Assigning a grade to Geometry

[choirfarm]

Last year for Algebra when I started assigning grades ( I graded his math before then but I didn't count grades if that makes sense.) , he was doing TT, so grading was all done for me. This year with Chalkdust Geometry I had 50 percent for his daily work and 50 percent for the tests in HST. However, with Geometry he is often making D's and C's on his daily work. We basically have to go over it daily and make sense of where he messed up. BUT, he made a solid B on his first test and a 95 on his second test. So... How do I assign him a grade? If he has had wrestled with the work and now has a solid understanding, it seems wrong to penalize him. He has always aced his daily work before now with Saxon, Singapore and then last year with Alg I and most of Alg II with TT (counted it as Algebra I). He loves math ( except Geometry...he can't wait to return to Algebra) and has always been REALLY good at it. We've never struggled with daily work before.. now my middle son is a totally different story.

 

Christine

[Jane in NC]

Hi Christine,

 

Given that the point is to master the material, your son is succeeding.

 

My perspective on grading math comes from teaching in college classrooms but also rings true to my own high school days. Daily work is for the student. I have never included it in a final grade although when I was teaching in classrooms, I did give a weekly quiz to make sure that everyone was doing their assignments.

 

Some aspects of mathematics will come easier to some students than others. I do not think that students should be penalized for the struggle that often ensues in the process of learning mathematics. The final outcome (the chapter test) is more important.

 

Best,

Jane

[choirfarm]

Does that mean I make tests 100 percent?? To be honest, I've been putting in his decent daily work grades and dropping the terrible ones. I haven't even assigned grades for some of it. What about the mid-point quiz? He hasn't done all that well on that. Yes, I agree that it is the point of the work for him to master the material. I just didn't want to give him mommy grades either.

 

Christine

[Jane in NC]

This is going to boil down to your personal philosophy, I suspect.

 

Consider this: my son is currently taking a General Chemistry II at the CC. Roughly a quarter of their grade comes from work performed using the software Chem Skill Builder. They are allowed to repeat the exercises as many times as necessary until the students receive a grade with which they are satisfied. Some of the details in math and science are not apparent on the first go around so students are allowed to study, repeat, refine, ask questions.

 

This, to me, is the point of education. I am not hung up on the "daily grade". I do feel that it is necessary for my son to do his work, but it is not a daily grade that makes him accountable. It is his commitment to his school work that makes him accountable to himself. Granted, not every kid is self motivated. If your student needs the daily grade to succeed, by all means give it.

 

Again, most college math instructors do not collect daily work. My high school teachers never did although they periodically glanced at our notebooks. So why would the average of test grades be a "mommy grade"?

 

What is the mid-point quiz? Are you quizzing on midpoints or is this something in your curriculum?

 

Having said all of the above, I do want to note that my son is currently taking an online Latin class with daily grades. I believe that this is an accountability issue for this virtual experience. The instructor would have no way of knowing otherwise if the students are doing daily work.

[Jann in TX]

As a highschool Math teacher I never gave/give a 'letter grade' for homework--I give a completion grade.

 

Homework is for learning--for practicing the examples and expanding on them. How can one grade practice work? Programs like Jacobs teach WITHIN the problem set... again not a good idea to grade the lesson as proof of understanding!

 

This is the main reason why high school Math texts have the odd answers in the back. The ODD problems are the ones normally assigned (unless you use a program like TT or Saxon where ALL problems needs to be done)--with the evens there for extra practice or example. I ENCOURAGE my students to check their work OFTEN while working a homework assignment. I don't want them practicing the whole thing wrong!

 

For my homeschool students (and my own dds) I do not count a homework assignment as 'complete' until every assigned problem has been worked correctly--even if the student has to get out the solutions manual or ask me to work it with them...

 

I tend to lean toward homework being 20% of the grade. Tests are 80% and quizzes/projects get the other 20%.

 

For Geometry I usually assign at least 2 projects each year. One is to make a poster of a tesselation (colored in detail). The other is to design/make and FLY a kite (from scratch). With the kite project comes a sheet with assorted calculations (area, perimeter....)

 

I'm teaching Geometry online this year. My students will also receive a 'construction' grade as well as homework/quiz/test grades.

 

Please grade the Geometry proofs LOOSELY!!! There is likely more that one correct way to work the proof--and the TE usually shows only one--and it is not necessarily the 'best'... You need to check to see if the 'logic' of the student is valid between steps.

[Storm Bay]

For Algebra 1 I didn't give a grade, since it was grade 8. For Geometry, I'm struggling with the same issue you are. I did get grades on daily work in math in high school, but we didn't have any answers in the back. I don't remember how it was weighted with the tests anymore. My solution, which isn't going to work for everyone, is to have her do Geometry with 2 textbooks.

 

I do mark all her daily work when there are no answers for her to look at, and her mark is improved by having the second book to review and do things again. If need be, I may just use the grades from the Dressler, since it's a great course and she's going to do enough of it to make a course. She is also doing each thing in it after she's done it with LoF. My philosophy is that mastery is important, and if she masters something to my satisfaction, it is an A by anyone's definition. My mommy marks tend to be very strict, although I realize that most colleges won't know that and wouldn't believe me if I told them. This is just one of the reasons I don't assign grades before high school.