4 Ways of Fighting Bias in Grading
I came across this blog post earlier this week, and I had to read it because the imperfections in grading have been on my mind the past few weeks. Over the weekend of January 22nd-23rd, I was frantically updating my grade book to post progress reports. I tell myself that I will be better about inputting grades as I grade assignments every grading period. However, every grading period, I still find myself surrounded by grades that needed to be put into the grade book. But, when I am inputting grades, I also find myself struggling with grading systems in general, and maybe that's why I put off inputting data; I feel like there has to be a better way to assess the students. When I found this article on Edutopia, the author brought something to my attention that I had never thought about: the biases in grading. Now, of course, biases in grading are not a new concept to me, but Gosner shared some ideas I never thought about. For example, she shared a study stating that implicit biases are more likely to appear when teachers are tired, stressed, and overworked (the definition of teacher). When I read this, it made sense and made me realize that by waiting to get my grades done close to my deadline, I may not be grading my students as fairly as I would when I'm less stressed. While they are frequently the cause of my stress, it's not fair to them to be assessed poorly. I am very thankful for finding this blog post and recommend that educators read it and reflect on their grading practices.
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