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Question
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I am writing with a question about your 15 Fixes for Broken Grades. My school has recently adopted the theories of Assessment for Learning and we have done a book study in learning teams on the 15 fixes. It is now the end of the school year and we have reached an issue that we cannot seem to solve on our own. We do not give zeros for missed essential assignments, we give I's (incomplete) instead. We have six school days left of this school year and we have a few students who are carrying I's from previous marking periods. We as teachers have repeatedly asked the students to fulfill these I's but to no avail. Many of us have set this Wednesday or Friday as our cutoff point for the missing work. This gives us time, as teachers, to grade what needs to be graded and clear off our "To Do" lists before final exams.
I spoke to my Assistant School Leader (ASL) who is in charge of grading and curriculum to ask if I could give 50% for the missing assignments as of tomorrow (my cut off date). My rationalization is that a zero would artificially deflate the student's grade in an extreme way. The 50% would show that the student failed the assignment (as it was not done), but does not kill their chance of passing for the marking period. My ASL argued back that if the student did not do the work at all, they should receive a zero showing that they did not learn that target at all. If they are re-assessed on the material through the final exam, the teacher could then go back through the incomplete assignments and alter the scores based on the outcome of the matching sections on the final exam.
What are your thoughts on our situation? Your input is greatly appreciated.
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2009-05-29
Natalie Hyman |
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The
Grade
Doctor
says:
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Your ASL needs to understand that 50% does show a very poor performance as it is the
same point spread for an F as for a D, C, B and A and that a zero distorts the students
achievement. Zero in a % scale is unethical because it goes against what we teach in math.
However, if your ASL will not accept 50 one alternative is to go for anything between 50
and 1 - the higher the better. Apart from the amount of work involved I like the idea that
missing evidence could be provided by the relevant sections on a final exam.
Another possibility if the missing evidence is not provided by the final exam is that you
would not include any percentage scores for the missing evidence and that the grade the
student would receive would be an "I" for "Incomplete" or "Insufficient Evidence." An "I" has
the same impact as an "F" - no credit, but it is an accurate communication of the problem
- the student did not provide enough evidence for you to make the judgment you have to
make. If there are "I's" at the end then you have to have procedures and timelines for what
students must do to turn I's into acceptable grades. There are many different possibilities
- one high school in Washington state tells students what has to be done and then the
students have 75 days to get it done.
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Jeanette's
Comment
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2010-08-07
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And what if they don't get it done, at all??
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The Grade Doctor's
Comment
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2010-08-13
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Determining a grade should arise from having sufficient evidence, not necessarily all the evidence so "if it doesn't get done at all" it depends on how much evidence of their achievement the student has submitted. If you have sufficient evidence without the missing piece determine the grade on what you have. If you don't have sufficient evidence then the grade the student should get is an "I" for Incomplete or Insufficient Evidence. If there is insufficient evidence at the end then the student should get a final grade of an "I" (not "F") which at the high school level has the same impact as a failing grade.
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