Case
Comparative grades

Mr. Gibson sets up his syllabus to give the top flute player a 100, 2nd place a 98, 3rd place a 96, etc... While this percentage of mastery is not a 96%, it is the grade on every playing assessment for the 3rd place flute girl. Is this way of assessing valid? How does this apply to a teacher grading essays and then applying a curve?

Posted on: 10/14/14 | Views: 773
Solution #1
This is not a valid assessment. As teachers we assess the individual not the class. It should be possible for every students to show mastery and receive a 100% on the assessment. I also do not agree with applying a curve to an assessment. If the class does not do well as a whole we should throw it out and remediate, not just curve the grade and move on.

I feel that this is comparing students as well. I completely agree with the person who responded prior to this. This is an individual assessment, not a class assessment. The only time I feel that a curve is appropriate is when a curve is given based off of an incorrect problem or very difficult problem that most students answer. If the entire class did not score well, then the teacher should reteach.

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Solution #2
While I somewhat see the logic of the band director in his grading, it definitely is not a fair assessment of the students. Each playing assessment should be graded following a rubric or set grading guideline (i.e. a certain number of notes correctly played or correct handling of the instrument). Grading simply based on the chair they sit in is not an effective assessment. Each student should be given the opportunity to play and earn a better placement based on their performance. If the students understand that a set grade is given based on the chair that they sit, they may become complacent and not attempt to work harder.

I also feel that a rubric would bring validity to the grading. I understand that band class is very different than assessing students on more of an academic performance level, but comparative grading seems unfair in many ways. However, I can also see that it would make students more competitive and competition can lead to students working harder.

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