DETERMINING A MARK

This page offers some strategies, resources and ideas for thinking about determining a mark at varying points in a course.

Questions, comments or feedback can be directed to the Itinerant Coaches.

Determining a mark or grade for the midterm point in a course relies heavily on all conversations, observations and products collected of students' current understanding.

Here are two tools that may help to describe what demonstrated understanding in MTH1W can look like at the different levels at this point in the course.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1. “A student who [is below level 1 at midterm] would not have even begun to reveal their understanding of most or all of the overall expectations whether through observations, conversations, or products.” (Secondary Teaching and Learning - AER Reflections, emphasis added)

2. Teachers are encouraged to use benchmark numbers for the midterm reporting cycle since learning is still in progress. A specific mark may be more appropriate for the Final Report Card.

3. The list is a selection of the mathematical processes from the Ontario Grade 9 Math Curriculum.

4. “Students who are just emerging in their demonstration of the overall expectations, but are still a long way from the provincial standard would be considered level 1. This may mean that they don’t get many, or possibly any, correct answers, but there is still evidence that their thinking is on the right track. For some students this emergent thinking isn’t evident in products at all, but is revealed while observing how the student works through a thinking task or while conferencing about their learning.” (Secondary Teaching and Learning - AER Reflections)

5. “Hot”, “hard” or “advanced” problems should never go “above or beyond” or “exceed” the MTH1W curriculum expectations. Use the Check Your Understanding examples as a growing guide of what these can look like as we clarify specific details in the MTH1W curriculum.

Determining a mark or grade for the end of the course should rely on all evidence gathered through conversations and observations and products of students' more recent and/or most consistent understanding of overall expectations of the course.

Here is a rubric or tool that may help to provide guidance on determining a final mark for a student in MTH1W.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

1. “Hot”, “hard” or “advanced” problems should never go “above or beyond” or “exceed” the MTH1W curriculum expectations. Use the Check Your Understanding examples as a growing guide of what these can look like as we clarify specific details in the MTH1W curriculum.

2. “Students who are just emerging in their demonstration of the overall expectations, but are still a long way from the provincial standard would be considered level 1. This may mean that they don’t get many, or possibly any, correct answers, but there is still evidence that their thinking is on the right track. For some students this emergent thinking isn’t evident in products at all, but is revealed while observing how the student works through a thinking task or while conferencing about their learning.” (Secondary Teaching and Learning - AER Reflections) Teachers are encouraged to use their professional judgment to make determinations about how students have independently or with support demonstrated curriculum expectations, being attentive to overall instead of specific expectations.

3. The WRDSB AER handbook uses 83, 90, 95-100 as benchmark numbers for Level 4 (p. 23). This MTH1W Final Rubric tool uses the additional 88 and 92 for use at the teachers’ and students’ discretion.

FREQUENTLY ASK QUESTIONS: