What Did You Get on Your Report Card?

I had several interesting conversations lately about grading; a subject that I've been thinking deeply about for several years. I started thinking about it on a deeper level when my son was in tenth grade. My husband and I went for a parent-teacher conference with his geometry teacher. My son was "failing" the class and we wanted to understand what he was not doing. The teacher explained that our son sat in the front row, always did his homework, participated in class discussions in a meaningful way, and understood the main topics in the subject. After hearing the teacher describe our son thusly, we were extremely confused about his apparent failings. This is when we heard the comment that was to set me on a path to force teachers to talk about their grading policies; a subject that most teachers do not want to discuss. What did the teacher say, you ask? She said, " Most of the students in my class fail". WHAT??? My response to her was two-fold. I told her that from the perspective of a parent, I was baffled and confused because I didn't know how to help my son be successful in her class. (I guess I need to tell you that his test average was the aspect in his grade that was the dominating factor...but more about that later, maybe.) But, then I told her that as a teacher, I was embarrassed that she was wearing that statement as a badge of honor. Couldn't she see that in some cases her students' grades were part of her responsibility? Believe me, I know about the students who do not prepare for class and whose attendance greatly affects their grade, but she admitted that my son did not fit in that category. I asked her if she truly believed that an 'F' would describe what my son knew and could do in geometry. She said, "no, but that's how the numbers work out". Again, WHAT???? 

In some ways, I think math teachers might be the worst because they work with straight numbers. They devise formulas, weights, point systems, and the like to rationalize the grades the students "earn". Of course they do...because no one teaches how to grade in college. Even those fancy formulas are subjective and is one teacher's fancy formula equivalent to the teacher teaching the exact same course across the hall? An example...Billy is in an algebra class and getting good grades. For some reason (probably to accommodate his trumpet lessons :-)), Billy has to have a schedule change. He gets moved into the algebra class of another teacher. All of a sudden, his grades are much lower. His mother is on his case asking him what has happened and what is he going to do to bring up his grade. Billy is baffled and desperately trying to explain to his mother that he hasn't changed anything. He tries to explain that he has no idea what is happening but of course, his mother doesn't think he's telling the whole truth. What most people outside the teaching profession don't understand is that Billy hasn't changed a thing. His new teacher has a completely different fancy formula for determining grades.  So, what is the answer? This is what teachers have to start discussing.

Back to the conversation I had recently. The math department chair from one of the schools at which I'm assigned as a resource relayed that the principal said that homework should be given a particular weight when determining grades. He said that because their school is located in a lower socio-economic area and many students don't do their homework, the homework portion of the grade should be almost insignificant when deciphering final grades. The math teachers in the department were "all over the place" in how they felt about this mandate. I think most were just upset that the principal used the description of their population as a rationale for any policy. He is in his first year as principal and had previously been at a more middle-class school (where I presume students do their homework). 

Where do I stand on this issue? I want teachers to think carefully about all their grading policies and I think they should be coming to some consistency within a school and possibly within their district. As far as homework, I think teachers have to wrestle with the question of whether their homework policy is academic or behavioral. If a homework policy is formulated to be punitive, it has lost all value for students. By that I mean, is a teacher's homework policy designed to be a "gotcha" or an "I'll show you who's in charge". Let's go back to Billy. Billy is passionate about playing his trumpet and he is a good student. Sometimes he practices his trumpet in lieu of doing his math homework, mostly on nights when he understands what has been taught in class and he feels he doesn't need the extra practice. He gets A's and B's on all his tests and quizzes and always does his classwork. He has demonstrated that he understands the content. BUT, he doesn't get an A or B on his report card because his teacher penalizes him for missing homework assignments, thinking silently, 'he doesn't deserve an A or B because he doesn't do everything I ask'. Academic homework policy or punitive? Will his report card grade really describe who Billy is as a math student? 

My opinion...I think homework should sit off to the side as a teacher determines grades. Determine grades based on what a child knows and can demonstrate using all manners of assessment. If the child is on some sort of cusp, look at the homework completion and then use it to make decisions. Does the child's homework show diligence and understanding? Does a lack of homework completion mean that the homework might have been unnecessary for this student? If a child is failing the class, there are probably other reasons besides not doing homework. Is their a valid reason for penalizing a student for a lack of homework completion?

Let's start talking with our colleagues about our grading policies instead of talking 'about' students. When we get together, let's have professional conversations about our craft. Let's start with a conversation about grading. I found that every teacher I talked to had a very strong opinion about their personal method of grading.

BTW...I asked my son's geometry teacher to consider the fact that my son would be "wearing" her geometry grade like a ball-and-chain for the rest of his academic career, long after she could even remember who he was. That grade would be averaged into his GPA and become part of his high school transcript when he applied to college. I don't think she had any understanding of the point I was making. She had her grading policy and she was sticking to it. The end of the story was that my son ended up with a C in the course. We never heard from the teacher again and I think she just wanted to be left alone. My husband and I always wondered whether the C truly indicated how our son was performing in geometry or was it the "I'll just give a C so they don't bother me anymore".

If you're interested, read Tranforming Classroom Grading by Marzano. There are also other excellent, thought provoking books and articles published on the subject of grading.