Classroom Advice for New Teachers by Jeff Julian

Author:Jeff Julian
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781475849127
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

LESSON:

Scoring

When you create a test, you need to calculate the value of each section. That information should be shared with your students before your test so that they know the relative importance of each section of material and can arrange their studying priorities accordingly. For sections of any assessment that are not objective, and therefore require judgment on your part, you’ll need to create a rubric. This is a guide that shows the qualities that need to be present in the essay, project, or performance, along with the potential point values for each of those qualities.

If those aspects of the essay are not met to their full potential, a descending list of point values shows the characteristics associated with each less-than-perfect score. Again, your students need to be in possession of the rubric before they take the assessment so that they are aware of the qualities and characteristics on which they are being scored. Refer carefully to the rubric while scoring, because it will help you avoid bias when completing any subjective assigning of grades.

Late work should always be penalized in some manner, because it is important to reinforce punctuality as a life skill. It is also important to respect the effort and sacrifice for the students who did whatever was necessary to complete the assignment on time. Many of them had extracurricular activities and other commitments they had to prioritize in order to complete your assignment and failing to take that into account is insulting, demoralizing, and a disincentive for their continued diligence.

However, you should avoid giving an immediate loss of all credit. To the unmotivated student, this absolves him or her of all responsibility after the initial due date. It also causes a catastrophic effect on a student’s average that can be nearly impossible to overcome, which then reinforces a sense of futility in a student who may already feel disconnected with the school and who is already reluctant to make any effort to complete work.

A better approach is to create a descending scale of credit for the timely submission of work. This can be part of your rubric, and it should be known to all your students from the first day. The best way to accomplish this is to list it on your grading policy that you distribute to all students on the first day. The incremental loss of points gives the students an opportunity to complete the work while still rewarding the students who completed it on time. Complete loss of credit should only be given to an assignment that is still not turned in after the descending point values have been exhausted.

The loss of hope is a powerful force that takes away a student’s motivation and often leads to dropping out of school entirely. As a teacher, you’ll want to be aware of this phenomenon and do everything in your power to preserve a pathway for every student to achieve success.

Never give up hope for any student, and never let any student lose the prospect of success.

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