Grades and Grading

A Brief Look at a Complex Task-Nov 3, 2007

“At UCLA I quickly learned the knack of getting grades, a craven surrender to custom, since grades had little to do with learning. - Hugh W. Nibley; Professor emeritus of ancient history & classical languages at BYU and acclaimed author.

Should Grading Be This Scary?

Experts on grading…

What are the sources of a teacher’s grading practices?

What do you know about interpreting grades? (What does a “B” mean?)

Would you be more or less motivated in this workshop if you knew you were being graded?

What does it take to be an Evaluation Expert?

Essential Questions:

What is the difference between grading and assessing?

Why do we grade? Do students need grades to learn? What is the best grading system? Letter

grades? Percents? Checks? Can subjectivity be taken out of grading?

Why do you grade the way you grade?

Sources of Teachers’ Grading Practices1. The policies and practices they experienced

as students.

2. Their personal philosophies of teaching and grading.

3. Local (district, building, dept) policies on grading and reporting.

4. What they learned in undergraduate teacher preparation programs.

Grading Statements: Agree or Disagree?

Definitions

Grading: Any professional evaluation of a student’s work/performance. - evaluate: to make a professional judgment.

Assessment: Non-judgmental feedback of a student’s progress toward a desired goal.

Feedback: Information provided to learner to assist in reaching a goal.

Formative and Summative Grading Formative grading takes place over time –

informs instruction, remedies learning errors, and provides temporary feedback.

Summative grading summarizes students’ achievement and certifies their competence.

The Points-Driven Economy

Elementary: Grades as feedback.

Middle/High: Grades become seen as a commodity - given in exchange for a performance or behavior.

Perception: Grades are no longer formative but a summative defining statement.

General General

Conclusions from Conclusions from

the Research the Research

in Gradingin Grading

# 1 Grading and Reporting # 1 Grading and Reporting are NOT Essential to the are NOT Essential to the

Instructional ProcessInstructional Process

Teachers can teach without grades.Teachers can teach without grades. Students can and do learn without grades.Students can and do learn without grades.

Checking Checking isis Essential Essential

Checking is DiagnosticChecking is Diagnostic- Teacher is an Teacher is an AdvocateAdvocate

Grading is EvaluativeGrading is Evaluative- Teacher is a Teacher is a JudgeJudge

Begin with a Begin with a Clear Statement of PurposeClear Statement of Purpose

Why Grading and Reporting Are Done?Why Grading and Reporting Are Done? For Whom the Information is Intended?For Whom the Information is Intended? What are the Desired Results?What are the Desired Results?

Purpose of GradingPurpose of Grading1.1. Communicate the achievement status of students to Communicate the achievement status of students to

their parents and otherstheir parents and others

2.2. Provide information for student self-evaluationProvide information for student self-evaluation

3.3. Select, identify or group students for certainSelect, identify or group students for certain

4.4. Provide incentives for students to learnProvide incentives for students to learn

5.5. Documents students’ performance to evaluate the Documents students’ performance to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programseffectiveness of instructional programs

6.6. Provide evidence of students’ lack of effort or Provide evidence of students’ lack of effort or inappropriate responsibilityinappropriate responsibility

# 2 No One Method # 2 No One Method

of Grading and of Grading and Reporting Serves Reporting Serves

ALLALL Purpose Well! Purpose Well!

Types of Learning Criteria used in Types of Learning Criteria used in Grading and ReportingGrading and Reporting

Product: what students know and are able Product: what students know and are able to do.to do.

Process: values the above and how they Process: values the above and how they got there.got there.

Progress: how much students have gained Progress: how much students have gained from their learning experiences.from their learning experiences.

