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Discussion Questions
1. Explain the grading system. How much of it is explicit? How much should be?
Leigh’s grading system appears to rank the order of importance of each component of the grade, tests the highest
component, followed by homework, then a project and finally class participation. This is good, however she appears to have
failed to establish what percentage of the grade will come from each component. This makes the grading system not as explicit
as it should be. In addition, it is unclear what she means by “class participation”. She cites Dale’s
ability to learn teacher pleasing behaviors and Aaron’s disregard for them and seems to incorporate this into the
class participation portion of the grade. If class participation is going to be used as a component of the grading system
it needs to be clearly explained what is meant by that and a daily score given so that the teacher does not have to rely on
memory or personal feelings toward a particular student which could color the grade they receive. I believe that, as much
as possible, all components of the grading system should be clearly defined and made known to the students at the beginning
of the term. If a student questions a grade at the end of the term the teacher can then point them towards their personal
scores and show them how they factor together into their final grade. Leigh’s current grading system will lead
to subjective grading.
2. How is Leigh awarding grades? What is she rewarding? What is she punishing?
Leigh is factoring in scores from tests, homework and a project. She is rewarding classroom behavior and children who
have disabilities and happen to also be students of a friend of hers. More accurately translated, Dale’s grade
reflects the pity Leigh has for him as well as her fond feelings for her friend, Meg. She is punishing poor behavior and,
in the long term, she is punishing Dale by giving him a false sense of his grasp on the subject and what level of work and
participation will be required of him in life to attain good standing.
3. Ultimately, what is she using grades for? What drives the system?
Leigh is using the grades to report their progress but also, because of the interference of a subjective and vague component,
she is ultimately using the grades to display her approval or disapproval of a student, their behavior, and the effort she
feels they put into class time. What’s driving this system is Leigh’s own personal feelings and perceptions.
4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of her system?
The strengths of Leigh’s system are making tests of #1 importance in factoring an end of term grade and her
understanding of different displays of intelligence. It is also good that she has a variety of things from which to calculate
the final grade, allowing those with weak test taking skills to make up part of their grade with homework and project grades.
Her most glaring weaknesses are not determining in advance what percentage of the grade comes from each component and leaving
the class participation grade vague and prone to subjectivity.
5. How would you solve the weaknesses of her system?
First I would clearly define how much each component factors in to the final grade, perhaps tests 50%, homework 20%, project
15% and class participation 15%. Next she must clearly define what she means by “class participation”.
Is the ability to quietly think about your plans for the rest of the day while staring at the teacher really worthy of a higher
grade than discussing those same plans with your friend across the aisle? I would suggest an easy system, a sheet of paper
on a clipboard that she could easily hold while students enter class and throughout the lecture with each student’s
name. Child comes into class on time and with the appropriate supplies, 1 slash mark, child answers question, 1 slash mark,
child makes an analysis or application perhaps 2 slash marks, and, at the end of class, child behaved appropriately during
class, final slash mark. This would give a total of 5 slash marks, each worth 20% of the daily classroom participation grade.
With this system Dale, a child that came with the appropriate materials and looked attentive but did not participate or answer
questions would receive 2 slash marks equaling a score of 40% while Aaron, who did neither of these things and still did not
participate would receive no slash marks and thus a score of 0%. These scores can be entered weekly into the grade book to
keep the system simple and to avoid having to think back over an entire quarter to determine what the teacher feels is the
appropriate score. If she regularly takes mainstream students and she wants to, she may consider raising the percentage of
the class participation grade in determining final grade and perhaps lower the homework grade but this should be done for
the class as a whole.
6. Do mainstreamed students require a different grading system or should it be the same as for regular students?
Mainstreamed students should not have a different grading system. The grading system needs to be made clear to all students.
Any differences in grading should be handled with the IEP.
7. How/when should this be determined?
This should be determined immediately. When approached about taking a mainstream student the teacher should have a conference
with the resource teacher and clearly explain what components make up the grade. The resource teacher can then make a plan
for what support they would need to provide that student during the resource period(s) and if, considering the abilities of
the student and the time resource teacher has to devote to that student during resource time, if there would still be a benefit.
For instance, if homework is an issue the resource teacher can assist the student in completing the homework during the resource
period. They can also focus on class participation by getting the student used to participating in the resource room and
focusing on solutions to that grade. Most ESE teachers that I’ve met are the most incredibly creative people, they
will more often than not be able to assist a student if they know precisely what is required of the student in the classroom.
Consideration to the grading method should also be given at the annual IEP meeting which is where the idea of mainstreaming
to an average level class should have originated and plans made to provide additional supports within the IEP.
