“What are the next steps in Alternative Grading Methods”
April 25th, 2022
Demostric Ray
Eng 1102
Dr.Weaver
Introduction
As a student, the main goal is to obtain knowledge. As a teacher, the main goal is to educate. When we look at the grading systems/methods, we stop there; just at the number or letter reflected on a piece of paper, whether it be a test or a paper. The current grading method used in school systems limits students vastly because they are just a number; a grade point average. The higher purpose of grades is to show how much a student has learned and how well they can apply that knowledge to a test. This is not the best method for a lot of students for various reasons. Standardized tests are usually used to measure a student’s understanding of a subject, but not all students test the same. Beyond that, if a student does not demonstrate knowledge per an assessment, teachers will not address what students seemingly struggle with; instead, they simply give the grade and move on to the next section of the school curriculum. This is a disservice to our students and to the future of this world. Children are untapped potential and it is crucial to utilize other methods for evaluating the work and knowledge of students in order to best serve them in the classroom.
Discussion
When the focus of a test is the result of the test rather than the student taking the test, seeking knowledge to better the student is lost. This is what is referred to as “product-based learning” (Hope, 2020). With this method used as the primary grading system, students will often cram as much as they can just to pass a test rather than actually be able to retain that knowledge and information to apply in the future. Though it is not unknown what the grading system is, what furthermore proves the disservice we have to students is often, teachers do not allow students to retake a test or show that they can grasp a concept beyond the first attempt. Sometimes, we as people/students do not know what we do not know until we are faced with it on our own. It almost is a double punishment because not only will the student receive a grade that is not “good”, they also may have the insecurity of feeling dumb or discouraged. At the school Michelle Hope teaches at, she shares that students had optional work but still chose to complete those assignments because they were given feedback as a substitute to a numerical or letter grade. While her students are in elementary school, should this approach continue on, it may reflect students actually cooperating more with assignments and seeking to be in the classroom. Taking a step back to evaluate the work of students through commentary and feedback is a “grading” method known as process-based grading. This is not a one and done grading system, but ensures students are checked in on to address why a student may not be understanding a concept. Furthermore, it also allows grace to students. As Hope mentions, students may receive a grade 0 for an incomplete assignment and the teacher will plug that in not caring about how that affects the student/their future and also simply why an assignment may not be complete. She goes on to ask questions such as: “Was the student ready for practice or was he still struggling to grasp the concept? Did she have a “space” or the “time” to do homework at home? Is there a language barrier or a cultural reason for why the work was not completed?” and these are all valid questions to wonder about without punishing a student and gaining a deeper understanding as a teacher/educator. By using the product-based grading system, it treats students as if they all walk and live the same life with no other circumstances. This is an injustice to students. As mentioned before, the job of a student is to seek knowledge, but if they do not retain that knowledge the first time around, the response is basically “oh well” and that does nobody any good.
There are other methods being adopted in U.S school systems to measure/grade students. Another method used is proficiency-based grading. This grading method focuses on students being able to master units/topics of the curriculum. Proficiency-based grading focuses on the progress of learning rather than just the letter grade (Erbes, Wizner, and Powlis, 2021). Workforce. Through this grading method, the goal is for students to fully understand each learning standard, and when that does not happen, the next steps are to give more support and attention to the child to help them understand and be able to reach a more mastery level of the subject. This alternative approach also is catered to each individual student and breaks down each learning target. If the goal truly is no child left behind, this approach is definitely more cultivated to see the success of students in the classroom. It requires more patience in the classroom and that can also help build rapport and encourage students to keep going rather than seeing themselves as failures. This approach really emphasizes what a student has learned from what has been taught. It does no good to pass a test and have a decent grade point average, even if that does take you all the way through college if you are still missing twenty percent of the lesson or you are not able to apply it to real life situations. An 80% on a test translates as “good”, but if a lawyer only had 80% the knowledge for a case, that does not translate as “good” in the same way. If we continue to let the other 20% go unacknowledged, we really are missing the mark. Imagine a doctor operating on you with only 80% of the tools they need. A study from August 2018 to July 2019 composed of 72 sophomores, found that though students still prefer letter grades, they also feel that traditional grading methods inadequately measure learning (Erbes, Wizner, and Powlis, 2021).A healthy balance is needed and one question about these results is where it stems from to prefer a letter grade; potentially a sense of accomplishment or because that is the standard they have been brought up with and that is primarily what they know. Either way, some form of change is necessary to make students feel comfortable and competent at the same time while still having the same respect for education and classroom learning goals.
When the sole objective for the classroom standard is to pass a test, that means the focus is the end result; a grade. This emphasis on a grade whether it be numerical 1-100 or alphabetical causes stress and anxiety in students. In a survey conducted through Stanford University’s Challenge Success Program, using data from about 54,000 high school students, 76% of students reported they often worry about the possibility of not doing well in school and 75% of students reported they either always or often feel stressed by their school work (Feldman, 2020). That is a very high amount of stress looming over students’ heads. We teach children and young adults that it is okay to make mistakes, but these traditional grading methods do not support that statement. A student may not test well but always completes homework assignments and does well on them. Typically an assessment has more weight/impact of a student’s grade then the homework, so if a student has an 85 in the class and gets a D (60-65) on an assessment, their final grade for the class is not an accurate measurement of the knowledge the student has obtained or their “success” of the subject. Even if staying with the stress-inducing traditional grading methods, if simply allowing a student to retake a test or redo an assignment, it encourages them to further learn and it can be more at their pace rather than the pace of the school curriculum.
In conclusion, there are multiple benefits to moving beyond the traditional and working with alternative methods of grading. These benefits include encouraging students to keep learning, less induced-stress, a more diverse understanding of the lives of students, and simply grace to be able to make a mistake. The old saying “if first you don’t succeed, try, try, again” comes to mind and knowing it is okay to have to try again without feeling shame or being labeled a bad student motivates students. Every student does not walk the same life and many other factors contribute to academic success. The best educators often have the mindset that when their students do not properly demonstrate knowledge of a subject, it is not a failure on behalf of the student, but rather them as the teacher that something was missed in translation. As stated before, the role of a student is to seek knowledge and the role of a teacher is to educate. The two can happen at the same time without taking away from the rigor of a course or pushing students further to excel.
References
Erbes, Stella, et al. “Understanding the Role of Traditional & Proficiency-Based Grading Systems Upon Student Learning and College Admissions.” Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, vol. 21, no.10, Sept. 2021, pp. 54–68. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v21i10.4625.
Hope, Michelle. “The Only ‘F’ That Matters.” Educational Leadership, vol. 78, no. 1, Sept. 2020, pp. 28–33. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
Feldman, Joe. “Taking the Stress out of Grading.” Educational Leadership, vol. 78, no. 1, Sept. 2020, pp.14–20. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?