B1+Chapters+11,12,13,14+FIAE


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Paul Santamore
Chapter eleven in FIAE talks about the six burning issues of grading. Grading is the most difficult and controversial topic associated with education in my mind and provides teachers with the perfect place to be squeezed to death by a combination of parents, students, standards, and other unrealistic expectations. The first issue that the chapter talks about is whether to record a zero or a low score that will also detract from the overall grade of the student in the end. The next is the difficulty that comes from grading gifted students. This issue can be solved easily, the book says, but it is not by simply grading them harder or giving them more work. The teacher must enhance the student’s ability to think critically and maybe alter the question to make it more challenging intellectually. Grade weighting and special needs grading are the other two subjects of the chapter. Grading Scales are addressed in chapter 12 and make a huge impact upon the students of any classroom. There are basically two simple ways to grade and scale those grades written out for us in this chapter; they are the one hundred point scale and the four point scale. Although the one hundred point scale is much more common in education, the four point scale is must more applicable to what we are trying to do with Mctighe’s planning strategies and methods. Using a four point scale allows for effort, participation, improvement, and standards to be brought in rather than simply adding up graded assignments like one does in a one hundred point scale grading system. Chapter 13 deals with how to format the grade book as a new and differentiating teacher in the classroom. The basic idea that is put forth first is the idea that grouping by standard is a good way to start. Secondly, grouping assignments by category, unit, and weight are also beneficial, because it shows progress, success, and organization for the students. Listing assignments by date and filling in the grade book consistently over time is essential to being productive and fair as a teacher. Responsive report card formats is the topic discussed in chapter 14 and starts with a great point. The chapter states that we should use a dual approach and grade based off of both personal progress and the meeting of standards rather than simply looking at letters associated with achievement tiers. There should be multiple categories within one subject area that lay out the units, assignments, and final grades in a way that is progressive and overtly cumulative. Continuous progress reporting should be done but this progress should only be positive specific feedback. We can take these four chapters and use them instantly in our classrooms, because every teacher struggles with how to grade and how to get the success rates of their students in line with what they are teaching them. Basically, we have to start being fair to each student while also pushing them to succeed at high levels. This happens through grading them the right way and tracking their progress over time.

Jason B
These chapters were mostly about grading. The very first concept that was mentioned caught my attention, and answered a very controversial topic for me; should we give zeros or sixties? When a student does not hand in their work, we think that they deserve a zero because no work was completed. We think that if a student does not put in the time, then they do not deserve any credit at all. However, the book looks at the issue differently. The book strongly believes that a grade, if anything, should reflect learning over work ethic. Therefore, it is inappropriate to give the student a zero because some material may have been learnt. A sixty is not a good grade and will not pass the student in most situations, but it reflects learning more than putting in a zero, saying that the student knows nothing about the material. Another topic that was talked about was grading scales. Many times, the scale that teachers use is the one that their school is using. However, as teachers, there are some things that we can do to make grading a more accurate process, as grading does need to be improved. One of the things mentioned in the book was about when a student is so close to the next letter grade, but because of the way that the math works, they do not meet that letter grade. A good quote from the book sums up this situation: “If teachers are just mathematically averaging grades, then we’re in bad shape.” Another topic that was mentioned was grading late work. The book mentioned different ways of dealing with students who hand things in once in a while, and how do deal with students who hand things in late all of the time. If the problem is not chronic, then this situation should be okay. The book justifies this decision by saying that people hand things in late all of the time, flights are always getting delayed, and buses sometimes get stuck behind traffic. Even workers sometimes get behind in their work. Therefore, it is okay that a student occasionally will hand things in late. However, when students hand things in late frequently, then teachers should find a way to cope with this problem without discouraging the student from doing his work by lowering his grade. The book says that a good approach to this problem is to create two grades for assignments. One grade will represent the grade of the actual product that is being graded. The second grade will represent whether the item was handed in on time, or if it was late. When a student hands things in late, you should take off a few points from the on time section, but not enough so that it bumps it down a whole letter grade all at once. This way, the student’s grade will still reflect learning, but it will also reflect time. Using a system like this is also useful when it comes to keeping a record. When parents or students have questions about grades, the teacher can point out whether or not if it was handed in on time or not.

