Chapter 14: Responsive Report Card Formats

This chapter addresses the poor format of the report card. After trying so hard to differentiate instruction for the students it seems inadequate to then simply send a report card home with a number or a letter grade. The best idea in this chapter is to write a note to the parents explaining how the child is doing. Even if there is not a section on the report card format, I think it would be very powerful to attach a note to every parent letting them know with some details how their child is doing. People are very protective of their children, instead of them simply seeing a number or a letter, they would have a written explanation about the grade. It seems like a lot of work for a teacher but really that is part of being a good teacher, dealing with parents, and it seems that dealing with them would be easier when they are kept in the loop about their child.

Chapter 13: Grade Book Formats for the Differentiated Classroom

This chapter talks about the importance of having an organized grade book in order to grade for mastery. While there were some different styles introduced, some more complex than necessary, I feel that the best way to organize the grade book is by date. Doing it any other way forces you to space out the grade book in such a way that there is room to add assignments that may get added later. Another important thing to remember is that a lot of schools have adopted the Power School program or some variation of it so the grades are all computerized. This is even more of a reason to keep the grade book in order by date, the computer can sort it the other ways if someone wants to see it set up differently.

Chapter 12: Grading Scales

This chapter argues that grades should be done on more specific terms than just a number between 1 and 100. This book prefers rubrics with clear expectations and smaller numbers. The issue I have with this in a math class is that it does not allow for partial credit. I have also seen a rubric system that has been used to the point where it is no longer effective. In the Air Force performance reports are based on a 1 through 5 rubric. The issue that comes from using rubrics to grade is that once you set the precedence of what student work is a 5, then you start flooding the system with equal work that is a 5. Eventually getting better work is overshadowed by the sheer numbers of people receiving 5’s. I know grading for learning has nothing to do with what other students did or did not do. However to keep a balanced approach in math, I believe that the grade needs to be a number based on procedure steps, and correct answers.

Chapter 10: Conditions for Redoing Work for Full Credit

Chapter 10 talks about key points to keep in mind when allowing students to redo an assignment. The worry is that students will begin to take advantage of the system and hand in partial work knowing that they will be given a chance to redo it later. That is why I will be implementing Dr. Grace’s system where the student can redo an assignment but they must first receive a tutoring session about the material and fix the questions they got wrong. After that they can redo an assignment. Students will not take advantage of a system like this because they will be required to put in effort. It doesn’t matter to me how many time a student completes an assignment, it will only help them understand the material and create a work ethic that will carry them a long way in the real world.

Chapter 9: Ten Approaches to Avoid When Differentiating Assessment and Grading

Chapter 9 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal lists ten things that should not be graded when assessing a student. A couple of the ideas that struck me as interesting are not to grade practice work or homework, do not allow extra credit, and redoing assignments or tests. In my classroom there will always be chances to redo their work. I will steal Dr. Grace’s idea that the student has to receive a tutoring session about the subject while fixing the questions they got wrong, and after that they can redo the assignment. On a point based system there won’t be a need for extra credit, it will simply be just handing in an assignment. You can get points for doing the work. That is not extra credit. That is the learning we are looking for from the student. The homework issue is a sensitive one; I am currently on the side of the argument that homework is not a necessary tool to teach students. I think that there are too many outside influences at home that it is unrealistic to expect all students to do the homework. Then the kids who cannot get work done at home are behind the reset of the class, not because they are not as smart, simply because they do not have the ability to do their homework. My thoughts might change when I actually teach and see how homework affects the ability to learn math, but for now I agree it should not be graded, and only assigned as optional practice.

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.

