https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh Please share here. en-us 2022-02-02 23:48:19 UTC 2022-02-14 21:47:46 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2027647744 As a student, I've experienced inequitable grading practice when it came to idea of looking at the student's average. The podcast discussed teachers should look at improvement in grades. I know that for myself It was common for me to have a hard time doing something the first time around but after working on it multiple times I ended up mastering the content. It always seemed unfair to me that I mastered the content but was still being graded on when I was learning it. ]]> 2022-02-03 14:53:40 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2027647744 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2027783687 As a student, I have experienced inequitable grading practices. One big example has to do with university grading. Most courses are set on the tradition 0-100 grading system. I found this to enhance a sort of obsession about points and numbers that takes away the real goal of the course, that is to learn. As explained in the podcast, such a system is highly ineffective because it distracts students from learning. Another example of inequitable grading I experienced has to do with bonus points. In a university class, the professor used bonus points that were added to the 0-100 grading system. I found this to trigger a sort of fake learning because most students were doing certain assignments only to get the bonus points and raise their average. This is a bad grading practice that I find ineffective just as Mr. Feldman explained in the podcast. ]]> 2022-02-03 15:54:20 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2027783687 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028084716 I can think of multiple experiences revolving around inequitable grading. For example, on many occasions many of my teacher had given bonus points to students who would assist certain conferences that took place outside of class time. In cegep, I remember a professor who consistently gave conferences, with very short notice, therefore I would miss out on these points because I worked. Also, in university, we often have participation points and if you are shy and do not speak up as often, this will affect your overall grade. Additionally, although some universities now have letter grades system, everything we do at bishop's is transferred into a numerical 0-100 grade. ]]> 2022-02-03 18:08:37 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028084716 sabrinanaylor99 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028233273 A grading experience that has affected me during most of my schooling years is the participation grade. Often, I never raise my hands in groups settings to share ideas or opinions. This is because I fear other's reactions about my comments. Probably more than once, this has affected several of my grades. Another grading experience that has affected my grades is bonus questions at the end of a test. Often, I struggled through the main questions of the exam and would never have time to  do the bonus question at the end. I would work so hard to do the main work that I was asked to do, that I would not obtain an extra credit that other students might have gotten. ]]> 2022-02-03 19:23:21 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028233273 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028460822 As a student in high school, I remember being able to see class averages on assessments and having these averages used against me, especially in classes that maybe were not my strong suit. As an example, if the class average on a math test was an 80%, but I received a mark of 70%. The 70 grade I received is not necessarily bad, but my parents would always see the class average and make me feel poorly about myself for having a grade much lower than the class average.]]> 2022-02-03 22:07:05 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028460822 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028479605 When I think of inequitable grading I always think of one of my grandfathers most classic stories. he tells me this one about 3 times a year. When he was in school, he was a self described "little ****". He found himself bored at school and was more interested in sports and seemed to be a kinetic learner. One day he was convinced that his teacher hated him so much that he couldn't  get a good grade even if he wanted to. So one day he got "Suzie" who was an A student to write his paper. He handed it into his teacher and got the same mark he always got in return,  with no feedback. He realized that day that his teacher never even looked at his papers and graded him based off of how he behave din the classroom and not at what he produced. ]]> 2022-02-03 22:25:31 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028479605 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028532396 As a student I have experienced inequitable grading from a retiring teacher. I went into my final exam with a 99 and had earned bonus marks during the course to get an extra 10% on my final exam. When my final grade came out i got a 90. I did the math and this would have meant that i nearly failed my final exam. Now if i was able to get 99 and that much in bonus, that made no sense. I had studied and it was an open book exam. There was no feedback and no breakdown of my grade, no rubic nothing. I sent many messaged via teams to get some sort of understanding and was left with the little eye icon beside my message indicating that he saw it, and no responses... I was furious, and was told that i could request a grade change but no one in the institution worked like that teacher did and no one would be able to verify my work. YAY. ]]> 2022-02-03 23:25:02 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028532396 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028601837 I remember receiving a 50% grade on a project in my previous undergrad degree, in an accounting class. I couldn't understand what I did wrong, but I knew the prof didn't like me because I missed a lot of classes. I really needed to pass this class, so I went to see the prof to find out what I didn't understand. It seems the prof didn't know either, because the entire session was her telling me how my project was not so bad, and that I did a lot right. I left the meeting feeling pretty good and confident for the rest of the course. But later I realized that I still never received any explanation of why my grade was so low! I'm confident there was no good reason.]]> 2022-02-04 00:43:23 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028601837 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028629817 I remember one teacher that they handed back exams from highest to lowest to try and motivate us to work harder. I never really thought about how it made students feel when they were one of the last to receive their test. It made it so every student was in a competition against each other. This is a prime example of how inequitable grading can have negative effects on the students. They also would tell us the class average so we would base our grade on how well we did compared to others. It was a good grade as long as we were above the average but what about the majority of the students who are close to the average or even below it? It works against them not for them. 

