sneak peak

I didn't know what to write today, so here's one of my articles in the Panther Pride this edition.

There is great diversity in the way teachers grade assignments at Dakota Valley.  Some teachers’ classes have point totals soaring into the thousands; other instructors have totals barely making it over a couple hundred points.  Although every teacher grades on the same scale, landing a high grade in a class with fewer points seems challenging. Spanish teacher Joel Webber (an instructor known for giving assignments worth few points) explains his reasons.

 “My point system is based on what I expect my students to be able to do now, and what I want them to do at the end of the chapter,” said Webber.

 Webber is not the only low-point teacher. About a quarter of the staff has point totals at or under 1000 points a semester. Some Dakota Valley students have trouble with this arrangement.  They feel that a class offering only a few points, makes it hard to achieve a good grade.

“It’s not really fair, because if you do bad on one project, then it’s almost impossible to make up,” said an anonymous Spanish student.

For example, in one Spanish class, there were only about 240 point in the book at the end of one quarter.

“Small assignments and introductory assignments have lower value, because I am asking students to do things they are not familiar with.  So if you don’t do the smaller assignments, it’s going to show up,” said Webber.

However, some see low point assignments as detrimental to their motivation.

 “If there are one hundred points in a test or assignment, I think that emotionally you want to work harder, but if it’s only worth five, and you get a zero, you might think it’s not that big of deal; but in reality, five points are a huge percent of your grade when you are dealing with very few points,” said a second anonymous student.

On the other hand, Vince Tucker, a high school history teacher, had over 3 thousand points last semester, which tends to go over better with part of the student body.

“I think giving more points is important, because it gives them a better chance to succeed; to allow more points it allows them to get a better grade,” said Tucker.

Some students agree.

“I love his grading system, because as long as you keep up with all the work, you can bomb something and have opportunities to keep a good grade.” said Spencer Hemmingsen.

With a different outlook on things, new student, Veronica Claussen, feels that Dakota Valley’s point system is perfect the way it is.  Claussen transferred from Elk Point-Jefferson this fall semester and she thinks that our grading system (both high and low) makes it easier for her to pass all of her classes this year.

The statistics are all there, the grading system is the same; there is no difference between classes.  The reason why small point classes are difficult is because students do not look at percentages.  Mostly, it’s a mind game.  Experts encourage students to look past the value of the assignment, and notice how much the assignment is going to affect your grade.  Do not get sucked into the common misconception that low points means low value, because sometimes, the little things make all the difference.