As a future educator, I know that I understand the purpose and need for grading objectively. To grade every student on the same basis, by the same standards, and to have them strive to meet the same goals is what I assume to be the “right” way to grade. With that said, I’ve always wondered – What about the things that have to be graded subjectively? To write a paper, give a speech or… write a blog post are all activities that lend themselves to subjective grading.
The different types and methods of assessment explained in Chapter 9 of Flint were very helpful. I especially enjoyed learning about Code Breaking & Text Participant as forms of assessment. Code Breaking describes how to assess learners on their abilities to decode, spell and understand patterns in the text. With this, it is obvious that knowledge and skills are being assessed and measured. From these measurements, teachers can grasp what level their students are on, and therefore determine how to best move forward. Text Participant, on the other hand, allows students to have multiple correct answers, or strategies for interacting with a text. I really like the excerpt from the text on page 283 that says “a more productive way to think about comprehension and students’ understandings of text is to consider the plausibility of a reader’s interpretation.” I think this is a great resource for assessing students and their work.
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I completely agree with your statement about subjective grading. I think that all grading can be subjective if one does not think about the use of the grading from the beginning. Having different types and forms of grading are ways that you can make sure that all grading is objective and the best interest of the student is in mind. There are many ways to grade and I think that the school of education has done a great job helping us learn and experience the use of rubrics. The rubrics are one way that we are able to serve all students and let them succeed within the education system.
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteLike Cara I definitely think the idea of "subjective" grade is what keeps teachers from using formative assessments like portfolios. These types of assessments are subjective in the way they approach an student's progress - as it based on a series of work pieces instead of one individual piece of work with a rubric/grade.
As always, while I see the benefits of formative assessment, I realize that summative assessment is necessary at certain times to be able to compare students/schools/districts/etc.
Good Post -
Melissa