Purpose for
Grades
Bailey &
McTighe state, “the primary purpose….of grades is to communicate student
achievement to students, parents, school administrators, post-secondary
institutions & employers” RHS mission statement reads “is to promote
personal & academic excellence in all students.” To achieve this mission statement I need to
assess my students on academics/grades and personal/behavior. Currently I have not done a good job at separating
the two missions. I have been
conditioned to produce a grade for the grade book and really have not been
given guidelines of how to obtain that grade.
As I reflect on my current practices I get a little depressed. I realize the many grades I’ve published
really may not have reflected a true picture of that student’s
achievement. I could safely bet that
most of my failing or D- students received that grade not from their
performance but lack of. So did I grade
on achievement or behavior?
I do believe
that both aspects, achievement & behavior, need to be addressed in the
educational setting, but I can see where there is a need to separate behavior
from achievement. As educators where do
we begin if we want a report card/transcript to reflect a true achievement
grade to the students, parents, school administrators, post-secondary
institutions, & employers? Clarification,
I feel, is the first step. The first BIG FIX. All entities need to be on the
same page when it requires documenting a grade for a student. Achievement
needs to be clearly stated that educators will give grades on clearly organized
summative assessments. Formative
assessments and practice do not determine grades, nor should behavior. If we are to adapt this policy we need to
have a report card that separates achievement from behavior. Am I sold on the “Standards Base” report
card, not really, but a document that shows both aspects of the mission
statement yes. Behavior is a big part of
the education system and needs to be addressed to give a whole picture of the
student.
I feel that
grades are broken when they mix achievement and nonachievement elements. The fix is to report them separately and that
will be my first big fix.
