Chapter 8: Why Do We Grade, and What About Effort, Attendance, and Behavior?

This chapter looks into other areas that could impact a student’s grade. The idea behind the grading system is to rate the mastery of the material, not to include things like participation, attendance or behavior. That is where I think the school system is starting to fail society. Students are becoming less and less responsible for their actions. No one is holding the children to any standards, other than those on a standardized test or a letter grade in class. In my class there will be an “Act like an Adult” grade. I think coming to class prepared, not disrupting your classmates, and being willing to try are small things to ask of students that should contribute to an overall grade. With so many students not finishing high school and of the ones that do finish few are continuing on to college, it is important to expect the students to act like adults in high school. I do not believe you have to go to college to be successful in life, but I feel strongly that you must be able to act like a functioning member of society. Teachers can be key players in shaping the students into adults.