End of the Year Wrap Up!

 Dear CHAT Writing 1 & 2 Students & Parents,

I've just finished calculating the grades for the Spring semester, and you will be finding them in your inbox in just a few minutes.  As tutors, we give you suggested grades for you as homeschooling families to consider.

Grading Thoughts:

Allow me to share my thoughts on grades.  As I homeschool my own children, I don’t give them grades.  I feel that grades are far too subjective, especially coming from their mother.  Instead, I teach my own children for mastery, and we don’t proceed with a topic until they are ready, no matter how long that takes.  In a class setting, knowing where each student is with regards to his/her understanding of a topic is not always possible, so any grade given is not a complete representation of what the student learned or accomplished this year.

Letter grades are a funny thing.  For some students, it becomes the only motivation for doing well.  For some, it becomes a measure of their worth as people or as academic learners.  I personally don't like these "side effects" of the grading system.  On the other hand, grades can be a valid reflection and reward for working hard, being diligent, and understanding the materials.

When teaching students to be good writers, I give a lot of consideration for growth and improvement. Each student has a starting place; over time I look for him or her to learn the mechanics of grammar, good writing techniques, and analytical thinking skills.

Essay Grades:  “Trigger Warning!”😉

A unique aspect of this grading system is that each student can earn 100% on each essay if they simply complete the checklist.  I find if they have met all the requirements on the checklist, their writing is poised, polished and sounds pretty darn good!  

On the other hand when a student has missed a required element (or two), the checklist has not been completed.  Therefore, the assignment has not been completed.  Therefore the essay cannot be graded.  🫠

When (not if) this happens, the essay is returned “In Process”-- aka 0 points.  But hear me out!  This zero is due to the parameters of the Google Classroom grading system and is temporary!  Don’t get frustrated at this point!  Simply stick with the revision process.  I like to emphasize that the “0” in this case is like the oil light on the dashboard of your car.  It simply indicates that the essay needs your attention—perhaps only ten minutes to sit down, look at your work and your checklist.  Any missing element is pinpointed and very specific.  

The feedback I have gotten from students is that even though it might be super ANNOYING to see a “0” on an essay that you’ve sweated over, it has really helped to force the editing process. They have told me that once they are over the initial shock, the revision goes really fast and, in the end, they have earned 100%--and have an essay they can be really proud of. As a writing tutor, I have seen huge improvements in students’ writing and I have appreciated the objectivity the checklist presents—no guesswork for students or tutor.  You either do the checklist or you don’t do the checklist. By the end of the year, students become very familiar with the mantra:  

Do what you check; check what you do!

Grading Categories:

For this class, I gave points for Quick Writes & Visual Vocabulary, short assignments, literature assignments, grammar exercises, and longer essays. The final drafts of the essay assignments were graded using a checklist that included style elements, structure, organization, and formatting requirements that varied for each assignment. 

The scores for class work are divided into the following categories:  Quick Writes & Visual Vocabulary, Writing, Literature, and Grammar.  A student may have been strong in one area and not in another, and this will be reflected in these categories.  These scores are also weighted; in other words, not all of the categories have the same importance.  The Quick Write/Visual Vocabulary points are 15% of the total grade, the Writing assignments are 30%, the Literature homework is 28%, and the Grammar work is 27%. 

The grade breakdowns for Writing 1 & 2 are as follows:

98% - 100% (A+), 93% - 97% (A), 90% - 92% (A-),

87% - 89% (B+), 83% - 86% (B), 80 % - 82% (B-),

77% - 77% (C+), 73% - 76% (C), 70% - 72% (C-),

67% - 69% (D+), 63% - 66% (D), 60% - 62% (D-),

55% - 59% (Pass), 50% - 54% (Fail); 0% - 49% (Incomplete)

Each student (and parent) will receive an email with percentages and a suggested overall grade for this semester. Though I have had to part ways with the external grade book that I’ve used to send reports in the past, I trust the reports I do send will be just as easy to understand.  If you have any questions, first check Google Classroom.  If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.  

Blessings to all,

Mrs. G