Culturally Responsive Teaching Fall 23-Spring 24

FSHD 52: The Child in the Family

Grading / Equity / Latinx

Reflection on Instructional Change:

An analysis of student grades using data provided by the university showed that a select group of students, particularly Latinx students in my FSHD 52 course, were underrepresented in the As category, but overrepresented in the Bs and C- and D's. Latinx women were in particular much more overrepresented in the D category. My major, and this undergraduate class, in particular, has few male students and is overrepresented by female majors. Thanks to ESCALA, I learned some tools in fall 2023 to increase equity in my grading.

In particular, the ESCALA FLC exposed me to some interesting perspectives on equitable grading practices. I believe the one aspect of the course that had the most impact on my grading practices and policies was reading Joe Feldman's book, "Grading for Equity". I revised my syllabus according to Feldman's recommendations, such as giving students the option to revise and resubmit their assignments, using highly detailed rubrics to maintain equity in grading, offering soft deadlines, and crediting assignments that measure comprehension and not behavior like attendance or participation in class. This I believe helped advance equity in my class because not all students, including underrepresented minority students, have the resources or cultural capital to abide by traditional student behavioral norms. Students in my FSHD 52 now revise and resubmit their child observation assignment - which is a high-stakes assignment that I use to assess students' command of the research methodology and their ability to analyze their data. I will continue practicing this same grading algorithm and policy in my future classes to foster equity in my grading and promote overall student academic success.

**Evidence of Instructional Change**
Image 1 - Modifications to the child observation assignment.	Image 2 - Use of highly detailed rubrics to maintain equity in grading practices
Students are now given the option to resubmit one of their child observation assignments for a higher grade after receiving my feedback.	This is a sample of the rubric I use to grade the child observation assignment

Course Syllabus: FSHD 52 Spring 24 Syllabus.docx

**Faculty Bio**
	I am an assistant professor of family studies and human development in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Sacramento State University. My scholarly interests center on issues of fatherhood, parenting, and evolutionary development. My teaching philosophy is grounded on the belief that the information my students learn will benefit both their personal and professional development. I teach courses such as The Child in the Family, Adolescent Development, Issues in Parenting, and Family and Social Issues.

This work was supported by:
	Grant funding from Sacramento State Division of Inclusive Excellence *Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sacramento State.