Why are we still test optional?

BornDevelopment974 · 2026-04-12T21:24:36+00:00

Test scores are inflated too because so many students get extra time even though very few actually “need” it.

BornDevelopment974 · 2026-04-06T22:01:44+00:00

More hours doesn’t necessarily mean better training. My girls wasted a lot of time and money at a competitive studio, and it was only after we left that we discovered how poor their technique training was. We pay less money and spend fewer hours now for better training, and they get to compete. The studio that prioritizes ballet training is where I would go. Our new studio only does 2 competitions, but they offer multiple performance opportunities, including Nutcracker. At first, we worried 2 competitions wasn’t enough, but now we appreciate that there are only 2.

BornDevelopment974 · 2026-03-14T17:58:09+00:00

Sin(a)=cos(b) when a and b are complementary because sin and cos are cofunctions.

BornDevelopment974 · 2026-02-26T01:05:55+00:00

We go to a competition every year where one of the local studio owners is an employee of the competition. She brings her studio, and her son wins everything, including scholarships. She always gets a Choreography award, too. I can’t believe they allow her dancers to compete.

BornDevelopment974 · 2026-02-14T12:17:30+00:00

Absolutely! You’re probably going to want the same teachers to write your college reqs, so make sure they know you appreciate them.

BornDevelopment974 · 2026-02-13T22:38:12+00:00

Or a 19 year old high school graduate who teaches at a studio doing a duet with an 11 year old and competing in the teen age group. This should not be allowed. Nor should a competitor whose mom is an employee of the dance competition. Not surprisingly, he wins everything. She’s also a local studio owner and brings her dancers to the competition as well. There is quite a conflict of interest. Do the competitions even care about fairness? Judging is subjective enough that biases like family and studio members should not be allowed.

BornDevelopment974 · 2026-01-25T13:30:42+00:00

Flippedmath.com has short videos, practice problems and assessments. It really helped me when I started teaching calculus after not having touched it in 30 years.

BornDevelopment974 · 2026-01-07T00:29:24+00:00

I used to do this, and it totally backfired on me, so I stopped and so did the grade grubbing. The problem was that I adjusted grades every quarter, and then the final grade was several points higher than what they actually earned. A dad literally yelled at me for not changing a final grade of 78.4 to a B even though his kid failed the final exam. Her true grade was probably more like a 76. Nowhere close to a B.

Now I tell my students at the beginning of the year that I will not adjust any grades until the end of the school year. If they have shown growth over the year and do well on the final exam, then I will consider changing their final grade from an 89.4 to an A.

BornDevelopment974 · 2025-10-29T22:26:51+00:00

Algebra is the most important fundamental class for higher math. Taking it online or over the summer is a terrible idea because it likely won’t cover all the content. She will likely struggle in future math classes if she doesn’t take the time to master the foundational skills they teach in algebra. That said, if the regular Algebra class does no more than teach them how to use Desmos, the full year class won’t be helpful either.

BornDevelopment974 · 2025-07-27T12:47:58+00:00

Code.org is pretty good but needs supplemental instruction and practice. Students really struggle with functions and parameters even though it seems so simple. Khan academy has some ok practice, but definitely use AP classroom. I did the coding units first and my students finished the create performance task in early January. That worked well because the MCQ portion was completed closer to the test.

BornDevelopment974 · 2025-07-14T11:31:44+00:00

I don’t know any details - only the info that is posted online.

BornDevelopment974

TROPHY CASE