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When you grade what is your point of comparison?

Do you determine student grades based on their performance relative to each other, an external set of standards and expectations, some other criteria?

Do you include class participation, attitude, homework timeliness, ability to work well with others, perception of how hard (or not they are working)....?

What does an A mean to you, a B, a C? How does one get an A, B or C in your class? What percentage of kids get each grade each year? What percentage of kids get a D or lower?

Hearing that the average GPA at a school is a 2.7 makes sense when you consider that an average GPA lining up with an average grade (about a C, maybe a C+) is not at all incongruent. So, do you believe in the bell curve of grading? What were the average grades in your classes last year? Do you talk to kids about C being average---or is a C the new F in your district?

How do we feel about grades and what they mean as a reflection of our teaching practice--separate from the way our districts may treat grades?

How do our thoughts and feelings about grades and the power of grades influence our assessment of inquiry activities?