Students stress when they take test and I stress when I write test. Assessments are vital to the learning process and it is an area I focus on in my curriculum. At the end of the unit, I will give a study guide to use for the test. There will not be any questions on the test that are not included on the study guide. My purpose is not to trick or confuse the kids. I want them to know what is expected. While taking the test, I do not give them any assistance other than reading the directions or answering a direction question. My test rarely include a bonus question. Sometimes, I will include one on a difficult unit like Shakespeare if we discussed a topic and I had too much information for the test.
After an assessment is graded and I notice that the majority of my students missed a question, I will review the question. If it was a poorly constructed question then I will throw the question out and not count it. That is my mistake, not the students. I have not used a curve in my class before, but I do allow my students to retake the test. Maybe they had a bad day and it was not a true representation of what they know. I understand and I am willing to work with my students. On that same train of thought, I do not give my students homework. I want them to finish their work in class with me. Sometimes the students grade their neighbor’s paper. I only have them grade papers when it is clearly a right or wrong answer. If the students are writing, I have them peer edit but I am the one to give a grade. Grading is difficult and my least favorite part of teaching. I know elements of behavior do influence my grading like late papers. I do take off for turning in papers late. This is a behavior issue, not an issue of mastery. I also have given a higher grade when I know a student has pushed himself or herself and exceeded their abilities. Stress and assessments go together. I will continue to improve upon my assessments. This is an area that is vital to the learning process and as I continue to grow as a teacher, I hope to learn better ways to grade and create assessments.
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Teachers are required to give a grade for a class. Students, parents, administration alike all need to see what progress the student is making toward mastering the standards the class curriculum is built upon. The only problem with this practice is in theory it works but what are we actually giving them the grade for? Are the valedictorians of the graduating classes really the smartest kids or are they the kids who figure out how to work the system the best? I worry grades are a reflection of participation and behavior as much as they are mastery. There has to be a better way to show if a student has mastered a skill. I just feel like our system is broken and we are not fixing it, nor do we even try to fix it. In my classroom, my grades do have some components leaking into them that are not strictly mastery. When a student turns in a late paper, I will grade it and take just a few points off depending upon how late it is. If I am to only grade on the mastery of the work then I should not take off for the lateness. Is this right? Is this wrong? Obviously, I am still using this system but I am do not like it. I do like the idea of a pass/fail system but I feel as a nation we are way to competitive and must know who the smartest person in the room is. In a dream world, students would come to school because they were excited to learn and there would not need to be grades. I do not live in a dream world nor do my students. I will continue to look at the practice how to grade and hope I can find a system that will be better for all of my students.
Life is challenging. I understand school and grades are stressful for our students. It has been a challenge for me to see how defeated my students are. If not daily, then every other day at least one of my kids talks about dropping out of school. They are often joking but there is an element of seriousness to the humor that always has me on edge. I am well aware that anyone of my students may walk into my class carrying that orange colored dropout paper and it will break my heart. Wormeli would argue that I am creating the situation for my students to fail when I write a zero in the gradebook.
Yes, a zero in the gradebook is difficult to overcome. Yes, it is adding to their frustrations and can make their lives stressful. Yes, maybe they had to choose between going to work so they have money to live on and getting their homework done. I know my kids are making these types of choices. I know my kids have lives I can never understand, that is why I try to give them class time to finish their assignments and I will stay to help them if they ask me for help. I do accept late work but I cannot give someone a 60% for doing nothing. Students must earn a grade, whether it is a 0 for doing nothing or it is a 100% for a beautifully written essay. Sometimes a student will earn a 60% on an assignment for the work they have done. I cannot justify giving someone the exact same grade when they did nothing. Working with special needs students is enjoyable for me. I find the ah-ha moments so rewarding. Grading my students based on their IEP and their improvement is acceptable, if that if best for the student. Not all of the students need to be given a different grading system. I believe it is a case by case situation. In my honors class, I do not give them more work. I give them work in which the rigor is increased. I want to challenge them, not overwhelm them. Due to the increase in rigor, I feel a weighted grade point average is an acceptable way to handle the differences between the classes. If more is expected from the honors or dual credit students, then why shouldn’t they receive a weight grade? As time goes on, my opinions have changed and I believe my ideas about grading, assessment and weighted grades are not completely solidified yet. I feel I am still finding the best path for the students and it continue to evolve as I grow as a teacher. |
AuthorMy name is Lisa and I teach English Language Arts at Forsyth, MO. Archives
May 2017
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