FIAE+B2+Chapter+12


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Dani
Chapter twelve of FIAE is about grading scales. The chapter describes two kinds the 100 point scale and the 4 point scale. The chapter mostly argues that a 4 point scale is better because it is more difficult to fudge grades, it is easy to link to a rubric so that a student can see where the grade comes from and it more accurately shows mastery than a 100 point scale. These are all good points but a 100 point scale is still the easiest way to grade a quiz or test. However, it is easy to turn one of those grades into a 4 point scale. This affects me because as a teacher I will have to decide what grading scale works best for me and shows the students mastery of the subject in the most accurate and fair way.

Cam
Chapter 12; Grading Scales This textbook is making us recognize as professionals that grading is not as easy as giving a number or letter; it is much more complex. As an overall grading style, the best known ways are the hundred point, four point, and the particular specified amount out of a total. When using grading scales, it is better off to use the small point scales that are also accompanied by rubrics. By using rubrics, it is helpful to the student to better understand what to look for in excellence. With a hundred point scale there is little explanation to why the student got the answer wrong. Another idea that teachers need to have evidence and boldness in is the situation of a student challenging your decision or given grade. Teachers need to put their foot down and justify the question of why. This chapter impacts me as a future teacher because it makes it clear that some students will disagree to some of the decisions of assignments I will give. In turn, I will need to underline, highlight, justify, anything to make these students understand where I am coming from. This impacts my students because I hope for them to start respecting others decisions without pointlessly questioning assignments. Turn those pointless questions into ones that have defiance towards the subject.

Marcy
This chapter talks about the two most common grading scales, the 4-point and the 100-point scales. The chapter argued in favor of the 4-point scale over the 100-point scale because it is more subjective and a smaller scale did not allow for distortion as easily. Also on a 4-point scale it is easier to compare across classes because the 4-point scales is graded by criteria instead of which questions a student got right on a test. There is also no real reason to argue over whether a B is a high B or a low B. In the end, it really does not matter, except when it comes time to calculate GPA for the valedictorian, but the book gets on that soap box for a while. If the purpose of grades is to indicate mastery, then by assessing a problem by each of the different criteria needed, a student can get partial credit for a wrong answer. This is helpful because it shows the student exactly what he or she knows. This is the last reason mentioned in the chapter and that is it provides better feedback to both the student and the teacher. This affects me as a teacher by showing me the importance of rubrics and giving partial credit for problems is not cheating. This will help my students by showing them exactly where they are strong and which sections of their thinking they can improve.

Nicholas
**Chapter 12:** This chapter focuses in on grading scales. I believe that we are at a point now where education has come further than grading and needs to focus on the level of knowledge that students are attaining. Education is far more than a letter or number, but that is how I was brought up believing that the only measure of intelligence was an A+ or a 100. Some of the most intelligent people that I know were C and D students growing up. We need to focus on students’ ability to master ideas instead of focusing on students’ ability to receive an A or high number score. As a teacher I hope to be successful when it comes to assessing my students’ knowledge and understanding of material. This can only be done by understanding what my students need in order to become successful learners.

Jason
This chapter also dealt with grading, but instead of dealing with late or missing work, the chapter talked about appropriate grading scales. The chapter argues that the best indicator of learning and mastery is by using a 4.0 scale with a rubric. Rubrics allow for teachers to map out exactly what needs to be done so that students know what they must do to achieve a certain grade. Using a 100-point scale adds more subjectivity, and people then start to wonder what a 92 means in one class compared to the same grade in another class. It really was not until I came to Farmington that I started to have my work graded using rubrics; I am very use to everything being done on a 100-point scale. I can relate really well to the student in the book who asked if he could get the A because he had a 93.4 and he needed a 94. I think that rubrics, when done properly, benefit both the teacher and the student equally. I plan on using rubrics for all of my mini-projects at the end of the lesson. I think that they will end up working better along with allowing students to understand exactly what they must do to get a good grade. Rubrics take much of the subjectivity out of the grading process which is always a good thing.
 * FIAE Chapter 12: Grading Scales **

Lizzie
This chapter, in line with previous chapters, discusses yet again the idea of grading. This time however, it discusses the grading scales. The way in which a teacher grades, whether or not some want to admit it, vastly affects the students and the way in which they view not just the material at hand, but the class and the teacher as well. Giving a simple number or letter grade is not as easy as it once was, taking into account the large number of different learning styles, behaviors, attitudes, as well as personal and social lives. Most teachers prefer a system of grading based on the hundred point system, the four point system, or a specified amount. It is easier to use a smaller scale to grade students on, eliminating that extra room for discrepancies or debate. Using rubrics with each grading scale can also help clarify the expectations required. There is much more room for questions using a larger scale due to the many ways in which a student could have gone wrong or does not understand why he/she got that grade. Being able to be stern about why something was a particular grade and giving fair and reasonable explanation to each student is what should be happening.

