Teacher lost a piece of work, wants DD to re-write

[MEgirl]

DD came home yesterday and told me that one of her language teachers has marked a class test, part of which was a written piece and DDs test is missing (the other part was reading).

I received an email from the teacher saying that DD was absent from the test and would she complete the written part at home as due to the lack of test there is no current lever for her. Should take 20-25 minutes.

I've checked the schools electronic records on the website which shows that DD was in school on the day which the test was set. (the homework records show when the test was due).

I'm in two minds whether to just ask DD to re-write or to write back to say that she was in school and did in fact complete the test. I don't want to get the teacher's back up but surely the school should take responsibility for lost work. In previous years, other teachers have based levels on their ongoing assessment if tests have been missed (two other DCs in the same school).

What would you do?

[Bolognese]

Probably a bit cheeky but I would get DC to complete test at home, then give them extra time and make sure it is the best bit of work they have ever done.

[MEgirl]

I'm tempted to write it for her and let her copy.

[kaymondo]

In the first instance I'd just send a polite email to the teacher to say that your DD was at school that day so could she double check for the test as you don't want to make DD repeat a test she has already sat. At least the teacher will know that the test is missing and not that your DD was absent. Puts the onus on her to look for it.

[NewLife4Me]

How do you know that dd took the test and was actually in the classroom at the time?
Have you spoken to the teacher and seen her register, which would state that dd was absent if she hadn't attended, or would identify a mistake from the teacher.
Does dd remember what was on the test, can she tell you about it.

I would speak to the teacher before you make assumptions about teacher losing her work.

[ShatnersBassoon]

You could respond without getting their back up. The teacher has made a mistake, point out that your daughter was in class when the test was completed. Give them a chance to look for the paper.

[Wolfiefan]

Daft suggestion. Could she have missed the lesson? Music lesson or something like that?
If they did the work in class is DD certain she didn't put it in her bag by mistake?
If not I wouldn't be getting her to redo it. I would email and explain she was in class. It could be something daft like two papers got stuck together or DD didn't put her name on it.

[Wolfiefan]

X post.
Don't do it for her.

[timelytess]

Certainly don't do it for her - its her test, not yours.
Work goes missing sometimes. Let her re-do it, and improve on her first attempt.

[MEgirl]

NewLife4Me the register is electronic and can be viewed from home. She was definitely in school on the day in question. Music lessons are on a different day. It is possible to see both the weekly absences and the idividual lessons.

Wolfiefan music lessons did occur to me but I checked the timetable and she doesn't have his particular lesson on the same day as music lessons. I was only joking when I said that I'd do it for her. They were given the topic for the test ahead of time, noted in the homework schedule and I'm assuming that the test was given on the day that the homework assignment was due.

DD has given a very clear description of what the test involved and she's not been know to lie previously. Of course that doesn't mean that she isn't now but she is pretty much a goody two shoes when it comes to school. She reserves her bad behaviour for home.

I'll send an email to the teacher and see what happens.

Thanks for all your advice.

[strawberryandaflake]

How do you know she handed it in? Kids devise all sorts of methods to hide their tests if they think they haven't done very well.

Don't keep blaming the school. It's highly unlikely we'd lose a test that needs levelling.

[partialderivative]

I'm not really offering any advice here, but as a teacher I can state it is one of my worst nightmares to have marked a set of work only to find that one piece is missing.

It happens very rarely, but it does happen. Though common sense tells you that paper does not vanish into air.

A pupil of a colleague of mine stole the entire class' exam papers as he felt he had under performed.

I am not suggesting your DD did anything like this. Just most teachers would take this extremely seriously.

[MEgirl]

strawberry why is there so often an assumption that it is the child's fault.

Teachers aren't infallible and DO make mistakes. We've had more than one ocassion where books have gone missing, requests for payments and then the books have been found on shelves at school. Excercise books have gone missing more than once, taken for marking and not returned. Mistakes do happen. That's not the issue. Not owning up to mistakes is.

I will double check with DD and with the school and see where it goes.

[seven201]

When I'm marking work I input the grades on the system as I go along. It's not uncommon for me to then find what I thought was missing work when I'm handing the rest back out. It might just be a similar error.

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

I think the op probably knows her child well enough to know if she's lying about having sat the test! Which is more likely, a child lying completely out of character, to no advantage to herself (still has to do the test) or the teacher has made an administrative error?

[BackforGood]

I would contact the teacher and say that dd was in school, and that she even remembers taking the test (and has told you it contained x,y,z, just to confirm she's not got mixed up with another test), so might it be possible it has got lost somewhere?

But, at the end of the day, it's 25mins, re-doing a test, I don't think it's worth making a massive fuss about.
When ds did his GCSEs, the DT teacher lost a load of his coursework. He knew ds had done it, and admitted total responsibility, but ds still ended up doing it again, over many a lunchtime and afterschool session. Think yourself fortunate this is just one short assessment.

[NewLife4Me]

OP, I apologise for asking if you were certain your dd hadn't lied to you, but of course thought to check.
I can imagine any parent would be mortified to hear this if they complained to the school, so thought it worth considering.

[BoboChic]

It's annoying when a piece of work goes missing. I would make it extremely clear to the teacher that you and your DD think the work has been mislaid at school rather than your DD not having done it, but I would also get your DD to make it up at home. It's not a huge thing.

[HSMMaCM]

DD redid a test and then the teacher found the original one. The one with the best mark was used, so all was fine.

[PiqueABoo]

Another vote for politely ensuring school-side understands the orginal did exist and simply getting the child to do it again.

We've had the lost work for levelliing scenario. We had another where DD was explicitly directed to take her exercise book home rather than hand it in one day (re. catching up with something after a brief illness), only to be summoned by that teacher a couple of days later to have strips torn off her because she hadn't handed in her exercise book. DD wasn't given an opportunity to explain anything, but she's a quiet-but-stoic type who thinks adult mistakes like this are amusing, so no harm done.

Humans err. If it happens a lot or for something much more significant then make a fuss, otherwise relax.

[GinandJag]

Of course teachers aren't infallible, but if the test script is lost, and it is essential DD has a mark, then she should re-do it. It's not the end of the world.

[juststeppedoutofasalon]

i once found an essay I had marked and lost in my freezer. It had been there for three months under a casserole. The teacher will love you for ever more if you ask your daughter to do the test again.

[juststeppedoutofasalon]

oh, just read the happy ending. Glad you did the right thing and were rewarded for it.

[TheExMotherInLaw]

Dd had this with her GCSE coursework. The marks were in the teacher's book, but the teacher lost the originals, so insisted dd did the work again, in case it was called for checking. It was a massive PITA, as she was busy finishing off other stuff at the time. 12 GCSEs are too many!