Grading: Should Behavior Count?

A recent article in the New York Times highlights a growing trend to weed behavioral factors out of the grading system and attempt to evaluate students purely on the basis of how well they have mastered the material. This trend is a natural consequence of standards-based education, but it has met some resistance from students and parents. Should such behaviors as the punctual submission of homework or the classic “class participation” be factored into grades, or should performance on tests be the only consideration? I think most educators would agree that students should not be punished with lower grades for undesirable behaviors. Disciplinary action is certainly outside of the scope of the teacher’s grade-book.  On the other hand it seems that being engaged, organized, and punctual are important aspects of student performance. Complete disregard of these aspects of student performance in favor of exclusive dependency on test performance puts undo faith in the value of the test as an evaluation tool. No written test is a perfect measure of ability. Even those students who do not suffer from test anxiety may be tired or stressed on the day the test is administered, not to mention a host of other factors that could affect performance on a single high-stakes task. Then consider the high probability that the design and grading of the test are less than optimal. While it’s hard to imagine anyone arguing to include certain behaviors mentioned in the article in grading, such as whether a student brought a box of tissues to class or not, whether she forgot to bring a pencil, or routinely displayed a less than attentive posture,  other “behaviors” that have academic value such as making insightful contributions to class discussions should be weighed. Part of the answer involves a philosophical attitude toward what the teacher is trying to accomplish; producing effective test-takers or cultivating engaged learners whose overall performance is valued. Ultimately though, the question is linked to the perception of teachers; Are they professionals who can make accurate judgments based on their daily observations of overall performance, or should that responsibility be removed from individuals as much as possible in favor of standardized evaluations?

46 responses to “Grading: Should Behavior Count?”

  1. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Learning Diversity, Learning Diversity. Learning Diversity said: I just posted Grading; Should Behavior Count?, read it here: http://www.learningdiversity.org/?p=1243 […]

  2. tweetydoe says:

    peer pressure effects kids behavior so they should not be punished o graded fa it

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