{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"64891574","dateCreated":"1384280659","smartDate":"Nov 12, 2013","userCreated":{"username":"MartineSiravo","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/MartineSiravo","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/cabriniaspiringleaders.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/64891574"},"dateDigested":1532253152,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Martine","description":"If I could reform one of my own (and every district's) grading policy, it would be to reform the averaging of grades. Connor and Wormelli write that "it is unethical and inaccurate to include in a grade digressions in performace that occur during the learning process." (41). They focus instead on the importance of looking for patterns and evidence over time. The article gives the example of Henry who has had both an F on a test and a A on the next test. This gives him an average of a C, which does not display his current knowledge of the topic.
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\nI think this can be one of most difficult policies to change as many report cards and grades are pushed to be entirely objective. In my district, for example, students math test grades are averaged to determine their qualifications for math groupings. I have had several students in the past whom have had difficulty transitioning to first grade and have bombed the first few chapter tests. Suddenly, once they began to understand concepts and the structure of the tests, they begin to get 100's. Unfortunately, when it comes time to group, we have only given 5 math tests since the beginning of the year. Averages swing drastically between tests and therefore don't show an accurate representation of that students' current math understanding. It can be difficult as a teacher, however, to not use and have these numbers when providing evidence to parents. Sadly, my opinion is not valued as much as it possibly should be when it comes to recommendations for math groupings. Parents often want to look at the test scores and only believe in a raw average or number, not teacher observations.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"67472320","body":"I agree that this is a practice worth re-examining, but one that would be very hard for teachers to abandon. It comes down to the perceived issue of what is fair. Fairness appears to win out over accuracy!","dateCreated":"1384828849","smartDate":"Nov 18, 2013","userCreated":{"username":"DrSal","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/DrSal","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1289772999\/DrSal-lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"64876776","dateCreated":"1384225287","smartDate":"Nov 11, 2013","userCreated":{"username":"sblowe","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/sblowe","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/cabriniaspiringleaders.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/64876776"},"dateDigested":1532253152,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Susan","description":"One aspect of my school's philosophy regarding grading that I would like to reform is grading group work. The process of group work is beneficial to the learning process but should not be graded. The process of grading group work distorts the accuracy of the individual student's grade. Grading group projects does not accurately communicate to students and parents what and how much curriculum is learned by each individual group member. The grading of group projects is not consistent in our school. Group projects do not support student learning. To be accurate, we should assess the individual student's knowledge gained by the group project.
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\nIn order to realize this change, I believe I must begin by initiating a dialogue among the faculty members at a faculty meeting. I will distribute to the faculty three or four thought provoking questions about grading accuracy two to three days before the meeting. I will request that they reflect on and come prepared to share their thoughts. We will discuss the positive and negative aspects of group work. We will discuss the various rubrics attached to group work projects at our school. We will evaluate our group projects for consistency, meaning, and support for student learning. We will then formulate some assessment goals based on our findings during our sharing. After the meeting, I will post the goals online and monitor the progress of these goals. I will give support and feedback to those who have made the necessary adjustments in their classroom. Through this process we will develop a grading process that supports student learning.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"67154260","body":"Group work is definitely an issue. I agree that it can be valuable to learn in a group, but we should reserve assessment to a time when students can then individually show us what they learned from this experience.","dateCreated":"1384228592","smartDate":"Nov 11, 2013","userCreated":{"username":"DrSal","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/DrSal","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1289772999\/DrSal-lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"64870286","dateCreated":"1384203521","smartDate":"Nov 11, 2013","userCreated":{"username":"kmw007","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kmw007","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/cabriniaspiringleaders.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/64870286"},"dateDigested":1532253152,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Karen","description":"If I could reform one aspect of my school\u2019s philosophy about assessment, grading, or homework it would be to actually have a philosophy and for it to be a uniform one. Our school does not have a true philosophy on grading; it is up to the teacher to make all of the decisions for his\/her own classroom. If there would be an outline on how to grade students, I believe more of them would be successful. Students sometimes get confused as to what different teachers expect, especially if it is in the same subject. For example, we have three art and music teachers. Students may have different teachers each year and may become confused on how they are graded or what the teacher\u2019s expectations might be. This could improve upon the confusion from parents and students about their grading and assessments.
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\nIn order to make this change happen, I would first gather data from teachers on how they grade, assess, and hand out homework. Next I would think about what would benefit the student population the most and look at which teachers are the most successful with student learning. I would work with a group of teachers, who were my \u201ctop teachers\u201d and collaborate with them as to which would be the best way to assess student learning. After all of these tasks, I would then create a plan for the school and present it to the staff on a professional development day.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"67154352","body":"Consistency is a huge issue. You make some compelling comments about the need to begin to develop a shared vision and philosophy of grading and assessment. Be prepared that it may not be as cut and dry as you have outlines in the actions steps.","dateCreated":"1384228768","smartDate":"Nov 11, 2013","userCreated":{"username":"DrSal","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/DrSal","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1289772999\/DrSal-lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":false},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}