1. How would you grade these students?
Julia
HW 1 3/10
HW 2 2/10
Quiz 8/10
HW 3 -/10
(not handed in)
Test 9/10
Brad
HW 1 8/10
HW 2 7/10
Quiz 3/10
HW 3 -/10
(absent)
Test 4/10
Marci
Warm-up activity to show that we are not consistent in our grading policies as a district.
The question arises: Should we be consistent?

3. GRADING Through a series of questions, we will:
…identify what we are currently doing;
…identify what we could or should be doing;
Mike
…identify common ground.

4. GRADING 1. What is the purpose of a grade?
…to provide feedback to all stakeholders - students, teachers, and parents.
1. What is the purpose of a grade?
Dana
…to document progress.
…to inform instructional decisions.

5. GRADING 2. What does a grade represent?
A grade represents a valid and undiluted indicator of what a student knows and is able to do – mastery.
Rick Wormeli
2. What does a grade represent?
Marci
It is important to remember that our final goal is that students make mastery, not necessarily when. We all master things at different times and with different tools. Grades are also used to document progress in students and to inform our teaching. (Are we getting the job done?) Grades allow us to provide feedback and make instructional decisions.
We get into trouble when we mix a blend of effort, mastery and growth into one grade – no one knows what our particular “blend” is! And when we as teachers look at another teacher’s grades, don’t we automatically assume that those grades represent content mastery?

6. So how do we give feedback on effort?
A grade represents a valid and undiluted indicator of what a student knows and is able to do – mastery.
Rick Wormeli
So how do we give feedback on effort?
Mike
Separate grade categories?
We have to pre-assess in order to document growth!
According to studies, students view high grades as positive recognition of their success, and some work hard to avoid consequences of low grades (Feldmesser 1971). No studies support the use of low grades as punishment. Low grades more often cause students to withdraw from learning.
How do we give feedback on growth?
How are students motivated?

7. GRADING 3. What things do we grade? Summative assessments
…because they indicate level of content mastery;
Dana
Summative assessments (because they indicate level of content mastery);
Formative assessments (because they inform our instruction);
Should practice be graded? (=homework grades??)
Will students still be motivated to do homework if they don’t get a grade on it? Would/should this be an effort grade? Is it averaged into a total grade?
Formative assessments
…because they inform our instruction;
Practice items??
Should homework be graded??
Will the students do it without a grade?
Is this an effort grade?
Should it be averaged into the total grade?

8. GRADING 4. What makes a grade “valid” or “invalid”?
Some things we have done in the past:
Grading on a curve;
Using zeroes for unfinished or late work;
Giving extra credit;
Using grades to “motivate” students;
4. What makes a grade “valid” or “invalid”?
Marci
Grading on a curve;
Using Zeroes (switching between A-E scale and 0-100% scale);
Using grades as punishment, or motivation in general;
Extra Credit (…which is the inclusion of other material outside of the specific content to be learned. Why should this work be included in a grade on different content? Are we telling students they don’t have to master all of the content if they do something else – like bringing in Kleenex boxes, or not using their bathroom passes all semester?!)

9. "Big deal, an A in math. That would be a D in any other country."

10. GRADING 5. Can students learn without grades?
Students can learn without grades, but they must have feedback!
Mike
Students can learn without grades, but they must have feedback!

11. Important Points to Consider When Grading
Teaching and learning can and do occur without grades. Grades are only snapshots.
Students can learn without grades, but they must have feedback.
We do not give students grades in order to motivate them.
Grades reference summative experiences.
Dana
Students and teachers both need feedback. Students need feedback in order to determine whether or not they are achieving and teachers need feedback from students to make instructional decisions. Feedback needs to be continual and is more important than the final grade. Students will strive to succeed when feedback is provided. Feedback suggests that you keep learning. A grade is more final and signifies that you are “done” learning.
Research shows that students are more apt to be motivated by comments that provide constructive feedback then by grades.
Even more interesting, students are more likely to improve upon work that only has comments than work that has only a grade or work that has a grade and comments.

12. GRADES This means we focus on the median and mode, (not mean),
Accurate grades are based on the most consistent evidence. We look at the pattern of achievement, including trends, not the average of the data.
This means we focus on the median and mode, (not mean),
and the most recent scores are weighed heavier than earlier scores.
Dana
Grades should be based on what a student knows, understands and can do.
The median looks at the middle values; in other words, extreme “good” or “bad” days are not considered heavily when grading.
The mode looks at the scores which occur most often - they give us a clearer picture of what the student really knows and can do.
Isn’t it strange that we even consider averaging our attempts at learning something, and then we call that average an indicator of final mastery!?

