The Learning Illusion

Why grades don’t determine what your child has learned

April 26, 2016
“Hello, how can I help you?”

“Yes, Ma’am my daughter is in the third grade and can’t read, she can’t complete her homework at night, and tells me that she does not understand her work, yet she gets A’s and B’s on her report cards.

I have asked for the past two years for her to be held back and the school system keeps passing her. Can you help me?”

For years I have questioned the grading system.

I remember a conversation that my friend and I had when my son was in second grade. He had just finished reading Harry Potter.

My friends child was telling me how her son was making A’s and the school wanted to pull him out of class to get help with reading.

I asked her if he struggled with reading and she quickly said yes, followed by “BUT, he has an A in reading”.

That seemed strange to me, since my son also had an A in reading. I remember sending a note to his teacher requesting the grading guidelines.

When I did not get a response, I got my answer. Fast forward to the here and now and the line of work that I am in and I get the same answer.

Grades are subjective, not objective, and they are different in every grade, every school, and they are not an indicator of mastery of a subject.

However, it is still the number one tool used today by  parents to measure the success of a child in school. I continue to be amazed when I sit across from a parent and they proudly pull out the report card showing A’s and B’s in subjects of a child that I am staring at who I know is unable to comprehend what is being read.

I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but it is time for a reality check.

What does it matter if a child has an A or B if they can’t understand what they are reading?

When has anyone ever asked an adult what their GPA was in elementary school?

Should we not be more concerned of mastery of a subject rather than the grade that they were given? When did it all change?

I believe it changed when as parents stopped being able to handle the truth. Today’s teachers face so many obstacles. and bare a lot of responsibility.

They are constantly judged on performance based on the test scores produced in their classroom and by parental happiness. I have sat in meetings with superiors who have told teachers that they are not allowed to tell the parents that something may be wrong.

They don’t want the school board to be responsible for a solution. So today’s learning truth is no different then the picture stated above.

It is all in the eye of the beholder. Parents are the ultimate person responsible for teaching their child.

If a child cannot read but their grade card has an A beside the subject, then that parent should seek outside assistance for help.

There are plenty of professionals like myself that offer free consultation to answer questions and provide truth. The truth will set you free.