[nobe-l] grading

[Michael T Grunze]

Hello! Have you considered alternative assessment strategies such as group
assessments or just an essay culminating the unit? In English you could do
quite a few things like that. You could have them perform sceens from a
play by reading out loud, You could discuss elements of literature where
everyone has to make several meaningful comments, you could have
composition in short story, poetry, or any writing style, take a day to go
to the computer lab, and have them write. Be creative. Assessment isn't
just about a,b,c,d, and really, after a while you know where individual
students are at, and the assessment is just a formality. I think that
unless you were able to get electronic answers, grading all those multiple
choice tests is tedious, and the students most likely won't get immediate
feedback.

If you're dead set on giving a standard test, and you think your class can
handle it maturely, have them trade papers and grade each other as you go
over it in class. This can't always work, so it's nice to have
alternatives at hand. I like the idea of take home tests then they can
e-mail you the answers. Watch out for cheating if you do this; it's easy
to go over to a friend's house and do it together, always put essay
questions somewhere if you do that.

I am student teaching in instrumental music, and I have a music theory
class who have papers every quarter. They all type them and e-mail them to
me, and that is the history portion of their grade.

Hope that helps,
Michael Grunze