[LM_NET] target:giving library grades

[Sarah Belisle <miss.belisle@GMAIL.COM>]

I know the subject of giving library grades has been discussed several
times.  I know there are lots of strong feelings for giving or not giving
grades.  I am not looking for a discussion of if we should be giving grades,
but for those of you that do give grades, how do you do it?

In my school, all of the special area teachers assign a "behavior" grade.
For the other teachers, this is an additional grade in addition to whatever
they teach.  I am the only special area teacher that does not give a content
grade.

Last year I started giving grades after the first 9-weeks at the request of
my principal.  It was my first year teaching and I've never been in library
that assigned grades.  My system was thrown together and worked, but only
for me.  At the end of the year, I didn't feel like I had something to turn
in to justify the grades I had assigned.

Last year I made a behavior chart with a space for names and then a list of
the most common behavior problems in the library (talking, misusing shelf
markers, not following directions, etc.).  If I had a problem, I wrote down
the name and then marked the offense.  At the end of the nine-weeks, I
checked the sheets and made a tally of the marks (and yes, some had multiple
marks in the same class session).  I looked at the number of marks they had
versus the number of times they had been there and then assigned grades.

I am the first to admit there were flaws.  First, my goal was to talk to
each student about their behavior problems before they left class and that
did not always happen.  That was one of my mistakes in carrying this out.
Second, I wrote down the names as I continued talking.  I don't have the
best handwriting when I'm concentrating on what I'm doing, it's even worse
as I'm writing and talking.  My sheets were totally unreadable to anyone
else.  Third, while it seemed ok at the beginning, counting "strikes" at the
end of the nine-weeks took a lot more time than I imagined.

I need a better system but I'm clueless on how to get there.  I do have a
couple of ideas.  I have considered making a "rubric" of sorts for behavior
with 3-5 things listed.  If the student does all of those things, they would
receive 5 points for the day.  At the end of the nine weeks it would just
require looking at the total number of points versus the possible number of
points.  I do wonder about this and students that are absent.  Do I lower
their grade for not being in the library? Do they get a "free pass" for not
coming at all?

In short, I need help.  What system do you have for keeping up with grades?
What have you tried that HASN'T worked?  What will be the most effective to
implement without sucking away lots and lots of my time?

I'll be glad to post a hit.  Thanks!

Sarah


-- 
Sarah Belisle
Teacher-Librarian
Carter Elementary School
Knox County, Tennessee
miss.belisle@gmail.com

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