]]> 2022-02-04 01:11:25 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028629817 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028690764 One of most worst experiences with inequitable grading was from one of my high school math classes. My school offered a math help session every lunch period, where students could voluntarily attend, eat their lunch, and work on math problems. One of my teachers developed a system where he would send students to math help during lunches depending on how they scored on tests. It is a decent idea, however, he would hold the students who scored poorly back while the others left. He did this so he could tell them they had to go to math help. I myself am very bad at math, so he told me this a few times. However, I started to get embarrassed and unmotivated and just started skipping his class in order to avoid more humiliation. ]]> 2022-02-04 02:08:56 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028690764 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028735077 I always had trouble with courses that would offer require you to do a minimum amount of time in a certain subject to even have a chance of getting marked. If you did not complete the minimum requirement of time you would have a 0%. This would always hurt my grade as I work outside of school and would not necessarily have the weekly time to complete the minimum requirement. A subject should not be based on time given but rather mastery of the material.]]> 2022-02-04 02:54:45 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2028735077 kailamcwilliams https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029700447 Assessment always feels like it's a reflection of who I am, I find my identity in my grades. This has created so many issues for me, especially in places I consider 'weaknesses.'
Presenting in front of my peers has never been my favourite assessment form. I have done poorly for speaking too fast because of anxiousnesses. In my opinion, this should not equal to a grade that reflects my performance. It does not show how well I know the content. Specifically, an educator depicted the strengths & weaknesses of my performance in front of everyone in class. Apparently, this would help my peers improve off of my feedback, but I felt like this was completely unfair!]]> 2022-02-04 16:08:15 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029700447 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029894562 When I was in the second or third grade, my teacher gave our class an assignment where we needed to stay up all night and then read a book for reading comprehension while tired. The activity was not done to show us how being tired affects our ability to work or anything, or if it was this was never made clear. Instead we were then called one-by-one to read a book, answer some questions on said book, and were then graded based on how accurate our answers were. A lot of students performed poorly as we were all exhausted from being up all night, and that is probably the worst non equitable grade I had received. Not graded based on ability or taught about the importance of sleep, but graded based on how well you can read and remember when you are tired.]]> 2022-02-04 17:53:07 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029894562 hannahsommerville18 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029898881 As a student, I have witnessed and been a part of inequitable grading practice. I am a quiet and reserved student, unless I feel comfortable with the group of people I am around. Due to this, the participation mark in many of my classes (specifically university) have been affected. I do not like to share my thoughts/ideas in front of others as I am always scared to be wrong or have someone else disagree with my comment. I attend all of my classes, but do not like to have my camera on or raise my hand and this has affected my final mark in various situations. ]]> 2022-02-04 17:55:55 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029898881 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029920167 In grade 3, I had a horrible school year and it was mainly associated with the way our teacher graded our work. After every test, assignment, etc. my teacher would split the chalkboard into 5 sections (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 and Level R- which is considered an F in French schools). When we would enter the classroom, she would have us sit down and she would start with level 4. She would then write down the names of students who achieved a level 4. She would keep doing this all the way down to a Level R. I was a decent student and I achieved good marks for the most part, but as she would move down the list and I could see my name under the R section, it made me feel so horrible. Not only would you be embarrassed by your own mark, but you would also be punished if you received an R by losing 'tickets' and you would miss lunch recess and would have to go to the homework centre instead. This was not fair at all and I hope that no teacher does this to students today.]]> 2022-02-04 18:08:32 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029920167 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029936757 The inequalities in the grading system at my high-school were extremely prevalent. Particularly in grade 11 and 12 when grades mattered most for University acceptance and scholarships, some teachers would argue that a 78 was a "great" grade compared to others who would consider a 78 an average grade and give 90s as an equivalent "great grade". This discrepancy led to many students feeling cheated, frustrated and unmotivated. I remember that a few of my classmates were lucky enough to get the guidance counsellor to switch them to the "easier" teacher. This is such a huge issue especially when a 78 to a 90 could be the difference of thousands of dollars or an acceptance to a specific post-secondary institution. It was often a luck of the draw situation for grades but that shouldn't be the case at all. I think it's necessary to have more consistencies within schools and across boards so that students aren't discouraged and grading systems are more equal. ]]> 2022-02-04 18:18:20 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2029936757 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030094542 The podcast mentions how students with extra help or the opportunities to take extra courses end up performing better in assessments. I think this is an incredibly valid statement, as I remember in high school having tutors my parents would arrange to help me with math specifically. This allowed me to do better in a subject area I had