There was an interesting newspaper article from the NY Times I found on http://www.ncte.org/ that questions the correlation between report cards, semester grades and state subject exams with knowing who the smart students are in school. The superintendent, David Krenz, and the principal, Katie Berglund, at Ellis Middle School in Austin, Minnesota investigated the large discrepancy between semester grades and end-of-the year exam grades. They came to the conclusion that many teachers were grading students for compliance and not only mastery of course material. According to Ms. Burgland, A and B students were not gaining the most knowledge but had learned how to do school the best. Over parent protests, teachers at Ellis, tried out a new standards-based grading system. Reports cards will have a “knowledge grade” for subject mastery and a “life skills” grade for work habits, attitude, and citizenship. Some parents welcomed the new grading system because it discourages and minimizes favoritism. After reading this article, I plan to educate myself more on the debate between grading for being prepared and a good school citizen versus grading exclusively for subject mastery.
No comments:
Post a Comment