Supreme Court upholds school practice of having one student grade another's work

The US Supreme Court decided a case from Owasso, Oklahoma Tuesday morning - ruling teachers can have students grade each others papers - and that calling out the grades is not an invasion of privacy.

Tuesday, February 19th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The US Supreme Court decided a case from Owasso, Oklahoma Tuesday morning - ruling teachers can have students grade each others papers - and that calling out the grades is not an invasion of privacy.

News on Six reporter Emory Bryan says many teachers rely on the practice of having students grade papers in class - it saves them time, and gives students a review of the answers. But four years ago - a mother in Owasso complained the practice was an invasion of her son's privacy. She eventually took the case to court - and won - but the district appealed the decision to the Supreme Court - which decided grades are not private until they're in the grade book.

It clears the way for teachers to again have students grade each other's work. Marilyn Hinkle, Owasso School Board President: "Grading papers was many times burdensome to them with the numbers they have in the classroom, and a lot of teachers use it as a learning experience." Kristja Falvo, mother: "If the school is going to do what they say they're going to do, I don't think the kids have anything to worry about."

Even though teachers can again grade papers in class - Owasso won't resume the practice until the school board comes up with some guidelines.

Teachers across the country were watching the case - considering it important because of who will control what happens in the classroom - parents or the school district. And in court at least in this case, the school district won.