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My approach to grading may look different to what you see in other classes, including my Latin classes in the past few years. However, this is something I have been working towards for many years now, based on my beliefs of what grades should be.
Grades should represent, as much as is possible with a single number or letter, a student’s mastery of the subject matter.
Grades should be a transparent collaboration between the teacher and student.
Grades should recognize that learning is not a linear progression and different students will hit milestones at different times; furthermore, grades should not penalize students who demonstrate mastery during the semester, regardless of the timing.
As a result of these beliefs, I have implemented a more holistic approach to grading that allows students to choose the evidence we use from each chapter to determine their interim grade. In addition to specific practice I have the whole class complete, students are also encouraged to determine what additional practice will help them most and how they want to demonstrate their learning. For many students, this looks very similar to traditional exercises and reading comprehension questions; however, students may also propose other modes, such as illustrating stories and conferencing with me to talk through a concept.
At the end of each chapter, students reflect on their progress in the areas of reading comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar. They complete a self-reflection on their learning in each area, along with evidence that shows this learning, and I provide feedback and my perspective. The value of each area is proportional to its emphasis in the course. Reading comprehension is worth 100 points, vocabulary 20 points, and each area of grammar 10 points (conjugations and declensions for Latin 1; conjugations, declensions, and syntax for Latin 2-3; usually only 1-2 are covered in a chapter). At the end of the semester, students turn in culture projects worth 15 points and a self-reflection on their learning habits worth 5 points. The semester grade is comprised of the scores from the last chapter, the culture project, and learning habits.
Grades still follow the traditional ranges, based on the points earned for the semester:
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F 50-59% (Note the bottom is 50% instead of 0 to keep the ranges similar.)
Please note that I do not give extra credit. Instead, students are welcome to continue improving their understanding of any area of Latin until the end of the semester and advocating for a higher grade once they can demonstrate that improvement. Through this, I hope to encourage them to focus on their learning instead of a specific number.
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