Allison M.

Hawkins EPSY 485 DeLaRue December 17, 2012 EPSY 485 Final Exam Part One: Developing a Grading Plan 1) Grading Policy A. The course for which I am creating the grading policy is a sixth grade English/Language Arts classroom in a small urban environment. There are eight (8) units that span the entire academic school year, each unit ranging from 3-6 weeks in length. The shorter 3-week units involve the reading of short novels and a brief study of mythology in conjunction with origin myths from around the world. The longer units encompass the last unit on Literature Circles, which allows students to select a particular novel and read and discuss in a group of classmates, and units on the genres of short story and poetry. B. I will follow the golden rules of grading by implementing three basic components: (a) Do not give students zeros for missing work (b) Do not simply average all of the assignments throughout the course and give a grade, and (c) Do not assign an end-of-the-course assignment that will make or break students grades. Assigning students a zero on any assignment does not serve as a reinforcer to get work done more efficiently. Indeed, it only isolates struggling students and prevents the teacher from really finding out why work is not being completed. Secondly, teachers should be implementing various types of formative (some graded, some not graded) and summative assessments throughout the course so students can get feedback on non-graded assignments before they are actually tested on cumulative, summative exams or papers. Finally, the teacher must avoid assigning a major end of the course project as it leaves the success of too many students up to chance. C. The main purpose of this grading policy is to allow students to view assessment and grading not as a type of punishment, but as a medium through which they can gain feedback on their work and make adjustments accordingly. Proper grading systems should be put in place to aid student learning and to promote positive behavior in the classroom. Indeed, teachers who have clear-cut, well-established and communicated grading policies often have better grades overall and better classroom management. 2). Grading Components A. Types of assessment that would be incorporated into my grading procedures would be daily classroom assignments based off of the lesson demonstrated. However, depending on the content of the lesson, especially if it is particularly

difficult and will be reviewed several more times throughout the course of the semester, certain assignments will be looked over, but not recorded for a grade. This policy also extends to homework because while some homework assignments will be graded, others will just be collected for credit and/or collected so the teacher can gain a better understanding of achievement levels. Other graded assessments would be essays/writing assignments, any type of exam, and any type of summative unit project. I would not incorporate attendance or tardiness because rampant tardiness and absence is often another issue altogether and should be jointly addressed by the teacher and administration. I would rather address these issues on a more personal level with the student. However, because this is an English/Language Arts class, I would hope to incorporate assessment on affective factors like overall participation in class and attitude (being ready to learn and engage). While I think they are important components for an English classroom, I also think they are effective and EASY ways for students to boost their grade if they are struggling on more summative assessments. I would go about incorporating these affective factors by assigning them a percentage in my criterion-referenced grading (see below). Assessing students on some classroom and homework assignments is important because it not only rewards students for accessing information presented in a lesson, but also offers a data-driven example of student performance for the instructor. This data can then inform if information needs to be reviewed or if a particular topic is causing confusion for particular students. This data can also inform one-on-one help for students. Summative assessments like essays, projects, and unit tests are important to include in grading policies as they are, once again, data driven evidence of the successes and difficulties of particular students and for the entire unit, in general. Examining these assessments allows teachers to make instructional strategy changes. B. Homework/In-Class Assignment (40%): I chose to leave the most weight to this grade because it is based completely off class time. If students are actively utilizing class time, asking questions, and completing assignments, this grade should reflect that effort. Unit Tests/Writing Assignments (20%): I chose to weight both types of summative assessment at 20% because together they equal the weight of Homework/In-Class Assignments and, therefore, reflect the importance of cumulative knowledge gained. Unit Project (20%) (see above) Attitude (10%): As previously stated, I am including attitude and class participation because they reward students who are actively positive and engaged with the classroom and material. Class Participation (10%) (see above)

