You are in math class intensely taking a test. Trying your hardest to get a good grade. Studied all last night to make sure it went well. The next day you’re in class and get your test back and you got a failing grade. Do you attempt the rigorous retake? At SPASH there have been two changes to the math department. The first thing is the retake policy. There are five requirements to retake a test. The first thing is you must discuss with your math teacher (in person)  that you want to retake the test. Number two is students must review test errors with their teacher to correct test errors. There is homework that is given by the teacher based on students’ performance. The fourth requirement is thirty minutes of math lab. The last thing is you can only get eighty-five percent on the retake. The other policy is the math percentages. Assessments or homework are worth 20% of your grade. 30% of your grade is quizzes and that leaves the last 50% for tests. The retake policy needs to change and the math percentage is an improvement for the math department.

Grades below or grow with Math percentages

Students at SPASH have been the guinea pigs for the new math percentages. I took a survey of 44  SPASH students and found that a majority of the students liked the new percentages. If students like the new math percentages this means their grades must have improved. When asked if we should go back to the old percentages of the student there was an even bigger majority that said no. So it’s an improvement from the old percentages. The students favor the new percentages but what ate the teachers’ opinions on the policy? According to Mrs. Peeters, SPASH’s pre-calculus teacher,” Well I do agree with them. Better aligned. Instead of 80% is just one percent. A long time ago we used it and they liked it. Fair and balanced.” In other words, the grading system is more lined with what students have actually learned. Students previously liked it and hopefully, the students in modern SPASH will enjoy it too.

Retake Are Just too Much

The retake policy has been implemented in every class but students don’t like it at all. SPASH student Zach Anderson responded to the question should math classes have their retakes based on the course he responded” Yes, they know how the course is and how to make it the right amount of work.” Sometimes a math course is harder than another so a retake should be advised by the teacher who knows what will help the students better improve their test scores. When I survey the 44 SPASH Students I asked if they believe we should have retakes based on the teacher’s course. 73% thought that teachers should make their own retakes. The current retake has an outrageous amount of work. If the teacher believes that amount of work is correct then make it their retake policy. For students taking AP classes, retakes might be more common because the course is more difficult. So the retakes should be easier that way they better understand the subject, which should be the end goal.

The Solution for the Math Policies

What improvement should be made and what should stay the same? The math percentages should stay the same. Mrs. Peeters believes that the math department should have universal math percentages. Another way to look at what she saying it’s simple for students to know what the breakdown of their grades is. The grading should stay the same it working right now. The improvement needed is the retake policy. In the survey of 44 students at SPASH, 66.7% didn’t approve of the new retake policy. In other words, the students are giving teachers the power to decide their own retake for the course. So the retake works for the students. Fixing the retake would be an improvement necessary for the math department.

To Sum It Up

The school took one step forward by implementing the new math percentages. There is no doubt in my mind that both teachers and students love the new math percentages. Where we took a step backward was implementing a universal retake. It is so hard to retake a test because of the work you have to put in. If the teachers made a retake based on their course it would make way more sense. We need to fix the retake then the math department will be at its full potential.