#reflections on grading

I finally finished grading the cell city projects I assigned back in the end of October, huzzah! 

The results were interesting. A lot of students opted out of the writing portion, which ended up being equally weighted to the poster in the grading process - 40% of the project. The highest grade that a group could attain without turning in an explanation sheet is 30/50...ouch. 

I wondered if I hadn't done an effective job of making the expectations clear, but I mentioned the explanation sheet at least 4 times in front of the class, handed out two separate copies of the rubric I'd be using on two separate days and went over it, reminded individual groups about it as they worked, and asked several times for it to be turned in along with presentations. So I don't really know what more I ought to have done. It's kind of on them. 

Many of them don't seem to have mastered the concept that the degree of accuracy and effort contribute more to their grades than just the percentage or appearance of completion. They get confused. "Miss, why do I have a D in this class? I've turned in all the work." Yes, maybe, but what are your quiz scores like? How much work did you put into your big projects? Did you turn in your lab notebook? All those bellwork assignments that you scored 3/6 on add up. 

And then they try to put it on the teacher, like it's my fault that their grades are low because of assignments that I haven't entered yet. Curiouser and curiouser. 

The other interesting thing I noticed is that some of my lower-achieving students created a very aesthetically pleasing, detail oriented, colorful final product, while some of my stronger students opted for more abstract, less detailed models that showed structure but didn't go in much for creative visuals. Perhaps some of the folks who don't feel comfortable writing or answering questions found their niche in drawing/coloring and grabbed the opportunity to contribute constructively.