Allison's Fixed Standards: Case Study

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5. Assess the practice of establishing prescribed ranges (fixed standards) for grades. Is it a better system than grading on the curve?
I consider that fixed standards impact students in a better way when used correctly. According to Anita Woolfolk grading on the curve could be harmful to both, students and teachers. Author Woolfolk explains that when grading on the curve the relationship between students and educators could be detrimental because students lose motivation, and they might feel like a failure (Woolfolk, p. 587, 2016). When thinking about case 30, I considered that Allison’s fixed standards were not valid because the grades did not reflect the real effort that each student put into the class.I would agree that in that case, curving …show more content…

In the first place, it would have been important to show students their grades and explain to them the importance of being professional when grading. Allison could also remind students that project grades were equivalent to half of their final grade. To avoid the grading problem, Allison could have to ask provided students a rubric with a lower point scale (1 to 5 instead of 100-point scale) to achieve reliability (Woolfolk, 2016, p.585), and to ensure that quality is met (food quality, appearance, taste, ingredients, etc.) Another possible solution could be that students in charge of grading were required to show their names in the grading sheets where they would include: a picture of the dish, and a written description of the positive aspects of the meal as well as areas of improvement. On the following project, students would have to demonstrate improvements and reported to the teacher. In this way, students would take the assignment more serious, and be mindful when grading each …show more content…

This can happen by using grades to achieve the desired learning experiences.(Woolfolk, p.589, 2016) From my point of view, I consider that tests should be used to motivate students, otherwise, students would think of tests as a negative part of a school. To learn students need to be engaged (behaviorally, cognitively, and emotionally.) (Woolfolk, p.443, 2016) If students think about tests as an opportunity to observe their learning progress, to ensure that they learn well the material, then their sense of self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation would increase. When a student is motivated, they stop thinking about learning as an obligation. Tests could be helpful to increase students’ motivation as long as they receive feedback on the areas where they struggle. If a student notice that he did not do well on a test, but the student knows that he can re-learn the material or correct the mistakes, then student’s motivation would increase because the student knows that he or she is capable of answering the question correctly. It is also important to teach lessons in a way that every student in the class participate in all possible manners, this will help students to remember each experience as they complete the

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