Title: What does a grade mean in your classroom? Is an
1What does a grade mean in your classroom?Is an
A , really an A ?A Workshop Presented
byAmy Hammer-Scronce
2A little history on grading.
- Prior to the 1700s, qualitative feedback was
used as a grading method - Around 1780, Yale introduced first formalized
point grading system - In the early 1800s, Harvard developed a
numerical system that closely resembles our own
(Marzano, 2000)
3Three eras of education
- Mid 1800s to early 1900s- Focused on the three
Rs, and were taught in a structured, religion
based environment. - 1910-1975- Focused on intelligence and aptitude
- The 1970s- Decade of state assessment
- ( Robinson, 1986 Stiggins,
2004)
4Some things to think about..
- How many of you feel your grades in school were a
true reflection of your knowledge learned? - How many of you feel that your grades awarded to
your current students actually reflect their
learned knowledge? - How do you feel about grading students based on
ability, behavior, or motivation?
5Objectives of this workshop
- To help educators take a closer look at their own
grading practices - To help determine what should be graded
- To remind educators of the impacts grades have on
our students lives - To compare current grading practices with
recommended research
6What makes up a students grade in your classroom?
- Homework?
- Quizzes/tests?
- Projects?
- Effort?
- Attendance?
- Behavior?
- Journals?
7Philosophy
- Grading should be closely correlated with
class goals based upon a philosophy of learning
and teaching and should reflect what a teacher
believes about learning. - (Tomlinson, 2000)
8So what does that mean?
- Philosophy should be clearly communicated to all
students, preferably in writing. - (Friedman Troug, 1999).
- Educators should grade solely on achievement, to
provide a clear accurate account of a student's
growth. - Educators need to design an approach to grading
that supports rather than discourages student
learning. (Friedman, 1995).
9What do grades mean to our students?
- How he compares to his/her peers?
- How much a student has learned/mastered?
- Will he get into the college of his/her choice?
- Will he get the scholarship of his/her dreams?
10The most common, current flaws in educators
grading policies todayand what research has to
say about it
- Grading students based on characteristics, such
as behavior, effort, or attitude - Research saysIt clouds the accuracy of the
grade, allowing a teachers judgment to
intercede - (Stiggins, Frisbie, Griswold,
1989)
11Continued
- Misuse of assessments such as pop quizzes.
- Research says No teaching and learning takes
place when pop quizzes are given, nor can they be
justified as motivational Studies reveal that
the threat of low grades only motivates high
achieving students. - (Canady Hotchkiss, 1989).
12Continued
- The assignment of zeros
- Research says A zero for work not turned in
penalizes a student 10xs more severe than work
assessed.
13Cures for the Common ailments
- Student Characteristics???
- Assess them and use it as an additional grade,
reflected by itself on the report card. - Pop quizzes???
- Use them as feedback only or simply announce the
test. - Zeros???
- Require students to do the work, assign an IC
until the work has been finished.
14What should we be assessing?
- Learned Content Knowledge
Important to Know And Be Able to do
Big Ideas worth understanding
Nice to know
(Center for K-12 Education)
15Good Teaching Practices to Consider
- Test only what has been taught well
- Never test students on skills which they have not
had opportunities to practice - Try to never let students practice failures
- Keep student characteristics separate
- (Canady)
16Activity
- You are keeping a record of the cost for heating
your house this winter. Using the following
months, what would your average be? - Dec. 168.00
- Jan. 142.00
- Feb. 218.00
- March 179.00 Average 176.75
17Now average those numbers again, because you
forgot to record a month..
- Dec. 168.00
- Jan. 142.00
- Feb. 0.00
- March 179.00 Average 122.25
- This reveals the real damage of a zero
18Another Activity
- McTighe and Ferrara once said.
- We take the position that the primary purpose of
classroom assessment is to inform teaching and
improve learning, not to sort and select students
or to justify a grade. - Do you agree or disagree? Why?..
19Tips for making grades reflect learned knowledge.
- Give Effective Feedback
- Specific
- Understandable
- Descriptive
- Given in a timely manner
-
Cont.
20More tips
- Test only what has been taught, and taught well.
- Behavior, participation, attitude etc should be
reported separately. - Provide ample practice time
21and more tips
- Help the student to become an active learner.
- Appropriate difficulty level.
- Dont allow students to accept zeros. Require
them to do the work or IC will be given. - Learn and Use accurate assessment skills
22One Final Thought
- There is no place for mystery in effective
classroom assessment. - No mystery/no excuses-let kids in on what is
expected - (Jay
McTighe)
23References
- Canady, R. L., Hotchkiss, P. (1989, September
). It's a good score! Just a bad grade. Phi Delta
Kappan, Retrieved Jan 10, 2006. - Friedman, S. (n.d.). Grading teacher's grading
policies. Retrieved Jan. 10, 2006, from
Principal's Guide to Teacher Grading Policies Web
site www.middleweb.com. - Friedman, S. J., Troug, A. L. (1999).
Evaluation of high school teachers' written
grading policies. ERS Spectrum, 17. Retrieved Jan
11, 2006. - Marzano, R.J. (2000). Chapter 2. What are Grades
For? Transforming Classroom Grading. Retrieved
Jan. 18, 2005 from http//www.ascd.org/portal/site
/ascd/template.chapter.shtml.
24References
- Robinson, G. E. (1986). Learning expectancy A
force changing education. Concerns in Education.
Educational Research Service. - Stiggins, R. J. (1999, Nov. 1). Assessment,
student confidence, and school success. Phi Delta
Kappan, 81. Retrieved Jan 11, 2006. - Stiggins, R. J., Griswold, P. A. (1989). Inside
high school grading practices building a reseach
agenda. Educational Measurement Issues and
Practice, Retrieved Jan 14, 2006. - Tomlinson, C. A. (2001, March ). Grading for
success. Educational Leadership, 58. Retrieved
Jan 12, 2006.