Dear Judy,

What can I do if a teacher intentionally lowers my son's grades? He is in the 2nd grade of the gifted and talented class. At the parent teacher conference the teacher said that my son was doing very well - reading on a 3rd grade level, But she did mention some issues with his behavior. When we got the report card, it had only 1's and 2's! We think she intentionally lowered his grades because of his behavior. What should we do?  Please advise.

Elena

Dear Elena,

The simplest solution is to make an appointment to discuss the report card with the teacher. Most schools use a uniform report card and use specific standards to decide on grades. That is hard in 2nd grade because there are no state standardized tests on which to base a grade. In 2nd grade, however, there are progress assessments to help the teacher form a judgment.

Some teachers and some schools give low grades in the first marking period to give the kids an incentive to work harder. You should find out if that is the policy in your school, or if that was the teacher's intention. And, ask more specifically about what progress measures the teacher used to give him his grades. Bring the issue to the principal if you get no satisfaction.<!--more-->

Your letter implies that the teacher lowered his grades because of his behavior.  This should not be - there are two separate issues here.  As the teacher of a gifted class, perhaps she has unrealistic expectations. She should know that lots of young boys have trouble settling down in school; they are naturally active and find it difficult to sit still for long.  However, if there is a real problem with your son being disruptive or inattentive, you should work with him and the teacher to address the situation.

He will face all kinds of teachers with all kinds of rules and he has to accept that and adjust to them. If you think the overall tone of the classroom is too strict, consider discussing the problem with other parents in the class so that you can bring many voices to the principal for a discussion of the problem.

Good luck for a more balanced assessment in 2010.

Judy