The Grading Dilemma: How to avoid just giving everyone an A

Peer Assessment

I’m always hesitant with the idea of peer assessments. I think using them occasionally is a good idea, but relying on them too much opens the door for cheating. Maybe I’m too cynical about my students to trust them to be fair to each other. The author of this article claims that in her secondary level classes, her students are “often much tougher on each other –and themselves-when it comes to grading”. Personally, I believe this to be true of many of my students, but not all of them.

1 in 4 rule

The idea of only grading 1 in 4 student assignments is appealing for the shear decrease in volume of grading. However, I anticipate students being aware that not all of the assignments will count towards their grade, and therefore only putting forth effort on the one that counts. It’s possible that I’m misunderstanding the technique of choosing which to grade, but I think there are better means of approaching the grading process than keeping 75% of the assignments on a complete/incomplete basis.

Student journals

Again, I wonder if I’m too jaded for the job before I’ve even really started. So many of my current students lose their work or forget their materials, I’d be concerned about their ability to keep all of their assignments in one place. I love the idea of asking the student to take responsibility for their own work, but the pessimist in me sees how quickly it could go wrong. Not to mention the amount of time grading an entire class of student journals would take, even if they were staggered between classes.

Stamping

This is by far my favorite method discussed in this article, and is something I already use in some of my current classes. Taking the time to develop stamps that suit your needs saves you time without sacrificing input for the students. While it won’t always be the specific, detailed feedback that the student needs, it’s a step in the right direction.

The method I’d like to implement in my own classes will be a combination of the stamping method and the 1 in 4 rule. I think I’ll change it to 1 in 3, and instead of a complete/incomplete on the assignments not graded in detail, I’d go through them with a stamp. Every assignment should be considered valuable, or the students will lose the motivation to complete them with equal effort.

Source: http://www.edutopia.org/grading-dilemma-strategies-tactics

Response to Intervention in the Classroom

Response to Intervention, or RTI, is a system of helping those students who are unable to meet the academic standards of the majority of their class. A brief summary, largely given by information in the YouTube video “Response to Intervention: A Tiered Approach to Instructing All Students”, 80% of students will operate well with the regular instruction (Tier 1) provided by their general education teacher. 15% of students (Tier 2), however, will fall behind and struggle with the material just enough to have the teacher, or an assistant teacher, provide supplementary instruction through a different method. These students will work in smaller groups on the Tier 2 tasks in addition to the class as a whole in the Tier 1 instruction. The remaining 5% (Tier 3) are those that continue to struggle with the material and require more direct instruction. These students will often meet individually with a specialist or Special Education instructor to address their learning needs.

An excellent point raised by the article “How to Implement RTI at the Secondary Level” is how limiting the ‘triangle’ system is. The notable section left out is those students who master the material early on and find themselves unchallenged with the Tier 1 material. Should those students not be met at their academic level, even though the lower level students are? Instead, we should seek to adopt a ‘diamond’ system, where both extremes of academic ability come with an RTI. Advanced students can be offered more creative assignments or an opportunity for higher credit classes.

I believe the single most important aspect to RTI in the classroom is speed. Teachers should use formative assessments as guidelines to monitor student progress, and therefore easily identify when a student starts slipping in a particular area. The teacher can then respond to their needs quickly and efficiently to help them get back on track with the rest of the class without lagging behind. Close, continuous monitoring of student progress is the only way to effectively use the RTI system.

In my own classroom, I’d like to set up a style of formative assessment that the students use often, perhaps every week. This will create a comfortable routine for the students and myself, which focuses the students on the content rather than any misunderstanding about how to do the assessment. Ideally, a quick 2 or 3 question exit quiz that students turn in at the end of the class. If I see signs of a failure to grasp a concept, I’d first meet with the student one on one to look for other indications of struggling with the material. If help is needed, I’d attempt to provide it myself, with supplementary worksheets or instructional videos to explain the material in a different way than I’d taught it to the rest of the class. If that fails, I’d meet with their other teachers or parents and discuss possible problems with their learning or brainstorm more successful methods for concept retention. 

Sources: 

"Olympic Gold in the Classroom" by Ben Johnson (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/intervention-rti-benefits-ben-johnson)

"How to Implement Response to Intervention at the Secondary Level" by PJ Caposey (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/response-to-intervention-secondary-school-philip-caposey)

"Response to Intervention: A Tiered Approach to Instructing All Students" by Atlas Initiative (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkK1bT8ls0M)