Leigh Welch
The eleventh chapter in //Fair isn’t Always Equal// talks about grading, and weather we, as teachers, should put zeros in the grade book for work that is not #|completed. The author suggests that you should put in a sixty (or seventy) in stead, depending on what the failing grade is in your grading scale. They suggest this because when you go to do the averaging at the end of the grading period the sixty is still failing but when averaged with the other grades that were earned it gives you a better picture of the student’s mastery. This is important because a depiction of mastery is the reason behind grading. This chapter also talks about weighting grades and comes to the conclusion that you should weight grades depending on the “complexity and extent of learning achieved” (Wormeli, 144). This chapter also introduces Automaticity and Content Attainment. The difference being that automaticity being the ability to know something and be able to figure out the problem with little thought because of that knowledge. Content Attainment is when a student is in more of the processing stage and the same amount is learned it just might be a little longer, or take a few more steps for that student to come to the same result. Chapter number twelve in this books focuses on what scale you use when grading summative assessments. The 4.0 scales seem to be the favorite for the author because it is a better representation of mastery than the number crunching nature of the 100-point scale. This makes a lot of sense when thinking about grades from the mastery of point of view. If you are looking at how students did in a 4.0 scale you are giving them points, rather than taking away points for what they did incorrectly, which is what happens in a 100-point scale. The 4.0 scales are less subjective than the 100-point scale because they are based on professional expertise, so they are more accurate. This chapter also stresses the point of partial credit because students are always evolving and we should expect them to get everything #|perfect #|all the time. The thirteenth chapter is about the grade book and what format you should use to ensure that differentiated instruction is supported. This chapter gives a few examples of formats that work and a few different strategies to help them work for everyone. I like the standards format that the author introduces because it lays everything out, what the standard is and the assignments and assessments that meet that particular standard. I also like that one assignment or assessment can be in more than one standard, because that happens quite often. The last chapter is all about the use of report cards and how they should support differentiated instruction. This chapter talks about the different formats you can use to make sure that the report card is accurate. Adjusted curriculum is one of the approaches and in this approach you grade students based on the progress they have made. Overall these chapters were all about how to make sure every aspect of the grades you give and your grading system are accurate representations of your student’s mastery.

Allison Reynolds
This section is all about grading and new ways of thinking about grading. I find that grading is a very touchy subject to teachers because it can become so subjective very quickly, even though it isn’t supposed to. One of the major concerns that I had when reading this was thinking about placing the 0 or the 60. I had considered the other concerns, such as weighting assignments and grading late work, but this one is the one I struggle with the most. There are so many ways to do this. I am thinking that I may have to check with the grading information from my school, but what if I have to create this on my own. I think that I would not put a grade in, but an “I” for incomplete until a certain mark. Maybe, 3 class periods passed when it was due. The first day it was not, I would discuss it with them very quickly and establish this rule. If it didn’t get in by then, I would then discuss what was happening. I think I would have to take every situation into consideration and work with each student. But it would also be their responsibility to figure out what they can do to make it up as well as keep up with the rest of the work he has. I do think that I would never give a 0 though. I think that a 0 has to be earned in some sense of the idea. I think that I would give them a failing mark, whatever that is in my school. Then again, this works into thinking about the grading scale at a school. I think I would love to integrate the A, B; You’re Not Done idea into my classroom. That way, it isn’t failing, but giving students an idea of what they need to do and how they are succeeding. I would have to look into whether my school has a rule though. I would also really have to talk to parents about how to deal with this new grading system. One thing I haven’t even begun to think about is grade books and report cards. So many are automated that I didn’t consider that I could change it. I thought most of them are mandated, which I am sure they maybe. Yet, if I could add my own comments and create a way to document feedback and assessment, I am going to do it. Definitely. It isn’t fair for students to only see a letter, what does that even mean? So, even if the school had mandated ways of recording and reporting grades, I would have a separate way of doing for my students and myself. That way, they can see where exactly they need to improve while meeting the school’s needs. I love the idea of having the book separated by standard. I am going to try that when I start working with grades. It makes life so much easier.