3) Grading Approach (Assigning Course Grades) I would approach assigning overall course grades with a criterion-referenced approach. This approach measures student performance against a previously established objective (i.e. criterion). I feel this is the most effective way to assign course grades because students are made aware of these percentages at the beginning of the course and will adjust their work habits based on particular weights. For example, if a class project was 75% of the grade, students would know to put more effort in this component, than homework. Also, I like having students aware of how they are being assessed from the minute they walk into my class. There should be no guessing or surprising when it comes to determining final grades. Part II: Motivation and Academic Performance If this district were to implement a pay-for-performance system for students, I would be wholeheartedly concerned. To begin with, the district needs to consider if they are simply desiring good grades or if they are desiring something much deeper perhaps a change in student habits, attitudes, instruction, etc. Instead of offering a temporary solution to simply getting a good letter grade, districts should spend the money on offering instructional strategies on more effective habits of assignment completion, attendance, and study skills. The pay-forperformance initiative completely devalues the concept of intrinsic motivation, as well. By only offering the extrinsic reward of money, students are bereft of the intrinsic sense of accomplishment and pride when getting a good grade or completing an assignment. These intrinsic motivators are often more powerful than monetary rewards. While one benefit of monetary rewards could be quickly arousing slumping students from his or her academic slumber, it only provides a temporary solution to the problem. For example, once a child has improved significantly, will the district continue to pay? Will a student get paid for every A and B? Or only As? And, where is all of this money coming from? Indeed, this system sends a complicated message to students as it puts them in the place of anticipating and expecting money for every task they complete, no matter how menial or complicated. It completely removes personal responsibility and self-determinism from the academic equation. Alternatives to this initiative would be to implement the aforementioned programs to promote better study skills and habits. Also, promoting career-readiness programs could also be helpful as it prepares students for specific jobs that need specific skills and proficiencies. Therefore, there is a clear goal and purpose for the schooling and students will see the value in this.

Part III: Communicating Student Performance to Parents Keeping in frequent contact with the parents/guardians of students is essential for a teachers success. While this communicating increasingly builds upon the organizational and instructional skills of the teacher, it also builds trust and rapport with parents and individualizes plans for student success. Regarding Margarets report card, she demonstrates clear strengths in science as both the academic, as well as participation and effort components garnered the highest grade (A-) on the report card. In math, Margaret actively completed daily problem sets, (many full credit given) and maintained relatively stable grades on tests to garner a valuable B+. However, Margaret seems to be struggling in both English and Social Studies. The lack of completion for her English journals coupled with low test scores and low participation/effort in both subject realms should allow for a more in-depth discussion. It is worth noting that Margaret seems to be struggling more with the two subjects that require the most reading comprehension and writing skill work. Indeed, while Margaret scored Below Standards for the English portion of the ISAT exam, she earned a score of 4 (the highest) on her ISAT extended response, which involves composing a written answer to a question. Therefore, this would indicate that Maggies reading comprehension or decoding may be causing this lack in performance, while her writing is clearly an asset and strength. Similarly, Margarets science and math scores coordinated with her report card in that she was Exceeding Standards in Science and Meeting Standards for Math. One discrepancy noted was Margarets success in multiple choice math questions, but her difficulty in the math extended response. This may indicate that while she exceeds in writing in English, she may have trouble communicating mathematical processes. Overall conclusions regarding Margarets progress indicate that she has clear strengths in the math and science realms and should continue on communicating this knowledge through the written word. Regarding English and Social Studies, Margarets teachers should work to implement better reading comprehension strategies so she is able to keep up with the class and glean information efficiently. Teachers should play upon her writing skills in these classes and use them as an advantage to boost reading skills. One another concept to be noted is that Margarets participation and effort fluctuate depending upon the class she is in. Indeed, for Social Studies and English, (the two subjects in which she struggles the most) her motivation and effort were clearly lower than math and science. Therefore, teachers need to implement instructional strategies to boost confidence and ultimately, boost scores.