Throughout the courses of teacher training, the practice and methods of grading student work is often overlooked and neglected. Usually derived from century-old practices and stringent rubrics, classroom grading has unquestionably looked the same for many years…until the pandemic.
As early as the 1940s, letter-based grading became the nationwide standard for U.S. schools, which continues mostly into the grading practices of today. And yet, these fundamental practices often focus solely on judging performance through regulated assessments (homework, quizzes, tests, conduct, participation, extra credit, etc.) rather than measuring the actual growth of the learner.
As our educational system settles in after the pandemic, the breadth of failing students has caused many educators to more closely evaluate our current grading practices in an effort to arrive at a system that best qualifies the progress of students.
Joe Feldman, author of the book Grading for Equity (published 2018), proposes that teachers base grades on a student’s ability to achieve content mastery on a year-end assessment, and not be measured by variables throughout the semester such as attendance, on-time assignments, or class participation. He says, “People mistakenly assume that grading for equity lowers standards or rigor, but it increases them. You can’t get an A jumping through hoops, so it reduces grade inflation and makes it more rigorous. There’s no more of that haggling (‘Can I get extra credit for bringing cupcakes to the end-of-year party?’) Students become less consumed with point accumulation. We can now talk about their understanding.”
Sounds good on the surface, right?
And yet, many have asked questions such as, “How do we maintain standards among students regarding expectations, rigor, and accountability?”, and “How do we keep students from ignoring homework assignments that provide helpful practice if they are not being graded on them?”
So what is the answer?
For years, the U.S. grading systems have been known for curves, cutoffs, and rankings. The educational system was designed to sort students by rank and ability, not to lead all kids to the successful finish line. Within our academic framework, grading is one of the last structured tools that teachers can use to produce consistent classroom management, as well as allow some autonomy within their classroom procedure and methodology.
So what does effective grading include?
At Bible Baptist, we desire to see growth in three areas from our students: development in the learning process, measurable academic progress, and eventual mastery of knowledge and skill. Each of these principles is vital in the growth of the learner, and should be consistently evaluated by our teachers and faculty.
Development in the learning process includes measuring classroom participation and performance, setting up accountability guidelines such as homework and project deadlines, and organizing group work “think-pods” that are student-led and encourage critical thinking.
Academic progress must be achieved. Without simple achievement benchmarks like reading two-syllable words in kindergarten, memorizing multiplication tables in fifth grade, to being able to analyze how the muscular system in the human body functions and heals on its own in twelfth-grade anatomy, students must be measured on their ability to progress academically.
The mastery of subject areas and content is reserved for only the elite. Our goal as an institution is not to end each quarter or semester with a gradebook full of A’s (but if that happens, we’re all for it!). Our aim is to challenge the average learner to achieve his or her very best, while providing them with a balanced assessment rubric that measures each of the various types of learning styles. If a student is able to be academically responsible, timely with assignments and attendance, attentive in class and group discussions, and demonstrates progress through their work on assessments, we hope that the grading system in place will provide an accurate representation of their achievement.
And yet, undoubtedly, the system is far from perfect. But know that perfection is our goal! Pray with us that we can consistently monitor the learning development of our students, gauge their academic progress, and push each child to the mastery of subject matter. In doing so, we pray that they can be best prepared to serve the Lord in their future calling within the framework that He has sovereignly planned for them.
Written by Jon Knoedler, BBCS Administrator