I have been waiting for the
topic of grades to arise for a while now, as author Rick Wormeli points out in Fair Isn’t Always Equal, it is the “elephant
in the room,” and today I finally get the chance to talk about it. The
definition of a grade is almost completely indefinable, Chapter 7: The Relative Nature of Grades and Their
Definitions itself never reaching its own conclusion. Both how the grade is
reached and what it exemplifies changes from moment to moment. A teacher’s
assessment of class papers can produce a range of samples carrying the marking
of “A”, contributing to this are factors such as a student’s background,
location of paper in the stack, and teacher’s mood. Overall definitions of
grades range too, a specific area of frustration I find within the education
community is the disparity in what grade marks complete mastery. While for most
teachers an “A” represents meeting outlined goals, for others it is reserved
for those who excel. This practice runs into the flaw that students who do
reach the level of full mastery can be marked with a “B”; much is lost in
translation. As teachers we must accept the fact that grades by nature are
subjective and therefore will never be completely accurate in their assessment.
Unless we have the opportunity to work at such institutions that have done away
with grades, we must be conscious of this fact and work to effectively
communicate with our colleagues to establish clear and universal guidelines to
base our grading practices off of.
Chapter 8, Why Do We Grade, and What About Effort, Attendance,
and Behavior? Poses two very important questions that need be asked in
reference to grading, what is the purpose of the grade? And, what are the
components that factor into the grades worth? In regards to the first question
posed, to most simply state it: the purpose of grades is to help inform of
progress and give feedback to both student and teacher. In all its worth this
should be the goal of grades. It is important to also point out the alternative
purpose of grades, as awareness alone can negate use. One in which teachers
should be especially conscious of is the use of grades as motivation, a common
practice in schools these days with a rise in “grade hungry” students. Wormeli
sums up the destructive nature of this habit on page 103, stating with its use “we
dilute the grades accuracy, we dilute its usefulness, and we use grading to
manipulate students.”
The second question centers
around the role numerous factors play in computing grades, such as behavior,
participation, effort, and attendance. Allowing grades to be summative of the
classroom experience can create gray areas, we has teachers need to be
conscious of the weight of each component of a student’s grade and be able to
accurately express each outside of the narrow confines of a letter. Furthermore
teachers need to communicate to their students what their answers to these
questions are. Teachers should not stop there though, for them to expect
success they must go beyond just explaining the standards, and as well supply the
tools to attain them.
“One of the signs of a great
intellect is the inclination to extend mercy to others, and all successful
teachers are intellectual.” This quote from page 132 does well to sum up the
purpose of chapters 9 & 10. It is hear Wormeli expresses the important role
flexibility and understanding play in the grading process. Chapter 10, Conditions for Redoing Work for Full Credit,
does well to explain the surrounding factors of allowing students to
resubmit work, as well as offers tips on ensuring a healthy use of it for both
student and teacher. I must say that at the beginning of my education studies I
would have sworn to never implement such a practice, seeing it as
counterproductive to molding healthy habits. However as my college journey has
unfolded I have become more aware and appreciative of professors who take into
account individual learning processes. Both of these chapters have really made
me question what “type” of teacher I am going to be. While my personal
philosophy is far from being cemented these readings have really introduced me
to practices I could implement to better reach my goals when I finally do
outline them.
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