I handed in my grades to the administration today. All that is left is to grade the final exam, which the students will take this Friday. Here is the list of rules I was told to follow while grading:
1) The students’ grades are composed of 10 assessments and one final exam. All teachers have to have the same title of assessment, so even if you did entirely different assessments, change your title.
2) No student can fail. No student can get below a 50 on any assessment. If they did, or did not do the assignment at all, give them 50.
3) No student can get an A on one assessment and a D on another. The difference between the grades is too great (even though 80 points is an A, and 59 is a D) and the parents will start asking questions. If this happens, you will have to manipulate the grades to give them either a B and a D, or an A and a C.
So, I’ve spent precious time creating grades, changing grades, faking grades…. I don’t understand how teachers can accept this and follow this policy. This alone would make me not want to continue teaching here another contract year. It’s a ridiculous nationwide policy, created (I assume) to stream as many kids through the system as possible. This policy is even extended to Thai universities, wiping away any legitimacy or prestige that Thai universities could have. If you’re in the position of hiring someone with a degree from Thailand, I would think twice.
The Art of Grading in Thailand