13. Points to Ponder: Grades must be based on clear concepts.
Grades should be criterion-based.
It is unwise to over-grade work. Thus grade on-going assessments sparingly. Never grade pop quizzes.
Grade later in the learning cycle instead of earlier.
Mike (Marci talk about item 2: criterion-based grades)
When you report a grade, make sure you are clear whether the grade indicates mastery, growth, effort, or some combination of the three.
I unthinkingly used to craft a careful blend of all three into grades, but I also unthinkingly accepted previous grades from other teachers as indicators of curriculum mastery only. How inconsistent!
Grade 3 things separately: performance (did they meet the standard?), process (habits, effort), and progress (did they grow?)

14. A grade represents a valid and undiluted indicator of what a student knows and is able to do – mastery.
Rick Wormeli
Marci
It is important to remember that our final goal is that students make mastery, not necessarily when. We all master things at different times and with different tools. Grades are used to document progress in students and our teaching (are we getting the job done). Grades allow us to provide feedback and make instructional decisions.

15. MASTERY - a journey
To require all students to demonstrate 100% mastery with 100% of the material in this particular test format on this particular Tuesday of this particular week at 10:00 A.M. goes against all we know to be good and true about how humans learn best.
Marci – talk about slide; Mike: do exercise
Do finger-snap exercise and informally “grade” individual participants. Demonstrate how we all learn at different speeds.
We don’t demand all children clearly state the alphabet on the fourth day of the 28th month of their lives!

16. Rick Wormeli’s 10 Grading Practices to Avoid
Penalizing students’ multiple attempts at mastery.
Grading daily homework (students are practicing concepts at this stage)
Withholding assistance (not scaffolding) in the learning when it’s needed
Recording zeroes for work not done.
Incorporating non-academic factors (behavior, attendance, and effort)
Assessing students in ways that do not accurately indicate students’ mastery
Grading on a curve
Allowing Extra Credit
Defining students as “above average”, “average”. Grade should be based on mastery, not in compared to others.
Grouping grades (weighing tests more than projects)
Dana
Allow students to re-do work until they meet expectations rather than complete extra credit. When assigning homework, constantly remind students of its value to assist with a new task. Homework should be meaningful. Zeroes distort the grade. If a student scored a zero at the beginning of the unit, but then began to master a concept, the zero is no longer accurate. Count the last 3 to 4 weeks more heavily because they have had more opportunities for practice and mastery.

17. GRADING
The more we use grades in an attempt to motivate (i.e. reward or punish) students, the more we harm the learning process.
External motivators decrease the students’ investment in their own learning.
Mike
See works
...by Alfie Kohn
“Punished by Rewards”
...by William Glasser
“The Quality School” and
“The Quality School Teacher”

18. GRADING
Grade students in whatever manner will maximize their learning at every turn.
anybody

19. HOMEWORK
If a student does none of the homework assignments, yet earns an “A” on every formal assessment we give, does he earn anything less than an “A” on his report card?
If a student does all of the homework well, yet bombs every formal assessment, isn’t that a red flag that something is amiss, and we need to take corrective action?
anybody
In groups, discuss what the problem is here and what direction you would need to take.

20. HOMEWORK Homework should be able to be done with
92-93% accuracy but not more than 98% accuracy to ensure the right challenge.
Will students do their homework if they are not rewarded with a grade?
anybody
What motivates students to do homework?
Does homework completion make a difference in mastery?

21. "Oh no, not homework again."

22. Allowing Students to Re-do Assignments For Full Credit
Always, “at teacher discretion”
It must be within reason
Students must have been giving sincere effort
Require students to sign the original assignment or test, requesting the re-do
Require students to submit a plan of study that will enable them to improve their performance the second time around
Identify a day by which time this will be accomplished or the grade is permanent
With the student, create a calendar of completion that will help them achieve it
Require students to submit original with the re-done version so you can keep track of their development
Reserve the right to give alternate versions
No re-do’s the last week of the grading period
Sometimes the greater gift is to deny the option
anybody
See next slide for a sample form. Remember, this has to work for you as a busy teacher also!

23. Assignment: _______________________________
Re-do FORM
Date ________
Assignment: _______________________________
Specific plan of study before the re-do:
__________________________________________
Review will be completed by _________________
Student signature: _____________________
Teacher approval: ______________________
anybody

24. GRADES and PRE-ASSESSMENT
Our goal as teachers is to assist students in making GROWTH.
If we are not pre-assessing our students to determine their current understanding, how will we then measure whether they have made such growth? Hence, what does the grade truly indicate about that student?
anybody
Without pre-assessing we are assuming that none of the students have any of the information and that one size fits all.

25. PRE-ASSESSING
Pre-assessing is the key to differentiating. It provides us the information that enables us to provide engaging, challenging tasks in order for each of our students to grow.
Without pre-assessing we assume that all students need all the information all of the time and in the same manner.
anybody

26. Common Ground
What can we agree on???
Mike