8. What role does a student’s I.E.P. play in this?
The IEP needs to be clearly explained to the teacher before he/she agrees to take the student. There are several modifications
that can be made that do not need to affect overall grading practices and these should be used whenever possible. If these
cannot be used then I would question whether an average level class was truly the least restrictive environment. There are
easy to make modifications, such as allowing a child with central auditory processing disorder to do written work on a computer
using spell check. This is a modification to the assignment that does not affect overall content nor the way that it is graded.
Additionally, a child with a high functioning autism disorder who has trouble with class participation may be allowed to place
a red poker chip on the corner of their desk when they know the answer to the question. This allows the teacher to see that
they are following along, that they understand the concepts being discussed, and that they are making an effort to participate.
Full credit should NOT be given, however, when employing the red chip. If full credit is given for this then the child will
have nothing left to work towards. If simple modifications such as this are not enough, in combination with the extra help
received during resource period(s), then it is questionable that LRE has been obtained in the average classroom. Social mainstreaming
is a wonderful idea that is best incorporated into elective classes, not core classes. It also needs to be remembered that
FAPE requires schools to give a Free and Appropriate Public Education, not a Free and Best Public Education. Special ed law
never requires a school to do what is best because it recognizes the limitations of the school system. Social skills can
often be best developed outside of school. FAPE and IDEA do not absolve a parent of their responsibility in the overall education
of their special needs child. A school alone can give the child an appropriate education. The school and the parents partnering
together will give the child the best education. And before I’m thought cruel or heartless, please understand that
the above 2 examples, spell check and red chip, are taken directly from 2 of my sons’ IEP’s. I certainly
understand the difficulties involved in providing educational opportunities for children who are differently abled. I just
happen to believe that the responsibility belongs to the parents and they then share it with the school. Today both of those
sons still have their “disabilities”, a TBI and an autism spectrum disorder, both are IEP-free in the
6th and 10th grades, both take several honors level classes. It won’t happen for everyone, but it certainly won’t
happen if the total education of a child is abandoned to the school. (I am not in favor of social mainstreaming, can you
tell?)
9. Why was a student who can’t read the text placed in this class? Was that appropriate?
The student was placed in this class to improve his social skills. No, I do not feel it was an appropriate placement
for the child, in fact, I believe it was a move that set the child up to do poorly. It is easier to build on successes than
to build on failures. Perhaps the child could have been mainstreamed into a PE class for social reasons or into an elective
class if social mainstreaming was the goal. Core classes should not be used for social mainstreaming.
10. Is it right to modify grading criteria to make social mainstreaming work?
No.
11. Should Leigh have accepted Aaron’s challenge to her grading system by agreeing to hear his protest?
Because Leigh failed to make the grading system clear and objective, she has to accept this challenge or Aaron will not
understand his grade. She needs to sit down with him and explain the component of class participation, discuss what he did
wrong and what Dale did right, (bringing books, paying attention), and that he did not do these things. Since it was class
participation she used as the rationalization for the higher grade she gave Dale she needs to walk this out. She also needs
to ask herself if Aaron had participated at the same level as Dale, would he have received a C? If not, she really has a
problem.
12. Is Aaron’s comparison with Dale fair?
I don’t like the “f” word because it is my opinion that nothing is fair. That said, since
they did the same level of work in every area other than class participation it was a natural comparison to make. Her reasoning
behind the different final grades is where I take issue, not in the fact that she made a comparison.
.
13. Should a teacher allow a student to protest a grade?
Yes, students should be allowed to question grades. Teachers with firm grading guidelines will have no problem explaining
the way the grade was found. Teachers with subjective grading techniques will find themselves in the same position as Leigh.
14.. Should a grade ever be changed? Under what circumstances? How about the grades of the students who did not protest?
The grade would not need to be changed if the criteria had been clear and known to the students from the beginning. Since
it was not I believe it could be changed however if she changes the grade of 1 student she needs to be prepared to change
them all. Because it would have no affect on Aaron’s grade I would not change it. I would explain the class participation
portion, explain the entire system to all of the students, and leave it at that. Of course he is not going to be happy.
He doesn’t have to be. He needs to understand that class participation factors into the grade. If he would like
a better grade he needs to achieve that.
15. How should Leigh handle an accusation of racial prejudice?
No amount of denial will acquit a person of racial prejudice. Lack of prejudice is something that cannot be verbally
denied, it must be a pattern of behavior. I would acknowledge his feelings and again point to his class participation since
that was the reason for his grade. Hopefully, over time, he will see that racial prejudice was not a factor in his grade.
She could also invite him to talk to his classmates and see what grades they received, so that he can see that people of
all races and ethnicities received all types of grades. I would not show him other students’ grades though. He
should learn and be encouraged to research his beliefs about other people.
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