Week 9: Grading Explained: Good vs. Great

Hi Everyone,

It's the end of the quarter and time for me to explain how my grading works. It all centers around the
concept of good v. great.

So what is great? Is great doing exactly what you're told to? There are good athletes and there are great ones. There are good employees and there are great ones. There are good students and there are great ones. So what separates the good from the great?

Great is a word synonymous with excellent. In the case of students, for decades those who did exactly what they were told, earned an "A" and believed they were great. We did those kids a disservice (myself included). It wasn't until I got to college that I realized something was wrong. I was confused as to why I wasn't getting As on all of my work. I was doing exactly what my professors told me to. One professor, Dr. Charles, put it to me quite plainly, "you're work is good but not great. You don't deserve an A." That quick, blunt comment changed my whole outlook on education.

When it comes to assessments in class, I want students to show me they've mastered the content. Those that do will be rewarded with a score that translates to good. Good, in my class, is earning a 3 out of 4 on a rubric. Great students find ways to do more than just master it. They include additional research. They provide more examples than I've asked for. They elaborate more deeply. They simply "do more". It's up to them to push themselves, not me. I'll show them how but they have to do the work.

Here's an example. How many of you have asked your child to take out the trash? When they finally got around to it, they might have done exactly what you asked. They took out the trash. They forgot, however, to put a new bag in the trashcan and perhaps even to also take out the recycling. You get frustrated, but in truth they did exactly what you asked and nothing more. Is that a great job? I know you're laughing while you answer "no". The same holds true in the classroom.

A good student in my class may earn a B or a C, nothing more. This is hard for some parents to understand but just keep the above example in mind. It's the great student that may earn an A. We want kids to struggle to push themselves beyond what is asked of them and that's exactly what some of us at Laguna are beginning to do for you at home.

Conversation Starters:
1. What did you do to push yourself on that Field Journal Assessment?
2. The new quarter starts tomorrow. Let's empty out the backpack and get you reorganized.
3. I haven't seen your student planner in a while. Show me how you use it to record your upcoming assignments.

Regards,
Marc Townsend