FIAE Chapter 9

FIAE Ch 9
Grades must be accurate to mastery. This chapter talked about 10 different approaches you should use to avoid
1 Don’t include nonacademic factors in the final grade. These factors may include behavior, attendance, and effort.
2. Don’t penalize students when it takes multiple attempts to prove mastery but providing feedback is very important. If a student shows mastery in the end then they should receive the grade reflecting it.
3. Don’t grade practice because these are a method to reach mastery, not to prove mastery. This practice gives students time to reflect and revise their work and understanding of the subject matter.
4. Don’t withhold assistance when it is needed. Include differentiation to clarify information. This may not seem equal but it is what needs to be done for some students to gain mastery.
5. Only assess in ways that accurately indicate mastery.
6. Don’t give extra credit and bonus points. These do not usually show mastery of a subject.
7. Avoid group grades. They do not reflect each student’s understanding of the subject and may create an unhealthy atmosphere within the group due to peer pressure.
8. Don’t grade on a curve. You need to compare students to themselves not each other the way curve grading does.
9. Don’t record zeros for work not done because it significantly distorts the grade.
10. Don’t use compare students to each other but to their own past work.

It seems that the further we get into grading the more complicated it becomes. There was some question about grading for homework. If you are not going to grade homework what is the incentive for students to hand it in or take it seriously? On the other hand, students need to be able to try and get it wrong without being afraid that it will bring their grades down. One student commented on scaling and that students should continue on in their education because they have mastered the basics not because the grades were scaled. The principle about avoiding penalizing student’s attempts to try to master the subject was really useful. There were thoughts on number six. Sometimes bonus points can be useful and, more importantly, fun. Sometimes bonus questions can be used to assess higher levels of learning. We have all seen some (or most) of these practices in high school but we have also seen this in college, used in both positive and negative ways.