Solutions news paper post

In the article, “Study Critiques Schools Over Subjective Grading”, from the Los Angeles Times, Douglas Reeves talks about the problem of subjective grading and possible solutions.  Reeves is an expert on grading systems.  He wanted to look more into the issue of subjectivity behind grading.  Therefore, Reeves conducted an experiment on 10,000 educators in the United States, Australia, and South America to determine the final grade for students receiving the following grades in this order: “C, C, MA (Missing Assignment), D, C, B, MA, MA, B, A.”  The final grades ranged from an “A” to an “F.” 

Other than his experiment, he shared his feelings on grading.  Reeves feels that teachers are using grades improperly and are completely missing the point behind them.  He claims that teachers just give grades to adjudicate a result.  However, they should not be used in this sense, but instead to help students improve.  

Reeves included several solutions regarding the grading system problem.  First, he suggested setting learning targets and linking grades to the achievement of those targets.  I agree this is a good idea.  I feel a task-by-task learning is an effective way to truly understand and learn something.  Another was giving grades based solely on achievement and separately reporting attendance, effort and participation.   This also is not a bad thought, since this is a way to remove the subjectivity. Also I found his idea of making sure students understand how their grades are being determined very appropriate.  For a student to succeed, it is necessary and fair that they know how they are being graded.

Revees, Douglas. "Unfair grade? Blame your teacher - Study finds grading is quite             subjective." Daily Reporter-Herald, The (Loveland, CO) 3 Oct. 2009, A:             1. NewsBank. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.