Grading

One of the things I've struggled with the past few year of using Carnegie is how to grade the lab. I know that this is a very sensitive subject with a lot of teachers. Each seems to have their own way and will argue to the death to defend why it is the best.

This summer when I was working with a group of teachers at initial implementation training they wanted me to tell them the "right" way of grading the lab. Some of them had been using Carnegie before and they were convinced that since I was a trainer I must know the correct answer. I explained to them that each teacher has to find what works for them and showed them the various examples from the implementation handbook.

I've always struggled with how to grade when students are supposed to be working at their own pace. In the past I looked at how many skills students mastered in a section and how their progress compared to the other students in my class. Then I decided to start adding time on the tutor to their grade. This seemed to work better for me but did not seem to motivate my students to stay on task in the lab. My students did not seem to progress quickly enough and even my best students ended the year in section 20 - 25 (only about 1/2 through the software).

This year I decided to use a modified version of the grading rubric that Kasey Bratcher has posted in the resource center (and is also available in the initial implementation guide). The rubric takes into account student behavior, time, problems completed and progression through the software. I love that students are being held responsible for their behavior and it seems to be motivating my students to work harder in the lab. I also like that students who are not progressing as quickly can still score well as long as their behavior and time on task are appropriate. While I've still be playing with the number of problems students are required to complete and the number of sections that need to be completed this has greatly improved my ability to give a grade that reflects what the student is doing in the lab. I also like that the rubric can be shown to parents to explain how their grade is calculated and I hope that eventually I can train my students to grade themselves.

While this grading method might not work for everyone it has been working for me. Thanks Kasey for sharing your expertise!