At Maryville , it
seems like the math department has decided that the students’ grades come from
small homework assignments, 2 quizzes, and one test for each chapter. I don’t
know if all math teachers assess in this specific way but as far as I’ve seen
that is basically the rule. I know some teachers do not grade homework but
instead have homework quizzes or some combination of taking up homework and
homework quizzes. I haven’t seen many different ways for assessments. In our
class, homework is used more as practice and as a way to boost grades (if the
students actually do it). We accept the homework as a packet on quiz days. Its
purpose is not to assess; however, we do receive some ideas for formative
assessment when we answer homework questions. The quizzes serve as formative
assessments because it allows us to see what they are struggling with before we
reach the end of the chapter. Our chapter tests serve as a summative assessment
for each chapter. They also have a midterm and a final.
One issue that seems to come up is when students make small
errors on their tests or quizzes that cause them to receive a bad grade. We
have one student who for the first two chapters did not seem to understand a
lot of what we did, did not turn in his homework, and failed the quizzes and
tests. He was failing the class with a low 60. I don’t know if he realized he
needed to step up or if his parents took action but he started working very
hard over the next two chapters. He asked a lot of questions when he didn’t
understand, he had most of his homework completed, and he was coming in early
for extra help. It was clear that he still was struggling a little but he was
definitely a lot better off than the beginning of the semester. In one section,
he was thriving when a lot of his peers did not understand. However, when it
came time to take the test he made so many small errors that caused him to fail
the test. We gave him a lot of partial credit because it was clear that he knew
a lot of the material, but all of his small errors still added up.
It’s hard in these situations because he is definitely
improving but he is still making enough errors that his grade will not be
raised high enough for him to pass. He still has a chance to raise his grade by
the end of the semester but it is disheartening that his hard work is not
reflected in his grade. Thankfully next week during fall break they have
remediation days that will give him a chance to improve his grade.
I think that next semester, I may change the way we accept
homework. I like the idea of letting students get a chance to ask questions
over the homework they don’t understand but I want to take up homework more
regularly to keep the students more accountable and to use it more as a
formative assessment.
I like all of your ideas. I especially like the idea of keeping kids accountable for their homework on a more regular basis. It's hard to answer homework questions if the kids aren't doing the homework!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you homework should be taken up or looked at on a frequent basis.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a great point that his hard work is not shown in his grade. We had a discussion in my Ed. Psych. Class about should effort be included in grades. It's an interesting debate!
DeleteGiving the opportunity for students to ask questions after some of the homework assignments is a good idea. I think that homework should be treated as an effort grade rather than an accuracy grade because you want them to really try out their ideas but still value getting the correct answer by following the correct sequence of steps. Accountability and responsibility are two key aspects of homework. The students need to know that they are the ones who are responsible for asking questions, but the teacher needs to give an opportunity to ask them.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about homework. So many students just don't do it. They need to be held accountable.
ReplyDeleteYes, the assessments you and other bring up are "typical." What are formative assessments that you/mentor teacher use?
ReplyDeleteWe often have our students write on their desks or white boards with dry erase markers. Also, the students work in groups to check their homework, if they have questions we talk about it together as a class. This gives us a good idea of what concepts they are struggling with.
ReplyDelete