1. Grading and Reporting Student Learning Thomas R. Guskey

2. For help or additional information:. Thomas R. Guskey
For help or additional information: Thomas R. Guskey College of Education University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Phone: uky.edu Twitter: @tguskey Web: standardsbasedgrading.org

3. 7 things we know about effective grading and reporting?

4. 1. We have a long history of research on grading!

5. Study Authors: Daniel Starch & Edward Elliott Title: “Reliability of the Grading of High School Work in English” Results: Paper #1: % Paper #2: %
1912 !
Published:

6. Study Author: Hunter Brimi Title: “Reliability of Grading High School Work in English” Teachers trained 18+ hours in “Traits of Writing” Results: Paper #1: %
2011 !
Published:

7. 2. That history has little impact on practice!

8. How did you choose your grading methods?

9. We do what was done to us!

10. 3. We don’t agree on the why or how of grading.

11. Important Questions
1. Why do we use report cards and assign grades to students’ work?
2. What evidence should teachers use in determining students' grades?
(For example, major assessments, compositions, homework, punctuality in turning in assignments, class participation, etc. ) 

12. Purposes of Grading
Communicate achievement status to parents
Provide information to students for self-evaluation
Select, identify, or group students for instruction
Provide incentives for students
Evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs
Document students’ lack of effort or inappropriate responsibility

13. Grading Elements Major exams or compositions Formative assessments
Reports or projects
Student portfolios
Exhibits of students’ work
Laboratory projects
Students’ notebooks or journals
Classroom observations
Oral presentations
Homework completion
Homework quality
Class participation
Work habits and neatness
Effort
Class attendance
Punctuality of assignments
Class behavior or attitude
Progress made

14. 4. Grading is NOT essential to the instructional process!
Teachers can teach without grades.
Students can learn without grades.

15. Checking is Essential! Checking is Diagnostic - Teacher is an Advocate
Grading is Evaluative Teacher is a Judge

16. 5. The appropriateness of a grading method depends on the purpose.

17. Suppose our purpose is to accurately and meaningfully describe students’ performance.

18. Letter Grades (Labels attached to categories of performance)
Positives: Offer a brief description of adequacy Are generally understood
Shortcomings: Require the integration of diverse information Cut-offs are arbitrary Are easily misinterpreted

19. Percentage Grades (Numbers attached to calculations)
Positives (???): Provide finer discrimination Increase the variation in grades
Shortcomings: Require the integration of diverse information Increase the number of arbitrary cut-offs Accentuate the influence of subjectivity

20. Passing Failure Typical Letter Grading Scale: A B C D F
Percentage Grading Scale:
Passing Failure

21. Percentages applied to performance are often inaccurate!

22. 80% correct does not always mean mastery!

23. It depends on the standard!
Is 80% sufficient for:
Crossing the street safely?
Being honest?
Landing a plane safely?
Using machinery in shop?
Football pass completions
Scoring in basketball?
Getting a hit in baseball?

24. It depends on the assessment!

25. Open-Ended, Constructed Response Item (Short Answer or Completion)
Percent vs. Mastery
Open-Ended, Constructed Response Item
(Short Answer or Completion)
1. Who was the 17th president of the United States?

26. Percent vs. Mastery Multiple- Choice Item (Difficult Options)
2. Who was the 17th president of the United States?
A. Abraham Lincoln
B. Andrew Johnson
C. Ulysses S. Grant
D. Millard Fillmore

27. Percent vs. Mastery Multiple- Choice Item (Easier Options)
3. Who was the 17th president of the United States?
A. George Washington
B. Andrew Johnson
C. Ronald Reagan
D. Barack Obama

28. Percent vs. Mastery Multiple- Choice Item (Easiest Options)
4. Who was the 17th president of the United States?
A. The War of 1812
B. Andrew Johnson
C. The Louisiana Purchase
D. A Crazy Day for Sally

29. Record grades in rubrics, NOT percentages!

30. Standards-Based (Labels attached to categories of performance)
Positives: Offer a clear description of achievement Are useful for diagnosis and prescription
Shortcomings: Involves extra work for teachers May not be supported by gradebooks

