Math grades?

[DragonFaerie]

I need to figure out a way to give grades for math.  We are using a bunch of math programs, but I can't figure out how to give grades or tests for any of them.  Our primary curriculum is AoPS Pre-Algebra which we supplement with Alcumus, a little Scholastic word problems book, and reading from Murderous Maths.  DS will also be taking a weekly pre-algebra class (no idea how this is going to work yet, but I don't expect them to do grades), and we may be adding Math Reasoning from Critical Thinking Co. depending on how the class works with regards to homework, etc.  Oh, and he does Fred as his Friday Fun math.  Can you tell DS loves math? LOL.. 

 

We do AoPS together, including the review and challenge sections.  He does one page of word problems (5-6 problems total) per week and makes corrections to his mistakes.  If the class gives grades, I will certainly count them, but I don't think these classes work that way.  So, he does a ton of math, but how do I give him grades for any of this?  I need something to record on his report card.

 

 

(Not doing grades is not an option. DS likes to get a report card and see his grades.  My state requires an "annual progress assessment" to be retained by me for three years.  I figure the report card fits the bill.)

 

 

[regentrude]

My kids' math grade is determined by a comprehensive final exam at the end of the semester.

Our goal is long-term mastery of concepts, which chapter exams would not test.

I do not give grades for daily work; daily work is for learning and practice.

 

ETA: I write my own exams, based on the material covered over the semester and modeled after problems in the book.

[DragonFaerie]

I usually grade quizzes and tests, too, but none of these programs have quizzes or tests. 

 

Regentrude, does that mean that your kids have just one math grade for the whole of the year?

[DragonFaerie]

  I don't do grades because they really are a communication tool that schools use.  I don't feel the need to communicate with myself.  :laugh:

 

Really?  I talk to myself all the time.  :lol:

[regentrude]

Regentrude, does that mean that your kids have just one math grade for the whole of the year?

 

Yes.

[My3girls]

I'm giving daily grades. I look at everything they've done and then average it so they get one grade per day. I too have to have an annual summary of progress that I keep. Plus my girls like to get report cards. They are proud to show them off to Daddy and the grandparents, kwim? It also helps me to go back and see trouble spots easily. I don't really do tests. We are going for the mastery approach, but there is a bit of review at the beginning and end of the year to be sure things are sticking.

[DragonFaerie]

I'm giving daily grades. I look at everything they've done and then average it so they get one grade per day. I too have to have an annual summary of progress that I keep. Plus my girls like to get report cards. They are proud to show them off to Daddy and the grandparents, kwim? It also helps me to go back and see trouble spots easily. I don't really do tests. We are going for the mastery approach, but there is a bit of review at the beginning and end of the year to be sure things are sticking.

 

How do you average their work?  I mean, right now, we read through the math lesson together, then he does the written work.  I check it, and he re-works any problems he missed (we work them out together).  I like the idea of a daily grade, but it doesn't seem right to count against him while he's learning, kwim? 

[K&Rs Mom]

 

I have to figure this out too because 11yo wants a report card.  I plan to take the percentage of problems she gets right every day, but with something like LOF some days there are only 3-4 problems, so missing one is a huge hit.  Maybe I'll give half-credit for that one if it's a small arithmetic error vs fully wrong if it's a total failure to understand?  My other though is to only count grades on the cities, where there are enough problems to make a valid percentage.  She's using Alcumus for extra practice, and I love the way it adjusts difficulty level after every question, but sometimes it gives her something totally outside anything she's learned, so I don't want to penalize for getting that wrong.  It sure would be easy to just look at her "reports" on there for a percentage, though!

[regentrude]

 I plan to take the percentage of problems she gets right every day, but with something like LOF some days there are only 3-4 problems, so missing one is a huge hit.  Maybe I'll give half-credit for that one if it's a small arithmetic error vs fully wrong if it's a total failure to understand?  My other though is to only count grades on the cities, where there are enough problems to make a valid percentage.  She's using Alcumus for extra practice, and I love the way it adjusts difficulty level after every question, but sometimes it gives her something totally outside anything she's learned, so I don't want to penalize for getting that wrong.  It sure would be easy to just look at her "reports" on there for a percentage, though!

 

I have strong philosophical objections to basing a grade on correctness of daily work during the learning phase, because that penalizes students who use a curriculum of appropriate difficulty. If a student gets 100% correct each day, the math curriculum he is using is too easy. If, however, trying out harder problems and challenging himself is punished by lower grades, that would discourage the student from working to stretch himself and pushing the edge of his abilities. The student would then prefer simpler work because it would translate into higher grades.

So I would be very careful with such an approach.

In order to become a good problem solver the student needs to engage with difficult problems he has to THINK about and that may not come easy; occasional failure is necessary for learning. Punishing a student because he is doing this does not seem to achieve the desired objective. (If our student was learning to play the piano, we would not reduce his grade because is is making mistakes while he is practicing his piece; we all realize that making mistakes is a normal part of instrument practice, and that the perfect, error free end result is the product of countless mistakes.).

I recommend Richard Ruszcyk's article about the "tyranny of the 100 percent".

[TracyP]

My kids are funny.  They sometimes ask me what there grade for the day was.  So I tell them.  I only base it off their attitude. 

 

What a coincidence! That is what my 5th grade teacher based grades on, too. It somehow seems more acceptable at home...;)