Effective Grading Practices

Providing an environment that cultivates maximum student potential

f ?What is the purpose of grading?

To reflect what students have learned and are able to do (Guskey,2000)( y, )To provide accurate, specific, timely feedback designed to improve studentfeedback designed to improve student performance (Marzano, 2000, 2007).

S S f GSeven Deadly Sins of Grading

1. Grading “On the Curve”:-Makes learning highly competitive in g g y pwhich students compete for scarce rewards (high grades); the number of rewards is kept arbitrarily small, thus creating more losers.-Communicates nothing about what students have learned or able to do.

S S f GSeven Deadly Sins of Grading

2. Using grades to punish or reward-- Low grades more often causeLow grades more often cause students to withdraw from learning.

Grades are not “weapons” or “prizes”--Grades are not weapons or prizes--Points for covering your book?

S S f GSeven Deadly Sins of Grading

3. Using zeros in grading-Zero is seldom a reflection of what a student has learned or is able to do.-When combined with averaging to g gattain course grade, a single zero drastically skews the average and leaves little chance for success.

S S f GSeven Deadly Sins of Grading

4. Accumulation of points means learning is occurring.--This approach encourages shallow learning. Students get to keep the grade on previousStudents get to keep the grade on previous assessments even if they no longer remember the information or skill. When students understand it’s what they know at the end of the marking periodwhat they know at the end of the marking period, they are forced to engage with the material at a much deeper level ( Clymer & Wiliam, 2006-2007, p 38)p.38).

S S f GSeven Deadly Sins of Grading

Accumulation of points--Not altering grades in light of newNot altering grades in light of new evidence of learning sends the message that the assessment is reallymessage that the assessment is really a measure of aptitude rather than achievementachievement.

S S f GSeven Deadly Sins of Grading

5. Assigning work of negligible worth--Grading things that are notGrading things that are not worthwhile.

Do we ask students to do work that is--Do we ask students to do work that is expected to benefit them? Or do we assign things simply as “busywork”?assign things simply as busywork ?

S S f GSeven Deadly Sins of Grading

6. The “Semester Killer” – the single assessment that will make or break students’ entire grade.How many students fail a courseHow many students fail a course because of one major assignment?

S S f GSeven Deadly Sins of Grading

7. Extra Credit: The existence, or the hope, of extra credit may induce p , ystudents to prepare less carefully for exams and papers with the p pexpectation that additional points can be earned on future assignments ( g (Wilson, p. 97).

How do we stop sinning?

Examine your gradingExamine your grading practices. Self Assess. Understand best practice. pImplement and follow through!

What are your current ?practices?

Review of critical vocabularyReview of critical vocabularyThinking about your current practiceB t P tiBest Practices

?Where are you now?

Criterion-ReferencedCriterion ReferencedIndividual ReferencedDiagnostic AssessmentDiagnostic AssessmentFormative AssessmentSummative AssessmentSummative Assessment

C fCriterion -Referenced

Identify what you want students to learn (CRITERIONS), what evidence ( ),you will use to verify that learning, and what criteria you will use to judge that y j gevidence.

fIndividual-Referenced

A student’s achievement is compared with his or her previous achievement.p

Diagnostic Assessments

AKA: PRE-ASSESSMENTS, precede instruction. These pre-tests assess students’ prior knowledge and skill level, identify student misconceptions, profile learners’ interests and re ealprofile learners’ interests, and reveal learning style preferences. Pre-assessments assist teacher planningassessments assist teacher planning and guide differentiated instruction. ( McTighe, O’Connor, 2005, p. 11).McTighe, O Connor, 2005, p. 11).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessments occur concurrently with instruction. They include both formal and informal methods, such as ungraded quizzes, oral q estioning teach obser ationsoral questioning, teach observations, draft work, think-alouds, student-constructed concept maps learningconstructed concept maps, learning logs, and portfolio reviews (McTighe, O’Connor, 2005, p. 12).O Connor, 2005, p. 12).

Formative

Research has suggested that the use of formative assessment, or ,assessment for learning, can double the rate of student learning (William g (and Thompson, in press).We shouldn’t factor formative resultsWe shouldn t factor formative results into summative evaluation and grading (McTighe O’Connor 2005 p 12)(McTighe, O Connor, 2005, p.12).

SSummative

Summative assessment summarize what students have learned at the conclusion of an instructional segment (McTighe, O’Connor, 2005, p.11)( g , , , p )

Think about . . .

The critical skills for the 21st Century are analytical reading, writing, thinking; y g, g, g;the ability to calculate and analyze data; the ability to evaluate ; yinformation, synthesize ideas, identify problems and create solutions.p

S fSelf Assess

Think about this idea in relation to what and how you teach.yAre you teaching content without analysis?analysis?Are you teaching skills while ignoring salient content?salient content?How do create skilled learners?

S ?Skilled learners?

If we want students to be skilled learners, we need to be clear about ,what skills they need to acquire.Thus a shift to criterion or standardsThus, a shift to criterion or standards based learning, teaching and evaluationevaluation.

But what about learning ?styles?

Skilled learners match styles to tasks and are not locked into their preferred pstyle (“Is there a connection between learning styles and preferences?, p. 4).g y p , p )

S f GThe Seven Virtues of Grading

If we focus on “Effective Learning Practices” as “Effective Grading Practices” we are absolving ourselves of seven deadly grading sins.Th f ll i ti f M Ti hThe following practices come from McTighe and O’Connor (Nov. 2005). “Seven practices for effective learning ” Educationalfor effective learning. Educational Leadership: 11-17.

