Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums High School I am very disapointed

My DS14, h.s. freshman, isn't getting the grades that I feel he needs in H.S. and the schools expectations to stay in the honors classes. This is his last week of the first semester and his finals are next week. (Our school calender is really late this year.)

My biggest disappointment is his honors Algebra II. He has always been a good math students, very quick to pick up new topics, and did very well in both H. Algebra I & H. Geometry in Jr. High. Thankfully he had excellent teachers for both grades. He came home yesterday with a F on the latest test. It's frustrating for both of us because he seems to understand the material (I've been quizzing him the night before tests) and can do all the problems in the books. He alternately does well on the tests/quizes or messing up. But he comes home and says the tests are very hard, and questions are way harder than anything in the homework. This is an honors class so this is expected. I can't see the tests so I really have no idea what he is having problems with. And I am unsure how to help him except to get him to do a LOT more problems, particularly multi-step ones. I was warned about this teacher, but it's not easy to switch teachers, and I don't really see how the teacher is to blame. (Unless she really is making impossible tests.) I don't expect him to have a major problem with next weeks final as it is multiple choice and the same test they give the "non" honors class.

At least he is doing well in the honors science class I pushed the school into letting him into. H. Social Studies didn't go well at first but he has figured things out and grades are improving. But he isn't doing well enough for AP US next years. I am honestly relieved at that because I never felt AP US was a good fit for my son.

And he is being dropped from his H. English class for next semester. This was a big blow a few weeks ago. He is doing really well on most of the English curriculum, but he just isn't getting H.S. level literary analysis and has done very poorly on his essays. He did go to the teacher to talk about this multiple times. This teacher states that honors students "don't need instruction in literary analysis". I don't really understand how he missed this as he has been doing literary analysis since he started the 4th grade honors program. But I wonder if this is partly his tendency to "overanalyze" things.

It looks like he is going to end up in mostly non-honors classes next year and this worries me. There is a huge difference between the honors & non-honors classes at my son's school. My biggest worry for him since he was little was getting to high school and getting bored, and then giving up. I have started to become a "big nag" and I hate this.. Not sure how I best support my son.

I am not sure how to respond to this. First, I was 13 as a freshman in HS and I was totally responsible in doing my work and actually skipped a grade during HS because the work was easy.

Is he going through any emotional crisis that distracts him?


But I agree with the teacher. He should be able to handle this without help. He is not far from college and you will not be there to quiz him when it gets even tougher.

Does *he* get to see where he went wrong on the tests? I don't have high school kids yet and it's been a long time for me... but I remember in high school (and, I think, college) being able to see the tests and where I went wrong. I think its hard to improve and learn from mistakes if you can't see the mistakes... ykwim? Sorry if that isn't helpful.

There are teachers out there who make tests that are completely disconnected from what they've taught or had the students practice. You could be dealing with that sort of teacher here. An honors class should have higher level instruction and harder homework problems to go with the harder tests. If this is not happening, that is a problem.

You need to see the tests. Why have you been unable to do so?

The teacher could easily be the problem. There are way too many teachers out there that do this sort of thing and have no clue they're doing it or why it might be a problem. Teachers aren't always right.

Is he not getting work back? He needs to be able to go over returned tests and essays to be able to learn from his mistakes and teacher comments. If he's not getting his work back, address this first. We've found this is a problem for the school councilor to tackle.

He does 99% of his work on his own. I have only been quizzing him on this because he was struggling with these test. As it was the first time he has had problems on tests, I figured he could use some direction on how to study. Learning how to study, particularly when you have never really "needed" to isn't always obvious.

I guess I am mostly looking for some moral support here. I know I can't do things for him at this stage. And he will just have to give the non-honors classes a try.

He gets the tests back and the teachers usually go over them. Then they have to go back to the teacher and are LOCKED in a cabinet. I am not kidding, this is so they can use the tests/questions over again.

We're encountering this. In our case, it's a result of math being moved on line, and the results end up in the netherworlds of the computer. The OP commented on multiple choice math tests, which is also consistent with our experiences.

In our case, we've emphasized with the school that the post-mortem is a vital component of the learning process and in test taking. Because the math teacher is less-than-optimally engaged with the instruction process, we've involved the councilor, DD's IS, and now the principal. Hopefully the OP can gain traction wtih just the councilor.

I won't call the teacher names. You do need help making the case to the teacher that returned tests are crucial educational tools.

Start with the school councilor on this policy. Then move to the principal. Build your case on your child building study skills and test taking skills.

I disagree. If he needs help he should get it from the teacher. It is his/her job to teach and that includes helping students who need it not just throwing them out.

I do agree with the test thing - all tests (except finals) and assignments should be returned promptly with comments about what was wrong. It is part of the learning process. I would visit the appropriate person straight away about that (maybe just ask the teacher first).