I have a student who did nothing the whole term, but passed the final exam with a 79. Should I pass him?

I am going to relate with personal experience here. When I was in school, I was light years ahead of my classmates in the subjects that interested me. These were related to History, Civics, Government, and basic science. I also showed a somewhat natural affinity with the English language related to sentence structure and usage, causing me to develop an expanded vocabulary. The only thing is, I was bored with the routine work and most of the time I wouldn't even do the homework. I would read several chapters ahead of my classmates because I could also read very fast. This would frustrate my classmates and teachers because I would then sit in class and read library books. It appeared that I didn't do anything but then I would do very well on the tests related to the subjects that I liked. Eventually, my choice to not apply myself to all of my school work caught up with me and caused me to not score well in my high school grades. Perhaps the student learns differently like I did and creative ways to keep the student engaged need to be developed?

I proudly teach elementary special education and have the same returning students. I get to have my students for up to 5 years if they start with me at TK. Students with exceptionalities (not disabilities), have the capacity to learn and absorb content without producing work. Non-sped students have those abilities as well. I've been completely astonished to see so many of my students making leaps of progress amidst distance learning for almost a year now. Non-readers and emerging readers are reading now. 👏🏼 They're engaged and anxious to participate. Like many of you, I've been exposed to the home life of my students during 'unmute' time. Tragic 😔 If some parents cannot give their child a space and environment to learn in, how can I expect them to even do my assignments? I rely on the relationship I have with my students to get them to do what I know they can do. Pass him because he passed the final and has absorbed your content. He's shown knowledge. Some students aren't even learning anything at home; he has. Unfortunately, not all of our students have the support or environment that exists in the 4 walls of a teacher's classroom to produce work. As educators, it is imperative that we do not forget that.

I put all the grades in the computer just like the student earned them. If the student passes, great. If admin wants to pass them (which usually happens), that's great too. I don't pass or fail students. I just put the grades in. I believe in giving all students the grades they earn because life and the workforce is a lot about showing up and doing the work. I feel I am doing students a disservice if I give them grades they don't earn. With that said, I often let students redo work they did poorly on. I teach Math and simple mistakes often cause students to miss problems. I want to give them every opportunity to pass while taking responsibility and doing the work.

Yes! Assuming the final exam is an indcator of what you intended for them to learn. In my earlier years of teaching I would not have been able to see that tree through forrest. But I have since learned that many times daily work is really for those who need the practice. If said student understands enough to earn a 79 then by all means they should be pass the class. It does not address the issue of "responsibility" but is the grade intended to reflect citizenship or content?

That is a question I ask myself also. Do you take the final grades from the other semesters and then average them? That may be a good idea, just my thoughts

For me it would depend on his average for the year, not just the final.

Yes, most definitely!

I think you should definitely pass them. Just like we were not given the tools to provide instruction online- they were not given the tools to accept/understand online instruction. My teens had a really difficult time switching to online instruction- even with me supporting them!

That should not...have been a question...yes definitely..YES

If a student demonstrated learning in any way I would give them the credit and pass them. They didn't earn an A but they learned enough to pass the final.

What are the schools policies on engagement virtual and non virtual work . Grades, assignments etc. If grades are required the student would have to turn in the work to pass. Otherwise it doesn’t seem honest, or fair to other students who work hard and don’t do well on testing but assignments are good and get low scores . Than someone can just take a test do no assignments and pass. There must be some sort of must have requirements in order to pass the class . Maybe 7 out of 10 assignments per week mandatory to pass plus test.

We have to by law in Michigan. Check with your admin about school policy.

I wouldn’t pass him if he has no other grades

In my school, any student who passes the final exam earns the credit with a recorded grade of 60% D-.

Is the class about how much work you put into something or about teaching content? This matters.

Just something to think about... Is the goal for the student to demonstrate he knows the content? Is the grade you give a reflection of the level to which the student has mastered the standards?

I know it feels weird, but on your final or summative assessment the student showed that he or she knew 79% of what you taught. All of the missing work didn't tell you or show you what he or she knew or didn't know. This assessment gives you that information.

If the grade reflects what standards the student understands then yes pass the student. If the grade is a way to show character and responsibility then don't. What do your grades represent?

Our final exam is usually only 20% of the semester, so the student would fail. And if it were a typical year, I would fail the student. If the grading is transparent (how much it’s worth, etc) then it doesn’t need to weigh on your mind. ...this year is so insane that I would probably pass them....

In most cases I would say, “stand by the principles... if it is a full-year course then the student needs to pass the full-year.” If a student failed every quarter, and that 79 still was not enough to pass them for the year then I would normally say there is a lesson to learn about completing work during the year. This year, though, throw all that out the window. With COVID-19, students can’t be held accountable for what happened this year because too many variables are out there that made it difficult and possibly impossible. This year I would say pass the student.

Yep

Yes!