The academic grading system hasn’t changed much in, well, since it began. Yes, there are traditional and standards-based grading as well as programs for students who need help or for students who don’t find their classes challenging. There are extracurricular activities that get students involved in their community outside of school hours. But what if there was a way to capture more than grades when reporting student achievement in class? Now there is!
The Pros and Cons of Academic Grading
There are many reasons why academic grading is beneficial for both students and parents, as well as teachers. Academic grades are indicators of which subjects a student might be struggling with or which they find boring. When these problems are identified, the teacher has ways of getting the student extra help or changing the subject matter slightly so it’s more interesting. Parents can also follow report cards to see how well their students are doing.
There is a big piece missing, however, if student achievement is defined solely based on academic achievement.
Including Effort in Student Achievement
Take, for instance, these scenarios:
- – Several of the brightest students in school seem to put forth very little effort in class, if any, and they receive high marks for each grading period.
- – Other students try as hard as they can, participate in class, and even study at home, but they rarely get above a “C” on summative assessments.
With effort scoring, which is done in-the-moment and reported immediately, students are motivated to pay attention and stay on task. High effort scores reassure students receiving low academic grades to persevere. Effort scoring can also help teachers identify students who should be given additional challenges.
The E4Effort System
While many teachers have already worked some type of effort grading system into their classrooms, many of those systems aren’t as effective as they could be and results for each vary from classroom to classroom. Students have to be aware of how their efforts are being scored for each class. The E4Effort system is consistent. It has been tested in real classrooms for efficacy and natural integration. It allows teachers to give frequent positive reinforcement while helping them make sure all students have opportunities to participate in class.
The E4Effort System offers teachers a second metric to report alongside student grades. To be most effective, this “partner metric” must be considered of equal importance by students, families, teachers, and administrators. It measures what grades can’t, and it gives students a more complete way to demonstrate their overall performance. The E4Effort System helps improve student engagement, social skills, communication skills, and academic learning.
Are you ready to learn more about how E4Effort can help your classroom today? Sign up at e4effort.com or schedule a web conference. During this conference, you will learn just how E4Effort can help improve student engagement, classroom behavior, and learning outcomes.