Grading help, starting with Lial Int. Algebra

[stacim]

We haven't really been in the habit of giving grades around here, but now that I have a high schooler, that's gotta change.

 

I would love to hear some general suggestions, but I also have some specific questions. I just corrected ds's first test and am trying to figure out how to count a problem that has multiple parts to be correct. For example, he had to pick numbers from a list that belong to a particular set. The correct answer includes 7 numbers, he included 8 (all of the correct ones plus one that shouldn't be there). There were a total of 30 questions on the test.

 

Suggestions on how to mark this? Is it all right or all wrong? Do I assign that problem more weight?

 

I am probably making this more complicated than I need to, but I need a little help getting started. :tongue_smilie:

[Jann in TX]

Well, it depends on the problem type.

 

If there were 30 questions on the test I would count each worth 3 points. In some cases I would give partial credit--but I really try to limit this. I usually give 1 point of 'effort' credit in a long complicated problem where a 'small' error was made...

 

I also OCCASIONALLY give some credit (max of 1 point per problem in this case) for test corrections. The student re-works the missed problems from the test entirely. I prefer to have them work a similar problem for verification also...

 

It is is fine line to walk... you want to give credit where due--but you do not want to unfairly pad their grade either. I take attitude and homework into account...

 

If I had a student who missed 5 questions on this test the rough grade would be an 85%... did that student DESERVE the B? As the teacher I could easily pad the grade--test corrections/extra work to bring it up to an A.. but if this becomes a habit then I end up giving an A to a student who really and truly was a B student...

 

I think the Lial tests are VERY fair... the lesson teaches ABOVE the level of the test. Again, unless it was a complicated problem (solving for 3 unknowns manually) I would not give partial credit--at the Algebra 2 level.

I would NOT give partial credit for a set notation problem like you described.

[stacim]

Thanks, Jann! I will look it over again tomorrow and give that some thought. In this particular case, I had him just do a cursory review of Chapter 1, the chapter review questions and the test. I figured that it would give him a good opportunity to familiarize himself with the Lial's text (he just completed Saxon Algebra I).

 

Do you suggest 3 points for each problem to allow for the situations where you do award partial credit? If no partial credit were to be given, would it really be any different than assigning 1 point per problem? Just trying to make sure I'm not missing anything here.

 

Oh, and do you take off points or count a problem wrong if they don't include units? For example, 3 of the problems asked for difference in height/depth of two things. The table was provided in feet and no conversion was involved. He didn't include the units on any of the three problems. It seems somewhat nit-picky to take off for the missing units, but I want him to be properly prepared for the day if/when he takes a class not graded by mom.

 

One more thing... Do you require, or at least recommend, that your students show all of their work? I have asked him to do so in case he needs me to help track his errors, but again, I would like for him to know what might be expected in a classroom setting.

 

Thanks for all of the help/advice you offer on this forum! I know you have helped me loads already. :)

[regentrude]

Do you require, or at least recommend, that your students show all of their work? I have asked him to do so in case he needs me to help track his errors, but again, I would like for him to know what might be expected in a classroom setting.

 

Require. Absolutely.

It is important to arrive at correct answers through correct procedures and not through guessing (or making multiple mistakes which happen to cancel).

I am a college instructor (physics); unless it is a multiple choice test, my students have to show all work in order to get any credit.

This is one thing I am very insistent with my own children; they need to learn how to document their thought process so that a person who is not familiar with the problem can follow easily. It benefits them as well: writing down all steps drastically cuts down on errors, and it allows a well meaning instructor to recognize minor mistakes and award partial credit where the end result was incorrect.

 

Units: I would take off points in order to instill proper habits now.

[Jann in TX]

I would count off for not putting units down--I'm big on this one.

 

I would put a grade on this test--no partial credit or test corrections... BUT I would NOT count this grade against him.

 

For 1, I never use chapter 1 in the Intermediate Algebra text... but besides that he did not have much practice with the chapter--and the terms used WILL be different as Saxon is not a standard program.

 

Your son needs to be accurate--and any bad habits (like not showing work) need to be nipped in the bud.

 

It works best if he grades his own home work---and it is NOT complete until he has checked his work and corrected any mistakes WITHIN the problem--not just in the answer line! YOU get to be his accountability partner--spot check his answers if necessary--but please be aware that there WILL be problems where the answer can take a few different forms--but still be considered correct.

 

If you ever have doubts on how a problem should be worked out--or how it should look worked out on notebook paper (the text format is not always best for notebook paper) please feel free to ask... I can work one out then e-mail it to you. Also--if you need to check the form of your son's final answers--in case they do not match---just ask.

 

Jann

[stacim]

Thank you to both of you for taking the time to respond! It is good to hear from those with teaching experience since it's been quite a while since I've been in a classroom and I just couldn't remember what was expected.

 

I read Jann's suggestion of having the students grade and correct their own homework in another thread I found just last night and I think we'll make that switch. That will take some work off of me in addition to possibly being a help for ds.

 

I think we'll be making a few changes to our approach in light of your suggestions and we'll use this first test as a teaching opportunity, but not one that will affect his grade.

 

Thanks again!

 

Oh, and thank you, Jann, for your offer to help if we have questions as we go along. That is very kind of you!

 

The other message I'll be able to hopefully solidify is the need to double check one's work. He says he did, but I know he needs to be more careful. He only missed one problem that wasn't a careless error. Everything else was forgetting negative sign, forgetting units, etc.

 

Jann - In case you check back on this again, can you help me with one thing? In the set notation problem that he missed, it asks if the square root of 6 is included in any of the following sets: whole numbers, integers, rational numbers and real numbers. Is there a trick or easy way to figure out if the square root of a number that results in a decimal is terminating, non-terminating, repeating, or non-repeating? That is the only thing he missed in that section, and otherwise, I think he has a pretty good grasp of the sets.

[regentrude]

Thank you to both of you for taking the time to respond! It is good to hear

Jann - In case you check back on this again, can you help me with one thing? In the set notation problem that he missed, it asks if the square root of 6 is included in any of the following sets: whole numbers, integers, rational numbers and real numbers. Is there a trick or easy way to figure out if the square root of a number that results in a decimal is terminating, non-terminating, repeating, or non-repeating? That is the only thing he missed in that section, and otherwise, I think he has a pretty good grasp of the sets.

 

I'm not Jann, but let me have a try at this.

I would assume he knows that the square root of two is not a rational number.

The prime factors of 6 are 2 and 3. Thus, the square root of 6 is the square root of 3 times the square root of 2 and must hence be irrational, too.

(So it would be non terminating, non repeating.)