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Overarching Grading Scheme



Group:
I am working on building self-pacing into my high school
physics course. The goal is to make it possible to work
with an untracked group of kids in a manner which does not
hold back the high ability kids and does not overwhelm the
less able. I will use an on-line component, in addition to
regular class time meetings, to accomplish this. My classes
are small (4x18 is a maximum annual teaching load) so I
think the scheme may work without overwhelming me.

My question: how would you set up a grading system? My
supposition is that the grading system must accommodate the
potential that students will end the course at different
points in the sequence of material, and will have learned
the material to different degrees of thoroughness. The
working suggestion I have is pretty coarse: assign a
percentage of the final grade to extent of coverage and a
percentage to thoroughness of understanding of material
covered.

If it matters, the types of assessments used will include
problem solving, writing, and construction of demonstrations
(egg drops and kites, for example). I plan to include
primarily formative assessments (to guide depth of study)
and only occasional summative assessments. The working
model of the course closing assessment is to have a test
covering the entire scope of the course at a moderate depth,
essentially testing what areas the child is familiar with
(at something greater than a passing acquaintance) and what
areas the child is not.

Your wisdom on constructing or planning the assessment
scheme is desired, welcome, and much appreciated!

Ed Eckel
Georgetown Day School