Fair Isn't Always Equal: Chapter 7

This chapter goes over the idea that grading is an abstract concept. It explains that it is hard to determine the validity of grades because all teachers grade differently. Teachers have a bad habit of grading students based upon personal reasons, whether consciously or not. This is something that needs to be avoided completely. It is completely wrong to grade someone based on their personality or home situation. The chapter explains that one must have a system in place to ensure that they grade consistently each and every time they grade. It is also encouraged that teachers collaborate with other teachers who have the same students, in order to discuss grading and methods of doing so. However, this can become a touchy subject because all teachers have differing perspectives on grading. They should also be careful not to compare students' grades with other students. The book explains in an example that a single essay, given to several teachers, has received grades ranging from A's to failing. There is really no explanation for why our society relies so heavily on grading to determine so much in a students' future, since grading does not necessarily express the appropriate level of mastery. Since grading is so objective, the chapter emphasizes that teachers provide ample feedback to students' work, that way students understand what can be improved and what has been done well, rather than having a simple letter that is an unclear indicator of achievement.

The class generally seemed to agree that grading is a very abstract concept. Many recounted stories in which their teachers were not clear about assessment--they simply received letter grades for their work with no feedback and no understanding of how things could be improved. Many also commented on the fact that grading is an unfair practice since it tends to be so inconsistent. The majority of responses mentioned that feedback is far more important than grading, so that students know what they have done right and wrong. Many explained that grading does not accurately symbolize mastery--leaving several with the question, "Why DO we use grades?"

Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 8

Abstract
This chapter was dedicated to answering questions about grading and discusses grades and how we should administer those grades. “Effort, attendance, behavior, participation, were the things mention in the chapter. They discussed what grading was for, what it accomplished, and how it needs changes” (Beth). “Grades should provide documentation of mastery, give students feedback on their work and allow students to succeed and not be used to motivate, punish or sort students” (Margaux). “Participation is another form of attendance grading that is often used by teachers as a grade inflator: there are often cases where class participation just means showing up” (Newcomb). Participation, I think we can all agree, is a very important part of the classroom and as Newcomb said that “if participation is to be graded, participation needs to occur.” Shauna said it best when she said: “teachers need to take into account when grading that life happens especially for teenagers and that when looking at attendance or participation grades they should count in terms of seeing that the student is learning in whatever way that may be.” This makes us question do grades do any good?

Reflection
Melissa agrees with “the idea that feedback is more important than the actual grading of an assignment” from the book. A lot of people agreed with Beth’s comment on how this chapter “help out a lot.” “Sometimes grades don't mean anything to me because although I did poorly I put a lot of effort in, or maybe I didn't try but still got an A. I like that the chapter gave tips on how to decipher grading policies and such so that the student will be more informed” (Becca). Amber, like most people who read this chapter I’m sure, had “never thought about the negative effects of grades until recently, but now that I have I believe that they have two sides.”

Fair Isn't Always Equal: Chapter 10

Chapter 10 is about the idea of letting students redo work. Letting students redo their work is the choice of the teacher, but there has to be a system in place so students do not take advantage of it. There are several ways that this can be accomplished. One way to accomplish this is to have a parent sign the original assignment. This signifies that the parent is aware of the situation. The assignment can also be changed. That way it is not the same, but still has a connection to the content. Teachers also need to keep in mind that students are human and sometimes need extra time to complete an assignment or might need it modified for it to be understood. This chapter also talked about extra credit. Teachers have to be careful about extra credit because too much can cause the grade not to be a true representation of how the student is doing. Extra credit should be used sparingly and there also needs to be a system (when looking at this link, go to page 4 as an example of an extra credit system) in place.

Most people agreed that having the opportunity to redo work is a good idea. However, in order for this idea to be successful, most agree that a system needs to be in place. Also, most people agreed that the student is also a person and has a life of their own. Having a life can cause things to get in the way of an assignment being completed on time, so, the teacher should be able to be flexible. However, the student still needs to be held accountable for their work.