Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 7

Grades are a very relative concept. For any given paper, grades can range from A to F, regardless of the quality of student work. But a grade should be more than that; a grade should provide the necessary feedback that a student needs to improve. The reason some students thrive in a classroom setting, is because teachers are willing to be flexible, to teach in ways that the student can best learn. In some classrooms, teachers grade an A, only if a students meets the standards, while in other classrooms, to earn an A, you must exceed them. Grades are simply a personal interpretation of the teacher that, without feedback, begins to lose meaning to the student. For any given assignment, the teacher must make it clear as to how to earn the A. Expectations should not be kept a secret from the students. And, if the teacher does choose to raise the standards for an A, they must give students the tools in order to achieve these standards; that is key to a differentiated classroom. Some classrooms before to use a system of A, B, C, I (for incomplete). This may be something all teachers should consider. If feedback is the essential part to helping a student seek, then why not make it part of the grading scale? Grades a very important issue that needs to be looked at again. This article is just one example of the many reasons why the way we grade needs improvement. Students should not have their grads distorted simply to fit on a bell curve; grades are about feedback and student improvement.

Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 9 Summary

This chapter contains the ten approaches to avoid while differentiating assessment and grading. The first on the list is to refrain from grading on behavior, attendance or effort as these factors have nothing to do with mastery of a subject. Also, this chapter tells us that we should not punish a student for turning in late work, because learning cannot happen in a set timetable and therefore we should not put an emphasis on assignments being completed in such a way. Our author also suggests that we avoid using extra credit and bonus points. He suggests that we simply let students make up late or incomplete assignments for full credit. Another suggestion made by our author is that we need to avoid the use of the group grade because it cannot show us how well each individual in the group performed. Finally, our author tells us that we need to avoid putting zeros in the grade book and if we must fail a student for an assignment, we should simply mark it in as a fifty or sixty. This is simply so that we do not affect the student's grade as dramatically. Altogether, the author in this chapter was trying to convey a flexible outline of grading in the differentiated classroom that would not only encourage mastery and comprehension, but would also allow for a more fair and success driven grading system.
My personal thoughts on this chapter were all very positive. Personally, I wish more teachers in my educational life would have taken our author's words to heart. I have always detested the idea of giving students a zero or not letting them make up late work. I seemed silly to me that teachers expected the understanding of a concept to happen by the beginning of the next class should not be treated as a "do or die" system. However, there were a few things that I did not agree with in this chapter. Mostly, I could not see why the author said we should not give group grades. Personally, I feel that while an individual grade in necessary for a group project so that each individual is given a fair grade based on their participation, it is also vital that the group as a whole is assessed. When students enter the "real world" they will be working together with other individuals. By giving them a group grade along with their individual grade they can see how they need to improve with their interpersonal skills. Another part of this chapter that I did not agree with was the section on grading effort and behavior. Let me say that I do not understand the how the author can say that behavior and effort have nothing to do with mastery. If a student is constantly being a behavioral problem or is showing little to no effort and the teacher is doing all they can to motivate said person, then of course this lack of positive behavior will affect mastery! In conclusion, this chapter had a lot of really great suggestions for grading in the differentiated classroom. These suggestions were certainly all useful and I could definitely see myself using them in my prospective classroom.

Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Fair Isn't Always Equal is focuses on why teachers grade, and if they should grade effort, attendance and participation. Most teachers grade students because they believe it is a requirement, which it usually is. However, there are authentic reasons for grading. Grades can be used to document a student's progress, gauge how effective material is, and to provide feedback. On the other hand, there are reasons why grades should not be given. For example, grades should not be given out solely as a way to motivate or punish or label students. Then there is the issue of grading effort. There are no universal rules for what constitutes hard work and effort. Because of this effort can be difficult to grade, so the author suggests not giving a number or letter score for this particular issue. Grading attendance is also addressed in this chapter. If a student's grade is lowered because of a not so perfect attendance, grading has lost its meaning. Instead student's work should be assessed in this situation, as their attendance may be a result of events they have no control over. Also, does attendence actually matter? Grading participation is also a gray area, and teachers should only give grades for participation if the activity actually involves some sort of active participation. It is also wise to look at participation on a case by case basis, as some students are naturally more comfortable participating, and others are shy.
Many of my peers agreed that grades are an important part of education, but many also believe that there are situations when number or letter grades are not necessary. A number of people believed that effort, attendence and participation are important for effective learning, but also realize that they can be difficult to measure. However, there were some differing opinions about putting a grade on participation. Some people believed that some classes are best graded on participation only, while others thought grading participation was ludacris because student's comfort levels can vary greatly. On the other hand, almost all of my peers agreed that one cannot grade effort.

Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 10

Not all students learn at the same pace, and some may need to do the work more than once before they master the material. For this reason, teachers should allow students to redo work. The teacher should make it clear that work may be redone at her discretion, and that students will not always be allowed to redo their work. Teachers should also require parents to sign the original work so they are aware the student is redoing it. The student needs to know exactly what the expectations are. The only time students should not be allowed to redo work is during the last week of the grading period because the teacher already has enough to grade without having to grade redone work as well.

When grading redone work, the teacher should allow the student to earn the full grade. Only allowing the student to earn up to a B, or averaging the two grades together punishes the student for not learning at the same pace as the rest of the class and may discourage that student in the future. If a student is always asking to redo work, the teacher should find out why and find alternative aid for that student if necessary.

Since education is about learning, not about getting everything right on the first try, allowing students to redo work is a good idea. There should be specific requirements for redoing work so that students do not ignore an assignment because they know they can just redo it. Teachers should allow students to redo work on a case by case basis, using what they know about that student to determine if he or she should be allowed to redo the work.