difficulties with, meanwhile other students did not have these same opportunities, whether it be for financial limitations, time constraints, or inaccessibility. When students don't have a level playing field, assessment can further these gaps between student achievement. ]]> 2022-02-04 20:07:54 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030094542 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030098061 As a student, I remember feeling so stressed out by the grading system and the option of failure. I thought it was interesting when Joe mentioned that at the present moment there are 60 levels of failure and only 40 levels of passing. This spoke to me because as a student I would spend many hours stressing about these 60 levels of failure. The more I grew up the more I saw that these grades were often a reflection of what teachers thought of me. For example, if I felt unliked by a teacher I would often get lower grades, which is totally unethical and shows incredible problems in the validity of our grading system. ]]> 2022-02-04 20:10:57 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030098061 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030125109 As a student, I had a history teacher who always gave us tests rather than evaluating us using a variety of different assessment strategies. I had always struggled more with tests than other assessments as my anxiety likes to take over. As a result, I did not have as high of a grade as in my other courses. Because of this, I did not like history. I blamed it on the course. Never had I thought growing up I would want to become a history teacher because of this one teacher that always assessed their students using tests/quizes only. It wasn't until I took history courses in college that I truly found my love for history. ]]> 2022-02-04 20:35:41 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030125109 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030731224 I was really surprised to know that when we look at the 0-100 point scale we are oriented towards failure because if 60% is "passing" then 2/3 of the scale describes failure! I never thought of it that way, but this definitely encourages grades as points and downgrades and discourages some students. Upon reflection on my experiences, I never saw grades as my "final level of content mastery", but more as points to increase my average. The more points I could get, the better, but did I really learn? I probably did not in the ways I should have or in the ways teaching and learning should be. I remember some students in my class would do extra credit work to get their average up. Me, as a student who had help at home and through friends, my average was relatively high, for others who did not have help at home and had more trouble getting educational help, had a lower average. Now thinking about this maybe the teacher didn't think about how some students had a weaker educational background which led to some inequity towards grades in the classroom. I really liked how this podcast revealed these inequities towards grading.]]> 2022-02-05 15:38:05 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030731224 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030759388 I had a teacher once who gave me a really hard grade on a paper, we had to submit these papers weekly so I met with them to explain what I did wrong. I only received positive feedback, they just told me to 'add more', so next time I did I added more too it since mostly I had positive feedback. Bad grade again. So, I reached out to friends who completed it and passed, what they had done was completely different so I mimicked what they did and got a good grade. The feedback given was not what was necessary for success, and it really negatively impacted me. 

]]> 2022-02-05 16:13:12 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030759388 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030765481 I remember when I was in high school and the grading system wasn't the same for everyone. One of my friends who was an A + student would ALWAYS hand in her homework or projects late. It was always a couple of days/ weeks even. She never got any marks deducted from handing in her work late but I would. If I was a day late, it would be - 5% off. Still to this day, I talk about it with my parents because it was unfair. I always knew that teachers in my school would grade according on if they liked you or not. One of my friends failed the end of the year exam in sec 4. The teacher really did not like him. He got permission from the board to ask another english teacher at the school who was equally qualified. When that teacher looked over his exam, she gave him a pass. The following year, that teacher wasn't there anymore. It wasn't fair to my fellow classmate. Another example, I was working as a highschool teacher last year. One of the teachers gave a student of mine a zero on his project when I helped him with it. I didn't understand why he got zero so I went to ask her. She told me that he wasn't behaving in class and every time he would talk she would remove 10% on his grade. I reported it and sadly nothing was done. I was so mad. ]]> 2022-02-05 16:21:03 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030765481 erin_rose_91020 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030839839 At first not many personal experiences come to mind with inequitable grading. I guess one example that is related to this though is the idea of how most grades are based an overall average rather than based progress and improvement. In high school I took a math course and as a person who loves math it was really hard for me to accept the grade I was received on the first unit test. I tried really hard and my marks were slightly improving on the future tests however they were still no where close to an A. I really wanted to use this course to help me get into university and it didn't seem like that was going to happen with the grades I was receiving. I ended up dropping the course and changing my overall plan for university because of it. I think had I stayed in the course and continued to work hard it would have payed off, but I was too scared to get a lower grade. Perhaps if my overall progress had been taken into account at the end of the semester like mentioned in the podcast the grade wouldn't have been as low as if my teacher had averaged my grades. Im not saying my teacher did anything wrong but its something to think about I guess.]]> 2022-02-05 17:57:22 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030839839 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030879780 In high school I found grades usually depended on how much the teacher liked you.  