In Educ 280, we were asked to answer this question:
What is your stand about grades? Do you believe in numerical grades? Do you think there are other ways to go about documenting or giving feedback to parents regarding the progress of their children?
My answer:
Benjamin Bloom defines evaluation as the systematic collection of evidence to determine whether in fact certain changes are taking place in the learner as well as to determine the amount or degree of change in individual students. This definition points to two aspects of evaluation: quantitative, which basically refers to gathering data about student’s learning via test scores, and qualitative, the judgment as to the acceptability or non-acceptability of the learning level based on present standards. Quantitative then implies measurement, where as qualitative implies valuation. For evaluation then to be highly effective, it should be both a tool for measurement and valuation.
Hence, we cannot discount the importance of grades as evidences of learning. In our educational system, grades play a vital role in determining how a student performed in school. Filipino families, in particular, seem to regard numerical grades highly, as if, they are the sole indicators of their children’s academic potentialities. According to Dr. Jesus Palma, one of the marks of a good school and good teaching is a well thought out examination and grading system. In a credentials-oriented society like ours, students’ futures and careers seem to rely largely on grades. However, evaluation should not be solely quantitative. For one, many factors can affect student performance during test-taking. For example, a learner’s present state of mind, mood, or emotional state. Also, some teachers may fall into the trap of standard shifts- like a grade of 99 may mean different for a teacher who gives this grade to just about everybody than a grade of 99 given by a teacher who will make your nose bleed for it. I remembered how passionate I was with my Statistics class in MA. I was actively engaging in discussions and reports. I was even helping out some of my classmates understand the concepts that the teacher failed to expound. According to him, since we were in MA, it is assumed that we know the basics already and thus, should not be reiterated anymore. So basically, I was the one who patiently tutored my classmates. Then, the class cards arrived. To my horror, all of us got a grade of 1.25! I am not a grade-conscious individual but in my heart, I knew that this was screaming foul! I sought for an explanation… I mean, we were having statistics so our grades should at least been normally distributed. My performance in his class was way beyond 1.25. I got really upset but according to him, it was my choice to help out my classmates not his, and it was the grade we all deserved. What kind of an answer is that! That is why, as a teacher, I vowed to be as objective and fair as I can be. There are plenty of means to assess student performance. It is imperative that numerical grades be complemented by quantitative means such as:performance assessments, portfolio assessments, student participation in class, narratives or anecdotal reports, worksheet or task completion, interviews from other teachers, and so on and so forth. However, since paper-and-pencil tests are tangible measurements of performance, teachers should be very keen and careful when it comes to assessment of performance. It is not a wild guessing game.
anyway,...