It is not too often that we have an opportunity to see our norms about evaluation in high relief. One such opportunity was recently presented by an article in the Marin Independent Journal. The article reports on the controversy stirred up over a new approach to evaluating student performance recently adopted in several Marin County middle schools.
The schools have moved from the A to F grading system that most of us take for granted and instead are using what they term “standards-based grading” that reports on student performance in terms of levels of proficiency such as “emerging,” “approaching,” or “proficient. This new system was recently the subject of a parent survey and the results were discussed at the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District board meeting.
The article presents the various sides in the controversy with some opposed and others pointing out the benefits of the new system. The article includes video clips of comments by a parent, a principal, and a teacher. This is a great case for discussion of the assumptions we hold about grading in general.
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