Hi!
Every three weeks in my school, we give some sort of report to kids -
either formal progress reports that also get mailed home (midterms and
end-of-trimester), or interim "blue cards" that are only shared between
the student and her advisor. Since we're trying to move to standards-based
grading, for this recent day of blue cards, I included an additional sheet
listing assignments made, assignments turned in, and performance on
specific standards. Feedback is that the sheet was very helpful for
advisor conferences - but I gotta say, sitting there staring at all the
information and going "I have to put a letter grade on these blue cards...
how?!?!" was really mind-boggling. (And yes, I know the time to formally
work out my system should have been last summer...but this is how things
are at this point in time.) Eventually (at least a year after I leave), my
school hopes to discontinue letter grades altogether. But in the
meantime...
So I'm wondering what you - thoughtful, caring practioners all! - would
say about this. Here's one of my students. What letter grade would you
give her, and why? (f.y.i. - the self-evaluations are based on the class
rules they wrote)
"Andrea"
homework production
- turned in 3/3 vocabulary lists
- turned in 2/2 independent writing assignments
- turned in 1/2 Readers Response Journal assignments
- first major unit project not yet due as of date of blue cards, but she
appeared to be ahead of the loop
self-evaluated as "consistent":
- pay attention and participate in class
- be prepared: do all of your homework and get to class on time
- ask if you don't understand; explain if needed
self-evaluated as "inconsistent":
- respect others and put your hands up before you say something
- behave in class; help other people behave, but have fun
- find your passion
performance on standards: "mastered"
- use appropriate strategies to understand readings
- express one's ideas clearly when speaking up in class
performance on standards: "acceptable but needs work"
- use drafting and revision stages effectively to make paragraphs unified
and of an appropriate length
- listen effectively to others in the class
- be respectful of class rules
performance on standards: "in progress"
- use editing stage appropriately to minimize mechanical errors
performance on standards: "not yet attempted / no basis for evaluation"
- use keywords effectively in electronic searches
- include citations and "Works Cited" page entries in proper MLA format
So what letter grade do you think all this information distills down to,
and why?
Thanks!
Take care,
Bill Ivey
Stoneleigh-Burnham School
**********
"...hope, at the end of the day, connects us all, no matter how different
we are." - Marketa Irglova
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