It was very clear to the rest of the class who were the teachers pets and these students would always receive the highest grades even though others worked just as hard.  Also I found that especially for English and Religion classes your grade depended highly on how much the teacher agreed with your opinions.  A student could have written a great paper but if the teacher had a different point of view they would not get a high grade.]]> 2022-02-05 18:51:26 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030879780 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030959558 I honestly can't think of an a time where I experienced blatant grade inequality, but something that does stand out to me is what Joe said about how teachers don't necessarily have consistency with how they grade students; what they take into consideration, what they take points off for. When I think about my own experience of being graded, I'm sure teachers took into consideration if I was always working hard, if I always did things on time but didn't do as well knowledge wise VS a student who handed things in late, didn't participate as much class discussions but knew the content really well. I might get a better grade than the other student. That doesn't seem very equitable. ]]> 2022-02-05 21:06:26 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2030959558 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031020510 I remember being in advanced grade 10 math, which was already challenging for me because math was never my strong suit but I had high intentions of taking Chemistry and Physics in grade 11. When the teacher would hand out our quizzes at the end of each unit, she was constantly say "So, who will be the cardio surgeon this time?" Implying who will get the highest grade amongst the class. I'm not sure if she was trying to be funny or it was a failed attempt at trying to encourage us, but as someone who already struggled at the subject material and also experiences test anxiety. This lead me into the quiz already stressed and frankly, depressed because I knew I would never get to be the "cardio surgeon" of the class. When she would give back our quizzes after they were graded, not only did she hand them back from highest to lowest average, she would also assign us a "career" associated with the average we obtained. It was extremely discouraging when every time she gave my quiz back, I never had an aspiring career simply because my average was too low. ]]> 2022-02-05 23:26:35 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031020510 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031632101 One example of inequitable grading I have experienced is in high school. I was always a above average student in must classes, which made me seem like a really good student with a good reputation. For this reason, I feel like when I would be graded, teachers would be more lenient when grading my work. On the other hand, some teachers would be more demanding of my work and grade it more strictly. This made it either easier or harder for me to get the grades I truly deserved in certain classes. This also changed my mindset that I didn't need to work as hard because my reputation would get me the grade. Now looking at it, I can see how this grading practice can be unfair for other students. This is also unfair for students that are really working hard and showing a lot of improvement but do not have the reputation or background, and therefore, the teachers grading it do not expect a good grade. ]]> 2022-02-06 17:16:56 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031632101 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031709016 Grading is something that can be so personal for some students. A lot of teachers tend to grade on an equal playing field, or in a way thats more comfortable to them. As Joe points out grading is also extremely personal for teachers as it feels like it is the last point of freedom for them. I never really felt I was inequitably graded in high school but in university I feel like grading can become more inequitable. In high school I felt comfortable going up to my teachers to ask about my grade and I felt that my teachers personalized grades a little bit more because they knew us personally. In univeristy you truly are a number in the class and this can lead to very little personalized and effective feedback. ]]> 2022-02-06 18:35:08 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031709016 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031784162 One of the worst memories I have relating to grading happened when I was in my Grade Eight math class. Prior to this experience it is important to note that I had gone through elementary school with the same peers. As the years went on groups developed amongst us as a result of the way the teachers treated us and talked about us to each other. What I mean by this is that the teachers always made it clear who were the 'smart' kids and who were the ones who 'struggled' (struggling in this case was anything in the B region...). As someone who was friends with the 'smart kids' but was never one of them because I was a straight B student, my perception of my own intelligence was always negative. The day in question in this story, we all walked into our classroom and our teacher had put the top grades on the board (these grades were anything that ranged from 80% and higher) and sticky notes of all of our names. She then asked us to guess with the sticky notes which grade was from what student. Never have I felt more worthless in the classroom then in this moment. We as a class all awkwardly put the kids names who normally got A's next to the grades that made sense for them and the rest of us were not even considered to have gotten anything that high. This feeling of my worth being connected to the grade I get has never really left me and I hope to never make my own students feel this small. ]]> 2022-02-06 19:56:30 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031784162 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031877040 My high school French teacher would give us back our quizzes in order of best grade to worst grade. The anxiety was unbearable when she would hand out our tests... I was always worried I would have the worst grade. This gave me a lot performance anxiety. Tests felt like a competition and, consequently, students felt like it was every man for themselves when it came to studying and exams. Everyone was fighting for the best grade and was envious of anyone that did better than them on a test. I would often fail her tests because I was too nervous. ]]> 2022-02-06 22:02:42 