An opinion piece by JESSY SIEGMANN
Students frequently feel concerned about perceived disparities in grading policies for the same course. They claim that there are often different grading guidelines and opportunities provided for students in courses taught by different instructors. After reviewing these claims and investigating the issue, I feel that fairness in grading does not mean that everything needs to be equal, yet compromises among teachers is recommended when deciding on weighting assessments and providing extra credit.
A universal grading policy among sections of the same course would mean that students are held to the same standards and receive the same assessments which are graded in the same way.
Junior Haley S. believes in a universal grading policy. She said, “I think it’s necessary to mandate a universal policy in grading. There have been a variety of courses where I’m putting in the same, if not more, effort than my peers in other classes that are getting better grades than I am solely based upon the teacher’s grading policies.”
Some students who take the same course taught by different teachers are frustrated that their teachers do not grade the same way. I have also felt that frustration, as it is discouraging when students in another class report receiving extra credit or that their tests carry less weight in the final grade.
Students feel this difference is important when a college is viewing their transcript. Senior Anjali A. said, “Colleges are just going to see our grade. They’re not going to know that we had two different teachers that were doing completely different testing policies.”
Author and educational researcher Mr. Joe Feldman believes that it’s important that grades from any teacher of the same course have the same meaning. He said, “In the larger sense, that a grade in algebra from one teacher doesn’t mean the same thing as a grade in algebra from another teacher, and if that’s the case, then a transcript becomes much less reliable and valid.”
Mr. Joe Feldman is the author of “Grading for Equity; What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms,” and he is the founder and CEO of Crescendo Education Group which partners with schools and districts to support teachers in understanding the research around grading and how to implement more equitable grading practices in their schools and districts.
Schools can find a balance when it comes to the course and grading. Mr. Joe Feldman said, “We want to make sure that teachers have their own opportunities for being creative and bringing ideas to their course, but not have it create so much inconsistency that the grade reflects the specific grading practice and not the performance of the student.”
The Jericho Math Department aims for more uniformity in their grading. Math Curriculum Associate Ms. Helene Kriegstein said, “Certain classes might need certain things taught differently than other classes just based on the composition of the class, but when it comes to grades and assessment, that has to be uniform.”
Teachers in Jericho’s math department collaborate to develop similar assessments and grading criteria. Algebra II teacher Ms. Stroh said, “In the beginning of the year, the teachers discuss what our breakdown is going to be like, for example how much homework is going to be, how much the test is going to be.”
Some students appreciate the sense of equality they feel from the math department. Sophomore Charlie D. said, “I feel that it is very fair, as each student is treated completely equally. Although I may get frustrated at times due to a bad grade, I know that everyone has the same opportunities as me.”
However, with strict equality can come a a loss of originality and choice, both on the teacher side and the student side. Curriculum Associate for English Language Arts Dr. Daniel Salzman explained that it is important for teachers to have the flexibility needed to accommodate student individuality while also allowing for creativity to meet the standards with their curriculum.
Jericho High School’s motto is “Success for every student.” Curriculum Associate for Science & Technology Education Ms. Kim Libertini believes that by allowing for individuality in grading, teachers can help all students reach success. Ms. Libertini said, “I’m a strong believer in the fact that we need to tailor our instruction to students that are currently in our courses. If we mandate that everything is cookie cutter, a very robotic approach, then we’re not really taking into consideration individual students’ needs and individuality of a class cohort.”
I agree with this approach. There will be no flexibility with a universal policy and it will prohibit students who may need accommodations for a variety of reasons.
Some students acknowledge that teachers’ policies are better when they are individualized. Senior Alexa C. said, “I think it is a matter of teachers working together to find a middle ground because teachers have different opinions on how they want to run their classroom and don’t need to be perfectly the same, but I don’t think there should be a huge difference.”
Junior Kayla L. feels that in her English course having different grading between teachers is an advantage for her. She said, “I actually think it’s very fair because AP Comp is a creative class. It’s very good that we’re able to have different assignments from other Comp classes because then we’ll be able to have our own creative freedom to write about different things.”
Administrators understand why students feel grading is such an important issue. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Ivy Sherman said, “High school is competitive, and I understand why kids have those concerns.”
Jericho’s philosophy is that teachers are expected to meet the standards of the course and are given freedom to grade according to those standards. Dr. Sherman added, “One of the awesome parts about Jericho is it’s always kids first, so I totally believe in the philosophy of our district.”
While our school’s philosophy of instructor freedom in grading while adhering to the state standards is important, I also feel there needs to be some compromise. I am an advocate for distinctiveness, however, I also believe that an aspect of uniformity is necessary especially when considering weighting of assessments and opportunities for extra credit. This will acknowledge students’ concerns of grading differences but also foster an environment of creativity, thereby blending uniformity and flexibility.