A point should be easy to explain, and when a student can get part of the answer correct, they should get partial points. But with the points based system, the instructor again has to bend to the grade book in order to make the points work out to their pre-determined final grade total.
The Learning Management tool Brightspace for Pellissippi State has tools to show a student how the final grade is computed. Here are the instructions from Educational Technology Services on setting up a gradebook.
For more detailed instructions, see the Brightspace documentation on Assess and Grade Learners. The master syllabi state the weight or percentage of all assessments required for a course, so it just makes sense to use the Weighted grade book. All you have to do is decide on the categories, and what percentage of those categories equal.
It is best to make all items in a category worth the same amount, so you may want to break down the syllabi categories a bit more in order to do this. Yes, there are point items in weighted grade categories, because you're still going to be grading the individual items, and hopefully using a rubric to assign what equals full points and what equals partial points.
But the cool thing is, I can change the Weight of a particular category, without changing the points of the items. I can also eliminate an item in a category, say because there's a snow day and students can't take the weekly quiz, without messing up the grade book. I just eliminate the quiz. The category still has the same weight, whether there's one less quiz or not.
One of options you can offer your students is to drop the lowest scored item or items in a category. That wouldn't make sense or be fair to do if the items were worth different point values.
Cancel reply. Close Menu. Submit Search. Opinions Weighted grades do more harm than good. Winston Churchill High School. Navigate Left. Navigate Right. The Observer. Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter. Share via Email. Search Submit Search. Activate Search. Scroll to Top. Close Modal Window. It simply does not seem fair. How did you do that again? Another issue with weighting grades is the math behind it.
Now if the teachers and counselors are a little unclear about it can you guess how many students know how to calculate their grades? Yep — shockingly low. You bet they should. Transparency within school is key to its success. Solutions The first thing to do is take weighted grades and dump them at the beginning of the next school year. Just dump them man — get rid of them. Then move to a point only system. Here you can have a few a choices of how to deal with points but it boils down to good planning.
They have to create assignments, assessments, projects, whatever but it must total points. This forces the teacher s to plan carefully, thoughtfully and make sure that no entry can overpower another entry. That way everyone knows — without asking- how the grade is calculate. Just add up all the points and divide by Simple for admin, parents and students. Teachers like the freedom to evaluate and change their course on the fly as they needs arise.
These are legitimate concerns but it does give a solid structure that gives the teachers. Another argument against this is that there are some classes where it may be difficult to work 1, points such as drama, music or art classes were performance and long term projects are the norm. Another possibility is to give some freedom but with a tiny catch. Allow teachers to use a point only system but allow them to come up with what the final number of points will be.
Transparency is key here. I teach middle school technology and love to play around with tech and teach students and colleagues alike. You can read my blog at www.
I am a veteran teacher who has traditionally used a weighted system. Not out of laziness, or any kind of effort to obfuscate the facts on who is mastering the content of the course, but in a sincere desire to be fair to the students I am teaching. I work in alternative settings, where basic skills cannot be assumed, are indeed usually woefully behind, and where full participation is key to their bringing their skills up and to become as commensurate as possible with their peers.
I have never been completely wedded to it, and I am always acutely aware of how multitudinous factors can influence performance as well as scoring, but I have used it because it seems the fairest approach. I also use normalized scoring for classwork, with everything graded on a 4-point scale, the requirements made clear at every step for what a 3 is at least minimum passing score.
I also regularly show students examples of 2s, 3s, and 4s, so they have a reference point for their own work and effort. I definitely can understand and explain a weighted system; I have passed Calculus, after all. However, I always know it is not a perfect system, and I do make adjustments when I see discrepancies between what I observe in a student and what their grades are.
I am not above alternate grading schemes for special cases, either learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, etc. I found your post just now while continuing to try to address this dilemma. I am intrigued by your idea, but I am wondering what you make of my response? Thank you so much for this explanation.
0コメント