Domain 7 Communication
Something I realized today, as I was reflecting, is that I have not created any rubrics or given students very clear expectations on certain things....oops! That has made some things hard to grade, which makes complete sense now, but I just didn't realize it BEFORE I gave the assignments...something to think about in the next few weeks and for the future.
My teacher and I talked about student grades today because midterms went out. I asked her how she thought they were in comparison to previous midterms/report cards; she said they were higher. I was thinking they might actually be lower (at least reading because I've struggled with teaching comprehension). I thought maybe she thought I was glad their grades had raised to reflect me but that's not it at ALL! I just told her that I see grades as reflecting what students know, and if their grades don't reflect that, then I do something about it...either the assessment was poor or my teaching was...or they didn't read directions/take their time...these are all very hard things to balance. She understood but said the parents see the grade and if it is lower, they are more likely to do something about it. She wasn't upset by any means...again, it's just differing philosophies. We just talked through a few things concerning this matter and hopefully between both our thoughts and "ways" of doing things, I'll figure out a better system that will meet my expectations, her expecations, and parent expectations.
I see "grades" in a whole new light now...I don't grade; I assess...BIG DIFFERENCE!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Olivia,
ReplyDeleteAssessment, grades, report cards, etc.. is one of the hardest areas of teaching. You are so correct in that you are assessing daily. It is a whole new mindset. In some way the standards based report cards that some schools have moved toward are more in line with this philosophy. It'll be good for you to continue to assess are the students learning what you are teaching and determine what methods you want to verify whether this is occuring or not. Good learning!!
Prof. Forshey