FIAE+Chapter+7+Block+2

[|Synthesis FIAE C7 B2]

Personally, I wish grades were not necessary. Instead, I would like to send home written reports about student success, failure, effort and progress. I understand that it would be more work for me as the teacher, but if it were something that was worked on throughout an entire grading period it wouldn’t be too terrible to do. This way, students would have something to bring home that would provide in depth information about how a student was really doing in the classroom. || The chapter opens with the idea that in teaching there are many aspects educators do not like to discuss with colleagues, grading being one of them. We are given the example of a math class where a student goes through eight different lessons and at the end of the grading term receives a B. We can see that this grade tells us nothing about the student’s mastery of any of the eight individual lessons. The chapter states that we’ve put so much into one small symbol that it has become worthless. The chapter next talks about being able to change the grading scale in accordance to the student’s background (i.e. student is from another country, learning disability, worked very hard on the assignment). The chapter tells us that if we can not differentiate grading to suit the student then we assume that the curriculum is more important than the learner. We read that students thrive when teacher bend here and there to teach in ways the students can best learn. The chapter tells us that students will flounder if we do not differentiate. On page 43 we are give four very powerful examples of how one assignment can be given many different grades based on who is doing the grading. Next we come across a quote from an American teacher who is now in the UK. She says that she does not give out grades and consequently she does much more assessing and evaluating than she ever had in America. The chapter then tells us like a paying job, an assignment that is going to receive a grade produces poorer work. We then read about three things that happen when students are graded, one they display less interest in what they are doing. Two, they score fare worse on meaningful measures of learning, and three, avoid more difficult tasks when give the opportunity. The main idea of this chapter is that grades tend to be very relative and therefore often too vague to take into consideration. When looking at this idea form a teaching perspective I can see how assigning a B to four months of a student’s work does not give them any insight on what was good, what was bad, or what exceeded expectations. From a student point a view, at least mine, that one grade is all I need to figure out how my quarter or semester went. The example on the DNA essay also made the thing about writing prompts and the effect of who is doing the grading might have on what the grade is. For example an English teacher reading the prompt would give a low score for bad sentence structure and a Science teacher would give a low score for false information. Comparatively a Math or History teacher may give a higher score because they do not have the fluency in Language Arts or Biology in order to accurately grade this piece. They may give a high score simply because the student seems to know what they are talking about, and provides a lot of information that they assume is correct. This chapter also made me think deeply about MI and UBD/DI and how those two ideas should play a large factor in how grading is done. Teachers should be familiar with the backgrounds of their students, and take that into consideration while grading.
 * **Names** || **Abstract** || **Reflection** ||
 * Barnes Mckell || Chapter 7 in Fair Isn’t Always Equal talks about grades and how they are used in the classroom. This chapter suggests that grades are over used in the classroom. Although grades are not talked about among teachers because teachers make up their own grading system, grades are still considered a top priority. This chapter does not suggest eliminating grades but rather how much they are used in the classroom. An essential part of this chapter talks about how grades should not be used as a motivational tool. It is important for teachers to motivate their students in other ways because grades can sometimes be hindering for students. || I think this chapter did a great job putting grades into perspective. Throughout my educational experience, grades have consistently been used as a tool of assessment. Students are not working towards mastering content; they are working towards getting a good grade. Once that desired grade is met, students tend to forget what they have learned. I definitely agree with the chapter about how grades are used in schools and how in the future we should put less weight on grades. ||
 * Brennick Christopher || The seventh chapter of FIAE is talking about the relative nature of grades and how we define grades. The chapter starts out by giving an overview of the basic nature of grades as we use them currently. The book is quick to point out that often these grades are simply symbols given to a wide range of work over a fixed time period. The second part of this chapter tells readers how grades are often very relative based on the teacher grading a product, a students readiness this level, and this socio-economic status. The book then examines the research that taking grades out of the equation can help students a great deal. The next part of this chapter tells readers about how we define grades and what each grade means to teachers. The chapter closes with two final thoughts about making grades positive for students. The first is not drawing frowns on students papers and do not state on the first day that every student has 100 because that makes students think they are losing points instead of gaining them. || I really enjoyed this chapter because I think the way we grade kids is the most important thing we do. I feel the most important thing we can do in the 21st century in education is make grades real and mean the same thing for everyone and to minimize the effect grade have on students. Students should be working for learning and understanding and not for the grades they get. I also really like the ending idea of not telling students they have 100 to begin with because students should realize that they are building up from nothing to something. ||
