I have a student who needs one point to make D-. She hadn't done her work throughout the semester, and she didn't take her work seriously. Her mom asked if I could give the point. I refused because that would mean bumping up other students who didn't make it. It was also not a unique failing incident. This student just doesn't want to do her work. I am quite uncomfortable with such request and wonder if others get the same requests. I'd also like to know if I did the right thing. Should I have just given up that one point? What is your input? This is my first year, and I'm experiencing so many parents' requests that I pass their children. Honestly, I wasn't quite aware I'd have to deal with this!
I would talk to your supervisor, dept head, or principal about the situation and get their input. You might make a lot of people mad by bumping up a student, so I would take a higher up's advice before giving your opinion to the parent.
Do NOT give in to them! If you give an inch, they'll take a mile. Trust me, parents gossip like crazy and word will spread faster than wildfire. The next thing you know, you'll become inundated with MORE requests from parents to bump their kids, scoldings from parents who are outraged that you will do it, and a reputation for being a teacher who will let students slide. One point is one point, but is it really fair? Think about the students who did their work, tried hard, and passed legitimately. You would be letting them down and undercutting the hard work that they have done. Think about it. If this student is going from an F to not even a D-, she hasn't even shown any growth. Let this be a lesson to her, or she will just expect the same treatment from the next class she slacks off on. I think that in a situation like this, you will have people angry at you regardless of your decision, so don't let having people mad at you influence what you do. You should let them be angry because you made the right decision. Good luck.
What subject do you teach? I'm an English teacher, and most of my grading is very subjective. Very rarely do my kids have assignments with clear right and wrong answers, and most of their grades come from writing assignments. Even though I use rubrics, there still is a high element of subjectivity to them. Because of that, I find it difficult to fail someone who has a 67 or higher. I always ask myself, what will be served by this child failing? Does she NEED to repeat the course? Is she missing critical skills that will keep her from being successful in the next course? How likely is she to pass your state assessment? I don't like that fact that the mother asked you to do that, though. They don't understand that 1 point in a grade point average is not equal to "just one point". It would almost make me want to give the mom a math lesson...
How many failures do you have? From that one sentence, it sounds as though maybe you have a lot. Perhaps, being your first year, you weren't teaching the kids from the place they WERE, but from where you expected them to be?
The main idea is that the child EARNS the points he or she needs, not that you GIVE the child the points he or she needs. Pass that idea along to the parents.
Do not give in to parent pressure. If a student makes no effort, they have the grade they earned. It is not fair to your students, yourself, or the failing student.