S f GSeven Virtues of Grading

1. Use summative performanceassessments to frame meaningful performance goals.Standards are criterion referenced and proficiency based. Criteria and targets are known to all.Present these to students at the beginning of a new unit.

CImpact on Classroom

Wimshurst et al. (2006) found that students’ negative experiences and g psubsequent failing grades were exacerbated by a lack of student ypreparedness and the mismatch between the expectations of students pand the program itself (p. 134).

Impact on classroom

This practice:--Provides clarity for all learners andProvides clarity for all learners and teacher.

Reveals understanding and requires--Reveals understanding and requires transfer of knowledge.

P id i f l l i l--Provides a meaningful learning goal.

S fSecond virtue of grading . . .

2. Show criteria and models in advanceExplicitly define performance criteria.Explicitly define performance criteria.Models of work provide concrete evidence of what a “A”, “B”, etc look like., ,

Clarity of IdeasC fCriterion Referenced

Students evaluated criterion-referenced grading as more just, for g g j ,both academic track and intermediate track students, and it was relatively , yindependent of school achievement (grades received) and grade level (g ) g(Delbert et.al, p. 430).

Rubrics

http://rubistar.4teachers.org--Use existing rubrics or create yourUse existing rubrics or create your own.http://712educators about com/od/rubrihttp://712educators.about.com/od/rubrics

L t di t l--Language arts grading tools

Rubrics

http://www.rubrician.com--Rubrics for project-specificRubrics for project specific evaluationshttp://school discoveryeducation com/shttp://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

C h i id t f ti--Comprehensive guide to formative and summative assessments

GThird Grading Virtue

3. Assess before teachingPre-test to determine what to teachPre test to determine what to teach, how to teach it, and how to connect it to studentsto students.Pre-test on common misconceptions in your subject area; identify flawedin your subject area; identify flawed thinking and confront it in instruction.

Fourth Grading Virtue

4. Offer appropriate choicesResponsive assessment offers optionsResponsive assessment offers options for students to demonstrate knowledge skills and understandingknowledge, skills and understanding.Caution: There needs to be a healthy balance between a single assessmentbalance between a single assessment path and a bevy of choices.

What about special ed?Individual Referenced in Disability Area

Teachers may also consider some degree of individual referenced grading as a possible alternative to criterion referenced grading. Individual referenced grading has previously been shown to have positivepreviously been shown to have positive effects on students’ school careers and our results show that individual referencedresults show that individual referenced grading was rated as about just (Delbert, et al., p. 431-32).

f GFifth Grading Virtue

5. Provide feedback early and often.Feedback must be:

*timely*specificp*understandable to the receiver*formed to allow for self-adjustmentformed to allow for self adjustment

on the student’s part (Wiggins, 1998)998)

Sixth Grading Virtue

6. Encourage self-assessment and goal setting.gRubrics can be helpful here.Model your own self assessmentModel your own self-assessment, goal setting and improvement plans to studentsstudents.

S GSixth Grading Virtue

Questions to pose:-- What aspect of your work was most p y

effective?-- What aspect of your work was less p y

effective?--What specific action or actions will p

improve your performance?--What will you do differently next time?y y

And the Seventh Grading Virtue

7. Allow new evidence of achievement to replace old evidence.pClassroom assessments and grading should focus on how well – not onshould focus on how well not on when—students mastered the designated knowledge and skilldesignated knowledge and skill.

Is this the grading nightmare?

Will students adopt the same attitude toward summative assessments that they exhibit towards extra credit? (There is always a second chance?)( y )How do you manage multiple opportunities to prove competenceopportunities to prove competence without losing your mind?

You can have pleasant dreams if you . . .

Require students to provide evidence of their remediation and their skill improvement before attempting the second chance.

Bibliography (or a little light reading for your professional enjoyment . . . )

Clymer, J.B., Wiliam, D. (2006/2007). “Improving the way we grade science.” Educational Leadership. December/January: p. 36-41.

Delbert et.al. (2007). “Justice judgments concerning grading in school. Contemporary Educational Psychology. 32: p. 420-433.p y y gy p

Guskey, T.A. (2000). “Grading policies that work against standards and how to fix them”. NASSP Bulletin, December: np.

“Is there a connection between learning styles and preferences?” (2004) The Teaching Professor. 18(4): p. 4.g ( ) p

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

Marzano, R.J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.,

Bibliography

McTighe and O’Connor (2005). “Seven practices for effective learning.” Educational Leadership. November: 11-17.

Reeves, D.B. (2008). “Effective grading.” Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. February: 85-87.p y

Wiggins, G. (1998). Educative assessment: Designing assessment to improve student performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wilson, M.L. (2002). “Evidence that extra credit assignments induce moral hazard.” Atlantic Economic Journal. 30(1): p. 97.( ) p

Wimshurst et al. (2006). The impact of institutional factors on student academic results: Implications for ‘quality’ in universities. Higher Education Research and Development. 25(2): 131-145.

Zoeckler, L.G. (2007). “Moral aspects of grading: A study of high school , ( ) p g g y gEnglish teachers’ perceptions.” American Secondary Education, 35(2): 83-102.