Hey everybody!
Hope all is well with you. Spring Break is a week away! For me, I will be traveling to Arizona for a school trip with the baseball team. For many, this will mean hundreds of pages across our class being finished on the KPTP. Don't worry, I will be getting to mine once I get back. :)
Everything has been going pretty well, except one little (but possibly huge problem). I believe that their is an inconsistent grading system being used in my class.
To begin with, the CT had institued a no-late work policy at the beginning of the year. In journalism, deadlines are crucial. In the real work world of journalism, not turning in an assignment on deadline may be the difference between feeding your family and the unemployment line. The CT and I have spoke on many occasions the importance of teaching young journalists (specifically our intro classes) the importance of meeting deadlines. This isn't just for stories that go in the yearbook or newspaper; it also pertains to writing assignments, creative projects, videos, anything we have done in the class!
Lately, we've been in flux and inconsistent. There always seems to be problems where kids were constantly asking me for extensions. I had to give the extensions, due to extenuating circumstances the kids couldn't avoid. If your interviewee cannot give an interview that day, I would give an extension. If your printer at home wouldn't work, I would sometimes give an extension. I always asked the CT before I gave an extension, and the answers would vary from "yes, they deserve an extension" to "no, they have had enough time". It even at times has seem unfair and biased towards students who USUALLY turn their work in on time, but have occasionally forget and been given extensions. Shouldn't all students be given the same standards and requirements? The Grading system in here is in a true lingo currently.
I want to come back to the favoritism. It seems the CT has a soft spot for a few students, where if their grade is a high C+ for example (78.5) or a high B+ (79.2) that she finds ways to make easy assignments to raise student grades. One day, she said to me, "If you can find a way to get Student R's grade to an A before conferences, that would be nice so I won't have to hear from her parents". This really sticks out in my mind, because I don't believe in this system at all. Assessment should not be based on trying to get all students to an A level, it should be fair and challenging so that the kids will really learn. I believe some of these cupcake assignments that we have given have helped the students some, but not as much as we could be.
Suggestions? Many of these issues are behaviors that have been practiced obviously years, because she is a veteran teacher. I hope that when reading this you don't think this is an attack, but just my way of finding inconsistencies in my classroom. Thanks and I hope I get some great advice!
Spencer
Spencer,
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me of something I forgot to blog about. I've noticed the grading procedures are not always consistent as well. I've come to realize that you do have to make some adjustments for students who are chronically absent or tardy. I just finished a week-long PowerPoint presentation project in which the students had partners. They had to research a reform movement or reformer and then give a presentation. I'm still trying to figure out how to assign grades to partners who were absent on some days and didn't put as much work into the project. I think while we need to be understanding, it is important not to show favoritism towards students. If you give an extension for a student A under a specific circumstance, you should give an extension to student B for a similar circumstance. My CT's rarely give extra credit assignments to students but if a student approaches them and wants to put forth extra effort, they sometimes make an exception. I just feel like it would be more fair if teachers give extra credit assignments to the whole class every once in awhile. However, those extra credit assignments should be challenging.
Perhaps you could make a list of common reasons students ask for extensions and address those with your students. You could outline a policy for each and clearly state how those situations will be handled. If students know ahead of time, then perhaps that will make it easier for everyone.
Hi, Spencer.
ReplyDeleteI did some research on this topic because I've had somewhat of a similar problem in my classroom.
http://712educators.about.com/od/classroomhelpers/a/Late_Work.htm
Check out this website and ask yourself the listed questions.
Also, there are a couple strategies I plan to use in my classroom next year:
1. Late work extension application. For large assignments, have students fill out a simple form that requires a reason for why they want an extension. Not only will this help you decide if the student is worthy of an extension, but it will also teach the students a life skill.
2. Make-up work forms. For smaller, assignments, have a make-up/late work basket with forms nearby. The forms should have students explain why the assignment is being made up or late.
I hope this helps, Spencer!
Take care,
Sarah