ASSESSMENT-BASED GRADING Assigning grades on the basis of classroom assessment: Chapter Sixteen

Essential Questions:  What is my philosophy of grading?  How will I use both formative and summative assessments as I grade my future students?

Philosophy of Grading:  What do you believe about grading? Take some notes – decide.

Learning Objectives:  Define formative and summative evaluation and explain the roles they play in teaching.  Describe the advantages and disadvantages of assigning grades or marks.  Explain what is meant by formal and informal evaluation, and the advantage of formal evaluation.

Learning Objectives:  Describe the common symbols used for reporting student progress.  Explain why assessment experts recommend against mixing achievement and non-achievement factors when assigning grades.  Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of norm-references and criterion- referenced grading procedures.

Learning Objectives:  Explain why assessment experts recommend against using achievement relative to aptitude, improvement, or effort as a frame of reference for assigning grades.  Explain and demonstrate appropriate procedures for combining grades into a composite.

Learning Objectives:  Explain the importance of providing students and parents information on your grading system.  Explain some considerations when holding conferences w/ parents.

Pretest:  What is your grading philosophy?  What is 'Grading on Process'?  What is 'Grading on Progress'?  What is 'Grading on Basis of Effort'?  What is 'Mastery Grading'?

What is the Purpose of Grading?  Is it strictly to measure students’ goal attainment?  Do you include other factors such as: attitude, effort, attendance?  How can you be sure you are fairly measuring your students’ achievement?

Grade Book / Power School NameQQQQQMidtermFinalPortfolioTotalGrade Archer, W Bishop, C Davis, B Downs, E Ferris, B Martin,S

Discussion:  What do you know about the teacher's grading philosophy from looking at the grade book?  How does this compare with the 'grade book' you will use in your future classroom?  What might be different? What might be the same?

Goal-Attainment Grading  Step One: Clarify Curricular Aims  Core Curriculum  Essential Learnings  Outcomes / Products / Assessments  Large grain? Small grain?

Goal Attainment Grading  Step Two:Choose Goal-Attainment Evidence:  What evidence will you use to arrive at a determination of the student’s progress toward mastery of each curricular aim?  Step Three: Weighting goal-attainment evidence.  How do you fairly assign numbers to assignments?

Goal Attainment Grading  Step Four: Arriving at a Final Goal-Attainment Grade.  Putting it all together.  Make a plan before your trimester, semester, or term begins.  Make sure students know how many points are assigned to each assignment.

Evaluative Options  Absolute Grading: grade based on a teacher’s idea of waht level of student performance is necessary to earn an ‘A’.  Relative Grading: grade based on how students perform in relation to one another. High performance and low performance are used to create unique ‘bell curve’ for the group.

Evaluative Options  Aptitude-Based Grading: Grading on how well the student performs in relation to their academic potential.  Mastery Grading: Grading based on the number of points students earn compared to a pre- determined scale. Expectation that any and all students can earn an A.  Effort? Included or not?

Report Cards  Open to page 401 in your text.  Study the Report Card.  What are the positive factors?  How would you change or improve it?

Grading Recommendations:  Data collected for purposes of grading student achievement should be expressed in quantitative form.  Data should be collected over time and should be formulated w/in an explicit set of guidelines available to each student.  Assignment of a failing grade should reflect judgment that the student does not possess a minimum level of competency.

Grading Recommendations:  A minimum level of competency should be independent of other students' levels of performance.  The minimum level of competency should represent the essential course objectives that all students must achieve to certify minimum level of mastery of course material. (Terwilliger, 1989)

Grading Questions to Consider:  What is the relationship between assessments and final grades?  Are assignments weighted appropriately?  What is the difference between criterion- referenced grading and norm-referenced grading?

Grading Questions to Consider:  How will you communicate with parents?  How will you explain a specific grade given to students and parents?  How do you want students to be involved in Grading Conferences?

Grading Questions to Consider  How will you use electronic record keeping?  How will you minimize grading’s inherent imprecision?

Grading Questions to Consider  What 'outside' influences shape teacher grading?  Grading involves lonely and difficult decisions.  How will you plan for 'grade challenges'?  Why is 'documentation' important?  How does FERPA affect grading?

Further Assessment Exploration:  What are the issues to consider when grading special needs students or students w/ diverse language/cultural backgrounds?  What are state report cards?  How do the schools in your future place of employment handle state testing and NCLB?

Weighting Assessment Procedures:  Personal decision.  What factors do you base this on?  Time considerations?  Effort?  Types of assignment.  How do you handle Homework?  Quizzes?  Projects?  Mid-term, Final, etc.

Grading Philosophy  Two-page word-processed reflection on your grading philsophy. (12 point, double-spaced).  What do you believe about grading?  How will you grade in your classroom?  What elements of student performance will you include?  Anything else you want to discuss.