K E R R I M A R O W S K ES T U D E N T T E A C H E R ,

M A R - L E E S C H O O L

Should Every Student be able to Earn an ‘A’?

A Philosophical Look at Assessment in a Middle School Classroom

Background

Mar-Lee School6th, 7th and 8th grade Social

Studies 8th grade introductory French

Class sizes: 13, 19, 20 and 29 students

http://www.mar-lee.org/Why_Mar_Lee.html

What Are Grades?

“This critique of grades is predicated on a central notion, one left implicit in the creation of any report

card-that a tiny inked marking, be it a letter or number, can well and accurately represent such matters as learning, knowing, and academic

performance” -Charles Tocci, “An Immanent Machine: Reconsidering

grades, historical and present,” (pgs. 762-763)

A B C D E F

Criterion-Referenced Norm-Referenced

Student performance is based on how they met certain criteria.

Student performance is based on the scores and performances and others.

“Curve” grading

Types of Grading

Content Area Other Life Skills

MathScienceSocial StudiesEnglish/ReadingOther classes

Language Physical Education

TimelinessCourtesyResponsibilityRespectFollowing

Directions

What Should be Taught?

What Should be Graded?

Academic knowledge vs. “Other”

“Harvard voted to…award grades only for scholarship, arguing that gentlemanly behavior should be accorded a different evaluation beyond straight calculation.” (Tocci, 764).

Majority of students felt that the “other” should be included in a grade.

Student Survey

Student Responses

Do you think that effort (trying hard, doing your homework, coming to class on time) should count in your grade? Why or Why not?-“Yes because if you don’t do those things than why is there even a point of coming to school. You should do all of the things above.”-“Yes because I always do that.”-“No [because] if they [get] the [answer] right it should be an A.”

Where Does the Responsibility Lie?

“95% Student, 5% Teacher” –Teacher at Mar-Lee School

Student Response:

31-Less student Responsibility44-More Student Responsibility

Teacher Students

Student Responses

If you turn in homework late should you still be allowed to get an A on it?- “No because it’s not fair to the other people

who turn it in.”- “Yes”- “No [because] [everybody] would turn it in

late.”- “For 1 day late.”

How to Grade Fairly?OPTION:

-Rubrics

Should There Be Grades?

“Grades waste a lot of time spent on learning. Add up all the hours that teachers spend

fussing with their grade books. Then factor in all the (mostly unpleasant) conversations they

have with students and their parents about grades.”

-Alfie Kohn, “From Degrading to De-Grading.” High School Magazine. March 1999. Web.

Conclusion

Grades are meaningful.Not necessarily representative of all that they

are supposed to be.Do not always reflect true knowledge and

learning ability, but may reflect other aspects of that classroom environment and expectations.

Don’t want to disadvantage studentsHonesty is the best policy

Works Cited

Andrade, Heidi Goodrich. “Teaching with Rubrics: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” College Teaching. 53.1 (2005): 27-30. Web.

Clor, Amy. Personal Interview. 1 October 2011. Clor, Trevor. Personal Interview. 1 October 2011. Fazekas, Heather. Personal Interview. 3 November 2011. Finley, Rockne. Personal Interview. October 2011. Hassel, Holly and Jessica Lourey. “The Dea(r)th of Student Responsibility.” College Teaching. 53.1

(2005): 2-13, Web. Hendrickson, Jo M., Robert A. Gable and M. Lee Manning. “Can Everyone Make the Grade? Some

Thoughts on Student Grading and Contemporary Classrooms.” The High School Journal. 82.4 (1999): 248-254. Web.

Henke, Chris. Personal Interview. September 2011-Present. Kohn, Alfie. “From Degrading to De-Grading.” High School Magazine. March 1999. Web. Levy, Clifford J. “My Family’s Experiment in Extreme Schooling.” The New York Times Magazine. 15

September 2011. Web. Manos, Chris. Personal Interview. September 2011. Ornstein, Allan C. “The Nature of Grading.” The Clearing House. 62.8 (1989): 365-369. Tocci, Charles. “An Immanent Machine: Reconsidering grades, historical and present.” Educational

Philosophy and Theory.

Thank You…

Mr. Chris Henke, Mar-Lee SchoolThe faculty, staff, and students of Mar-Lee

SchoolDr. Suellyn Henke, Dr. Mike Roessler, Dr. Kyle

Shanton, Ms. Mary Weicht, Ms. Karen Hoaglin and Ms. Carol Gnich of the Albion College Fritz Shurmur Center for Teacher Development.

Gary, Kathy and Troy Marowske (Jasmine & Skyler too)

ANY QUESTIONS?

Merci Beaucoup!