Most educators think that "in the end" it's a disservice to our strong students if we don't assign a letter grade or a percentage. The following is a student's self assessment of his major project on poetry - apparently, not all strong students want what we think they want. (Posted with permission.)
I struggled as I attempted to write this self-evaluation. I looked through all my [explication] essays and poems trying to come up with a grade assessment for my work. I couldn't. Instead, I came to this realization:
The purpose of marking an assignment is so that an individual can see his or her own mistakes from a different perspective. When these mistakes are realized, the student can decide if he or she values the input. If so, he/she can put it to use improving him/herself and his/her skills. For this reason, I don't think it is entirely appropriate for me to provide a self-mark for my work, as I am stuck in my own limited perspective. I feel that I can only grow as a student if someone [else] helps me recognize where I can improve. I cannot ask myself, "Is this a 6 [level] essay?" I can only evaluate myself based on one criteria: did I do the best I could with the resources that I had?
I completed the assignment to the best of my abilities. I worked hard not so that I could achieve a high grade, but so that I could become a better person in one area of my life. Instead of taking an indifferent attitude towards the assignment, I challenged myself to write the best darned essays and poems I could write. Using the skills that I have learned, I did the best I could. Now, I can only wait for another perspective to provide constructive criticism and help me improve myself. I am happy with the work I have handed in; this is the only evaluation I can give.