 * Columbia Laura || Chapter seven of Fair Isn't Always Equal, entitled, The Relative Nature of Grades and Their Definitions explains in detail how there are many factors teacher have when grading. Many teachers do not want to discuss grading because so many teachers do it so differently. A great example was given on how frustrating it is when teachers simply mark down a letter or a number. But what does that number mean. It was really interesting to read that it was found that students in more influential schools and received A's and B's scored the same level of mastery as students in a less influential school who get C's and D's. Another huge issue stressed was not comparing students with other students for grades. We should define what grades students get by our intent with what we think students should learn. || This chapter was very interesting to read because it touched a lot on something that I have been wondering about. Grades were so important to me, that I was wondering when we would be covering them in this class. Yet, I feel like my perspective is changing. I am viewing grades as less important, especially after reading how varied they can be among teachers. As a teacher, I want to work with my colleagues to have a similar grading scale, as well as being consistent with my students. ||
 * Coombs Kayla || Chapter seven, “The Relative Nature of Grades and Their Definitions” provides teachers with the appropriate means by which to grade. Teachers need to put into consideration that grades should be adjusted to such things as student grade level, the grading criteria, and the student’s profile. The chapter also points out the variation in how one grades could affect the grade a student receives. If a range of grades is occurring among teachers who are grading the same student, one must consider how the assessment is done. Are the teachers knowledgeable in their subject area justifying that they are assessing properly? The chapter does not suggest to eliminate grades and grading systems, but rather to limit the use of them. Chapter seven also looks at defining grades, and how teachers even within the same grade level and subject area use different symbols for grading. This reading is concluded with the idea of using grades for post-learning, as grades do not promote or enhance learning, like verbal, one-on-one, or written feedback could. || This chapter was interesting in its approach to grading, and it was thought-provoking as it provided various examples where grading did not work, for example, and in how it asked the reader to think of the information that was presented. In my classroom I would use grading moderately throughout my units, but I would rely more on giving each student attention and timely feedback so they can mark their progress. I will welcome discussion on the part of students, other teachers, and parents. ||
 * Cummons Michael || This chapter looks at grades in schools. Grades are often something that teachers are not interested in talking about. However, it is a very important issue in education. Grades can be very confusing. Different people have different meanings of what a certain grade means. It is hard to show what kind of learning took place with a letter grade. This chapter claims that grades simply mean too much in our current education system. In education today, students can do all of the work required for a good grade, but somehow not get the concepts. Getting a "C" in a class was once considered average. Now, most parents expect their child to revieve an A or B. Grades are not always a good way to motivate kids. There are other ways to motivate kids in school || This chapter certainly brings up some interesting points. I have had so many teachers who have said "The grade doesn't matter in my class. I just want you to learn." As some of these classes continued I realized that the grade really did matter to the teacher. I think the problem is that grades are such a tradition in the United States. For many of us, class without letter grades is unimaginable. I think as teachers we need to get over our old way of thinking, and work to create something new. ||
 * Damboise Kelley || Chapter seven focuses on grading, what it is, how has it changed, why does it need to change, and what are some changes that have been made and should have been made a while ago. Author Rick Wormeli brings up a good point in the chapter when he shows us a student sample essay question. The essay was read by a multitude of teachers and the range of scores varied all the way from an A to a F. Why is this; because grading varies based upon the person making the paper. Wormeli goes on to explain that background information is extremely important when trying to grade a student’s work. Grades are to determine whether a student understands the information, and can use the information for critical thinking. When a student’s background is not factored into the grading process then teachers are denying themselves the opportunity to truly see what their students are learning. Jennifer Beahrs was quoted saying that “I [was] way to bogged down on