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Assessment

     This was my first attempt at using contract grades.  When I first started teaching, one of my colleagues in the Social Studies department at another high school used contract grades almost exclusively with his U.S. History students.  I just always figured that I never had a need or desire to use something that was obviously geared more toward a different discipline.

     Using contract grades for this assignment was one of the best things I could do.  The students knew exactly what they had to do to get the grade they desired.  Even when students would ask me, "What kind of a grade would this be?"  I didn't have to look over their assignment at all.  I simply told them to get out their handout and tell ME what kind of a grade they would receive.  At first, the students gave me the "you're the teacher, you should know" glare.  But, then, they were even asking each other, "Do you have captions for all your pictures?"  

     It was really interesting that they would "problem solve" through the assessment as well.  Sincere collaboration with others took place as they examined projects and checked the list of requirements for each grade.

      Some students lost points when they did not have their presentations ready to go on the first day.  To make sure that everyone did the project, I had the students print out their PowerPoint slides and turn them in to me on the first day of presentations.  Then, I had volunteers or random draftees present their Cribs.  Students received either 10 points for turning in a hard copy of their slides, or a ZERO for not turning in anything.  This grade was in addition to the 100 points possible for the contract grades.

     Some students lost points when they were not ready to present on the day their number was drawn.  I took a letter grade off for every day that they did not have their presentations.  NO EXCUSES.  If they had been saving to the network, then we would be able to access their Crib from any computer.  If they "forgot" their laptops or had been saving to a suddenly misplaced disk, they still took a letter grade off.

Page created by Martha Lewellen. Last updated 6-10-2003.