Grading

To represent learning results, a scale of 9 levels can be used by expressing combinations of the letters A, B and C, and considering only the first 5 to be passing grades.

Based on records that contain daily observations of student progress, the faculty team will assign A as the highest level, B as intermediate, and C as the lowest.

Additionally, for every group of students, and with the participation of all its members, one of the three letter grades A, B or C will be assigned to each student according to the performance of their duties.  Under such circumstances, one of the following combinations of letter grades is to be given to students upon completion of each assignment, where the first letter represents the appreciation of their teachers.

1. AA
2. AB
3. AC
4. BA
5. BB
6. BC
7. CA
8. CB
9. CC

It is very important to add that, as treated here, the evaluation process puts special emphasis on the timely determination of the degree to which the expected behaviors are really reaching.  In this way, academic performance can be discussed accurately, and even more importantly, favorable conditions are made possible for the feedback process, which is essential for success in the implementation of any educational program.

The symbols used to express the performance, whether they be numbers, letters or anything else, are irrelevant.  What is actually important, as it has been noted, is the process to be followed in order to find which of the adopted symbols is best suited for each student.

Feedback

It is to be expected that, within the atmosphere of incentives, motivation, dynamism and satisfaction that surrounds the students, the classroom setting will become a learning environment in which each of them will discover something truly satisfactory.  In this manner, allowing them to put all their skills to use will help them achieve the best performance possible.  Such an approach will result in a minimal amount of students failing to reach the proposed objectives.

However, it would be very convenient to have a recovery plan available that could be as follows: once the cases requiring assistance are determined, the students in question will attend, with the highest possible frequency (at least twice a week), an activity during which they will engage in a thorough self-analysis regarding their assumed attitudes.  They will continue to do so until they can gradually find solutions on their own for each of their difficulties.  When the student demonstrates that he has reached the minimum acceptable conditions required of him, mandatory attendance to these meetings will cease.

Promotion

If a program consisting of all the principles, concepts, techniques and procedures suggested in this curriculum organization were to be implemented in any given school setting, promotion would no longer be necessary.  Students would begin their first year and, continuously fulfilling their commitment to perform outstandingly, would progress unhindered to complete the term of schooling.

“Now, if there is free choice, the teacher does not have to use coercion (punishments, examinations, diplomas) to get results.  As long as the teacher has the power to destroy the student through condemnation, the system will be fundamentally corrupted by irresistible coercion.  This is not to abolish assessments (diagnostic, prognostic) altogether, but rather to eliminate from the assessment process the power of destruction and fragmentation, from which failure arises.  Hence, the assessment process will be up to the class itself, giving young people the power to self-diagnose.” (40)

“Measurements of the growth achieved either during a semester or a year reveal little change.  This means that it may be necessary to design an assessment plan that covers at least some years of study and requires the cooperation of many teachers.  It would be even more effective if the plan were to cover all years of study in the system.  These efforts will allow for the gathering of data about the student throughout his entire career in such a way that their performance could be measured based on the most complex objectives.” (41)