You are in a high school with a lot of high-performing students. The school takes real pride in the fact that it pushes students toward excellence. The parents in the school district are also quite demanding. A low grade given to a student often results in a call from parents. As a result, the overall grades students receive are high and the principal in concerned that the grades assigned by teachers are too high.

Grade inflation is the topic of your next department meeting. Further, the chairperson of the department has asked that you identify at least one way the school might attack the problem. What technique would you suggest? How would that technique be used?

On pages 536 and 537 of the text the authors focus on school performance issues. The focus on performance is a very hot topic at the present time. As an example, in Virginia (among other states) parents will be able to go online next year to see how their neighborhood schools stack up against others. A recent article in the Washington Post (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51737-2003Sep9.html) documents nicely the nature of the new "auditing" emphasis.

1		Read the article on the Washington Post's site and think through reasons for encouraging or discouraging audit procedures in your state. If you already have such procedures, interview a practicing administrator to assess his or her points of concern or agreement with the approach. Special Note on Grading for Students with Disabilities In Chapter 10 (See Tips for Teachers 10.2) we discussed all the different adaptations that teachers might make for students with special learning needs. Dennis Munk and William Bursuck in an article titled "Grading Students with Disabilities" articulate the issues on how to use grading adaptations to produce fair and meaningful grades for all students. For example, they suggest that teachers Prioritize content and related assignments. Base part of the grade on the processes that the student uses to complete work or the effort that the student has put forth. The article is an excellent one and can be found in the October 2003 issue of Educational Leadership, 61 (2), pp. 38-43 or by accessing the website: http://www.ascd.org publications/ed_lead/200310/munk.html. Need a Hint?