Fix1: Don't include student behaviors (effort, participation, adherence to class rules, etc.) in grades; include only achievement.
Do I understand the point the author is making with this "Fix"? Yes, I do. However, when it comes to my subject area, I can not wrap my head around it completely. The majority of my classes are performance based, and if there is not equal effort given by every student..... the whole group suffers. Why can't there be a part of their overall grade that deals with effort/participation? I certainly can't evaluate them if they are sitting in their chair during rehearsal and not putting forth an effort.
It is my job as a music teacher to make sure that my students can play their parts successfully as individuals as well as in the ensemble. If they come to their mandatory private lessons, I can easily assess how they are doing on their instrument, but what if I only see them in class? Sure, I could have each student play a small part of a piece alone during rehearsal and grade them on that small "snapshot" of the material we are covering.....but how accurate would that be? Plus, the rest of the students are not actively participating in class while they wait for their turn.
In my class it is difficult to have all of the kids take an assessment at the same time and be certain that I am evaluating them successfully. If I have several students playing the same part, am I always 100% sure which student is playing the wrong note or didn't play the articulations correctly?......of course not. I don't have the option to look at a hardcopy of their assessment like some classes are able to do.
The other part of this equation that I have difficulty with is what about the student that chooses to participate in band, world drumming etc. but will never be a dynamite player. They work hard and put forth more effort than most, but struggle to perform at a higher level. In standards based grading will they stay as a "developing" student but not be given any credit for how hard they work to accomplish "developing"?
I would be able to follow "Fix 1" much easier in a class like Music Appreciation where my assessments are usually done on paper. I like the idea of standards based grading and that I would be able to show the parents and students where their strengths and weaknesses are easily. But, I fear that some of my students that are in my program may not stick with it if they are assessed solely on their "ability/talent".
Isn't it a part of my job to include many students at different levels and help them to feel successful in the music that we create as a group? What if their level of playing is not a "3" or a "4"? Does that mean that they will never be successful? They may never reach that level of playing but being a part of the ensemble could help them appreciate music at a higher level for the rest of their life. I think that part of my job is just as important and that will never be measured by standards based grading.