31. Levels of Student Performance Labels
1. Levels of Understanding / Quality
Modest Beginning Novice Unsatisfactory
Intermediate Progressing Apprentice Needs Improvement
Proficient Adequate Proficient Satisfactory
Superior Exemplary Distinguished Outstanding
2. Levels of Mastery / Proficiency
Below Basic Below Standard Pre-Emergent Incomplete
Basic Approaching Standard Emerging Limited
Proficient Meets Standard Acquiring Partial
Advanced Exceeds Standard Extending Thorough
3. Frequency of Display
Rarely Never
Occasionally Seldom
Frequently Usually
Consistently Always
4. Degree of Effectiveness Evidence of Accomplishment
Ineffective Poor Little or No Evidence
Moderately Effective Acceptable Partial Evidence
Highly Effective Excellent Sufficient Evidence
Extensive Evidence

32. Narratives (Descriptions of performance)
Positives: Offer a clear description of achievement Are useful for diagnosis and prescription
Shortcomings: Time-consuming for teachers to develop May not communicate the adequacy of progress Comments often become standardized

33. Methods can be combined to enhance communicative value!

34. 6. Professional judgment can be better than mathematical algorithms!

35. Premise: Score and record assessment results with rubrics, not percentages!

36. Arriving at Grades on Standards/Targets
Student
Target #1
Summary
9/9
9/14
9/22
9/27
10/3
10/6
Target. #1
Greg 1 4 4
Mathematical algorithms:
Average: 2
Median:
Mode:
Trend:
Professional judgment:
What best describes the student’s level of proficiency at this time?
Score: 4

37. Arriving at Final Grades on Standards/Targets
Student
Target #1
Target #2
Add sections for other standards
Summary
9/9
9/14
9/22
9/27
10/3
10/6
9/23
10/8
Target #1
Target #2
Target #3
Greg 1 4
Rachel 2 3
Alice
David
Ellen
(etc.) 4

38. Arriving at Final Grades on Standards/Targets
Student
Standard #1
Standard #2
Add sections for other standards
Summary
9/9
9/14
9/22
9/27
10/3
10/6
9/23
10/8
Target #1
Target #2
Target #3
Greg 1 4
Rachel 2 3
Alice
David
Ellen
(etc.) 3

39. Arriving at Final Grades on Standards/Targets
Student
Standard #1
Standard #2
Add sections for other standards
Summary
9/9
9/14
9/22
9/27
10/3
10/6
9/23
10/8
Target #1
Target #2
Target #3
Greg 1 4
Rachel 2 3
Alice
David
Ellen
(etc.) 4

40. Arriving at Final Grades on Standards/Targets
Student
Standard #1
Standard #2
Add sections for other standards
Summary
9/9
9/14
9/22
9/27
10/3
10/6
9/23
10/8
Target #1
Target #2
Target #3
Greg 1 4
Rachel 2 3
Alice
David
Ellen
(etc.) 2

41. Arriving at Final Grades on Standards/Targets
Student
Standard #1
Standard #2
Add sections for other standards
Summary
9/9
9/14
9/22
9/27
10/3
10/6
9/23
10/8
Target #1
Target #2
Target #3
Greg 1 4
Rachel 2 3
Alice
David
Ellen
(etc.) 4

42. You are thoughtful and informed professionals!

43. 7. Grading and reporting should always be done in reference to learning criteria; never “On The Curve”

44. Grading “On the Curve” Tells nothing about learning
Makes learning highly competitive.
Discourages student collaboration.
Diminishes relationships between students and teachers.

45. Grading Criteria
1. Product
2. Process
3. Progress

46. Three Types of Grading Criteria:
Product (Achievement of learning goals)
Process (Behaviors that enable learning)
Progress (Improvement or learning gain)

48. Guidelines for Better Practice

49. 1. Begin with a clear Statement of Purpose.
Why use grading and reporting?
For whom is the information intended?
What are the desired results?

50. 2. Provide accurate and meaningful descriptions of student learning.
More a challenge in effective communication
Less an exercise in quantifying achievement

51. 3. Use grading and reporting to enhance teaching and learning.
Facilitate communication
Improve efforts to help students

52. Grading is not an academic exercise.
Grading is not a mechanical process.
Grading is personal!

54. I Moved Your Cheese,
GET OVER IT!
Thomas R. Guskey, Ph.D.

55. For help or additional information:. Thomas R. Guskey
For help or additional information: Thomas R. Guskey College of Education University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Phone: uky.edu Twitter: @tguskey Web: standardsbasedgrading.org