Looking up

Our first 6 weeks grading period ended last Friday, and the grades are officially locked in place. We gave a cumulative math exam on Friday, and I was pretty pleased with the results overall. In my morning class, all 22 kids passed (above 70), and in the afternoon class, I still had a 30, a 45, and a few in the 60s, but the others did well -- and that one kid went from a 17 to an 80!

I'm starting to think there's hope yet.

This week has been rough, as we've given benchmark tests every morning. However, for the limited time we've had, the kids have done pretty well each day. Granted, we are going over 2 and 3 digit addition with regrouping, something that should be pretty easy for them. But they are all showing their work and making the effort, so that's nice to see.

Tomorrow is the math benchmark. Typically, these things are atrocious, especially the first one of the year, but I have high hopes. My kids know place value. They know how to round. They know how to write a number in word form and expanded form. Most of them understand how to find a missing number in a pattern. These are the things that should be tested. The problem usually arises in the wording of the questions. Some of them are ridiculously over-worded or use vocabulary that nobody outside of Harvard would ever use.

I seem to recall a question one year that asked, "What time does Tommy go to folklorien class?"

What The Folk-lorien???