Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10 FIAE

Fair Isn’t Always Equal Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10

            Grading has been a topic of controversy amongst teachers.  Is it possible that we weaken curriculum based on some student information?  I agree with Wormeli when he says we do, but in doing so we look at the big picture that students will actually learn the material and not just have it placed in front of them and expect them to perform on their own.  We know students learn at different rates and with differentiation; students will fail to comprehend much at all.  I feel like teachers have to discriminate against students because of personal backgrounds.  Any way we discriminate, we should still have the same common end goal with the same amount of work for all.  Be clear and consistent with criteria; agree with faculty around the school so students don’t have different expectations to meet for each class they have, it’s also our jobs as teachers to be highly knowledgeable in our subject so we can assess student understanding and growth, and grades can be subjective in nature and not properly reflect a students body of work.  Even though grades can be subjective, they are still useful tools of reflection and communication.  Just because we as teachers may lower our grade expectation due to a student’s socioeconomic status, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the same expectation for them as everyone else.  Work shouldn’t be made easier, but more relatable.  As time has progressed we have come to expect more from our students.  Instead of a C being the average grade, now a B is going to be the new average.  Telling students they all have an A in their class in the beginning is something we should stand clear of.  Students then feel pressured to be perfect the entire class to maintain their A.  Grading is seen as a necessary evil and only done because they are forced to.  Grading is done because they are kept as documentation for progress or regression, to provide feedback to teachers, families, and students, to motivate students, to punish, and to sort students.  I don’t think grades should ever be used as a punishment.  That isn’t fair to a student and then distorts the student’s growth and mastery.  Also, students shouldn’t use grades as a motivator.  That can lead to them just simply memorizing to earn a good grade and then they will loose whatever they learned in as soon as the next day.  Also, participation and class behavior should no be used in the grading process unless we are actually teaching about participation and behavior.  Don’t penalize students using multiple attempts to master something and don’t incorporate nonacademic factors.  It’s not fair to grade everyone with the expectation that everyone understands everything completely the first shot at it.  Also, don’t grade homework.  You are supposed to practice when doing homework not learning.  Providing important feedback on students  homework is helping them master content while grading it pressures them to perform well.