Hi Nancy
Could you clarify one thing for me. What is the conflict exactly - that you
don't have the same standards at two very different schools? It seems to me
that it would be nearly impossible (and in fact undesirable) to have the same
standards at schools where the students differ so much (incl. how much time
they have to devote to school work or just how bright they are).
I would simply challenge the students more at school Y. You can certainly keep
the assignments the same but demand more of the students for each assignment
(papers need to have more references, be better written, exams should be more
difficult, etc.). You can also (if you find the immaturity a problem at school
Y) assign more points to appropriate classroom behaviors ("good citizen grade"
is what I call it).
Marie
****************************************************
Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D.
Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology
Kaufman 168, Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA 17013
Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971
http://alpha.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm
****************************************************
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 9:22 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: [tips] Grading discrepancy
Hi all,
Hope you are having good summer down time. I need some guidance. The names have
been changed to protect the somewhat innocent.
School X is my full time job, school Y is a steady part time gig.
School X is in a working class/poor neighborhood, school Y is in an affluent
area of LA. Students at school X are more likely to be working and students at
school Y are more likely to be fully supported by their families.
Cheating is more likely to occur at school Y although it is not unknown at
school X. I tend to monitor school Y students more closely because of this.
In my psychology 1 classes, I teach and grade the same way. I offer open-book
pop quizzes, exams with a limited number of notes allowed, one take home exam
and a required term paper.
My grade curve at school X is more evenly distributed than at school Y where it
is much higher. I am getting in trouble because of the high average in my
school Y classes and might lose this job (since school X doesn't always provide
summer work - 10 month contract - I kind of don't want that to happen). I've
taught at Y since 2000. I feel attached to it.
I have considered the possibility that I am being a "lenient part timer" at
school Y, but I really don't think so. If anything, when I sit down to grade
the work of those students I am more likely to be in a negative frame of mind
(the students at school Y are VERY immature and behave badly in class). The
fact is they generally do better on the MC/objective sections of my tests than
school X students.
I am discussing this with my department head. I have considered going to closed
book exams at school Y. She suggests using a curve.
It seems unfair to me to do things differently at school Y just because they do
better. They may be poorly behaved, but they are generally pretty bright.
I am just looking for thoughtful opinions and guidance. I really believe I am
being honest with myself and portraying this fairly. Thanks for your help.
Nancy Melucci
Long Beach CA
www.kiva.org<http://www.kiva.org> - check it out!
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