Post on 22-Feb-2016
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K E R R I M A R O W S K ES T U D E N T T E A C H E R ,
M A R - L E E S C H O O L
Should Every Student be able to Earn an ‘A’?
A Philosophical Look at Assessment in a Middle School Classroom
Background
Mar-Lee School6th, 7th and 8th grade Social
Studies 8th grade introductory French
Class sizes: 13, 19, 20 and 29 students
http://www.mar-lee.org/Why_Mar_Lee.html
What Are Grades?
“This critique of grades is predicated on a central notion, one left implicit in the creation of any report
card-that a tiny inked marking, be it a letter or number, can well and accurately represent such matters as learning, knowing, and academic
performance” -Charles Tocci, “An Immanent Machine: Reconsidering
grades, historical and present,” (pgs. 762-763)
A B C D E F
Criterion-Referenced Norm-Referenced
Student performance is based on how they met certain criteria.
Student performance is based on the scores and performances and others.
“Curve” grading
Types of Grading
Content Area Other Life Skills
MathScienceSocial StudiesEnglish/ReadingOther classes
Language Physical Education
TimelinessCourtesyResponsibilityRespectFollowing
Directions
What Should be Taught?
What Should be Graded?
Academic knowledge vs. “Other”
“Harvard voted to…award grades only for scholarship, arguing that gentlemanly behavior should be accorded a different evaluation beyond straight calculation.” (Tocci, 764).
Majority of students felt that the “other” should be included in a grade.
Student Survey
Student Responses
Do you think that effort (trying hard, doing your homework, coming to class on time) should count in your grade? Why or Why not?-“Yes because if you don’t do those things than why is there even a point of coming to school. You should do all of the things above.”-“Yes because I always do that.”-“No [because] if they [get] the [answer] right it should be an A.”
Where Does the Responsibility Lie?
“95% Student, 5% Teacher” –Teacher at Mar-Lee School
Student Response:
31-Less student Responsibility44-More Student Responsibility
Teacher Students
Student Responses
If you turn in homework late should you still be allowed to get an A on it?- “No because it’s not fair to the other people
who turn it in.”- “Yes”- “No [because] [everybody] would turn it in
late.”- “For 1 day late.”
How to Grade Fairly?OPTION:
-Rubrics
Should There Be Grades?
“Grades waste a lot of time spent on learning. Add up all the hours that teachers spend
fussing with their grade books. Then factor in all the (mostly unpleasant) conversations they
have with students and their parents about grades.”
-Alfie Kohn, “From Degrading to De-Grading.” High School Magazine. March 1999. Web.
Conclusion
Grades are meaningful.Not necessarily representative of all that they
are supposed to be.Do not always reflect true knowledge and
learning ability, but may reflect other aspects of that classroom environment and expectations.
Don’t want to disadvantage studentsHonesty is the best policy
Works Cited
Andrade, Heidi Goodrich. “Teaching with Rubrics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” College Teaching. 53.1 (2005): 27-30. Web.
Clor, Amy. Personal Interview. 1 October 2011. Clor, Trevor. Personal Interview. 1 October 2011. Fazekas, Heather. Personal Interview. 3 November 2011. Finley, Rockne. Personal Interview. October 2011. Hassel, Holly and Jessica Lourey. “The Dea(r)th of Student Responsibility.” College Teaching. 53.1
(2005): 2-13, Web. Hendrickson, Jo M., Robert A. Gable and M. Lee Manning. “Can Everyone Make the Grade? Some
Thoughts on Student Grading and Contemporary Classrooms.” The High School Journal. 82.4 (1999): 248-254. Web.
Henke, Chris. Personal Interview. September 2011-Present. Kohn, Alfie. “From Degrading to De-Grading.” High School Magazine. March 1999. Web. Levy, Clifford J. “My Family’s Experiment in Extreme Schooling.” The New York Times Magazine. 15
September 2011. Web. Manos, Chris. Personal Interview. September 2011. Ornstein, Allan C. “The Nature of Grading.” The Clearing House. 62.8 (1989): 365-369. Tocci, Charles. “An Immanent Machine: Reconsidering grades, historical and present.” Educational
Philosophy and Theory.
Thank You…
Mr. Chris Henke, Mar-Lee SchoolThe faculty, staff, and students of Mar-Lee
SchoolDr. Suellyn Henke, Dr. Mike Roessler, Dr. Kyle
Shanton, Ms. Mary Weicht, Ms. Karen Hoaglin and Ms. Carol Gnich of the Albion College Fritz Shurmur Center for Teacher Development.
Gary, Kathy and Troy Marowske (Jasmine & Skyler too)
ANY QUESTIONS?
Merci Beaucoup!