School has given straight-a grades to the student, who can't do masic math

Adriana Aviles, a New York City education advocate and former NYPD officer, says her son’s strong middle-school math grades concealed serious gaps in his learning. After the 14-year-old scored poorly on his first high-school math exam, she tried to help him study and found he could not manage basic fractions, algebra, or geometry. His teacher later reported that he got only two of ten multipart questions right and scored 10 out of 100. Aviles says his earlier report cards showed mostly A’s, including a 93 in eighth-grade math, even though he had been rated “not proficient” on a seventh-grade state math test.

Aviles argues that inflated grades and weak academic expectations kept her family from recognizing the problem sooner. She says teachers did not alert her to his difficulties, homework was sparse, and students could revise graded answers; she also acknowledges she should have examined his work and test results more closely. Her son now receives frequent tutoring, including during lunch, while his high school works to address gaps from earlier grades. Aviles says other parents have reported similar struggles and warns that ending Regents graduation requirements in favor of a more subjective “Portrait of a Graduate” approach could further reduce accountability. She calls on schools to report students’ progress honestly and work with families before learning problems become harder to repair.