Katie Hanson Source 2

Are grades a complete way to measure a class's effectiveness?

Allen, James D. "Grades as Valid Measures of Academic Achievement of Classroom Learning." The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 78.5 (2005): 218-23. Research Gate. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.

file:///C:/Users/Katie/Documents/English%201000H/GradesasValidMeasures.pdf

In this article the author argues that grades are not valid measurements of a student's achievement in a class because there is not a standardized system of grading.  There are many scales and method that grades are hardly comparable. Teachers each have their own system of grading that an "A" in one class is not the same as an "A" in another. Many teachers believe that a students effort and growth in a class should be included in the final grade, however the problem with this is that it is then up to the teachers interpretation and makes the grade not as measurable. The author believes that grades should be systematic so they can more comparable and less room for interpretation.

I feel like this source brings more into light how grades can be very open to misinterpretation. When looking at a transcript there is only the course title and grade and I think that can lead to misunderstandings on why a student got a certain grade. I disagree with him though about that how much a students works and participates within class should not be part of the grade. I feel like education should be about the growth of the student not just what facts you can memorize and when. I feel like this author would be perhaps more in favor of online courses because teachers do not have as much of a relationship with their students. They cannot interpret how much a student puts in for a class because they never come into any physical contact. I feel like this article does answer my question to an extent but I would like to know more ways to measure a class's effectiveness.

This source responds to Source 1 because it questions  whether grades are truly the best way to measure a students academic achievement. It also brings into question the role of the teacher. However, in Source 1 they suggest that when there is teacher contact students are more satisfied with the course, in this article it make it seem like contact with the teacher makes the interpretation of grades less reliable.

I feel like I still need to look more into how a class's effectiveness can be measured. I feel like though I should more head into looking at the relationship between teachers and students. When thinking about online courses that is where the most difference is compared to traditional and that's where I feel like my overall question more lies.