Bianca Stoutamyer
These chapters were all about grading. In all of my years as a student I’ve had teachers who grade a multitude of ways. Some teacher’s grade on whether or not you did the assignment while others grade on the quality of the work. Neither way is actually fair to all of the student you will have in your classroom. Do you grade your gifted students on a higher set of standards or do we give them a normal A because we assume they have surpassed the material? Grading to fit each student will be one of the hardest things for me to be able to successfully do as a teacher because of all of the things that go into it. What if I have a student who had a family emergency that has messed with their learning at school? Do I grade them easier on the material? These are things that will come up at some point in my career and how I handle it will determine how successful I am as a teacher. The section on weighted grades in chapter 11 is something that I have had personal experience with as a student and I see the positives and the negatives of the weighted grades. For students who get A’s and work hard they do not get much out of the weighted grades and students who are less successful can end up with the same final grade as the hard working straight A student. This is a negative of this system because the student who is working hard to get the A gets no reward for it but a student who gets a B or a lower grade can get the grade weighted and brought up to a higher grade that they did not earn. A positive of this system is that it supports students who are taking harder classes and allows them to show that they are taking a harder class and makes their grade higher than those in a lower level class. Grading scales differ from school to school and as a teacher it depends on the school what type of a scale I will be using. I have no preference for which scale I believe to be better for the fact that they are so similar to each other. Chapter 13 gives many different ways to group assignments and how to list them in the grade book. I do not yet know what type of system I will use and my system will most likely change and be edited until it is something I truly like but this chapter gives me many ideas that I may not have though of on my own. Grading is complicated and making it fair for all of your students may become a huge stressor but being organized and having a plan will help overcome all of the obstacles.

Carinne Haigis
Much like the previous four chapters we read, this chapter grouping in __Fair Isn’t Always Equal__ addresses grading in schools. Wormeli speaks about how, if as teachers we are committed to differentiating instruction in our classrooms, it only makes sense and it is only logical that we would want to differentiate our grading methods to meet the needs of our students as well. In chapter eleven, Wormeli covers a variety of grading etiquette issues and offers suggestions on how to deal with these in a method that is compatible with differentiated instruction. One of the topics that I was perhaps most interested in was in how Wormeli suggests late work ought to be graded. In the field, I have been observing how common it is for the seventh grade students to turn in late work. I have taken note of how my mentor teacher deals with this trend and now that I have taught my own lesson and needed students to turn in an assignment to me, I have had an opportunity to handle the dilemma of late work myself. On this subject, Wormeli writes: “If it’s occasional, then it’s easy to be merciful: Let the student turn it in late for full credit…If it’s chronic…it’s time to teach the student about the power of being on time” (Wormeli 148). I do agree with this method as I can understand that life happens and sometimes a student cannot do the work or simply forgets. However, when one has consistent offenders of this, it becomes necessary to not be quite so lenient. Due dates are assigned for a reason and should not be perpetually avoided or ignored. In chapters thirteen and fourteen, the author provides different methods of grading and reporting grades. A teacher can then decide which method works for him or her. In chapter thirteen, I particularly liked the idea for recording grading based on standards. Because as an educational society, we are moving towards standard based teaching, it is key to understand how well students are mastering the standards. When we group grades in this way, the students overall mastery in this area can be quickly and easily assessed. As Wormeli writes: “At any given time, a principal, a parent, a student, and, of course, the teacher can ask how the student is doing regarding a particular benchmark, objective, or standard, and see all the data gathered in one place” (Wormeli 162). Being organized in this way allows a teacher to clearly see both how well the student is doing regarding specific standards, and also, how the class as a whole is performing. The latter is a reflection on the teacher and can be useful when it comes to professional developing. In chapter fourteen, Wormeli discusses report cards. I was particularly interested in the idea of grading based on using two symbols: one that shows the typical A, B, C, etc. letter grade and the other that shows the growth of the student. This can be useful when it comes to identifying gifted students (i.e. those who are not challenged by the material) and shows how students improve over time.