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031877040 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031881167 I don't think I have many stories of blatant grade inequity, but I remember I had a high school teacher that was very blatantly sexist. He would speak with the boys in my class more, help them with their questions more, and just generally belittled me whenever I asked for help. This was a commonly discussed issue between myself and the other young women in my class. Because I wasn't able to get help, I never truly understood what we were learning. When I did ask for help, he would tell me some corny, unhelpful oneliner about figuring it out myself. I never subscribed to the idea of making teenagers teach themself because "It is what you need to do in college." This teacher was a firm believer in this idea so I eventually resorted to just trying to keep my grade above a 90 all year. I remember one quarter I almost got an 89 and I was having a full meltdown about it because I was so fixated on my grades. I did successfully keep a 90 or above, though I am not sure how because I would fail a majority of the tests. His grading system was designed to inflate our grades, so, even though I had acceptable grades in his class, I did not learn anything of substance. This was one of the first teachers that I knew I wanted to become a teacher because I NEVER wanted students to experience this kind of learning environment. To this day, the subject that he taught me carries very negative connotations and I genuinely believe myself to be "stupid" in that subject area.]]> 2022-02-06 22:09:09 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031881167 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031887328 While writing my first entry, I suddenly remembered something else that I wanted to share. Not directly related to grades, per se, but something that my guidance counselor said to me in high school. My grades were nearly perfect, and I had yet to reflect on the implications I would face after years of striving for absolutely perfection regardless of the cost. I went in to speak with my guidance counselor about my plans for college. He mentioned how impressive my grades were, and proceeded to ask me what I was thinking. At the time, I wanted to be a doctor because I wanted to help people feel safe and healthy. In response, he said that I shouldn't go to medical school because someday I will want kids and a husband and I will be too busy to balance being a doctor with also having a family. I was maybe 16 at the time, so I did not know how to respond or speak up for myself. Instead, he continued to say that I should become a PA and that I would thank him for his advice later because he had given it to another young woman who was much happier with her hours being a PA. I had only spoken to this man a handful of times (if that) and never about my feelings, concerns, or personal interests but instead just to make my schedule for the upcoming schoolyear. Now, obviously I am in school to be a teacher because I decided that I was not interested the medical field for a number of reasons. Even in my twenties, though, I am ashamed to say that his sexist advice was a part of my decision to become a teacher rather than a doctor (among various, more important others). I love teaching and I am happy with my choice, but I think it is disgusting that a man in a position of power was able to say that to me at 16.]]> 2022-02-06 22:19:00 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031887328 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031897987 When I was in secondary one, I was in French immersion meaning that my French classes were more advanced than the other students. We had weekly quizzes and my teacher had a colour coded sheets for levels of difficulty. Ex. green was easy, then red was the hardest. There were around eight colours of quizzes. If a students had a higher grade than 90% they would move up to the next colour. The initiative was to make students achieve the red sheet. I was doing quite well in the class but it was very stressful as I could see that other students were more advanced than I was and I began to put much pressure on myself. It was also evident that the students who were not achieving higher colours were disappointed in themselves. In my opinion, it was extremely unfair for students and did not have the effect that the teacher was anticipating. ]]> 2022-02-06 22:35:59 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031897987 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031979518 I witnessed a very interesting situation during my 70-hour practicum that relates well to some of what was discussed on the podcast. My AT was marking Grade 8 ELA essay-style responses. He was reviewing one student's work while we were sitting in the ELA office. He was so impressed with it that he handed it to myself and another teacher to read. The other teacher's response was "That kid is in grade 7!? 100%?" My AT said, "no I gave them a 90%". The other teacher asked why, stating it was perfect. My AT said he never gives out 100%. The other teach asked what more could have been expected from the student and my AT said, "nothing" and changed the mark to 100%. This relates to what was discussed in many ways. First, that two teachers might mark the same assignment differently. The second, is how arbitrary this grade seems. If my AT could change the mark so swiftly, it doesn't appear there was a clear rubric he was using in his evaluation. Finally, it also relates to how the % grading scheme caters to inequitable assessment, as there are 10 points separating a 90 and a 100, but that was the jump my AT swiftly made. What would a 92 or a 96 have looked like? A simple 4-5 point rubric would make things much more straight forward for a student.]]