Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Evaluation Vs. Letter Grades

I feel the the grading system for the major papers we are to write is a fair system. The check system however i never really liked because it is not specific enough to tell the writer what he did or did not do correct. I feel that the grading system overall in English is perfect because writing is all about progression and if people are bad writers at the beginning, their english background may not have been as good as others. The system that is in place with the english classes is great i feel and i think other subjects should look towards progression throughout the course because that is what education is all about!-O'Neill

The comments on the paper are very helpful. How else are we going to know what a teacher likes and dislikes in a paper if he or she does not tell us? However, I am still partial to the letter grade. It is a clear cut way to let us know how we do on our work. You can judge your own paper based on the comments received, but how do you really know? A teacher may like the paper the first time around, but may find something different the next time. If there are not standards for grading made, how do us as students know whether the teacher takes off the same points for the same mistake on two different papers? The check system is a mix between the two. We at least know for a fact that we are getting a good grade when we receive a check plus. Also, it is pretty self-explanatory if you get a check or a check minus. You either did an ok job or a crappy one. -- Cunningham

13 comments:

JG said...

There is ALL kinds of debate on the letter grade versus evaluation technique in the academic world. Some studies have shown that classes run without grades entirely but are progressed based instead lead to much more learning.

On the other hand, students are clearly uncomfortable if they don't know if they're getting an A or a B or lower.

Maybe we're so product-driven that we have to have symbols to show other people what we've "achieved"? Our society certainly reinforces this. After all, it's not like universities schedule an interview with you to admit you to their programs--they want to see your test results.

Anonymous said...

I personally like getting a letter grade so that way I know the expectations. If I get a B paper, I know what is being expected for an A paper. Letter grades combined with comments written on the paper make it easier to pinpoint what exactly is wrong and what needs to be improved. A's and B's are easier to identify with and comments help make improvements.
-Edwards

Anonymous said...

When I first found out we would not be getting a grade on our papers, I didn't like it. Then I realized the check system wasn't such a bad idea. With the check system I was able to tell what I did good on and what I needed to improve. This was alot better then getting a letter grade, because that doesn't help you at all. The teacher just gives you a grade and that's that. They don't have the oppurtunity to help you fix your mistakes. Like O'Neil said "writing is about progression." It takes time,and you have to understand what your doing wrong in order to fix your writing skills. If you do not understand what your doing wrong then you will never have the chance to become a good writer.
--Gilmore--

Anonymous said...

I think that the way we grade papers here at wvu in english is a lot better than a lot of other classes. I like how we can progress and improve our paper before getting a final grade. But I also agree with the thought that, what if the teacher finds something they don't like about it the second time around that they didn't state the first time. I would much rather it be this way though any day, rather than just handing it in once.
-Stephanie Learn

Anonymous said...

I like the evaluations we recieve with our papers. I have recieved letter grades on papers before but i did not find them as useful as the evaluations i recieve on my english papers. The evaluations help me understand what exactly the instructor is looking for in a paper. Also feel I'm able to write a more devloped paper by the insight of others from the evaluation process.
-Yearsley

Anonymous said...

I feel that this method of grading is very effective. At my high school we would have a mix of both. We would use the check system for our first two drafts and then on the third and final draft it would have a letter grade. Utilizing this check system to me is a great idea. I know that authors have used this method for a very long time. I have seen new copies of old books with a chapter added or a preface by the writer, to me this is the same thing. Sometimes the best idea's come after the fact, so why should'nt they be able to edit their own work.- Irving

Anonymous said...

I agree with O'Niel. I feel that the system is alot more helpful to the
students and teach the students more about what is expected. It makes
me feel more comfortable and at ease when writing my papers. I do not
have all that extra stress. So I would have to say that I like the
grading system for this class.

Anonymous said...

I really like the evalution system. I think for English that it's a much better grading method. It gives us the chance to see what a college English is like and the expectations of our writing skills. Also you don't have to worry about making every paper perfect the first time. It also gives you a chance to experiment with different writing techniques.
I agree with O'Neill that the check system can be someone confusing though.

Anonymous said...

I'm for the letter grade. All my life I have received letter grades
and dont want to switch it up. It lets me know how well I have been
doing in class and where I need to improve. If I have a problem with
the grade I just go meet with the teacher. Letter grades keep things
simple.
Devan

Anonymous said...

I have to say that I prefer the letter grade over all else. Checks and check pluses don't stand for anything in my opinion. At least if there were letter grades, we'd know the range of our grades. How do the professors give us our final grade based on checkmarks? Sometimes I feel this is an unfair system. Things would just be much clearer and simpler if letters were used rather than checkmarks.

Anonymous said...

I, by far, prefer the evaluation. I love writing papers, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are perfect. The fact that I am free to get feedback and get my paper proofread by my classmates and my teacher and be shown ways to improve my paper help me tremedously. I would rather improve my paper to my teacher's liking before I turn it in for the major grade before I turn in a bad paper and get a flat grade that I cannot make up.

-O'Roke

Anonymous said...

I like the check system better. Not one time have I worried about my English grade, like my other classes where you know where you stand. The check system allows me to write freely without the thought right or wrong.

Anonymous said...

I think that letter grades have some kind of pourpose. You look at your childs report card in elementry school and you see numbers. What do they mean you ask yourself? Letter grades are more obvious!