Soooo... How Am I Supposed To Grade A Yearbook Class?

LELAND MALLETT, CJE Leland Mallett, CJE, has been the adviser for more than 20 yearbooks. His staff has won numerous national awards, and Mallett was named a Distinguished JEA Adviser in 2018. Mallett is no fan of grading. “It’s the worst thing we do, for sure. It’s hard, because it’s all subjective,” he explained. “You’ve got to figure out a method that allows you to produce the book. That changes from school to school. In fact, for me, it changes from year to year.” He only grades on Sunday nights, and it’s a non-negotiable deadline for students. “If they miss it, it’s a zero for the week.” Mallett recommends fellow advisers stay flexible when it comes to grading methods. Adjust each year as necessary. Different systems will work for different advisers, so find the grading system that works for you. “I’m not a big stickler on grades. I’ve done point systems before – they get so many points for this, and taking photos for this – and you work up to 100. That was great, but it was a lot of work for me. I was spending more time adding up points than I was proofing the yearbook.” He stresses the importance of finding ways that will simplify the process of grading while benefiting the yearbook experience in order to avoid grading simply for the sake of grading. LEGACY HIGH SCHOOL MANSFIELD, TEXAS

7 LELAND MALLETT , CJE