Vignette 5: Getting What They Deserve?

I believe that it is very important to assess work habits in the classroom because they are not only part of the hidden curriculum that teachers are supposed to teach, but because they are vital to a positive classroom environment.  In my classroom, I expect students to be on-task, to listen when they’re supposed to, and to raise their hand if they have something to say.  They need to work well with others, this means simply that they should be able to function in a group, a student doesn’t need to be outgoing and a leader of their groups all of the time, though I would encourage it in students.  And lastly they need to follow the rules and routines of the classroom, whatever they may be.  Outside of the classroom, I expect students to complete homework on time and have it handed in on time.  Students also need to show up to class on time, though the odd late student isn’t a bother to me, as long as they don’t make a habit out if it.  I think that all of these should be graded in some form, though including it in their grade for a specific class may not be the best way to do so.

Vignette 4: What Counts?

When determining a grade I have always thought it to be very important to include something of a participation mark that reflects how hard a student worked in and out of class, and how they behaved during class.  Looking at this vignette they make a very convincing argument that non-achievement factors such as work habits should not be considered when determining a student’s grade, and I can understand why.  Like it says, students should really only be graded on what is in the Program of Studies, and classroom behaviour is not in the POS.  With this said however, I feel that it is still important to give students some sort of grade indicating their achievements in work habits, behaviour, and participation in the classroom.  As teachers, we are told that we are teaching students more than just the curriculum; we are teaching them the hidden curriculum as well.  Because we are supposed to be, and usually expected to be, teaching this hidden curriculum, I think it is important that students are aware of how they are doing in this area as well.  Perhaps it would be a good idea for each teacher the students have to have a standard participation and work effort checklist or rubric, and that all of these can be graded not within separate classes, but as a separate mark altogether.  That way it doesn’t skew the mark students should be receiving based on the Program of Studies, but it still shows their achievements in this area as well.

Vignette 8: Decisions, Decisions

When determining a grade I think it’s best to consider only summative assessment scores.  The whole idea behind summative assessment is to get a grade to give the student that evaluates their success in the course.  Formative assessment on the other hand, is meant to be used as a tool to help students come to the point where they can succeed in summative assessments.  Formative assessment does not even need to be scored, but just gives the students an idea of what they can do to improve so they can get a good score later on. 

Students can benefit greatly from formative assessment for a number of reasons.  It gives them an idea of what they can do to succeed in the classroom with no pressure of the formative assessment being linked to their grade.  It gives them the freedom to try things and see if it works, and to change their ideas and processes if they need to.  It lets the students learn from their mistakes with no penalties, which I think is the best way to learn.  Formative assessment should be communicated between the student it involves and the teacher, and depending on what the results are it can also be communicated to the class.  For example, if a student did something really great and the rest of the class would benefit from the knowledge, I would share the student’s idea and results with the class (with the student’s permission of course).  Formative assessment can also be shared with parents, to give them an idea of what their child needs to improve on, and what they are doing well on.

Vignette 7: The Mighty Bell Curve!

I think that all grades should be based on the Program of Studies, and on students’ participation and effort.  To me the bell curve is ineffective in a regular classroom, and the only place for it is on an extremely large scale, with hundreds to thousands of competitors involved.  My students will never be placed on a bell curve unless it is required that I do so, because students should be graded on meeting the objectives and outcomes that are listed in the Program of Studies.  Another reason students should be graded on the Program of Studies is because a bell curve doesn’t account for effort and improvement.  The teacher knows each student individually, and can see how much they have improved and tried over the term, and can grade accordingly if necessary.  A student obviously shouldn’t be given a good grade simply because they have improved, they still need to meet the curriculum requirements, but the teacher can account for the improvement in other ways, whereas a bell curve cannot.

By using the Program of Studies as a requirement to meet when grading it will be difficult to be completely reliable and valid, but I still have trouble seeing how the bell curve does this.  The teacher still needs to give students their marks, which has room for subjectivity, the students are still marked based on the Program of Studies, which has subjectivity, and the students still can only work to the very best of their ability, no matter how they are being graded and what criteria they are being held against.  I, as a teacher, don’t know how I will avoid errors in my grading, but I do know that it won’t be by using a bell curve.