Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 11: Six Burning Grading Issues

In Chapter 11, Wormeli discusses the idea of grading and the issues that grading brings forward. The idea of getting a zero on an assignment is something many students fear. I believe that instead of just failing a student for a missing assignment; it would behoove me to give them an incomplete and talk to them about finishing it. If they refuse to do the work then possibly a zero is in order; however, zeros tend to distort the grading system’s accuracy. This is why I believe I will use the method of incomplete rather than the idea of plugging in zeros. The idea of an addendum is a good method to use when dealing with gifted students because it allows the teacher, the student, and the student’s parents to see where the student is for grade level as well as seeing what they achieved beyond that point. The idea of adding and addendum to their report cards would be a great way to show progress through out the student’s school year. I did not agree with the idea of getting rid of rank and valedictorian. I believe that yes this could have negative effects on students. However, I believe a little competition is beneficial to students because it makes them strive to do their best. In the real world they will have to strive to be the best at work and will be facing the idea of going against others to reach the top. This concept is a part of life, so why should we get rid of it? One of our jobs as teachers is to prepare our students for outside of school and the idea of rank helps do this. I believe if we are trying hard to keep our students from getting their feelings hurt we are not preparing them. In life their will be negative aspects that will bring you down, but it is how you overcome that and rise to the challenge that proves your success, and this is the same for the school atmosphere.

Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 12: Grading Scales

             In chapter 12, Wormeli discusses a few constructive grading scales. He discusses that the use of rubrics helps a teacher get a general sense of students’ mastery. Rubrics are difficult and I am not sure if I am comfortable with them; however, I believe by practicing them I will become more comfortable and confident in them. They are good tools to use and I plan to bring them into my classroom. I was not familiar with the 4.0 grading scale, so it being addressed in this chapter was very helpful to me. It was good to familiarize myself with it because I am sure I will probably encounter it in the classroom sometime. The 4.0 grading scale helps students know exactly where they went wrong on an assignment. It allows them the opportunity to see what they are doing wrong and fix their problems. With any grading scale it is important to remember that if we want a differentiated class than we need to pay attention to performance over time and the trend it creates.  This chapter addresses the many grading scales and how they will be a positive addition to every classroom. I found this very helpful since most it was unknown to me before. When in school I normally saw teachers using the 100-point scale so this was already somewhat familiar to me. This scale is very useful for ranking and such because it is more precise. I believe many teachers use this method because it is so precise and works very well. I believe this as well as the other methods brought forward in this chapter all have beneficial aspects that should be taken into consideration.

Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 14: Responsive Report Card Formats

             In this chapter, Wormeli mentions report cards and methods used with these. It is important to keep in mind that when dealing with report cards parents are involved and need to be considered. When coming up with methods that work on report cards it is important to consider ways that parents will best understand why the student got the grade they did. They should include feedback, document progress, and inform instructional decisions. I never really thought of the idea of placing an asterisk next to a grade to indicate that a narrative should be reviewed concerning that specific grade. I really liked this idea and found that it would be a great idea to use. I believe a set of marks to help one remember certain aspects is interesting thought. It is like the key to the report card and this thought seems very intriguing to me. I believe this is something I could possibly use for myself. I feel like in the younger grades we were assessed in many different ways. We were given grades as well as being assessed; however, as we all grew older this came to end. I am not sure how I feel about this I believe it would be nice to see some of this continue into high school as well as the younger grades because I find it advantageous to have and utilize. This would not only help teachers see students progress but also help students and their parents see it as well. This idea of dual grading or the thought of giving grades and assessing students is good to have in the school system in my opinion. Another topic I remember seeing in the younger years but not in high school would be multiple categories. I believe this could be another positive tool to use and should be used in the older grades as well as the younger ones. I believe all the methods brought forward in this chapter would be beneficial to report cards and they should not be overlooked because only the younger grades use them.

Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 13: Gradebook and Formats for the Differentiated Classroom

          Wormeli discusses setting up a grade book based off different formats and how a teacher should find a grade book format that works for them. As a teacher it will be important for me to decide on a grade book format to use. I believe the questions this chapter presents will help me when I need to decide a grading system that deals with differentiation in the classroom. The idea of grouping assignments based on standard is a great way to grade. This is because it takes the guesswork out of deciding weather or not a student has met the standard. It gives the teacher feedback that is helpful in deciding where the student is in the idea of mastery. Grouping assignments by weight or category helps one be organized and see what area students struggle in the most whether that is at home with work, or on tests, or during class. It helps give you a better understanding of what aspects the student struggles in based off the categories the grades are separated into. The only problem with this method to me is the fact that it would hard to keep all the grades accurate when there are so many exceptions. I really enjoyed the idea of classifying assignments by date because it not only keeps all of it neat and organized, but it also helps the teacher know when assignments are due so when students hand them in late it won’t make this process confusing. When doing this it is important to put them in by the right date and look at the trends you observe. This will help teachers see that maybe one week a student wasn’t doing well and did not hand in work. This will be an alert and the teacher will be given the opportunity to check in with their students and see if maybe there is a simple explanation. It keeps the teachers in touch better with the students as well gives them a chance to see how well a student is mastering something based off what they struggled with during the week. This chapter brings forward some very great grade book ideas. It is important for me as a teacher to try more than one and see which one I like best, as well as switch it all up every now and then.