Hi, my english teacher works on a point system (points earned/points you could have earned), and up until last week, there were 100 points you could have earned. I had a 97 in that class until yesterday, when she entered in a test worth 100 points (which means 50% of our grade) into the gradebook and my grade dropped 10% (along with most others in the class because the questions were bogus). I asked her if she could reduce the point value from 100 to 50, but her reasoning not to was, “you guys submitted an essay 3 weeks ago that will count for ANOTHER 100 points”.
So now, we have a test worth 33% of our grade, an essay worth 33% of our grade, and 8 weeks of class work worth 33% of our grade. Is it unfair to have one test and one essay worth the exact amount as 8 weeks of work? How do I approach her to tell her it is unfair? Last time I tried, she had an irritated tone in her voice (should I try email?).
A teacher can weigh graded work anyway he/she wants. It’s her class.
That said, all teachers should be transparent in how grades will shake out.
What did she put in the syllabus regarding the weights of the graded work? Was she clear that the test, essay, and classroom work would all be 33% of the final grade?
If she was clear up front much wrights the exam and essay would be, then she’s not being fair. The students knew up front how much the exams and essays would be worth and could adjust efforts as appropriately.
From your post though, it seems like your were surprised, so does that mean the teacher didn’t mention anything in the syllabus?
Caveat: I’m not in academia, so my perspective above is coming from your side - as a student (a lot of schooling here).
You can certainly talk to the teacher - it can’t hurt if you are nice about it.
I wouldn’t consider it unfair though. It’s really her choice but I have to agree with @ChicagoSportsFn that the teacher should be transparent about how she grades. Did she not tell you the grade distribution at the beginning of the year? Maybe if you read the syllabus it’s in there.
When you get to colleges there will probably be very few grades in each class you take that will count for a large % of the total grade. I had classes where there was just one exam or paper that counted for 100% of the grade. It doesn’t hurt if you can get used to this while still in high school.
Even at my kids’ grammar school tests count for 40% of the grade. Often there is only time in the marking period for one test. This is a great learning experience, OP. “How to tell a teacher it is unfair” is expressing your opinion. You are entitled to do that and you already did that. It does not mean the teacher is obligated to change.
It’s not unfair. You just don’t like it because it brought your grade down. If you’d scored a 100 on the test, I bet you would have loved how heavily it’s weighted. Sounds like a tough class. Those happen sometimes to everyone. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have a high 90 something % in the class. Is this a full year course? If so then you have plenty of time to bring it up even further.
@ChicagoSportsFn@amy989 nope we weren’t given a syllabus, she said that quizzes would be around 30 points and essays/tests would be around 70. @djyoungqueef@TomSrOfBoston thanks? @momcinco thats how it was when I was younger too… but we got multiple tests so it only really counted for 15% of the grade. @HRSMom Thanks, I think I am just salty about how dramatically it changed my grade. @mom2twogirls The average was mid-70’s but I understand what you are saying.
@neophyte what does salty mean? In old ppl speak, you can use salty language (meaning cursing). But my kids use this too, “I’m being salty”, but rolleyes when I ask them?
And yes, I imagine it is frustrating. Let it roll off and keep yourself moving forward, though:)
Salty = expressing annoyance, being snarky or sarcastic in a negative way
Once you hit college you’ll experience all kinds of weird grading systems. In my one class, the exams are worth 90% and the homework 10%. Some classes don’t have exams, only quizzes. Some are only worth 100 points for the whole semester, so if you miss a point on something that’s 1% off your final grade (that was stressful).
If you can muster up an argument that’s not “I don’t like this” (This isn’t conducive to good learning because…) then sure, tell the teacher how you feel.
OP it speaks well for you that you can hear our comments without taking it “personally.” I agree, there are so so many things in education that seem unfair. But when you speak your mind respectfully and reasonably – as you are doing – you are much more likely to convince others. Too bad this time around didn’t work but maybe your teacher will consider changes in the future. Who knows? Post #11 is so true, you will come up against many grading systems and you will have to deal with them all!
Ok so I’ve come across a few teachers in high school like this. Ultimately, you did all you could do.
@HRSMom is right, pushing further is only going to hurt your case and make her dislike you. You’ll come across a lot of people like this in life… and sometimes you have to learn to just suck it up and go on. Now that you know how much the tests are worth just give them extra attention and literally study your heart out.
Unless it was written in stone at the beginning, it is fair.
Most college classes only have 2 tests–a midterm and a final .Classwork is on your own time and counts for zip.
Teachers will not change the percentage weights listed on the syllabus after the class has already started. If anything, that’s unfair to those who performed well on the essay and test.
Overall, it’s not. A teacher can do whatever they want. They aren’t breaking any laws. It is your job to listen, and if you fall flat, you don’t blame the teacher. You took the test, they didn’t.
I’ve never had or heard of a class where this was the case. Right now I’m taking two humanities classes (no exams, just papers), one project-based math class (which has quizzes, worth 40%, but no exams), and four other math classes (where the exams are worth 50%, 60%, 70%, and 75%, respectively).
When college classes have exams, they usually count for more than 50% of the grade, so that can be a surprise for freshmen. However, there isn’t usually one exam that determines everything, and most classes also have homework, papers, and/or extended projects.