What about When the ABCs Fail?

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         Most of the articles I have encountered in my search to improve my knowledge of grading systems have stressed why traditional grades do not work.  So, I looked for an article that suggested a solution and found “A Simple Alternative to Grading” by Glenda Potts. 

        She said she was inspired to research and write the article because she felt that she put more effort into grading her student’s composition papers than they put into writing them.  Potts notes that in recent years educators have looked for other ways to assess students because the letter grades merely rank students instead of fostering learning. 

      Potts says she switched to contract grading—a system where each assignment is accompanied by a description of behaviors and tasks and the corresponding grade for each level of effort.  The idea behind contract grading is that instead of trying to rank quality of writing, the contract will inspire students to perform tasks that will result in learning (31). 

            I really liked this article and the contract system that it suggests.  I was at first skeptical, thinking that if a student turns in ninety percent of assignments they receive an A, even if they are not quality work.  However, what I found useful was that each assignment has minimum criterion; this means that if each student completes every assignment at the satisfactory level they will earn a C and not an A. 

           I also liked that assignments are returned to the students marked “Accepted,” for work that meets standards; “Revise,” for work that needs improved content or clarity; and “Edit,” for work with grammatical or formatting issues.  Finally, students who want an A or a B are required to complete an extra paper or project to separate themselves from the average students.

            I was still a little skeptical about this method, until I read the note that said that the National Council of Teachers of English endorses the contract system over traditional systems.  Also, Potts revealed that she recorded traditional grades for assignments and found that contract grades were overwhelmingly the same as the traditional grades.  The students who would have earned Bs but opted out of the additional assignment and earned Cs were the only exceptions to the accurate grades. 

        Finally, what sold this method to me was the fact that Potts said she spent less time grading and more time helping her students learn and improve their writing skills.

Work Cited:

Potts, Glenda. “A Simple Alternative to Grading.” Inquiry 15.1 (2010): 29-42.
          ERIC. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.