Tales of Horror and Non- Congruence A Highly Personal Take on Grades and Homework Steve Unruhe,

We need great teachers More importantly, we need good schools.

Horror Story #1: Una lección de baile en Ecuador Salsa for two left feet? 6-count? 8-count? Dancing towards the exit

Horror Story #2: Lily Single mom, often working two jobs Mom’s ex-partner intermittently involved Unmotivated, easily frustrated, but not hostile Frequently missed school Failing math due to zeroes for homework and projects

Should Lily Repeat Algebra I?

Part I: Grades What are we trying to accomplish through our grading practices?

Goal for Grading: A fair assessment of content knowledge Should student advance? Into which course?

Congruence Problem #1 Do grades accurately reflect content knowledge? Scenario - student does B work on three assignments; fails to turn in fourth assignment

Three Grading Schemes - Three Grades

Which grading scheme accurately reflects content knowledge?

Horror Story #3: How Estelle Failed Lunch Duty What if teachers were evaluated the way students are evaluated?

Congruence Problem #2 What does a student learn by repeating a course? What does a student learn from a zero? Why do we put a kid in another teacher’s classroom who already knows enough material to pass the class?

My grading practice Use A-F scale, translated into numerical points (60-100) Students fail for not passing assessments (tests, quizzes) Students do NOT fail for missing work; they fail for not knowing content (or, more to the point, pass if they know enough content)

Part II: Homework What are we trying to accomplish through our homework practice?

Goals for Homework Practice Learn new material Learn responsibility

Congruence Problem #3 - Homework Reality Copied Scribbled Wrong Time-consuming to grade

Solution Give more, harder, homework Grade all homework, every night (Just kidding)

Horror Story #4 “Calculate the lateral area of an octagonal prism lying on its side…”

My homework practice All homework problems have answers Homework is practice Homework counts for a grade only to help a student

Data Imperviousness Teachers (all humans?) resist data Teachers (all humans?) learn by anecdote Math teachers live for the counter- example (“What about…?) Data “slides off” when it hits anecdotal counter-example

Still, here’s the data…. Retention: “In summary, the research indicates that grade retention provides limited or no academic/social advantages to students” (Retention: The Balanced View: Social Promotion & Retention; Prepared by Westchester Institute For Human Services Research. Available at Undated) Homework: “No research has shown that homework is necessary to help students learn….Nor is there a shred of evidence to back up the folk wisdom that homework builds character, promotes self-discipline, or teaches good work habits.” (Homework: “The Tougher Standards Fad Hits Home” Alfie Kohn in Rethinking Schools, Vol 21, No.1; Fall 2006)

In search of congruence Teachers are heroes - we will go to almost any length to help a student succeed Teachers are martyrs - and this is not a good idea We must connect homework and grading practices to realistic goals

We need great teachers, and we need good schools