California Educator

MAY 2010

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LEFT: Student Nancy Penaloza at Temecula Valley High. Susan Bornhurst, a first-grade teach- er at La Cañada Elementary, believes that flaws with the state standards also are reflected in standards-based report cards, which she describes as “a mile wide and an inch deep.” “Some of the standards on report cards we cover too broadly; some are too vague; some are broken down too much; and others are left out complete- ly,” she says. “I don’t really like it and think we need to look at standards- based report cards more carefully.” When schools go to standards-based report cards that mirror testing results, it can be more difficult for students to raise their grades through traditional avenues such as extra credit, homework and class participation. Parents may be mystified as to how their child com- pares with his or her classmates. While standards-based grades are increasing in elementary schools, high schools don’t use them, since college accep- tance is usually based on a student’s grade point average. Should Schools be more consistent in grading students? Some universities, including Stanford Law School, Yale University and UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, have dropped letter grades and shifted to other forms of evaluation, such as “honors,” “pass,” “restricted credit” or “no credit.” The goal is to eliminate students from “class shopping” or choosing teachers known for being easier on grading. Some schools, like UC Santa Cruz, have abandoned the “pass/fail” system and brought back traditional grades. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that Douglas Reeves, an expert on grading systems, conducted an experiment that demonstrated how subjective grading can be. He asked more than 10,000 educators in the United States, Australia, Canada and South America to determine a final semester grade for Beaumont Teachers Association member and 10th-grade English teacher Jessica Breed at Beaumont High School.

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