This chapter made me realize just how much importance is put upon not just the student but the teacher to achieve a good grade. On a larger scale it is hard to be precise with each student as to what and why they have achieved or not achieved. Being able to explain how to fully master the material is important to their overall understanding. It is almost impossible to be able to have a classroom environment in which no grades exist. Although I do believe too much emphasis is put upon these grades, no matter what, rubrics without numbers or a scale without letters, the students will place themselves into those categories known to them for so long. Students judge each other and whether by social class, sports, or academics, there will always be a scale onto which they fall. Eliminating the dependence on grades is what needs to be dealt with, not getting rid of grades altogether. It is obvious to me now that I must be able to justify and explain to my students why they got or deserve the “grades” that they received. Understanding //with// my students is what needs to happen for their “grades” to be well earned/deserved.

Andrew D
This chapter talks about grading scales and how effective different ones are compared to others. Most grading scales used in secondary classrooms are the 100 point scale, and the 4-point scale. In many cases teachers are more focused on justifying a grade because of what the average turns out to be, instead of how much the student has mastered. One way to create objective and accurate grades is by using rubrics. The chapter suggests using rubrics in the majority of assessments. Another thing the chapter mentions is that schools are to intent on ranking students and putting them in their place. That should not be the intentions of school and therefore class ranks should not be calculated. A .003 difference makes no difference in the real world, which is why it should not matter in school either. There are a number of scales teachers could use when they grade. The bottom line is, whatever scale they use, the final grade needs to show the level of understanding and mastery each student reached. This chapter impacted me because I totally disagree with having a class ranking system. It does not matter where students are compared to other students and should never be used. This chapter will impact my classroom because it gives me a good reference to use when I end up deciding what scale I want to use when grading my students.

Ben
Chapter 12 talks about grading scales. It mentions the top two scales used in high schools are the 100 point and the 4 point system. I felt like the book was kind of flip flopping on this subject. They would say that just averaging the grades mathematically was bad; however, just a few paragraphs down they would contradict themselves by saying to average the grades on occasion is good. They talk about a compromise between rubric assessing and just averaging the grades. I think as a future math teacher that averaging the grades will be the best option for me since most of the grades will be in multiples so the averages will best determine the final grade for the students work throughout the semester. Rubrics, which I will use occasionally, are not the best grading system for my class.

Lindsey
This chapter deals with effective grading scales. While it may be tempting to use a 100 point grading scale, there is much room for interpretation of exactly what this means for each student. Instead, using a 4 point scale creates clear expectations without room for questioning the grade. Teachers must keep in mind the individual needs of each student, whether they are various intelligences, beliefs, home life, behavior, or interest, all factors must be considered in evaluating student work. Generally speaking, rubrics and clear expectations show students the steps to take to achieve mastery within a subject. In addition, teachers eliminate their own subjectivity by grading upon their own rubric.

Jenna
Chapter twelve of __Fair Isn't Always Equal__ explained grading scales and how to use the best indicator, which would be a 4.0 scale using a rubric. Rubrics enable the students to fully understand the directions and requirements of assignments given to them by their teachers. They know exactly what the rubrics want them to do and they know exactly how to do it. It was so confusing in high school when teachers would use the 100 point grading scale and they would give me a 93, but in another class a 94 was a passing A, while in the class that I received the 93 it was considered to be an A. This is why I find that the rubrics are so effective for both students and teachers when grading work. The rubrics take out the subjectivity and they also specifically tell the students what exactly is required of them.

Ted
Chapter 12 is all about different grading scales. The bulk of the chapter focused on the pros and cons of the two most common grading scales, the 100-point scale and the 4-point scale (which also included other small-scales). The chapter discussed how things like minus grades are useless and harmful to student morale. I hadn’t heard of school districts that didn’t use minuses, and I think it’s a tiny little change in grading systems that could make an improvement on student morale. I thought that the chapter got really interesting, however, when it moved on to the section that listed more grading scales, such as “A, B, C and ‘not-yet-achieved’ or ‘you’re not done’,” or ones that listed how often students showed understanding (consistently, usually, sometimes, seldom). Also, there were scales that boiled the grade right down to the standard itself (exceeds the standard, meets the standard, making progress, getting started, or no attempt). This scale emphasizes that students can make up work and see assignments not as hills they have to get over but as roads that they can always keep going down.