Re: Grading Students

[Roger Key <roger.key@onet.co.uk>]

Hi All,
There seems to be a number of points here.  First off we are working 
in a prescriptive environment that says you judge a student this way. 
(assessment, exam etc)  and then you grade them.  This allows others 
to judge their competence.

Issues.  Judgement without justification.  What is the justification 
for the grading?  Is it based on one data point?  Usually students do 
one assignment and one exam per subject, topic etc. so variation 
calls a caution here.  Also we are assessing the ability to do exams 
or write assignments. - I am an A grade student but a bloody awful 
doctor....  However as the worker in that environment we have to 
comply or lose our job.  DrD was in the fortunate position of being 
able to stick to his 'guns' and not get the shove.  (or so I 
understand).  The big thing in here though is that YOU judge THEM.

Grading is not necessarily a bad thing - I am taller than Jim C. 
Thus it may be better for me to travel in the front of the car and 
Jim up back.  Myron knows more about physics than I do, I would be 
foolish to pretend otherwise.  These are judgements, based on sound 
data, that I am making.

Competency matrix.  I think most of us would be happy with a 
competency matrix.  I can self assess my ability on a particular 
skill or competency.  Mopefully in establishing the matrix we would 
have established a method for assessing my judgement.  I can look at 
a matrix for a class and see who is "better" than I at a particular 
element and possibly use them a s a resource to get up there myself. 
- Exam may take place in this - or not.

I met a teacher from the US a few years back who was teaching 
science.  He had issue with exams and SAT tests etc, but they were 
the nature of his job.  His answer was to accept that which he could 
not change and try to make it work to his advantage.  EG the State 
had identifued 100 fact that the children should "know" by the end of 
the year.  This was supposed to be the basis of the curriculum.  Jeff 
used this as a basis of assessing how the kids were doing and how he 
was doing.  Each week they would have a 'test' of 10 questions. 
These were random however in that they had a 100 sided die - or two 
10 sided - and these identified the 'fact' that Jeff would ask a 
question around.  The kids quickly learn that "I do not know" is a 
valid answer as they would be tested on subjects that they had yet to 
cover.  However Jeff could identify from this topics that he did not 
need to cover as the kids knew it already, topics that he had to 
re-cover because learning had not occoured etc.  Each week the kids 
could plot their scores on a run chart - soo to become a control 
chart, learn about variation etc etc.  Turns out that Jeff did not 
need the whole year to cover the curriculum, students who were 
struggling could seek help from other students etc.  Along with 
Myron's approach of asking the students how they want to identify 
what they know / have learnt etc I think this pays dividends.

Back to the Student in question.  Both he and Steven are being let 
down by the system.  The student because there is no support for 
learning and Steven because of the rubbish he has to work with.

Personally I would fail the student simply because of the cheating - 
which is a perfect outcome in itself.  However if I could I would 
fail the student without telling anyone other than the student - 
allowing him the option of reworking and playing the game. - this is 
a broken system.  I would then seek to see if there was a better way 
of helping students assess their own abilities in the future - and if 
forced to grade against this.

Final thought - if we made use of competency matrices and 
verification should a student who does not have a degree but can show 
that they meet the criteria on all competencys be given that degree 
without any further ado?  I think so.
-- 

	Roger.

---------------------------------oooOOOooo--------------------------------------Roger 
C. Key 				 mailto:roger.key@onet.co.uk
Prescient - The Whole as One
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