{"id":356,"date":"2021-11-04T17:31:59","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T00:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/dean.richards\/?p=356"},"modified":"2021-11-05T11:04:19","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T18:04:19","slug":"more-lessons-learned-from-the-equitable-grading-thing-tank-grading-is-more-than-grades-1-homework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/dean.richards\/2021\/11\/04\/more-lessons-learned-from-the-equitable-grading-thing-tank-grading-is-more-than-grades-1-homework\/","title":{"rendered":"More Lessons Learned from the Equitable Grading Think Tank – Grading is More than Grades #1: Homework"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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While much of the conversation around equitable grading can be about what ends up on a report card, we all know there is a lot that goes into the creation of that final grade.  The Equitable Grading Think Tank is also looking at the processes that guide the formation of that grade. Today’s post is about one area of their exploration: Homework.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no doubt that homework is an important part of a student\u2019s school experience.   Homework is the application of the skills and content taught in class.  When homework is assigned, it is best when there is a high probability of success on the work; otherwise, students will be practicing incorrectly and will not have the ability to receive corrective feedback.  We want to know if the student understands the content taught and to give them an opportunity to show that understanding.  What we don\u2019t want to do is have a student make mistakes.<\/strong>  The old saying \u201cPractice makes perfect\u201d is not actually true. \u201cPractice makes permanent\u201d is true.  This is why we want the practice to have a high level of success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The practice that will have the most benefit for students is assigning things that a student is revisiting, is called spaced practice<\/em><\/a> (6:23 minutes – works great at 1.5 speed!). <\/em> This means that a homework assignment could have a few questions from a couple of weeks ago, a few questions from last week, and a couple of questions from the most recent learning that connect to the earlier parts of the homework. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some classrooms, the homework assigned is the work of that day, (i.e., \u201cPlease finish any of today’s classwork you ran out of time to complete.\u201d) For students with a weaker understanding of the content, the issue is now they must complete the work with fewer academic scaffolds.  Students will do the work without the supports of the classroom, which includes other students who have received the same instruction and the teacher who delivered the instruction.  While some students may have supports at home to produce accurate work, almost none of them will have the supports that were tied to the initial instruction.  The most inequitable part of homework comes between those students who do not have the space, adult support, or ability to dedicate time (due to family and work responsibilities) to do homework and those who have all of these. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since homework is practice, having homework play a smaller percentage of the overall grade makes sense. Grades on homework are typically given for 2 reasons: 1) correctness of work and\/or 2) reasonable attempts made. If homework is given a heavy weight in an overall grade, we can have an inaccurate understanding of the students\u2019 knowledge because the student for a variety of reasons, including correcting misunderstandings after the grade was assigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important that homework, if tabulated into a student’s grade, plays an accurate and supportive role – one that is motivating to both students and teacher. Curious to hear more? Rick Wormeli is one of the first Nationally Board Certified teachers in America, working full-time as an author, researcher, and trainer of teachers. Here, he discusses homework and grading policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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