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Grading What is grading?

“It is the process that translates test scores and descriptive assessment information into marks or letters that indicate the quality of each student’s learning and performance.” (Airasian & Russell, 2008, p. 250)

Why do we use grades? •  To communicate the achievement of students to

parents and others. •  To provide information that students can use for

self-evaluation. •  To select, identify or group students for

educational paths or programs. •  To provide incentives for students to learn. •  To evaluate the effectiveness of instructional

programs. •  To provide evidence of a student’s lack of effort.

(Guskey & Bailey, 2001, p. 51)

Effective Grading

•  Effective grading practices provide accurate, specific, timely feedback designed to improve student performance.

(Marzano 2000, 2007; O'Connor, 2007)

High Stakes Grading

•  “Two common causes are missing homework and poor performance on a single major assignment—a term paper, lab, or project.” (Reeves, 2008)

Negative Effects of Grading

•  Grades tend to diminish students’ interest in whatever they’re learning.

•  Grades create a preference for the easiest possible task.

•  Grades tend to reduce the quality of students’ thinking.

(Kohn, 2011)

What do you need to grade?

•A basis of comparison that can be used to translate your judgment into a coding system.

•Information about the student who will be

evaluated.

What are the different types of grading?

•  Norm-referenced grading compares student performance to cohort groups.

•  Criterion-referenced grading measures student performance against preset standards.

•  Ability grading is when we compare a student’s performance with her ability.

•  Student improvement grading measures students based on progress.

Reported Sources of Grades

•  Exams, quizzes, reports and projects. •  Portfolios, labs, notebooks and journals. •  Observations, presentations and homework. •  Participation, work habits, effort and

attendance. •  Punctuality of assignments, behavior and

progress. (Guskey & Bailey, 2001, p. 61)

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How do we keep grading from interfering with teaching?

•  Keep it simple enough that students can calculate averages independently.

•  Be able to explain a student grade or average to his parent simply and quickly.

•  Be as objective, confidential and consistent as possible.

•  Use progress reports. •  Set clear expectations, describe them at the

beginning of the year and then hold to them.

Non-academic grades

•  Should effort be graded? •  Should lateness be graded? •  Should non-performance be graded? •  Should participation be graded? •  Should conduct be graded?

Other grading issues. . .

•  How do you grade students who are on iep’s?

•  How do you deal with make-up work? •  Is extra credit a good idea? •  What do you do when a student

complains about a grade?

References •  Airasian, P.J., & Russell, M.K. (2008). Classroom assessment:concepts

and applications. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. •  Guskey, T. R., & Bailey, J. M. (2001). Developing grading and reporting

systems for student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. •  Kohn, A. (2011). The case against grades. Educational Leadership, 69

(3), 28–33. •  Marzano, R. J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A

comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

•  Marzano, R. J. (2000). Transforming classroom grading. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

•  O'Connor, K. (2007). A repair kit for grading: 15 fixes for broken grades. Portland, OR: Educational Testing Service.

•  Reeves, D. B. (2008). Effective grading practices. Educational Leadership, 65(5), 85–87.