Re: Justification for the SAT

[Stephen McGinnis <Nanodev@AOL.COM>]

In a message dated 9/1/01 1:19:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
judih@OUSD.K12.CA.US writes:

> the whole question of grades is a can of worms. IF we could all
>  agree---which I don;t think we could---then PERHAPS a more "meaningful"
>  grade would make sense. For the time being, each of us must act alone,
>  whether we like to admit it or not.
>      when I give grades, I think first of the immediate effect on the
>  student, and secondly of the effect it will have on the parent and whether
>  it will result in harm to the student; I also think about how it will
"look"
>  on my student's transcript.
>      If giving a "good" grade reinforces good habits, I give it. To me, good
>  grades have to do with effort, perseverence, respect for self and others,
>  willingness to struggle, increased confidence, etc. I do not give "tests"
>  per se, and have NEVER been disappointed by ANY of my students in the sense
>  that my "inflated" grades harmed them. On the contrary, thre have been
>  teachers (actually only one) who gave out C's, D's and F's which seriously
>  harmed low income African American and Latino students. My students have
>  learned that it's the day-to-day  experience of learning that's important,
>  not the grades.  I also use a kind of rubric that is individualized and
>  supportive of each student's efforts.
>      I would welcome a national 3-5 point rubric that we could use and the
>  students could, too.
>  Judi
>

I agree with what you are saying.  One of the fundamental problems with
grades is that we are allowing a single letter (or number) to try to convey
too many different things - did the student try hard?, did they learn?, what
is their potential in this subject?, did they behave?, and probably many more
things.  One possible interim solution may be to use multiple grades to break
down these specific questions.

Sincerely,

Steve McGinnis

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