Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Expert provides tools to fix grading system

New Bremen

By Margie Wuebker
NEW BREMEN - With teaching becoming increasingly standard based, area educators learned Tuesday that current grading systems are in need of repair.
Ken O'Connell, an internationally known grading expert, provided 175 educators from St. Marys, New Bremen and Minster with a repair kit during a daylong program at New Bremen High School.
O'Connell's presentation came about as part of the Race To the Top initiative, according to New Bremen superintendent Ann Harvey.
The longtime educator told teachers that grades must be accurate, consistent, meaningful and supportive of learning. Those that do not, qualify as "broken" or ineffective.
He said grades are broken when they include components that distort achievement, come from low quality or poorly organized evidence such as inappropriate number crunching and fail to support the learning process.
Grades should reflect achievement and not student behavior such as effort, participation and following classroom rules. Likewise, students who turn in late assignments need educational support, not reduced grades, O'Connell said.
The author of "A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades" discourages the use of extra credit or bonus points because they have nothing to do with achievement. He encourages teachers not to use absences when grading.
"You don't need your rear end in a seat all the time to get a good grade," he said.
He displayed a grading chart for a student who had numerous absences but achieved perfect scores on tests. Teachers debated whether the student deserved an A or an I for incomplete classroom performance.
O'Connell favored the higher grade.
He also dislikes grading on a curve.
"There are no right grades only justifiable grades," O'Connell said.
One of the teachers present said she looks forward to implementing the speaker's concepts; another said there is more to learning than what mere letter grades convey. A third teacher admitted with a chuckle she has a lot of homework to do.
Harvey lauded the program which was funded by a grant to improve instruction in such areas as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Five school districts - New Bremen, New Knoxville, Fort Recovery, Mississinawa Valley and Ansonia - will be splitting a $250,000 state grant over the course of two years to make that happen.
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CELINA - City voters in November will decide whether Celina will modestly move forward or be set back 20 years, Celina Planning and Community Development Director Kent Bryan said.
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Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
St. Marys' boys opened their cross country season with a win at the Auglaize County Preview meet at K.C. Geiger Park, bringing together three of the Roughriders' fellow county schools.
Regatta schedule of events:
FRIDAY
4-6 p.m. - Test laps for racers. Public is welcome to attend.

SATURDAY
7:30-11 a.m. Pancake breakfast. Proceeds to St. John Lutheran Church Youth Group.
CELINA - A strong group of 16 seniors helped the Celina football team achieve a winning record for the first time since 2000 when the Bulldogs finished last year with a 6-4 mark.
COLDWATER - Last year was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the Coldwater football team.
Turned out, the Cavaliers went 11-4 and finished as the Division V state runner-up in Chip Otten's first year as head coach.
FORT RECOVERY - The 2010 football season for Fort Recovery was like a two-chapter book.
The first half of the season saw the Indians win their firs
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Local Flyers have historically boasted a large roster of football players ready to form a team in the image of their coach Tim Goodwin.
MINSTER - When first-year head coach Nate Moore was ironing out his game plan for the football season last summer, he was certain Minster Wildcats' fans would witness improvement.
NEW BREMEN - Entering his fifth year as head coach of the New Bremen football program, Rob Messick greets a young team, but he is very optimistic at the long term outlook of his squad.
ROCKFORD - Last spring, Doug Cairns' job was eliminated at Sidney High School.
Although Cairns' teaching position was no longer available, his job as the head football coach was still intact.
ST. HENRY - After a 3-7 season that forced younger players into action because of wide-spread injuries, St. Henry's head football coach Jeff Starkey tried something a little different this offseason.
ST. MARYS - In the coming months, the St. Marys' football team will stride into the stadium on the corner of South and Front Streets for the final time.
CELINA - The road to the Western Buckeye League volleyball title looks like it will run through Celina once again this year.
The three-time defendi
COLDWATER - Mike Etzler is looking forward to a competitive season with the return of a few veterans off a Cavaliers' volleyball team that finished 2010 with a 14-10 overall record and 5-4 mark in the Midwest Athletic Conference.
FORT RECOVERY - Kylie Huelsman moves up from the junior varsity level to take over as head coach of the Fort Recovery Indians' volleyball team this season.
MARIA STEIN - After losing seven seniors to graduation, some coaches would be scrambling to put together a competitive squad the next season. Then co
MINSTER - Last fall, the Minster Wildcats enjoyed the success of a 17-7 campaign powered by the explosive leadership of five seniors, including Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year Erica Fullenkamp.
NEW BREMEN - To say that the last two seasons have been tough for the New Bremen volleyball team would be a vast understatement.
Since winning the
ROCKFORD - It was a magical 2010 season for the Parkway volleyball team as they finished 22-6 and advanced to the state tournament for the fourth time in school history before falling to eventual state champion Middletown Fenwick in four games.
ST. HENRY - With six returning letterwinners from a team that finished 19-6 overall and 7-2 in the Midwest Athletic Conference, St. Henry has high expectations for the upcoming season.
ST. MARYS - Over the course of the past few years, the St. Marys Roughriders have methodically clawed their way up the Western Buckeye League standings.