> can argue they both deserve A's< > So, what would you all do in my situation, and for what reasons?<
Personally, I would give them what they deserve (A's). The reason: For the past two years I've been telling students I want/expect/encourage each student to do his or her personal best...and I grade accordingly. It's so much more satisfying---for both of us. Kim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill IVEY" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 3:02 PM Subject: [LIT] assessment question > Hi! > > So I'm working through "presentations of knowledge" (as I call them) for > our "Is Science's Power overwhelming?" unit, and I'm struggling with > questions of assessment. > > We have a jointly-designed checklist which is meant to focus on generic > writing skills (clear topics, smooth transitions, unity of paragraphs, > etc.) which are universal to writers at any level and within many genres > (we do develop new checklists when it's obvious we need them). It's simple > and easy to use, and most all the kids are now doing a pretty good job of > meeting most all these standards. So here's my dilemma - some of them are > clearly writing at a much more sophisticated level than others, which > could partially be developmental (some just may not be ready for intense > abstract thought, whereas others have such a capacity for abstract thought > that they're stretching me), partially related to different choices in > content ("Is global warming happening and what can we do?" vs. "Technology > and Industrial Development vs. Environmental Health"), and of course > affected by still other factors I'm still working to untangle. So I'm > sitting here looking with two papers which are written at vastly differing > intellectual levels, yet both of which show solid general writing skills, > and I'm thinking both kids worked hard, worked effectively, and pushed > themselves up a level from where they were before. On the one hand, you > can argue they both deserve A's. On the other hand, one is clearly much > more advanced than the other, and you can argue the grade should reflect > that. > > I know, I know, the issue isn't assessing per se, it's assigning a grade. > And yes, I want to do away with grading some day. But for now, I'm stuck > with it. So, what would you all do in my situation, and for what reasons? > > Take care, > Bill Ivey > Stoneleigh-Burnham School > > > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
