by Marilyn Buehrer (Workbook available for purchase here.)
“Don’t Give out Grades.
Children ShouldEarn Them.”
Marilyn Buehrer
“I have a C student and an A student,” a home-teacher mom once said to me. While it’s important to know where your children stand academically, grades should not be viewed as an expression of your children’s worth. Grades are something your children earn.
It is more accurate to say, “I have one child who is earning a C average and another child who is maintaining an A average.”
So, how should you grade your student’s work? Create a simple point system for each assignment. Carefully explain it verbally and in writing before your students begin to work. This ensures you have their full attention and they’re not thinking about what they’re going to do with the assignment. Through a point system, your students will know exactly what’s expected of them. They’ll have a goal to work toward, and their efforts will determine the grade they receive. They will have earned it.
Map work (Geography) using pages 3, 4, and 5 from My Book on Directions and Prepositions of Place.
The GOAL of this Lesson
Students will demonstrate comprehension of Cardinal Directions using a map with a Compass Rose on it.
The OBJECTIVES for this Assignment
A Simple Point System Including Character Development:
Grading Chart
30-25 points = A
24-20 points = B
19-15 points = C
14-10 points = D
Less than 10 points = F
If a student successfully does steps 1, 2, and 3, s/he has earned 20 points. If s/he was not successful in step 4, s/he has not earned a possible 5 points. If s/he was able to stay on task the entire ten minutes, s/he has earned another 5 points, for a total of 25.
Refer to the grading chart and you will see that 25 points =A-.
A = 4 points
B = 3 points
C = 2 points
D = 1 point
F = 0 points
If a student earned three grades in one week, an A, a B, and a C, she earned a total of 9 points: 4 points for the A, 3 points for the B, and 2 points for the C. Nine points divided by 3 (the number of grades she earned) equals 3 points. Three points = a B.
Using this formula, let’s say that over a quarter, a student earns 16 A’s, 24 B’s, 36 C’s, 12 D’s, and 8 F’s.
Step One: Add the number of grades to determine the total number of grades. 16 + 24 + 36 + 12 + 8 = 96 grades earned in the quarter.
Step Two: Multiply the number of grades by the grade point each grade is worth to determine the total number of points.
One A is worth 4 points; therefore, 16 A’s equal 64 points. (16 x 4)
One B is worth 3 points; therefore, 24 B’s equal 72 points. (24 x 3)
One C is worth 2 points; therefore, 36 C’s equal 72 points. (36 x 2)
One D is worth 1 point; therefore, 12 D’s equal 12 points. (12 x 1)
One F is worth 0 points; therefore, 8 F’s equal 0 points. (8 x 0)
Step Three: Add the number of points.
64 + 72+ 72 + 12 + 0 = 220 points.
Step Four: Divide the number of grades the child earned into the number of points she earned.
Ninety-six (96) grades divided into 220 points = 2.3 which is the grade average. Translated into a letter grade, it is a “C” average for the quarter.
4.0 – 3.5 = A to an A-
3.4 – 2.6 = B+ to a B-
2.5 – 1.6 = C+ to a C-
1.5 – 1.0 = D+ to a D-
Below 1.0=F
These four steps make it easy to calculate the Grade Point Average.
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