When marking comprehension pieces that were set for the entire level by the department, the teachers would get together before marking to do a standardization process, even though there might be an answer scheme. To prevent any disparity, we would all mark the same set of three random scripts and discuss our answers thereafter. This was extremely useful as it clarified the standard that the department sets for its students.
As the teachers expected a fairly high standard from its students, we were rather strict when it came to errors made in the vocabulary section. Even if a synonym was give for a word, it had to be acceptable in the context of the passage. For example, “closed fingers tightly” was not awarded any marks for “clenched”. It had to be “closed fingers tightly in anger/frustration”. The same applied to summary writing. Lifting was heavily penalised. This stringent marking also ensured that students would learn the importance of contextualisation.
As for free-writing compositions, it was slightly trickier as I had to assess content and language. For example, correcting every single grammar and spelling mistake would be extremely time consuming. What I did instead was to set a code with my students. If there was a spelling error, I would circle the word and write an “SP” on top and if it was an error in tense, I would write “T”. However, if I was focusing on grammar, I would correct it and write the acceptable word.
The key takeaways from my brief marking experience is that firstly, beginning teachers must always check the standards with the department and request for a rubric if one has not been given yet. Secondly, we should also prioritise what we are looking to assess and make that known to the students. It would also be very helpful to give students a simple rubric as well.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
RE: rubrics & standardization - yes, it's useful to check. My contract school had them but not my Practicum school.
ReplyDeleteRE: Strict marking for vocab. Was this targeted at any specific learners? If this was targeted even at weak learners at lower secondary level, were there any strategies the teachers had to make the pill less difficult to swallow?
Hey Meera,
ReplyDeletein my practicum school, when I was asked to mark the secondary one normal academic and express comprehension papers, it was really mind boggling. Firstly, my CT and I both agreed that the normal academic paper was to difficult for them, and that the answers provided by the setter is flawed in that it does answers what the question asks. We had to seat together and mark the scripts together in order to standardize and provide a grade that we thought was the fairest.This caused our few classes to reflect lower than expected performing marks although our classes were labeled the better performing classes.
It was a really tough decision especially for me since I could imagine the student's disappointed faces with alacrity and I was and still too new to be immune to their pleas and tears when I returned their CA papers to them.I found it difficult to swallow that the setter actually followed the marking scheme without checking to see if the expected answers tally with what they had taught the students so far and whether or not the answer really "answers" the questions.
So I am quite glad that your school actually has the practice of seating all the teachers down and discussing things with each other in order to provide the students with the best there is.
~wanru