If grades are arrived at fairly, then there is a difference between an 89.6 and a 90.4. At the beginning of the semester, I explain to my students how grades are derived. I explain my point system and which activities they can earn points for. I also explain that at the end of the semester that 899.99 is still a "B". Just as I can not take away a 100th of point to bring them down from a 900.00 they should not ask for an additional 100th. This is the bar they must meet it if they want the grade. Because I work for an institution that use the grading system then points are translated into grades. There's very little that is arbitrary and students can monitor their own progress by meeting the objectives.From: Louis_Schmier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 08:11:56 -0400 (EDT)
Like an opened good bottle of aged champagne..
...Now, a lot of you are already asking, "what does this have to dowith what we do in academia, with teaching, with administering, with advising, with whatever?" Good question. My quick answer is, "A lot. Just substitute 'grade' for 'wine rating.'" ...Think about it. People want to believe grades are scientifically precise when they are not. They want to believe that there is some exact difference between an 89.6 and a 90.4 when there isn't.
They want to believe grades are void of subjective preference of the graders when they are not.While I decided which items I give grades for and how many points the items are worth, that's pretty much where the pure subjectivity ends. Everything has a clear and communicated behavioral component that both the student and I can look at and determine if they met the requirement. Yes, there is subjectivity on "how complete" an essay answer is and along with the rest of the class I do subjectively (according to a rubric ) determine how well a student presented his/he information for the group project but it is far from arbitrary and capricious.
They want to believe there is a common standard in grades when there is not.With in my class there is; between classes there is not. Some departments like our mathematics department do have a common syllabus with common objectives so in this case I would even argue that with in the department there is a common standard.
They want to believe they know how the grade was arrived at when they don't.Once again, in my class it is fairly clear how he grade was arrived at and there is very little mystery. The place where we as educators fall down is when the media coops our system and tries to apply it elsewhere. Every year we hear "journalists" ask "so what grade do you give the president (senator, governor, mayor or other politician). We as educators should scream every time they do this. It's like looking at some one and asking, .."so what diagnosis do you give them?"
They want to believe that grades indicate what a student has learned when they don't.Through abstraction at least under my instruction you can get a sense of how well the student learned the material. All of our courses are approved by the state coordinating board. We have certain topics that we must cover. My syllabus addresses how the topics will be addressed and the measures that will be used to determined if the student learned it. So indirectly the final grade does show how much of what the state expected did the student learn. It doesn't however, speak to the particulars.
...For all the cries and moanings and groanings about the inadequacies of grades, the first thing anyone does is to pull out and wildly wave SAT and ACT scores, other standardized scores, grades and GPAs, and rate students--and themselves--accordingly.I hope you are counting yourself in here. Last I looked they still use grades in Valdosta. In fact it's quite hypocritical of you to deride the system then accept a huge paycheck for perpetuating it. If you really believed what you wrote, shouldn't you be teaching at an institution that doesn't use the ACT, SAT or grades?
These may be things that YOU believe, but I emphasize to my students that "Grades have no bearing on your intrinsic value as a human being." I also emphasize that grades are only a reflection of their performance in my class according to the syllabus criteria.Now if a grade is an indicator, a place to begin to understand a student, a place to begin to understand the extent of and nature of learning, a place to begin to understand the quality of teaching, one of many indicators, that's fine. ...We believe the grade is the window into the student's intelligence and ability and potential. We believe that the grade doth make the person. We don't have to get to know the student because the grade says it all. We believe that all we have to do is open our roll/grade book and we have a complete biography of the student.
Lastly, Louis, I used to like some of your postings but over the past few years I noticed that you seem to think that you are the only one who "gets it". Do you honestly think you are the only one who dislikes the shelf talkers? Doesn't the NPR report suggest otherwise? You think that you are the only one who believes that we put too much stock in grades and now "high stakes" test scores for K-12? Many of us are aware and are trying to do things to change the system. But I guess it's much easier to just take a walk and ponder these things and then go back to your comfort zone and perpetuate the madness.
But of course that's just my opinion...or is it?
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Herb Coleman
IT Manager, Rio Grande Campus
Adjunct Psychology Professor
Austin Community College
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
512-223-3076
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-Herb Coleman after seeing "Bowling for Columbine"
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