Alternatives to Grades
Comments(2) I have several reasons for being wary of giving out grades in school. The effects of grades on the reason for students to learn and the type of learning they engage in is one of the reasons and was brought up by Kohn in his article, “The Case Against Grades.” Another reason that I’m not fond of giving out grades is because the current system of grading evaluates all students on the same scale and assumes that they are all capable of achieving the same success. Marks are given out of 100% but I question whose version of 100% that is. Not all students are able to achieve to the same level so I believe it would make more sense to grade students on how well they are learning compared to their individual potential. Of course, this opens a whole different can of worms about how to determine what a student’s potential is and the dangers of saying that some students have less potential than others.
I believe that the suggestion that Kohn gives is a solution to these issues. Rather than giving grades, give students qualitative feedback. I think this could be great for all subject areas. In many of the classes I have been in, which tend to be math classes, I have often heard the teachers talk about how students should reflect on their grades to determine their level of understanding. While grades may be an indication that students need to continue working on developing their understanding of the concepts, they are typically not very good at telling students exactly what it is they need to focus on. I think that giving qualitative feedback can help give students explicit feedback on specific areas they need to work on which has the potential to be more effective than having students attempt to interpret what their number or letter grade is trying to tell them. I think it is an interesting idea and would love to see if anyone has done research to test the effectiveness of this type of evaluation at the high school level.
I read your blog and am torn myself. At times I believe there should be some sort of grading system because, unfortunately, grades help to place students into post secondary institutions later on in their academic lives if they choose to further their education. On the other hand I agree with you completely that a certain grade to one teacher may be a completely different grade to another! So how do we decipher how to do it?
A good example of this conundrum happen during my short practicum. I am teaching drama and watched students perform a basic rhythm performance in their drama 8 class. One group who performed put very little effort into preparing, they actually had the teacher help them a lot, and then when they presented it lacked everything from organization, rhythm and basic fundamentals of stage presence. I watched how the teacher marked and they got 80%! It boggled my mind! It almost seemed as if the teacher was enforcing behaviour like this. Now I understand that the students were in grade 8, however the assignment was extremely simple and the students were more than capable. One thing a drama class has a unique opportunity to do is give constructive criticism back right after performances and the teacher did do this. She told them parts she appreciated and where they could focus more attention but then also reprimanded them a little for wasting the time they were given.
My struggle with grades is that I don’t mind giving them but I would much rather grade on a students process rather than the final product. Especially in drama sometimes students choke up during final performances and if they push through they need to be applauded but it is also important to see how much effort they put in even before that performance happens. Isn’t work ethic and dedication just as important?
With this said I also ask how do you not grade science and math students? The desired goal is not only for them to understand theories and formulas but also to put them into practice and get the correct answer. So if they are putting in the time and doing well the grade will settle itself will it not?
In the end I don’t know where I stand with grades. It will be something I will be focussing and asking myself about a lot during the long term practicum.
I agree with many points that Kohn makes, especially in regards to how the data collected is often manipulated to push a particular agenda, which is certainly a tragedy that should be avoided. Yet some sort of assessment must be used in order to determine where to provide support to students and schools in need.
I think there should be a degree of accountability set upon the teachers to ensure that their student perform well. While I too had great teachers who had to compromise their curriculum with standardized content, it is a worthwhile price to pay to avoid teachers who demonstrate absolutely little interest or ability in their profession.
I believe the main issue is more with the lack of support, for whatever reason, that the struggling students and schools are receiving. I think it is immoral to collect and publish data if there are no means available to act upon their findings.