But here I am, sitting at my desk with a pile of papers, and I thought about posting a facebook status, when I decided it would make a better blog post.
I'm at a new school this year. I liked my old school: my students, my coworkers, etc. But, there were various things I was unhappy with and I started to get the itch to leave. This new job fell into my lap and all the doors opened way too easily to ignore, and it became clear to me that this is what God wanted me to do. When things just fall into place so perfectly, it's hard to deny that it's what you're supposed to do.
I'm happy at my new school. There will probably always be things that you want to change, because no one and nothing is perfect, but the things that I was unhappy with before are things that are different here. It's good.
The only thing that I have been really struggling with is the grading. Not the amount of grading or getting it done, necessarily, but the grading itself. The grading system for world languages at this school district is unlike most districts. Instead of grading on right or wrong, or marking down for things like neatness or turning something in late, the students are graded strictly on proficiency. The wonderful thing about this, is that the grade is based purely on what they are able to produce and comprehend in the target language (in this case, German). It gets rid of the parts of grades related to behavior. The downside of that, is that students don't necessarily turn in their neatest work, and there's nothing you can do about it. Or they turn it in two weeks late, and you can't take off points for that (although you can give a cutoff date of when you'll accept something).
The hardest part about grading on proficiency is that it is no longer the system of grading by points out of 100. Instead, we read "I can" statements on a rubric and decide where the student falls, and then we give them a number on a scale 1-20 based on where they fall. A "1" means they didn't do it or uttered random words, and a "20" means they are almost as fluent as I am.
"I can understand the main idea and some details in simple texts that contain familiar vocabulary."
"I can understand the main idea and many details in some texts that contain familiar vocabulary."
"I can understand the main idea and many details in some texts that contain familiar vocabulary."
If this sounds confusing, you are right. If this does not sound objective, you are right. It is hard to be consistent and fair. How do I know that the "6" I gave one student is the same as the "6" I gave another student? Why did this student get a "7" and this student get a "9"? It's tricky and messy and unclear, and I don't do too well with abstract. I like concrete, right/wrong, yes/no. This doesn't mean the grading system is bad, it's just a big adjustment for me.
I let my grading pile up for weeks, because I had other work to do, but mostly because I was nervous about grading and uncertain about the grades I was giving. I was stressed out and frustrated, and eventually broke down (in both senses--I cried and I stopped resisting) and did the grading. Am I confident in the grades I gave? Not really. Do I feel a little more comfortable about the grading system? Absolutely. Practice makes perfect, and I'll probably never be perfect at this system, but I know the more I do it, the easier it will get. Eventually it will take less time and eventually I will be more consistent and confident in the grades I give.
So, now it's time for me to go and do more grading. :)