their grades I wasn’t thinking enough about what they really know”. Grades are an important part, but learning is the ultimate factor that teachers are trying to reach. Lastly, it is important to have a clear understanding and definition of the kind of grading system that is in place in the classroom. Teachers need to fully be able to define exactly what an A, B, and C mean when they are grading a particular assignment. || I think in today’s world school, and other areas, put too much of an emphasis on grades, and what they supposedly say about a person. I can’t believe that we sometimes allow a grade to categorize what type of learner we are, or our intelligence level. Especially because most grades are not usually fully justified in what they mean, but yet we allow them to define us as a person. There is definitely something wrong with this picture. I think it is ten times better to set a curriculum goal, and assess a child based upon their learning and how they have developed to meet the goal set for them in the curriculum. ||
 * Kelley Kathleen || Chapter seven of Fair Isn’t Always Equal focused around grading systems within schools in the U.S. The author begins by saying that the concept of grades really has no use in the schools. On page 91, there was an essay written by a student that addressed different aspects of DNA, and we were asked to assign it a grade. The range of the scores given by those who were asked to read it ranged from an A to an F. With the variation in grades, how can you tell whether or not the student has achieved mastery? As many of us can attest to, grades are subjective. Therefore, we need to be able to evaluate ourselves on why we gave that student the grade they received. While there are some schools discussed in the book that do not use grades, many teachers agree on the idea that there should be some form of grading. However, grades are all an individual interpretation and an A to one teacher may be a C to another. Defining grades is extremely challenging because every teacher has a different meaning. The author also discussed how grades have changed over the years. In the mid-1950s, the average grade was considered to be a C, while in today’s classes it is a B. More often than not, A’s and B’s are given out and students don’t strive to do better. Perhaps grading systems should be altered to ensure that an A actually means that the student has shown proficiency and exceeded goals. The chapter concludes with two final concerns. The first addressed staying positive even when a students work wasn’t up to par, and the second concern had to deal with teachers who started off their year saying that all students have 100’s and they need to do is keep hold of it. The author says that it is like telling them “you’re all wonderful now, but I am going to document your fall” (page 100). || All in all, I thought that this chapter was really interesting because there were a lot of points that I could relate too and that were great to read if I am going to become a teacher. I can really relate to the idea that grades are a teacher’s interpretation. When I first got to UMF, my English composition teacher told me that all of our teachers praised us too much and that we never had to work for the A’s we had received. She told us that very few people got A’s in her class, and that she wasn’t going to baby us. After that class, I could really see how the grading system at my local high school affected me. I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was. She really pushed each and every one of us, and I have never worked so hard for a B in my life. However, I feel as though that this isn’t just an issue in secondary and elementary schools. It is an issue here on campus as well. I also thought that the section discussing not having a grading system at all was really interesting, and I was shocked to see that colleges don’t disadvantage students who have no GPA or rank information. ||
 * Knowles Christina || Chapter seven allows us to think about the criteria we use to grade and how many teachers could assess the same paper but come up with a variety of grades. We should know the backgrounds of our students and use the information we know about them in our grading process. We were given the example of having a student in the English as a Second Language program having to write a paper. It would not be fair to harshly grade this student on grammar and mechanics in a paper. The chapter also tells us to talk to other teachers about their grading systems and ask ourselves how we can make our grading systems more unified and clear. We do not want students, or even teachers, to have miscommunication about grading standards. || One thing I liked about this chapter is that it talked about using and “I” for “incomplete” instead of using an “F” for “failing”. I think that a “f” is very discouraging. In the past I have heard students give up because they getting a “f” in a course and they feel that it will be impossible to get a better grade. I think that an incomplete is more encouraging to have the student work harder. I student will know that if they do not do better they will fail the course; however, they will recognize that they still have time to improve their grade. ||
