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.