Grades (General Philosophy)

Hello everyone,

I know grades are a very personal thing. Still, there are some things that ought to be universal.

First, DO NOT let the students' behavior affect their academic grade. In other words, don't drop the academic grade of a student who mouths off at you just as your finishing your grades. (It's happened.) You will have the grade overturned, and rightfully so, if you do something like that.

That doesn't mean that behaviors like failure to do work, tardiness, sleeping in class, plagiarism, and excessive absences shouldn't affect the academic grade. Those behaviors are tied directly to academic success. I mean the kid who smarts off at you and disrupts the class, but still manages to understand everything you've taught and gets respectable grades on the tests and the work. That kid should get a reasonable academic grade--and a lousy cooperation grade. Yes, I've given an AUU before. (I give U's in work habits for truancy or more than three tardies.) It's rare, but it's happened. I have never in my career punished a child academically for annoying behavior in class.

Second, STICK TO YOUR STANDARDS. If you told your students that they had to do a certain thing to get a certain grade, and they did not do it, then they should not get the grade. Conversely, if you told them that something was required, and they did it exactly as you told them, and you find that they have discovered loopholes that you didn't intend, you must fulfill the contract and give them the grade. Be more careful next time, but give the grade this time. Don't be afraid to give a fail to someone who has failed to meet the standard; and don't change your standards after the fact.

Third, BE FAIR. The same standard should exist for everyone, whether you like it or not. Never give an unearned grade, either good or bad.

Finally, listen to appeals. You will sometimes make mistakes. You may have missed an assignment; you may have marked something wrong in the rollbook; you may have explained incorrectly. As you get more experience, you will have fewer appeals, but even the oldest veterans get them. After you've listened to the appeal, make your judgement, then explain why. If you have found that you have made a mistake, or if there is a possible mistake that you can't support, you will need to work something out with the student. You may have to excuse the grade. You may have to change it. Do all of these things with the utmost transparency; don't be mysterious about grades.

In fact, that's a good rule to end on. DON'T BE MYSTERIOUS ABOUT GRADES. Be as open and obvious as you can be. Let that openness be a sign of your sense of fairness. Students should generally be able to guess what grade they're getting by this time in the year if you have always been open about your standards.

On the positive side, you all have time before final grades are due.

Jeff Combe