 * Mourkas Margaret || This chapter talks about grading and how it should and should not be done. While there are not a lot of specific details for the chapter it gives a good overview of grading in general. The chapter starts by making known the faults in the American Education grading system. The chapter then moves into a few examples of when it is appropriate to adjust your grading scale for an individual student. One example was English as a Second Language students. The chapter then discusses the facts of determining what each letter grade stands for and what it means. It states that we should not adjust our grading scale because of socioeconomic status. The chapter then discuses how you as a teacher can learn and figure out how to determine what letter means what. || I liked this chapter because it is the first time we have really talked about grading our students. I dislike using the word grade because I feel like I am using one letter or number to sum up the entire work. I don’t think any one teacher can come up with a great grading system working alone. They need to collaborate with their fellow teachers and find what works all around. ||
 * O'Neil Christopher || Chapter seven discussed what grades really are. Grades are typically given based upon a person’s grade level and what people believe their knowledge of a topic should be. In the beginning of a chapter, readers are prompted to read a short response about DNA and then they are asked to grade it. They are not told what age level the student was when he wrote the response. Before the response, Wormeli points out certain things that he knows people will be wondering. These things range from what grade level the student is in to the background the student has on the topic. This example does a great job explaining what grades are and how they are handed out. Many different teachers gave that response a vast range of A to F. This shows that teachers look for different things while grading a product. The chapter also discusses how teachers tend to give students a graded based on how they feel about that student (i.e. the student has a poor home life or the student is considered to be a teacher’s “favorite”). In the end, grades are not the best way to give students feedback because they do not accurate portray a student’s mastery of the information. || I really liked this chapter because it discussed how bogus grades truly are. If I were to work at a school without grades, I would be much happier. I would prefer to give my students nothing but constant feedback and assessments. That way, I would know that they are mastering the material. If I did this, I would probably have them take a written exam for me to make a final assessment on the students. I would then take this final exam and all of the other assessments I did throughout the year and make the decision of if they passed (mastered the material) or failed (did not master the material). To me, this is the best way to go about schooling. The grades make students work only to achieve the grade, not actually master the material. ||
 * Richardson Cassandra || Chapter seven discusses exactly what grades are. Knowing our students and their backgrounds is helpful when grading; the example the chapter gave us was with an English as a Second Language student. It is important to be able to tweak your grading scale according to each student’s needs. The rest of the chapter discusses how to assign meaning to grades, how to explain each grade level, and be able to use them effectively when grading. || I thought this chapter was really interesting, because until now we have shied away from talking about grading; instead, we’ve focused on assessment. I thought a lot about the idea that each teacher has an interpretation of the grading scale, and that alone makes grading sound scary. However, I don’t think any one teacher can magically produce the best system, or even follow the ideal system; in this case ongoing assessment in place of grades, and assessment of learning, is more beneficial to the student. ||
 * Trundy Monique || In chapter seven Wormeli discusses “the relative nature of grades and their definitions, (pg 89). He offered numerous excerpts from teachers who do not use grading, or do not like grading. These excerpts paint a picture of classrooms that function at higher levels when students are not forced to constantly focus on their grades. Wormeli also covers what it means to define a grade or adjust our grading based on socioeconomic standing. || I really liked the example essay. It shows just how varied grades can be, and how insignificant they can be. It made everything even more complicated when different possibilities were given for who the student writing the essay could be. Based on the different possibilities, I would have given the paper anywhere between an A and an F.
 * Webb Christopher || This chapter of FIAE talks about “the elephant in the room”, grades. It starts by saying that traditional summative testing methods serve no pedagogical use. Simply grading does not reflect a student understands. It starts by giving us the example essay and asking to grade it objectively with no prior knowledge of the situation or student and asking what we would give it. This exercise demonstrates how subjective grading can be. It asks what other factors should be included in grading. Should we as teachers include participation, behavior, and effort? The answer for these it gives is basically no, they can be assessed but they distort too much from determining a student’s mastery. || I thought this chapter had a lot of great information in it. I had always planned on giving participation a good portion of the students’ grade in my class but I am now reconsidering that after reading this chapter. One part that really struck me was the quote, “The D is the cowards F”. In essence the student failed but the teacher didn’t have the heart to tell them. More than that the teacher failed as well and is trying to save some face themselves I think. I liked how the chapter also talked about differentiating grading. I thought it was also good how one student’s best effort could simply be another students average or below average effort at the same task. ||
 * West Simon ||  ||