Grading ElementsGrading Elements Major Exams Or Major Exams Or

CompositionsCompositions Class QuizzesClass Quizzes Reports Or ProjectsReports Or Projects Student PortfoliosStudent Portfolios Exhibits Of Student’s WorkExhibits Of Student’s Work Laboratory ProjectsLaboratory Projects Students’ Notebooks Or Students’ Notebooks Or

JournalsJournals Classroom ObservationsClassroom Observations Oral PresentationsOral Presentations

Homework CompletionHomework Completion Homework QualityHomework Quality Class ParticipationClass Participation Work Habits And NeatnessWork Habits And Neatness Effort Put ForthEffort Put Forth Class AttendanceClass Attendance Punctuality Of AssignmentsPunctuality Of Assignments Class Behavior Or AttitudeClass Behavior Or Attitude Progress MadeProgress Made

# 3 Grading # 3 Grading

and Reporting and Reporting

Will Will AlwaysAlways Involve Involve

Some Degree of Some Degree of SubjectivitySubjectivity!!

In General, In General, Reporting is Reporting is MOREMORE Subjective Subjective

The More The More DetailedDetailed the Reporting Method. the Reporting Method. The More The More AnalyticAnalytic the Reporting Process the Reporting Process The More ‘The More ‘EffortEffort’ is Considered’ is Considered The More ‘The More ‘BehaviorBehavior’ Influences Judgments’ Influences Judgments

Special Problems in GradingSpecial Problems in Grading

Grade averagingGrade averaging Use of zerosUse of zeros Lowering grades because of behavioral Lowering grades because of behavioral

infractionsinfractions BiasBias

A look at averagingA look at averagingStuden

tUnit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Averag

e Score

Grade Median Score

Grade Deleting Lowest

Grade

1 59 69 79 89 99 79 C 79 C 84 B

2 99 89 79 69 59 79 C 79 C 84 B

3 77 80 80 78 80 79 C 80 B 79.5 C

4 49 49 98 99 100 79 C 98 A 86.5 B

5 100 99 98 49 49 79 C 98 A 86.5 B

6 0 98 98 99 100 79 C 98 A 98.8 A

7 100 99 98 98 0 79 C 98 A 98.8 A

Expert Evaluators

In order to provide high quality information, we must rely it on good evidence.

Good evidence (assessment) is the result of three factors: Validity Reliability Quantity

Evaluation Experts

Validity: Is the assessment appropriate? Are there factors that interfere with the validity?

Reliability: Are the assessment results consistent?

Quantity: A single source of evidence can be flawed; more evidence is usually better evidence.

What is the best grading system? Letter grades? Percents? Checks?Types:

1. Letter grades

2. Plus & minus letter grades

3. Categorical grading (super, outstanding, etc.)

4. Percentage grades

5. Standards-based grading

6. Pass/fail

7. Mastery

8. Narratives

The research recommends…

Limit the number of categories (four or five is preferable).

Provide a supplemental narrative description.

Educators need to “consider the quality of information offered and its usefulness to parents, students, and other interested persons.” - Guskey

What the research says…

Grading “on the curve” tells us nothing about what students have learned or are able to do.

The research says…

Grades have some

value as rewards, but no

values as punishments.

The Subjectivity Factor

Consider the following question:

“Who was the 17th president of the US?”

Fewer than 10% of American students are able to answer this question.

The Subjectivity Factor

“Who was the 17th president of the US?”

A. George WashingtonB. Andrew JohnsonC. Jimmy CarterD. Bill Clinton

About 60% of students are able to answer this question correctly.

The Subjectivity Factor

“Who was the 17th president of the US?”

A. Abraham LincolnB. Andrew JohnsonC. Ulysses S. GrantD. Millard Fillmore

About 30% of students are able to answer this question correctly.

The Subjectivity Factor

“Who was the 17th president of the US?”

A. The War of 1812B. Andrew JohnsonC. The Louisiana PurchaseD. A Crazy Day for Sally

About 90% of students are able to answer this question correctly.

What teachers know…

Educators must seek an appropriate balance between the formative, instructional purposes of assessments of student learning and the summative evaluative purposes required in grading!

Teachers must be clear about their grading standards, the various components that will be considered in determining grades, and the criteria that will be used to evaluate those components.

Seeking Clarity and UniformityAs TAISM is a standards-based school, the MS

has collectively agreed that a “B” grade means that a student is operating at grade level.

Other grades indicate exceeding or approaching the standard.

Some truths about grades:

“The client for the information is almost always more astute about what should be reported than is the purveyor of the information.”

Grant Wiggins, ASCD Yearbook, 1996

Just for laughs…

Educational Burn-out….