> 2022-02-07 00:31:15 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2031979518 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2033498942 I feel like this is something I bring up a lot, probably because of how much I hated it at the time (and I recognize that I may be bias specifically for the same reason), but one inequitable assessment/grading method for me was the SAT test in high school. This "standardized test" is meant to level out the playing field and assess student from across the United States in an "equitable" way, which ultimately allows for colleges to rank these students based on their staderizeyd capacities. The issue with the SAT is that not everybody has equitable ways of preparing for the test. Of course everybody can spend the 100$+ on the 600 page SAT test prep book, and spending time working through it will definitely be helpful in obtaining a better grade overall. That said, the reality of the SAT is that a large portion of students who are taking the test spend an astronomical amount of time and money preparing for the test through the use of private tutors. This is inequitable because not everybody has the time or resources to access these methods of preparation and at the end of the day, a student who has spent time with a SAT tutor will have a clear and definite advantage when taking the test, compared to somebody who hasn't had that opportunity. In other words, for me, the SAT is synonymous with inequitable grading by the transitive property that it is an inequitable assessment in the first place. ]]> 2022-02-07 16:29:02 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2033498942 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2033724202 While this grading scheme that I will explain could have been beneficial for some, I didn't feel this was an adequate grading system for me. While in a history class in Uni, the teacher made 10% quizzes for every second week of class. These quizzes were worth 10% and were on the material being learned throughout the weeks prior. The grading scheme was that if you got 5/10 or lower, you get an automatic zero as a grade. If you got 6/10 or higher, you received a 100% on that quiz. This was horrifying. Of course this could have been great if you were good at quizzes and knew very well your material, but I hated the fact that half of my grade (total of 50%) was allocated towards right or wrong answers in multiple choice quizzes. The stress that this course caused on me was unbelievable. ]]> 2022-02-07 17:59:04 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2033724202 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2033783280 As a student I remember some teachers using level 0-4 grading or F-A grading whereas other teachers used 0-100% grading. Regardless of what grading method was stamped on our tests and assignments, they were later converted to 0-100% scores on our report card. I remember never understanding how my assignment grades converted to my final grade in the class, or what the 0-100% grade meant besides knowing the closer to 100% the better. Teachers never explained what these grades signified, or how my work was represented in these scores. Like mentioned on the podcast, I was never told what the difference between a 74% and a 75% was, and it was never explained to me what I could do to be regarded as an 80%+ student or what exactly would land me any lower. I think this kind of ambiguous point system really did not explain the value of these potential 100 points and it encouraged a much greater value mindset in the number out of 100 rather than what the grade represented in terms of understanding the material, meeting expectations, and expanding my skills or knowledge in the subject.]]> 2022-02-07 18:24:00 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2033783280 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2033961450 One experience I have with inequitable grading is when my teacher would post the grades of the class online. This was tough because it was in math which is very challenging for me, because of this I would usually have the lowest mark in the class. Not only could every see the lowest mark which made me feel extremely discouraged but my parents were also able to access these grades. For them to see all the other marks of my peers made them think that I was not applying myself hard enough even when I was being tutored and getting extra help. As mentioned in the podcast, teachers need to make clear to everyone (students and parents) that its the progression of your personal growth that matters, it does way more harm than good when students compare themselves academically to each other. ]]> 2022-02-07 19:42:07 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2033961450 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2035782945 I remember my math teacher having favorites in the class. This would often influence his way of handing out our tests. If his favorite student wouldn't get a good grade, then we would all receive our papers in silence. However, if the student got a good grade then we would all know about it. I think that grades are personal and that they should not be shared by the teacher to classmates.]]> 2022-02-08 15:38:30 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2035782945 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2035932557 In one of my classes in high school, we had a test that half the class did very poorly on, but I did well. The teacher realizing that the students may not have been ready, decided to revise the test and make the whole class retake it after doing some revision. When we took the test again and the teacher used the grades from the second test. I had a bit better grade on the first one. I found that unfair, as I couldv'e had a higher grade and that I shouldn't of had to retake the test since I'd already understood the material and showed it though my performance in the first test. ]]> 2022-02-08 16:34:54 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2035932557 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2036234425 In my English class during grade 11, my teacher had been replaced by a substitute/temporary teacher for the whole entire semester as she was gone for maternity leave. As an example of how bad the semester was with that teacher, every two to three days, we would watch the series "Friday Night Lights" with no learning purpose or drive behind it. I remember receiving a test from that temporary teacher where we had to answer questions about a certain book. Hence, most of the questions asked for written responses; there were some short answers as well as a couple of long ones. After finishing the test, my friend and I were mostly satisfied with our answers and thought we did alright. The next day after our temporary English teacher had graded all of the tests (noting that there wasn't two different copies of that test, only one), I looked at my grade and was mostly pleased with the result. My friend was also pleased with his results, but had a little bit better grade than me. Hence, we had decided to compare both of our tests. While doing so, we realized that pretty much all of our answers were the exact same or written differently but meant the same thing. After realizing so, I had question my temporary English teacher where I was missing in grades and in return, he could not explain to me why my friend had a higher grade than me even though we had all the same answers. This really bothered me and still does to this day. ]]> 2022-02-08 18:39:13 