Vignette 7: The Mighty Bell Curve!

Mrs. Vandekamp uses a norm-referenced approach to grading, otherwise know as the bell curve.  With Mrs. Vandekamp’s decision to use this approach she creates a highly competitive learning environment within her classroom.  Her decision to grade this way has denied Dakota the 80% or better she deserves and has worked hard to accomplish.  This, in turn, took Dakota out of the running for the Rutherford Scholarship.  The scholarship was of great importance to Dakota financially.Dakota’s actual achievement is not truly represented by her final mark.  She worked hard, throughout her course, on all of her assignments and was attaining grades higher then 80%.  Dakota’s final mark shows where she sits in comparison to her peers and does not represent her true learning accomplishments.

Self Reflection

I think criterion-referenced grading is a better grading practice because it is a true representation of the student’s learning.  I don’t feel it is fair to grade students based on where they fit academically amongst their peers. 
Each student is an individual and deserves to be treated as such.  There is always going to be diversity within a classroom, and I think it is my responsibility as a teacher to make sure I am testing to the student’s ability.  This means making accommodations for lower level learners (scribing, dictating, modifying the number of questions on an exam, etc) and possibly challenging my higher-level learners.  I think it is up to the teacher to promote success and downplay competition. 
Student achievement and grades should represent the learner outcomes as prescribed by the Program of Study.  I think if the students are reaching the learner outcomes and are successful in assessment they deserve the marks they earn.  As a teacher, I will strive to make my assessment tools relate directly back to the learner outcomes and the POS.  This will involve a great deal of planning but with the planning comes the confidence that my assessments will be reliable and valid.