Feedback and Grading......

What thoughts came to my mind from our last discussion......
     Towards the end of our discussion on grading, we were talking about students mastering various standards and if their grades should have any reflection on when they mastered them.  For example, one student may master a standard when it is first introduced but another student may not master the same standard until several chapters later.  Do we grade these two students the same?

   What about this scenario.....one student shows an understanding of a standard on a test but chose not to do any homework or practice of this skill during class. A different student shows the same understanding of a standard on a test but did the homework and in class practice.  If both of these students showed that they mastered the standard on the test but showed different amounts of effort on homework or practice in class leading up to the test should their grade be the same?  I'm not saying it should or it shouldn't.......I'm just asking the question.

The current quality of my feedback.....and is it done in a timely fashion......
     I give vocal feedback to my students often in all of my classes, but most of the time it is given to the group as a whole or a section of the band.  My 7th-12th grade band students are required to take private lessons as part of their grade, and this is where I can give them individual feedback.  It's hard for me to give personal feedback in a group setting and really be able to focus on their individual playing. 

     My 5th and 6th grade band students are strongly encouraged to take private lessons (they get bonus points), and they also have playing tests throughout the year.  I have a rubric that I use for their playing tests, and they get feedback from that in addition to any private lessons they may take.  My piano students only get personal feedback, and my world drumming students get feedback as a group and individually.

     I try to keep the positive and negative feedback balanced so that the students know what they need to work on but can feel good about what they have already accomplished.  It's important to always keep in mind that feedback can be a powerful tool but it must be phrased in the appropriate manner.

Should we give zeros.....
     I don't know what the right answer is here.  I have mixed emotions on zeros.  I have a rule in my band classes that they are allowed to forget their instrument once a quarter without a drop in their daily grade.  If they forget their instrument more than once a quarter they receive a zero for their daily grade every day that is missing.  Of course, there are circumstances where I may bend on this a bit if the student comes and talks to me about it.  I don't think this is unfair since they can't participate if their instrument is home etc.  Am I wrong to think this?

Should state assessments and current grades be similar.....
     I don't think that state assessments and current grades will always be similar.  A state assessment is a snapshot more or less of how a student is doing.  The results of the state assessments can be greatly affected by the student's overall attitude on the specific days the tests were given.  Is it an important tool?  Yes, but it doesn't necessarily represent a student's understanding in the same way that daily work and/or tests in class can show.  I think of it in the same way when my students compete at a contest.  The judge only sees how they played that day, but I know what they are capable of on a daily basis.


Hattie's work on methods that increase student achievement.....
     I think that Hattie makes some interesting points on what can most directly affect our students.  He strongly believes that feedback is very important as well as how it is delivered.  I agree with this completely, but I think some of the other factors may need to be a little higher up the list.  If we have a student whose focus is somewhere else other than school, feedback may not necessarily make that much of a difference to him/her.  For example, if students are concerned about what's going on at home or other personal concerns .......those concerns might be higher up on their list of what is affecting their personal achievement.