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2036234425 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2036590103 Listening to this podcast made me think of my high school experience. Reflecting back on those experiences now, I realized that I was never given rubrics when it came time for assessments. Most of my assignments or projects were returned back to me with either a grade or a rubric filled out with a highlighter. Looking back on this I think that some of my grades may reflect on not having received the rubric before. Had I received the rubrics for these assignments/projects beforehand, I feel like I would've done better. It would've been more clear as to what was expected and what was being assessed. It was only until CEGEP/university that I began to receive these before. This is when I started to realize how helpful and beneficial it was. I hope that I will be able to use this strategy in my future practices as a teacher. ]]> 2022-02-08 22:00:44 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2036590103 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2036800628 Inequitable grading has unfortunately happen to many of us through our academic path. For instance, in Cegep there was an English teacher who simply did not like the tone of my essay she said "you took a narrative take on it and I don't like it"....accepting that she did not like it, I then asked for the rubric to which she denied it from me. I was in her office shocked and speechless. This was my last English class in Cegep and my overall averages ranged in high 90's and then this teacher because she did not like the tone of my essay simply said no you're not getting a good grade. She even added, after I asked her if the content was good, that she loved what I wrote, and how I was one of few students who incorporated quotes appropriately but decided to take off 30% solely based on the tone. I was speechless. To change my grade I then had to write the exact same contact but from a different point of view to please her. Also in university, some TA's argue that 75% is a great grade...however it is frustrating when you changed your project based on her demands, which were different than the ones from the professor, and then she says great work! with a 75%. To me that is not a good grade and it is frustrating to have comments that are positive, without including other comments on how to when you are missing 25% of your grade. ]]> 2022-02-09 01:04:37 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2036800628 heavenbispham https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2036816914 Most of my experiences include the participation grade and extra credits. All throughout school, I've been very shy and did not like to participate much. I prefer to show my knowledge and understanding in my work and assignments. The participation grade has always stressed me out for this reason. In cegep and university, a decent chunk of the course grade usually comes from participation, mostly in the form of attendance. A lot of my teachers will read their powerpoint to the class and add nothing else to it. No activities, no added material that isn't on the slide, nothing but reading. In these instances, I feel I am wasting my time showing up and prefer to read the PowerPoints on my own time and reach out to the teacher if needed, yet 15-20% of my grade is based on me showing up to class to listen to a teacher read. ]]> 2022-02-09 01:15:53 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2036816914 annabombardier https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2038353761 I remember not knowing anything about my grade before I got the report card. I don't think it is fair to students to never really know how they are doing before they get the report card. I never understood why I would get a certain final grade. I never saw anything like a rubric. Often, only the summative written exams have a clear grade that is visible to the student. I was terrible in many of these exams because I was anxious about them. 

I never really thought about the participation grade, such as when Joe says people might be downgrading students based on their behaviour and making grading more inequitable. I remember feeling that a participation grade depended on how well you got along with the teacher, which kind of confirms what Joe talks about. ]]> 2022-02-09 16:44:39 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2038353761 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2038452010 In high school, majority of my teachers would post grades on their door after each unit exam. They would use our school number to be somewhat anonymous but students would still feel defeated. Students would see the class average and who received the highest and lowest grade. Almost all of the students would huddle around looking at the paper and yelling out whose number is what to compare. This was a very inequitable grading practice to look back on. ]]> 2022-02-09 17:22:21 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2038452010 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2038510266 I can think of multiple experiences from my time in high school where I felt the grading was inequitable. The one that sticks with me to this day is when I was in a group project with two other individuals. The project required all members to take on an equal role in creating the final products - a research paper accompanied by a model. Groups were assigned by the teacher. Long story short, one student was not contributing whatsoever. When the teacher was approached regarding the third student's lack of contribution the teacher simply said that collaboration was part of the marking scheme and we as the group had to overcome issues regarding collaboration as it was part of the learning process. Eventually, due to the lack of work done by the third student, I finished the project with the other student and submitted it. When we received the mark for the project all three group members received the same numerical grade. No room for comments on group work/contributions from the group itself to add to the teachers grading scheme. This was inequitable as there was no room for students to voice that grading was not accurate, and grading didn't reflect all students' work. The teacher just wanted a mark for the group (a number to represent the final product). ]]> 2022-02-09 17:48:04 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2038510266 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2039313672 I have two experiences that came to mind while listening to the podcast. The first experience is one I had in cegep. My friends and I were anglophones in a French