Chapter Thirteen

Testing is a way to asses learning. It is a great way to see what is sinking in and whether the nature of your teaching is effective. Using it in a way that tells you what the students already know as well as what they need to know is a good way to inform you of where to start so that you are not below or above the level which the students are currently sitting. I believe that grading is necessary in the older grades but not in the younger grades. There are so many things which they are being taught and shown and re-taught that they are still at the beginning of learning how to learn. All of the basics are building with practice and guidance and some people just do not pick up on them as quickly as others. To grade a student before they have had a chance to find their legs may just pigeon hole them before they even know what a pigeon hole is. Why begin a prophecy which may one day be self-fulfilled?

The other way to look at grading as a way to communicate with the family at home regarding how a student is doing in the class. There are better ways to do this than to assign a letter (or number) to their name and call it a day. One way is the Triad conferences where the student takes their parent(s) around the class/school and show them what they have been doing and what they have learned. The teacher is also available at this time to talk with the parents regarding any issues or questions that either party has. Notes home in agendas are a quick way to communicate as well and do not have the stigma attached to grades.

As it is expected of the teacher to assign grades, I will. This I have a very hard time doing though for the reason stated above. I would prefer to discuss how a student is increasing in the skills at hand and whether there are any concerns but beyond that, I would prefer to share anecdotes of what is happening in this student's school life. Are they being vocal in their opinions? Are the opinions well thought out or still surface reflex responses. In the older grades, I would also like to include self-assessment and meta-cognition as a part of assessing the students in their learning. having them write a September piece then a December piece and have them compare the two a little later on in the year.

A grading plan for my class (given the choice) would be a co-operative piece. It would have my assessment of how the student is doing in each of the subjects. Whether they are showing an understanding of the concepts at hand or whether they need a little more assistance in the area yet. It would be based on:
- E : Expert - has mastered the mateial at hand and is ready for the next level.
- J : Journeyman - is gaining the knowledge needed but is not yet proficient at this level.
- N : Novice - has the basics but still struggling.
- N/A : Not Applicable
these 'grades' would be accompanied by an explanation/anecdote sharing why this grade was given. The second part of the grading plan would be completed by the student sharing how they think that they are doing in each of the subjects. depending on the grade, it could be as simple as circling the face which they feel is appropriate to answering in question form how they feel they are doing.