What's in a Grade? Equitable Grading Practices in Teacher Education

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Fourteen
  In Roundtable Session: Challenges to Equity in Policy, Curriculum as Assessment: The Studies on Challenge and Opportunity (Table 4)

Abstract

Grading approaches differ in undergraduate higher educational settings, but most often reflect traditional systems that support an unbalanced power dynamic that does not acknowledge or support continuous learning. These practices are then taken up by pre-service teachers and applied within their future classrooms with children. Using a critical approach to theory and pedagogy, we analyzed our own grading practices for the purpose of designing and implementing a more equitable approach to assessment. The process led us to think about what grades to represent and what matters most to us as educators. This case study includes our process and some of the challenges we faced, potentially being a valuable resource for educators who are considering similar adjustments to their grading systems.

Authors

• Rebecca D. Brown, Ball State University
  Presenting Author

• Kirsten Robbins, SUNY - College at Oneonta
  Presenting Author