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 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.

Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 6

Chapter six is dedicated mostly to instructing teachers how to design good tests using various types of questions. The first understanding is that all test questions should be clear and fair for all students and that teachers need to know how to design effective, objective test questions. The chapter begins with examples of why the standard multiple choice questions are not always the right fit for tests because there are cases when two choices can fit the answer and then it merely becomes a guess on the student's part. It is also true that multiple choice questions do not assess the student's knowledge and skill, or demonstrate how they can apply that knowledge and those skills to other situations. The author also warns teachers about True and False questions because the answers are not always clear. If true and false questions are going to be used it is important that teachers avoid double negatives, long questions and trivial details Because not all students have a highly developed verbal intelligence, it is important to use varying types of questions on a test, such as using diagrams, pictures, maps, writing prompts and sometimes even doing oral exams. All questions should be to the point and straightforward, without giving students the answer. The chapter also discusses why sometimes a few smaller tests are better than one large exam. With shorter exams it is easier for students to focus and they do not have to study as much material, which allows them to really delve into what they are studying for because they will not feel the need to simply memorize. It does not take a rocket scientist to create good test questions!
The general concensus from Practicum Block One is that Chapter Six was very helpful. Mr. Libby writes, "I never really thought of myself as a test writer" and Miss Mitchell said she "had never even thought of what seperates a good test question from a bad one." After reading the chapter many of my peers claimed that the chapter gave them "plenty of ideas for creative test questions," says Mr. Aceto. Many students agree that tests are important and Miss Bubier suggests makes the point that "students have to take tests for things outside of school, both written and in other forms...it is a disservice to students to avoid giving tests." Most everybody agreed that it is important for all questions to be clear because, as Miss Marshall puts it, "tests can make or break you". After reading and learning about forming good test questions, a lot of Block One students took a look back to their own education and experience with test taking. Mr. Carroll remembers his high school English teacher who always managed to create the "worst questions [he'd] ever had" and Mr. Bates commented on how one of his teachers used true and false questions effectivly by having students write out the words rather than a T or an F.

Here is a link for some quick tips on creating and GIVING test in effective ways.