Vignette 1: What's the right mark?

I think it’s very important to use predetermined marks in order to give students a mark for their report card.  The marks I would use would come from in class assignments, out of class assignments, tests and quizzes, cumulative projects, and participation and effort.  As demonstrated in the vignette, it is important to always give students a participation and effort mark to reward them for improvement and for trying their best.  It would not be fair to mark students solely on this though, because they do still have to meet the learning outcomes of the class, which is where the rest of their marks would come from.  Generally, I would determine at the beginning of the year how I am going to distribute the marks based on my unit plans.  For example, if all my units contained a lot of assignments and projects, but few tests, I would likely place a high value on the assignments.  Assuming my units contained a relatively “normal” amount of assignments, tests, and projects, I would likely assign 30% of the overall marks to assignments, 40% to tests and quizzes, 20% to projects, and 10% to participation.