FIAE Reflections: Chapter 14

This chapter dealt with report cards and how they can be used to accurately report student work. The problem that many teachers find in reporting grades is how to differentiate between student mastery of the curriculum and student growth. If you give an A to a student that has improved dramatically over the course of the year but is not reaching the established standards, then others might have unrealistic expectations for these students in future years. On the other hand if you give them a D for their mastery when they have made spectacular progress they can get discouraged and give up. I really liked the format that had the teacher give a letter grade for mastery, and a number grade after it for the progress made. Therefore the student referred to before would get a D3, meaning their mastery was at the D level, but their progress was a 3. This would also help to describe upper level students that weren’t being challenged enough by giving them an A1 which would mean that they already knew the material and this was basically a wasted year for them.

FIAE Reflections: Chapter 13

This chapter deals with choosing a gradebook that suits our needs and gives a good representation of student mastery as well as being a good instrument for informing lesson planning. There were several examples given and they all seemed to be very useful. I was especially struck by the concept that you can make a heading for the standard you want the student to reach instead of the instrument used to determine mastery of that standard. In this way you can change the instrument for individual students and still show a fair demonstration of the students’ mastery. I will have to experiment with all of the different ways of recording and find one that fits my needs.

FIAE Reflections: Chapter 12

This chapter talks about the various grading scales that could be used in the differentiated classroom. The authors seem to think that a 4 point scale is the most appropriate, sometimes mixing it with a 100 point scale when it makes sense to do so and then translating it to a 4 point scale for reporting purposes. They talk about the fact that grading is about showing mastery and not ranking and sorting students, therefore the minute differences will not matter. I agree that ranking and sorting students is unnecessary and often detrimental to developing mastery, but I think that the more detail in reporting the better. The more you average and estimate grades the less they mean. I never compare my grades with other people, but only with myself. I use the details of my grade to determine where I am in my mastery goals. If the grade is as arbitrary as they say, then why give a grade at all. There has to be some way to report what is actually learned and the level of mastery found in that learning. Perhaps rubrics hold the key but they need to be very specific and unambiguous. I was also a little confused because I don’t know how to calculate grades for a 4 point system. I don’t get what the classifications mean outside of the letter grade equivalent so perhaps I just don’t know enough.

FIAE Reflections: Chapter 11

This chapter brings up some very controversial topics. I think that is the case with any new idea. When we turn everything on its head, there are those who are afraid of what will happen even when it is better. I’m not sure how I feel about putting a 60 or 50 in the gradebook instead of a 0 for work that was not turned in. I understand the mathematical argument that failing should be only a range of 10 points like all the other letter grades, instead of 0. At the same time, work that is not turned in fails to show mastery of 100% of the material covered. This means that if you average it into the total grade it is still an accurate assessment of the demonstrated mastery. That does not mean the student has no mastery of the subject, only that he has not demonstrated it. I like the suggestion of giving two grades, one for the grade including the missing work and another showing their average mastery aside from the missing work. MI classrooms are all about finding ways for students to show mastery in a multitude of ways besides formal assessments. It may be possible for the student to demonstrate mastery of the material in a different way in order to get partial credit. The rest of the chapter dealt with issues surrounding how to grade students that have special circumstances, either special education or GT students. The controversy is on whether to grade these students so that the grade accurately reflects the mastery of the curriculum or the progress the student has made toward mastery or the additional mastery above and beyond the curriculum mastered by GT students. It is clear that the current grading and reporting procedures now in place are totally inadequate for grading in a differentiated classroom. Some other format is needed.

FIAE Reflections: Chapter 10

This chapter discusses the pros and cons of allowing redos of tests or projects. At first look it seems to make sense if you run a differentiated classroom and allow for students to learn at different rates. Allowing them to redo for full credit seems only fair. If they have mastered the material it doesn’t really matter when. What I hadn’t thought about was the student that didn’t bother to study the first time because he knew that the redo was available. Qualifying the requirement so that habitual offenders can have the privilege revoked will take away that crutch. I also liked the idea that redos shouldn’t happen the week before the end of the grading period in order to maintain my sanity! Redos should also be prefaced by a documented study plan or it is just a waste of everyone’s time.

FIAE Reflections: Chapter 9

This chapter gave me a lot to think about. The things that I agreed with the most were that we shouldn’t be giving grades to homework, and homework should be used judiciously and with purpose. If I graded homework at all it would be a point or two to record that they actually did it. Middle or high school students that are not required by a grade to do homework are probably not going to do it because being with their friends will be more exciting than doing math problems or a science worksheet. They don’t have the ability to see beyond the moment and comprehend that if they do the homework they will get better grades on the assessments that are graded. I disagree with the idea that extra credit and bonus points are a bad idea. Everyone can have a bad day. Not every assessment is an accurate portrayal of what a student has learned. Bonus points and extra credit questions can fill that gap and generally fosters good will. Extra credit work can take the place of a poorly done assessment by allowing the student to show mastery of the material in a different way. However it should apply directly to the material that got the bad grade in the first place.