717 Grading: See, Think, Wonder by Leni Caldwell

7

2024-11-05 17:37:36 UTC

In the classroom, I see grades being used as a motivator relatively rarely. Students have not been asking if in class work is worth a grade or not. This is due to much of the work being activities that students are doing rather than worksheets for them to fill out. My host teacher is also good about meeting with students individually to check-in on them and give personalized feedback.

#4 - Because I observe pre-AP and AP courses, students are often graded according to AP rubrics for performance tasks. To help personalize these expectations a little more, my mentor teacher writes feedback and does 1:1 conferences with students on their performance task rough drafts. She then has students complete a lengthy reflection on the feedback process and where they will go next given that feedback.

mikayahparsons1279 — 2024-11-05 17:37:49 UTC

See:

2024-11-05 17:38:20 UTC

6: I have seen lots of particpation-based assignments. For example, my teacher counts warmups and reflection writing activities like a small quiz grade to provide formative and participation based opportunities.

powekd24 — 2024-11-05 17:38:31 UTC

I see graded formative assessments along with graded summative assessment. In fact, there are more of the former than the latter which strikes me as more sensible/natural. Teachers are emphasizing content mastery/understanding at the expense of thinking about grades in a competitive way.

#1 All assignments are out of 100 points. The teacher gives them 50 for turning it in and equally divides the remaining categories. For example, an in-class assignment with 4 grading criteria would be worth 12.5 points per item.

breaak24 — 2024-11-05 17:38:36 UTC

franor20 — 2024-11-05 17:39:02 UTC

2- A lot of teachers grade everything because they know the students won't do it without the grade. This adds a lot of extra work on the teacher's part. They are more forgiving on late assignments then I expected.

2024-11-05 17:39:16 UTC

3 - what I currently see in classrooms is both graded and not graded formative assessments being used. From what I've seen, the teacher doesn't say what is or isn't graded unless asked, or explains if its graded based on completion, effort, etc., to try to avoid grades being the only motivator

1 Opinion on Grading

breaak24 — 2024-11-05 18:04:53 UTC

I think that assignment should be worth different points depending on the value or level of work. I also think that every assignment should have clear instructions for the expectations.

7

2024-11-05 18:05:07 UTC

Grading is complicated. On one hand, it is a valuable way to quickly assess how each and every student is performing in a class. This also makes it easy to scale up or down/look at large sets to see how students are doing overall. However, grading does not take into account actual student learning much of time, and it generally only takes into account what the students are actually doing in the classroom. It does not include what is going on in student lives outside the classroom as well as factor in things such as ability or socioeconomic status

3

2024-11-05 18:05:25 UTC

I think all grades should have some amount of qualitative feedback, especially on large assignments. They should also have clear rubrics and expectations so students understand why they got that grade. Focus should be on understanding of content and effort.

5.

powekd24 — 2024-11-05 18:05:38 UTC

I think you have to grade on a repetitive basis. You're only seeing students 2-3 times a week at most. It doesn't seem feasible to not have a grade/formative assessment for one day. Students are learning something substantial every classroom session.

franor20 — 2024-11-05 18:05:44 UTC

2- My opinion on grading is that I think it is a necessary evil. I wish students/parents/teachers/etc. weren't so obsessed with the end result and appreciated the process more. However, grades do help students understand how they are doing in comparison to the rest of their class. Realistically, I would probably grade more things than not, but I would try to give the nicest grade possible while still adding as much feedback as I can so that students are still growing in their academics.

2024-11-05 18:05:53 UTC

6: My opinion on grading is that is a valuable way to provide feedback to students, when done intentionally and with clarity for all students. I want to avoid the pitfalls of grading that the readings have mentioned and provide tangible feedback to students so that they can take accountability and learn the joys of seeing their prgoress.

franor20 — 2024-11-05 18:06:44 UTC

2- How much control do I have about how I grade something in my classroom? Is it beneficial for students to move away from grading and work on the process in the current system?

2024-11-05 18:06:45 UTC

3 - I wonder how to incorporate/find the time for individual meetings with students about their work.

2024-11-05 18:07:02 UTC

6: How can I best ensure that my grading practices reflect a concern for equity?

5.

powekd24 — 2024-11-05 18:07:24 UTC

I would ask if teachers take into consideration (grade-wise) effort and participation even if it's not much of the overall grade?

7

2024-11-05 18:07:43 UTC

How do you find the proper amount of grades to give in a semester? How can we be sure not to overwhelm our students with grades, but also be able to properly assess/demonstrate how students are doing in class.

mikayahparsons1279 — 2024-11-05 18:07:58 UTC

#4: how to balance in-progress grading with summative grading

mikayahparsons1279 — 2024-11-05 18:09:39 UTC