"Researchers determined that grades given by teachers were neither valid nor reliable since what constitutes an "A" in one classroom or school does not constitute an "A" in another.This became one of the reasons that standardized testing became so popular" (http://www.middleweb.com/INCASEgrades.html). As I continue my search for grading and what my grades reflect, I continue to come accross articles that spur my thinking. Could the above statement be true that standardize testing is a direct effect of the unreliability of grades???? So we have put ourselves in this sea of CSAP, ITBS, MAP, etc. I now (sort of) see the thinking behind implementing these tests, if grades are not an accurate account of student learning/achievemnet, then doesn't something need to be? Is it not true that we tend to be more rigid with very intelligent students who we see as lazy; then, on the flip side, we tend to be overly leanient with students who struggle with the concepts but work incredibly hard? Is it also not true that an A in one class can be equal to a C in another?

I fully agree that assessments should be our focus and not grades. Assessments should tell us what students know and what concepts we need to continue to work on in class. How many times have teachers given a test to see where the learning/teaching fell short? In other words, instead of assessing who should receive an A, B, C, etc., what if teachers focused on assessing the content that the students learned and didn't so the teacher knows how to stear the next lessons?

Now, let me switch gears. I was sitting in a meeting about a student the other morning and really started thinking that this whole learning processes isn't rocket science. The student being disscussed is intelligent but doesn't put in the time to study. Studying, especially the rote learning (memorization of words/facts) either happens or doesn't. This type of learning of material doesn't have a great deal of "understanding" behind it. However, it is still an essential part of learning a content. How can you begin to study the human digestive system without knowing the names of the organs and the locations of them? How can you start speaking/constructing a new language without memorizing any new words of that language?

This then leads me to even more uncertanties. I have many types of assessments in my classroom. Assessments of understanding, and let's face it, assessments of memorization. And, aren't those assessments of memorization essentially grading on responsiblity? If a students studied and memorized those words they will perform well on the assessment, if a student failed to study, they probably did poorly.

So....... I have come to the conclusion that assessment of understanding and learning are the most important factors and grades should be able to fluxuate with a student's learning. Now I just have to make sure that my grading system directly correlates with this belief. I need to stop trying to separate responsiblity with acedemics and just focus on learning.