A is for Effort?
Should students' grades reflect how hard they work?
Originally published in the Moultrie News.
My son got a C in a class he worked so hard in. Shouldn’t a child’s grade better reflect their effort?
One of the first lessons I learned as a teacher is not to denigrate a student's poor effort. Two students constructed a mobile — evidently with their left hands while riding the bus, judging from its appearance. These were otherwise good students, so when I graded their project, I noted I was disappointed in their effort.
Their moms were equally disappointed in me: "How dare you question their effort! They worked for hours on that project!"
No, they didn't, but what counterargument did I have? I hadn't watched them work. I only saw the product.
Realizing that the next 30 years were going to be a nightmare if I continued to question students' effort, I turned to a practice that has since become standard in schools: developing rubrics — scoring guides that lay out clear expectations for assignments and tasks.
Rubrics allow teachers to assess student work objectively without making assumptions about their effort. When I thought about it, I realized this made sense. School is about learning skills and content. Grades aren’t based on who tries the hardest but on who meets the standard. Some students can write a perfect essay on their first draft — should we mark them down for low effort? Others labor for hours to barely pass — do they deserve the same grade as those who completely master the material?
Ideally, outcome and effort should dovetail, but sometimes they don’t. Sometimes a child works really hard, but the rubric or answer key still gives him a bad grade. It stinks, but that's just the way it goes. Ask any athlete who has practiced and competed their heart out only to lose the game.
If it happens to your child a lot, there could be a problem. To help, consider these questions:
Is the child really working hard? Just because he’s at his desk doesn't mean he's working efficiently. Phones, computers, music, and windows can distract any kid.
Are you basing the child’s hard work on his own assessment? Kids often confuse the intention to work hard with actual hard work. Make him work at the kitchen table, where his work can be seen.
Is the child cramming? A student might pull an all-nighter, creating the illusion of hard work, yet still not approach the daily effort required for the six-week duration of the project.
Is the child being efficient? I recently saw a student studying for a quiz by rewriting the entire chapter by hand. That's a lot of work for very little return. Re-reading the chapter or taking notes would be more efficient.
Is the hard work consistent? If a child misses a single assignment, it will take 9(!) perfect scores to raise that single zero to an A.
Is the child working with friends? Time is not effort. Two friends spending 4 hours on a project can easily include 3.5 hours of socializing.
Is the child following directions? Check the rubric. Students can spend hours writing a perfect essay, but if it's not on topic, they’ll never get an A. One misinterpretation can send an entire project off course.
Is the child’s effort properly distributed? Say an assignment requires kids to research a topic and make a poster on it. A child might spend next to no time on the research and six hours on the poster because they enjoy drawing. It's hard work, but it won't result in a good grade.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with working hard at something we’re not very good at only to barely meet the benchmark. My lowest grades in school were in Spanish 3 and Chemistry — the two courses where I exerted the most effort. I was proud of those C’s because of how hard I worked. So if your child is genuinely working hard and can only eke out C’s, it would be better to show pride in your son than resentment for his teachers.
Jody Stallings has been an award-winning teacher in Charleston since 1992 and is director of the Charleston Teacher Alliance. To submit a question, order his books, or follow him on social media, please visit JodyStallings.com.