DI/ UbD Ch 8

Abstract:
The primary goal of grading is to communicate feedback that supports and encourages learner success. Student variability should be viewed as a natural and positive aspect of working with youth; teachers should notice these variances and grade accordingly. A grade should represent a definable degree of proficiency using valid evidence. For this reason, grades and assessments are not the same, since assessments focus on gathering information about students to guide instruction. What a student learns is more important than when he or she learned it. Final grades should give a clear measure of achievement, with other factors measured separately so that a student knows how they meet actual learning goals and standards.

Reflection:
It is valuable for students to get grades that are determined rather than calculated. If our judgments are validly guided by the goals stated in our backwards plan, then they can be defended as fair. We want our students to achieve at the highest standards, forming a J-shaped curve vs. a bell shaped curve. Since schools are so competitive, we want our grades to truly reflect our students.