Chapter Eight: Why Do We Grade, and What About Effort, Attendance, and Behavior?

Chapter eight of Fair Isn't Always Equal describes why grades exist and how sometimes they are unnecessary. The idea that grades are unnecessary stems from the fact that grades should be derived from student mastery, as in, if the student understands the content, then they have to receive full credit. Therefore, there should be no grades, because knowledge should not be a race. However, the topic of attendance, effort, and participation comes into the picture. If we eliminate grading, then how do we gauge these things? Should we incorporate them into grades? Should we simply let students behave the way that they do and not have it reflect in their grade? Should we base content on attendance so that missing class sets you back with knowledge and not a grade? These are all questions that are posed in this chapter. The chapter finally concluded with the idea that no matter what feedback a teacher provides to a student, they need to tell the children how they are performing in their schoolwork. This is beneficial to me as a teacher because I want my grades to represent genuine student learning... but is learning something you can measure? Knowledge should not be a race. My students will be allowed to learn what they have to at their own pace and capacity, without worrying about being penalized for having learning differences in the classroom.