Jake is failing. His first three quarter grades, if added together, are shy of one hundred percent. Even so, he visits me almost daily to get an update on the status of his grade—has it managed to creep up to 60%, the district's lowest passing grade?
In all fairness, Jake's average this quarter is substantially better than the first two: his grades have been 22%, 25%, and now 52%. It would seem to the outsider that there is no mathematical way that he could pass English 12 for the year; however, county grading policy assigns quality points based on a letter grade, not percentage. If Jake earns a D this quarter and a C next quarter, he won't even need to pass the final exam to walk across the stage on June third.
If, however, Jake's 52% stays firmly rooted in E-range, then he will automatically fail for the year. Despite any high grades he may earn in fourth quarter and on the final that would mathematically (by county standards) earn him a passing grade for the year, he has already failed. How do teachers motivate a student to do his work—and act like a respectable human being—if he is merely biding his time until the end of the year, when he will attend summer school?
This is where the teacher encounters the three-E dilemma: do I assign this kid an E, which he clearly deserves, thus causing seven weeks of turmoil (and guilt for denying a senior his graduation "right"), or do I "float" him up to a D?
I consulted my department chair, mostly to ensure that I would have her support if I my actions resulted in an uproar from Jake's parents. My DC advised me to float him—and make it painstakingly clear that there would be no more favors in fourth quarter. As I pencil in the D-bubble on my grade scan, I wonder if I am actually doing Jake a favor at all. There is a decent chance that Jake will continue warming a chair in English, not doing much work, and will fail anyway. If, however, Jake takes this bit of generosity and truly applies himself fourth quarter to earn that C, then yes, there is a chance he will learn to take advantage of such opportunities.
My greatest concern is not whether Jake fails or graduates, but of the community as a whole: students have come to expect these bits of generosity from teachers, which explains why they respond belligerently when it is denied. We have created a culture of concessions: students with 68% (and numerous missing assignments) expect that, out of the kindness of our hearts, we teachers will see that it is close enough to a C and float it. I hear what students say about me (and call me) when I refuse to float their grades, and I truly do believe that it is out of the kindness of my heart that the grade stands. More than literature, more than language, I try to teach these students the skills and the mentality that will allow them to survive life after high school. On an almost-daily basis, I simultaneously question my own judgment for doing what I believe is right and damn the system that put me in the situation to question myself.
For this quarter, Jake will float.
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