Kellie Sanborn
I liked the focus in these chapters on grading methods. They seemed to include just about everything one would need to know in order to build a standards-based grade book. I found it very relevant to what I have seen in the field because my mentor teacher is piloting a program with a group of Sophomores which is standards-based and project based. The program involves a science teacher, a social studies teacher, a math teacher, and Dan, the english teacher. I have sat in on quite a few of their meetings about the progress of the program, and every single meeting, it seems as though the other three teachers are still having a very difficult time understanding how to set up their grade books. Dan told me that this book was what he had based his grading system off of, but I really wonder whether or not the other three teachers have read these four chapters. On the rubrics that we build for assessing projects and assignments, the grade for each row of the rubric is put in as a separate grade and sorted into sections based on standards. For example, MUGS (mechanics, usage, grammar, & spelling) is a category on every assignment, but they are all entered into the same column in the grade book because they all aim toward meeting the same standard. Chapter 14 was really interesting because it brought up questions about how to grade based on a differentiated classroom and how to show that on a report card. I think that report cards are a difficult concept to begin with because they don’t leave much room for feedback, and they only allow for one grade for each class. I agree that it is necessary to make it clear that the grade is scaled, but I think that these chapters prove that the reporting system needs a change entirely. Progress and accomplishments cannot be simplified down to one letter for each class. In chapter 11, the authors discuss the differences between automaticity and attainment in grading. Grades cannot correctly be averaged over a grading period, because concepts require time to gain a full understanding. We cannot expect that students will meet a standard in the first assessment form, so if that standard is not met until the last assessment of it, then it is still met. If the standard is met, it is not fair to average that grade with the previous ones where the standard had not been met yet. Students should be given time to attain understanding, and therefore grade reporting requires more than just a letter on a piece of paper. Grade reporting should not be simplified, but should be fully explained in a manner which provides feedback to parents, colleges, future employers, or anyone else who might have interest in such matters.

Mel Christensen
This section of the book was about different methods of grading and how to grade fairly. These chapters examined the pros and cons of different approaches to grading and how to communicate grades to students and parents. Foremost, grades should be a representation of a student’s achievement and teachers need to be responsible for instituting a system that accurately measures and communicates the magnitude of an individual’s achievement. One prominent difference in grading systems that was examined in this chapter was whether or not to enter a zero or a sixty for missing or incomplete work. Personally, I don’t really think it should be either. If a student did not do the assignment a zero may be a signal to them that they are off the hook and do not need to or have the opportunity to complete the assignment. I believe that within a reasonable frame of time missing assignments should be entered as incomplete until a valid grade can be entered. Entering a sixty is also problematic in my estimation because on a 100 point scale it is a reasonably high grade that they did not earn. It is true that it keeps the student’s average from being too skewed, but I think I would report averages based on the actual grades recorded for a student rather than an average that includes “place holders.” I am fond of the 100 point scale, but I do not like the way it has traditionally been divided with the majority of classifications (A-D) being distributed over the top 40% of the scale and considering the lower 60% to be failing. Zero to sixty is a huge range to consider for a critical range of grades. A’s are easy to measure, but failing grades need to be examined closely and the lower end of the 100 point scale has never functioned well in this regard. The 4 point scale is a useful alternative because the levels of achievement are evenly distributed across the scale. The 4 point scale is much more simple, but I find it can be too broad and vague compared to the 100 point scale. In an ideal world I think I would like using some sort of scaled down version of the 100 point scale, maybe a system with an even distribution over a 10 point scale. My overall feeling about grading systems is that no matter what numerical or alphabetical system is used it will still be processed the same way by students once they adapt to the system. Grades are hugely important benchmarks for students, but the most important thing teachers can do when communicating grades to students and parents is to report grades with written or verbal feedback. There is nothing wrong with grades, but the way our society blindly processes grades can be a problem. It is important for students and parents to recognize grades as benchmarks along a journey not a death sentence and have the information needed to put the grade into context.