cegep, so the English courses were going to be easier for us. I was in a different English course than my friends with a different teacher. Their teacher just gave them 100% all semester because the teacher knew they were good in English. I had a teacher with a different mindset. Because he knew I was an anglophone, he was super meticulous when grading my work and didn't end up with 100% like my friends, and I had to work for my grade whereas they didn't. As said in the podcast, a teacher has a huge influence on a student's grades. The second experience is from working at a day camp. We, as monitors, were evaluated throughout the summer and would end up with a grade. One year, we got a new boss and she did not like how the monitors would focus on the grade they ended up with rather than the feedback to improve. So, she simple removed the grades and just provided feedback from the evaluation. This really helped with the monitors' self-esteems. ]]> 2022-02-10 02:38:18 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2039313672 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2041034491 Something that I didn't like about high school (and even university), was that certain teachers would grade you based (at least partially) on their relationship with you. Which could be advantageous for a sociable students (like myself), but it also made you feel like you were stuck. If you did something to get on the teachers 'bad side' your success in the class was at risk, and so with some teachers/ profs it was like walking on eggshells. Now I see that teachers who held that over the heads of their students were misusing their authority. It also would result in some people getting higher grades, without there being a good reason for it. I really disliked when teachers would not provide rubrics and good or sub par examples of completed work and their expectations of a project- and I am still inclined to not trust teachers who do not present these resources right off the bat. It just seems unprofessional, careless and inconsiderate of their students. The same is with teachers who do not offer re-do's when it is in there power to do so.]]> 2022-02-10 19:27:30 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2041034491 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2041554850 One thing that I found interesting from this podcast was the idea of using a four (or sometimes 5) point grade. I can remeber getting grades back and my freind have 1 % higher than I did. It was not a great feeling because I knew that we were at the same level, but they thought they were above me because they received a "higher grade". I can totally see the vailditity and reasoning behind moving towards a four point grade system. It allows students to see a clearer path towards improvement. This grading tactic also allows teachers to clearly see the level of students (A, B, C, etc.) and create plans for improvement. ]]> 2022-02-11 02:20:03 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2041554850 juliacharron241 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2041557238 Many of my grading memories reflecting discomfort are actually related with not knowing what was being assessed/feeling in the dark into teacher expectations. I like to know and feel as though I had the opportunity to prepare myself and when assessments were sprung on students or simply not explained that caused some stress! This is particularly relevant in art or gym class, where I never felt as though I knew what I was being 'tested' on. I wish I had not placed so much value on these markings, but also recognize that they were very prevalent matters when I was applying for universities!]]> 2022-02-11 02:22:09 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2041557238 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2042600711 I feel like all throughout my high school experience, there was this inequity grading practice. We would be given the information and then when it came to the evaluations, there was these bonus point that were part of the previous chapter that was not focused on for this exam, especially for math, science or history. So for someone to which those classes were not their strength, they only focused on the content for the exam to make sure that their grade was passible which did not allow them to get the bonus marks that they could have benefitted them in the long run.]]> 2022-02-11 15:21:29 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2042600711 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2042846730 I wrote this after reading the fair and equitable assessment article. It made think about providing students with adequate resources to complete assessments. I remember when I had just started school in Kenya, I did not know Swahili but was expected to do complete an assessment in Swahili. I was given no resources to help me complete the assessment and yet a few weeks later when a student from the UK joined our class he was given permission to use an English- Swahili dictionary to complete the assessment. This was completely unfair because we both came from countries that did not speak Swahili but he was given access a resource that helped him complete an assessment.]]> 2022-02-11 17:23:49 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2042846730 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2043256800 I remember in grade 10 Science Math my teacher would make the multiple choice questions worth 4% of the final test grade. This made something (MC) that is inherently easy going and seen as "easy marks" SCARY. It was always a stress point for my friends and me, since if you got one wrong your grade would immediately drop 4% with no chance of partial marks or redemption.]]> 2022-02-11 22:41:58 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2043256800 https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2047282293 As an IB student, we were required to evaluate ourselves and our group members for each project. So, one would think that each student would take it upon themselves to share the work evenly and do their own parts of a project. I was in a group with another student and they had clearly not pulled their weight in the project, but the self-evaluation did not count towards the numerical grade and so, we both got the same grade. It felt somewhat useless to me to even complete those evaluations because I did not feel like I was being listened to. I think my point is that if teachers are going to ask students to self-evaluate and evaluate their peers, then it should be taken into account during the grading process. ]]> 2022-02-14 21:47:10 UTC https://padlet.com/droyea/nd4h0cfkxxltliwh/wish/2047282293