Chapter 7: The Relative Nature of Grades and Their Definitions

Chapter 7 discusses grades and the importance of laying out expectations clearly to the students. After the expectations have been clearly identified a teacher must fairly administer the grades to all students the same way. While there are different levels of learning it does not do the students any good to accept low quality work and give a good grade. This will only show the student that you don’t expect anything from them and they will not strive to grow. This is important in a math class because students need to try in math. It is not a subject that you can fake your way through, either you know the steps or you don’t. It will be my challenge to find a system that allows all levels of students to succeed at their own rate. That is why I like the point system. A student that is a “good” math student can get 50 points on one assignment while a “low” math student might do an assignment and a redo, or two assignments that combine for 50 points. They are not competing against each other; they are both simply trying to learn the material. It is such an absurd concept to me that some teachers will let socioeconomic status influence the grades they give. It will not matter in my classroom how much money your family has or doesn’t have, what color of skin you have, or what religion you are, the only things that will play into grades are effort and math.

Chapter 3: Principles of Successful Assessment in the Differentiated Classroom

This chapter is all about assessment. It introduces the idea that assessing at the end of a unit is not the best way to measure if students are learning the material because it is too late to help them. A lot of focus should be on formative assessment that will measure and help shape the learning as it is happening. This is important to my future math class because I do not want a bunch of tests on my desk with incorrect answers. If there are a lot of wrong answers on the end of unit test, then I have not done my job as the teacher assessing the class through the lesson. There is no reason to give a test if you know the students do not know the information.

Chapter 6: Creating Good Test Questions

This chapter of Fair Isn’t Always Equal addresses different types of test questions and offers advice of what formats work the best. It offers ideas like creating a question that is impossible to answer or not asking questions that are worded in a manner that makes it easy to misinterpret. There are many little tips that will be helpful in my class when I am creating a math test. I am against true and false questions because they can usually fall into the category of confusing wording. If a student only reads the end of the question and misses the “not” wording they have just missed a question that they probably knew. The overall message from this chapter is an important one; do not make confusing, unnecessary tests. I could not agree more.

Chapter 5: Tiering Assessments

This chapter shows us many ways that teachers can adjust their assignments so all students can complete the task. The term tiering is used to describe the adjustments that need to be made for some students. A couple important things to remember is that not all tasks will need to be tiered and teachers should not pre-tier their students because there are not permanently defined groups. The area of this chapter that I will use in my class will be the learning menu. I think giving students the choice from assignments will give them a sense of ownership to what they are doing. Instead of forcing everyone to complete the same math problems, there is nothing wrong with having some students working from the book, some doing a worksheet, and some creating their own math problems. I will be using learning menus in my class.

Chapter 4: Three Important Types of Assessment

Chapter four details three types of assessment that can be used instead of standardized tests. The three types of alternate assessments are student portfolios, rubrics, and self assessments. In math class I think a student portfolio would work great. You could see the change in the students work through the units and over the course of a year. You could really track the difference in understanding by assessing their entire body of work. Rubrics and self assessment would also be good tools but I think the motivation to self assess would be low with some math students and a rubric will not always be practical with math work.

Chapter 2: Mastery

This chapter debates what it means for a student to master subject matter. It is not enough for a student just to answer some questions or do well on a standardized test. In order to master a subject a student should be able to demonstrate the six facets of understanding. It is not limited to the students either; teachers need to continue to ask themselves what it means to have mastered their subject. This is important to me as a future teacher so I do not accept a correct math answer as an indicator that the student fully understands the concepts. I want to develop different types of assignments that allow students multiple ways to show me that they understand what they are doing in class.

Chapter 1: The Differentiated Instruction Mind Set

This chapter is an overview of what differentiated instruction means in a classroom. To summarize, it means providing the necessary accommodations to every student so they can learn. This chapter actually reminds the reader that by a classroom being a differentiated environment it is preparing a student better for the real world. In fact when the child moves on to his/her job they will be working in a differentiated manner. This is important to remember when I am teaching because it is not second nature for me yet. I find myself wondering if it is fair to do something for one student but not others. When I think about it I know that a teacher only provides what each student needs, they are not providing a cheat sheet to the information. It turns out that differentiating is not cheating for a student; in fact it is cheating a student out of an education if they do not receive differentiated instruction when needed.