Megan Hoffman
These chapters focus on grading and the issues that come along with that daunting task. One part of chapter 11 really made sense to me, it talks about the difference between recording a 60 or a zero in the grading book. Averaging grades is hard (and ineffective) enough as it is- but throwing a zero in the mix is often a devastating blow to their grade and one that is extremely difficult to climb out of. There is no difference between a failing grade of zero and a failing grade of 60, with the exception of the 60 being more average friendly and reflecting the real mastery level of a student. The section on grading late work really helped me because I am so used to the “no exception, late work is a zero” philosophy that most of my previous teachers and professors swear by. In my opinion, these methods stem from selfishness on the part of the teacher. I think it is unfair for the teacher to assume that the student doesn’t have a life outside of school. Many high school students have to work, or take care of their siblings. I am married and work part time as well as go to school full time, so I know how tough it can be to get your work in on time. If things happen and a student can’t get the work in, I’d use the golden rule and give them the benefit of the doubt. As a teacher, I’d much rather give the student extra time to do the assignment right then have them fling a wad of crap at a paper and hand it in just to make the deadline. I know there is a point to deadlines, because the real world is full of them- but as a teacher, it is extremely important to assign realistic deadlines. As far as grading scales go, I really like the 4.0 scale because it is easy to follow and perfect for projects. I want my class to be project-based with little to no tests because tests open up test anxiety and that is something that I am strongly against. I also like to dress up my categories for rubrics to add in a little history. For my Civil War unit I use military ranks for my grade categories. Report Cards are one of the hardest, and potentially misleading, parts of being a teacher. In chapter 14, the author talks about the dual approach report cards that reflect both the grade as well as personal progress of the student. Sure, the student may have gotten a B, but with the number after it to tell parents that they have made tremendous progress- it is a comforting note to them that their child is succeeding.

Ashton Carmichael
Chapter 11 focuses on the negative effects of putting a zero in the grade book. The author discusses the idea of using a fifty in the grade book instead because of the unfairness in the large gap between failing and a D. Chapter 11 also discusses what to do with advanced students. I agree that the students should not be held in the curriculum and should be challenged with new material. I wouldn’t want to put in low marks for a student because they are being really challenged with the higher content, but I think that it accurately describes the mastery of the complicated material. I don’t really agree that I should only put in the grades for the content they mastered at the same level as the less gifted students because that isn’t the work they were doing. Chapter 12 discusses the dangers of using the grading scale we use today. Like the author said “Successfully differentiated schools create a culture that keeps the focus of grades on how they assist students with learning and teachers with teaching” (Wormelli 159). I personally like the idea of using the A,B,C and Not Yet Achieved scale in the classroom. The student, if they are failing, have obviously not mastered the content or do not understand the way I am teaching it, so they have not achieved what I need him/her to achieve from the content. I fully agree that feedback is the most important thing for a student. A grade on a paper does not mean anything other than what they have done cumulatively, but when we mark notes on the paper and meet with students personally this will benefit the student best. Wormelli makes a really good point when he states that, “As we enter data on students, we reflect on their growth and how the lessons we provided helped or hindered that growth. Our grade books are records of our actions, in this sense” (161). I agree that students’ grades are exact representations of their growth; we use these grades for our benefit as well as the student’s, though. And, keeping this record book organized is essential if we are going to be able to see mastery across the many students we have. I really like the idea of organizing the grade book based on standards because then I would be able to see what students did well in a particular section of the class instead of trying to backtrack and figure out what the students were trying to master for a particular assignment. Also, if it is organized that way for the student to see as well, they will be able to tell the exact standard we were trying to teach them and how well they did with it. The dual approach would work really well like this. I would be able to give the student a letter grade to indicate how much the student mastered in the content, but also a number to indicate the growth. I think that this model reflects more accurately the students’ achievement in the class overall.

Chris Whitney
I like that these chapters were dedicated to different aspects of grading. As a teacher one of the hardest things to do can be to accurately assess students work. Each of these chapters either points out flaws with the traditional system, or gives an alternative model for grading. From the reading it is recommended that teachers use a standard based grading scale. Not only will the goals be specifically laid out for the students, but the grading scale more accurately describes where the students are at in mastering that certain topic of idea. Another issue that was brought up in this reading was the effects of putting a zero in the grade book when an assignment is not complete. As the chapters and Dr. Grace have said, putting a zero in the grade book only hurts students. Giving the students a zero not only takes them off the hook from ever completing that assignment, but it shows failure is acceptable, which it obviously shouldn't. In the fast paced world with live in today,deadlines are more important then the quality of the work it seems. Students should be encouraged to work at their own pace to complete a task, as long as the end result in mind is mastering the task. For me as a teacher, I like the A,B,C and Not Yet Achieved grading model. This is because it can give students an accurate assessment of where they are. There is a clear split between achieved and not yet achieved, and then students can be assessed on how well they have mastered the material needed. One of the most important things I learned from these readings were that no matter what you use for a grading system, make sure the componets and grades are clear and meaningful to the student so that grades can provide feedback and be helpful instead of used as just a competitive stat. After all learning should not be a competition.