Grading Thoughts Pt 4 or so - Nov 14

As negotiated I created grades based 50% on class work and 50% on assignments. The assignments I graded are below and were graded according to the “General Rubric” that emphasizes insight and also careful revision. The class work was graded (unscientifically) based on the rubric I provided, which emphasizes having notebook out for review, nurturing your own questions and interests related to the class, being present and on time, and participating constructively in groups and whole class efforts.

Assignments – Both Courses:
Video & Writing Project 1 (x2)
Responses to VWP1
Other Peoples’ Perspectives

Additional AWOL Assignments:
I Pencil Summary, Quotes, Analysis

Additional LDH2NBMeaningless Assignments:
Music Video Analysis
Music Video Analysis Responses (1/2)

I was able to accurately construct high grades for some students (top was 98%) – with a handful of As. A second hands and toes batch of students had done all the work but not necessarily always consistently excellent and ended up with something between 75%-89%. Some students managed to pass without having done all the assignments (65%-74%). And some students were pretty close to passing based on having done well on a couple assignments or done poorly on a number. And some students published no work and failed by a large margin (36% was the low). In all more than 40% of students failed the course, pretty even by gender and I’ve not analyzed race and class – and this is roughly true of Jeremy Copeland’s class too.

There are two major alternatives for dealing with these grades to address the large numbers of students who failed. The first is that the teachers could lower expectations, and just pass everyone who shows up and doesn’t mess up the discussions, and so on. A person who used to teach at SOF called this “a gentlemen’s 65”. The other alternative is that the 40% of failing students lift their effort and get work done and try to learn as much as they can.
I’ve chosen, for my courses, the second option. SOF is aiming to be one of the best schools in the city along with Bard & Beacon & Baruch, for each of the students who is here roughly 9 students applied for their seat. We prepare all students for college and for completing intellectually challenging exhibitions. If you’re not willing or able to do work you should at least consider transferring to a school where you can be more successful.

Specific Questions:
What if I think my grade is unfair?
You’re entitled to appeal any specific assignment grade that you feel is off by 2 or more points. In other words if you got a 7 but believe you deserve a 10 you can appeal. But you can’t appeal if you think the score is off by 1-2 points. In general if you think a score is too low its probably a sign you should re-read the assignment and the rubric. There are no appeals of the class work scores.

How will these quarter grades affect my semester grade?
I will average the two quarter grades, perhaps with an extra “mid-term” final grade, to compute your semester grade. That will be an average of your exact score – and if you failed the quarter it will be with your actual 63% or actual 36%. I will make one exception to the strict averaging – I plan to allow students who earn above a 90% (and only those students) in the second quarter to do an extra credit project to offset the potentially lower first quarter grade.

But this isn’t fair, is it?
No, I don’t think grades tend to be fair or particularly helpful. We’ve talked about that. But what grades you are given will be at least accurate to the best of my ability.

But I had technological problems, that’s not fair!
There was class time, computer lab time, and plenty of help available. Computers and the internet are available at every public library and in many other locations as well. It is your job to solve problems that hinder your learning, not to use them as excuses for not learning.

If I want to talk to you about my grades what should I do?
You should write a polite and detailed email that states what you see as the problem, include your scores as of the mid-October grades, and seek to propose a clear and fair and just solution. My email address is at the bottom of the UTFL.net page.