What Does a Median Mean?

Source: Pixabay CC0 Public Domain

No, not that kind of median.

Yesterday I gave the same test to all four of my math classes. Each class had received the same lessons, done the same classwork, the same homework, received the same pre-test review and study guide. Three of the four classes did as well as I expected them to. The median grade for those three classes ranged from 70% to 77%, which is a C, which is average.

I was astounded and disappointed by the outcome for the fourth class. The median grade for that class was a 51%. I have been analyzing their answers and wracking my brain since trying to determine why the 20 point difference.

All four of my classes are at about the same academic level. Based on their classwork and quiz grades, I expected each to perform about the same on the test. I’ve looked hard at the errors the low scoring class made and cannot understand why so many in that class made so many simple mistakes, many of them in basic arithmetic.

As you may have read in my earlier posts, the students have been learning to add and subtract integers. There is a process they learned for how to do such. Many times the work of the low scoring class showed they knew what to do, but then they would come up with the wrong answer when they added or subtracted positive numbers from each other, or they would subtract two numbers that had a plus sign between them and vice versa.

Today I reviewed with them every single problem on the test, had them make the corrections on their papers, and informed them that in the not too distant future they would be taking a retest on this objective. Unfortunately, this will put them a day behind the other three classes but it can’t be helped. We cannot move forward to the next objective until I feel confident they have gained some skill with the current one.

I know 73% of my students came to me performing below grade level and the work they are doing for me is especially challenging for them. I’ve suggested to the students and their parents many different and free online tutorial and education websites they can utilize to help the student improve their math skills. Even though more than 2/3 of my students are eligible for free lunch, nearly all of them have some access to the internet at or near home. Some have already begun to take advantage and the students love to come in and tell me how much they've accomplished on the sites.

There just isn’t time during the school day to catch them up on what they missed in prior years, not if I’m going to teach them everything they’re supposed to learn this year. I will just have to incorporate those catch-up lessons into what we’re doing now.

As always, I remain,

The Exhausted Educator