing over and over again until they hit that "A" mark. It turns learning into a loop where they're just chasing a score rather than actually getting it.
It’s always such a letdown when things shift like that. You know, when you move into second grade and suddenly those five extra practice opportunities aren't there anymore—now they're expected to just sit down and master it all on their own. Or even worse, when they hit fifth grade and really need to step up and show what they've learned, only to end up with mediocre grades. It can be pretty discouraging.

Honestly? I don't think it's awesome at all, because what kids actually take away from that approach is the exact opposite—it basically tells them, "hey, don't bother studying, don't push yourself throughout the school year, just cram whenever you feel like it and everything will work out fine." And by doing that, we’re totally failing to teach them any sense of actual work ethic...

Take my little one, for example. One time she didn't even bother copying the assignment off the whiteboard because she realized a bunch of the other kids weren't doing it either; they were just playing around during recess while their moms were running around being helicopter parents and stressing everyone else out... she even brought home a phone number for some other mom and told me I should call 🙂... I told her, absolutely not. You're going to write down what I think is the right answer for the homework, and if it's wrong or missing something, then yeah, you'll get a zero, which is exactly what you earned... and you know what? She never once thought about ditching class to play during recess before finishing her work again...

And look, regardless of how silly grades might seem to us adults, for these kids, those grades are their yardstick and their motivation; descriptive feedback? That stuff just goes in one ear and out the other. They're essentially testing the waters in first grade, seeing how far they can push the boundaries... and whatever we plant in their heads during that first year is going to stick with them for the rest of their lives.