Combination FIAE 7, 8, 9, 10
The
meaning of a specific grade can vary from teacher to teacher. An A for
one teacher could be considered a C for another. A major contributor to
the drastic variations is the level of each student. From my field
placement, I taught 4 CP classes, 1 CPI class, and 1 Applied class. Each
class has the same objective of learning about the five themes of
geography and eight components of culture, but the expectations for each
class are different. The Applied class is assessed on discussions and
group work because their writing and reading skills are considerably
below grade level. In my classroom, the objectives for each class are
the same, but the way we learn about those objectives are different.
Academic success is dependent on the quality of work a student produces. Participation & effort are dependent on the student. Though integrating the two seems reasonable, doing so significantly hurts the student. Students who earn high marks in participation can salvage their low academic grade with relative ease. In the short-term, it gets the student through that level. In the long-term, it does not prepare the student for the next grade level. My mentor teacher recognizes this and includes one summative grade for participation and multiple academic grades.
Fair Isn’t Always Equal lists ten of the deadly sins of grading in a differentiated form. One of which concerns the validity of extra-credit. Extra-credit is designed to raise the letter grade of a given assignment. It does not improve the students understanding or mastery of the topic. It is far more reasonable to have a student redo their work with appropriate feedback rather than assign busy/extra-credit work. I have seen many professor’s assign extra-credit work, but it usually takes the form of attending an event about a specific topic and writing a reflection. Those who do attend earn an additional assignment grade while those who did not are exempted.
Allowing work to be redone is essential to a student’s success. However, there must be some conditions. The ones that struck me the most were having the students attach a reflection of what they got wrong and how they fixed it, understanding that extenuating circumstances happen, and redone will not be accepted during the last week of a quarter. The first one allows me to see how a student interpreted my feedback to correct any misunderstandings. The second one acknowledges that if a student has a good excuse, a deadline can be pushed back to accommodate for them. Finally, not taking work during the last week is purely pragmatic to save the teacher time and energy.
Academic success is dependent on the quality of work a student produces. Participation & effort are dependent on the student. Though integrating the two seems reasonable, doing so significantly hurts the student. Students who earn high marks in participation can salvage their low academic grade with relative ease. In the short-term, it gets the student through that level. In the long-term, it does not prepare the student for the next grade level. My mentor teacher recognizes this and includes one summative grade for participation and multiple academic grades.
Fair Isn’t Always Equal lists ten of the deadly sins of grading in a differentiated form. One of which concerns the validity of extra-credit. Extra-credit is designed to raise the letter grade of a given assignment. It does not improve the students understanding or mastery of the topic. It is far more reasonable to have a student redo their work with appropriate feedback rather than assign busy/extra-credit work. I have seen many professor’s assign extra-credit work, but it usually takes the form of attending an event about a specific topic and writing a reflection. Those who do attend earn an additional assignment grade while those who did not are exempted.
Allowing work to be redone is essential to a student’s success. However, there must be some conditions. The ones that struck me the most were having the students attach a reflection of what they got wrong and how they fixed it, understanding that extenuating circumstances happen, and redone will not be accepted during the last week of a quarter. The first one allows me to see how a student interpreted my feedback to correct any misunderstandings. The second one acknowledges that if a student has a good excuse, a deadline can be pushed back to accommodate for them. Finally, not taking work during the last week is purely pragmatic to save the teacher time and energy.
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