Chapter 7: The Relative Nature of Grades and Their Definitions

Chapter seven focused on grading and how I plan to do it. A grade is not a good indicator of how much a student knows, it is simply a letter or number on the test. By giving out grades on having no formative assessments, students will never receive the feedback that makes them a stronger learner, nor will the teacher know how well he/she is doing. The shift in grade expectation was really interesting to me because it represents a change in ideals. Students are expected to achieve higher so “C’s” are no longer average but poor. “B’s” are the averages now and this is plain to see in students today. I can remember talking with students who felt that receiving a “C” was just as bad as failing. Students need the feedback that comes with more formative assessments. I plan on giving out tests which are summative, but also a lot of formative assignments that will show what the students need to work on and what I need to make more clear in the section.