Detention for "under achievement"

[oddbin]

School question: DS1 13yo had an assessment and they didn't do very well on some of the questions. The teacher says they can resit that part of the assessment. However if he again doesn't do very well on that part of the assessment he will get a 30 minute after school detention. Is that normal? AIBU to say he is not doing a detention for that?

I'm not accusing you of teacher bashing, I just don't understand what your objection to this particular course of action is.

OP , you are confusing me!

Firstly, you said you were upset about the detention. I absolutely agree , as do many PPs that children should not ever be punished for doing badly in a test, assuming they behaved .

However, really what you have revealed is that you think your child should not be given a second chance and have gone off on some mantra about skewed data.

Your rudeness to the lovely Trifle suggests you are not a teacher, but your obsession with the reliability od fata actually makes you sound like you should a school leader!

Life gives us lots of second chances. Resitting something or improving something is called learning from mistakes. it's one of the reason why schools are obsessed with feedback and green pens these days.

Your child is in Y8. Why should he learn so early in life that no one can - or should - improve?

I believe it was Robert The Bruce who said ' if at first you don't succeed' You seem to be teaching your child to put up with mediocrity. The driving test example is a good analogy.

I don't agree with the detention. Although the teacher punishes herself just as much there!

But reattempting the test comes from solid pedagogical theory.

ILikeBeansWithKetchup/

Reliability of data - duh!

See, I got a second chance and corrected my useless typing, but there is still knowledge that the first inferior attempt exists!

Loads of students would welcome the chance to redo things btw and take it hard when they can't. Here is a teacher offering a second bite at the cherry.

Essentially, you don't want to accept that your son didn't revise, didn't take the test as well as he could and under achieved. Why not say to yourself that he needs to work harder, support him to do it and be grateful he has another chance rather than say that the teacher wants to cover her tracks? You realise she is doubling her work load by allowing this opportunity. Yes, that's what ever teacher wants.

Nobody has accused you of teacher bashing but you can hide behind that if you like.

Your ds will be taking his GCSE's in a couple of years so what he learns now is important. I totally understand why you disagree with the way in which the teacher is presenting resitting the assessment as a punishment (or double punishment if he fails again). However, isn't it important that our children understand the subject matter presented? And if resitting would give him this opportunity, why are you resisting it? I think you are cutting your nose off to spite your face to object to this. If your ds is bright and capable of passing, perhaps this is the kick up the backside he needs to study more. I would be supporting the teacher even if I didn't entirely agree with their methodology.

What subject? If it's one which requires prior knowledge to progress (Maths, mfl etc) than it does makes sense to make sure pupils understand the current work before they move on.

I don't think it is true that all education threads turn into teacher bashing.

In fact on many, lots of OPs are quite grateful for some inside knowledge and advice.

I think saying things like bore off' and superiority complex reveals a certain attitude and, indeed, a chip on the shoulder*

I am not sure oddbin why you put this in AIBU since you want everyone to tell you that you are being totally reasonable and insult them if they see things in a different way or present alternative viewpoints.

By all means, challenge the detention. I would. But not for the same reasons as you.

If a teacher has gone to the extra trouble of allowing a resit, and contacting parents by phone, I should think your son has a top rate teacher who is doing their very best to give him an education. You could try supporting that by speaking to your son, encouraging him to study, and asking why he did so badly in the first test.

But then I'm a teacher so I should probably just bore off.

I would be supporting the teacher even if I didn't entirely agree with their methodology.

^^

Can anyone explain to me - cause I'm not sure anyone did previously, how resitting the test helps - If a person hasn't got the right revision technique, or haven't got a handle on the learning objectives in the first place?

I think that is true buck but we don't know what subject this is or what kind of questions they were, or if the teacher is giving them some guidance in between.

In some subjects simply redoing something until you've got it does actually help - for example, relearning spellings, although I am assuming this isn't that kind of test.

I am sure the teacher went over some of the answers and some of the issues with the class as a first step in the process.

That is why schools do mocks, of course!! To reinforce good practice,learn from errors and have a trial run.

Depends why the resit was suggested. If it was for a genuine reason ie dc had missed off half a page of questions/they were I'll and were not at their best/any genuine reasons then I would probably raise an eyebrow at the detention.
If it's because the dc flunked the exam because they were pissing about then I would back the school 100%. Including revision in leisure time

I would want to know why the resit has been suggested though and would probably ask questions along the lines of 'how many others'

Buck3t:

It wouldn't, IF that was the case. I'm sure there are some such students. But assuming that the teacher believes her lessons were at least adequate and the content was covered, running a resit (and giving students who didn't bother doing the revision the chance to do it) allows the teacher to rule out the shirkers and narrow down to the smaller group of students who need more focused intervention.

I'll. More like ill ffs

beans: I don't think it is true that all education threads turn into teacher bashing.

I agree. It usually ends up with the pupil concerned being called a liar, untrustworthy and a special snowflake.

Buck that hasn't happened thus far either...

Give it time!

Trifle - thanks I see.

Buck3t:

No problem.

Beans Or that they can't be bothered?

I'm taking exception to the term because my son got a crap science grade after working his socks off. I don't blame the teacher. It's clearly his technique that he has to work on. But for a teacher to say a child can't be bothered. Having never met them... Let's just say it's easy to judge on the surface, without full facts on both sides.

That wasn't me ! I didn't say that!

I agree that children (very especially boys) need training in revision techniques.

I actually think resitting test in year 8 with some advice is a really good step in that direction, teaching children that they can improve.

That's a really important lesson.

trifle to be fair to her said that imo after OP had been really rather rude.

And, also, OP hasn't told us much about her own DS so we can judge on no more than surface.

Some info on his work ethic (hopefully he doesn't tell teachers to bore off) , amount and type of revision done etc would be genuinely helpful.

Buck3t/:

Also, to be fair, I did ask the OP which she thought it was. She doesn't seem to to care either way - for her, the only thing that seems to matter is that he shouldn't have to be assessed or do detention.

Bore off?!
Oh ok. Being completely reasonable and open to discussion with the teacher about why this detention may be set? Um no.
It is fair to ask why this approach has been taken but you seem determined to argue this is wrong whatever the rationale. Poor teacher.

As a teacher I've done this - when students don't perform in an assessment to their capabilities then they resit/do it as a detention.
As their teacher I see every day what they can do and if it's lack of revision/behaviour/attitude with regards to the assessment then yes they will resit as its an inconvenience to then so it's a learning point. I've never had a patent complain or refuse but always had 100% support