Grading and Reporting
Chapter 15
Katie Binkley and Jane Casey
Grading and Reporting

This can be one of the more frustrating and time
consuming areas of teaching.
 How should all of student achievement be
measured…is it just the end result or should we
also look at time and effort as a part of the grading
process?
 We are going to look at 3 different types of
grading. We will also discuss various reasons and
ways you might report information to
parents/guardians.
Why do we grade?

Helps enhance student achievement.
 Parents need to know how their child is
performing.
 Helps students see their areas of strengths and
weaknesses.
 If done correctly, grading and progress reports can
also help teachers see areas where they need to
enhance their teaching or make revisions to the
lesson plan.
Three types of Grading

Traditional Letter Grade– A, B, C, D, F or numbers 100, 89, 75, 65 etc.
– Concise, convenient and grades are easy to figure
– Weaknesses as the only grading:



Combination of effort, work habits, and good behavior
Proportion of students assigned each letter grad varies for
every teacher
Do not indicate students areas of strengths or weaknesses.
Pass/Fail System

Two category: pass or fail
 Used in high schools for elective courses
 Does not offer any indication of students
level of learning
 Students may often just study to pass rather
than study to learn.
 Students are just expected to show mastery
of a particular area.
Checklist of Objectives

Uses a check list and a letter is assigned to
each task depending on how well the
student performed.
– Ex: Reading
 Reads with understanding
 Works out meaning and use of new words
 Reads well to others
 Reads independently for pleasure
Check list continued…

The teacher would then apply a letter from one of
the following:
– O (outstanding)
– S (satisfactory
– N (needs improvement)

OR
– P (proficient)
– PP (partially proficient)
– N (needs improvement)
Multiple Grading System

A typical multiple grading system will use
the traditional letter/number grade system,
and then incorporate the checklist method.
 This will often mean that two grades will be
assigned. One for achievement and one for
effort, improvement or growth.
 This allows teachers a little more leeway
when grading. (example p. 374)
Guidelines for developing a
multiple grading system
1.
2.
3.
The development of the grading and reporting
system should be guided by the functions to be
served.
The grading and reporting system should be
developed cooperatively by parents, by students,
and school personnel
The grading and reporting system should be
based on a clear statement of educational
objectives.
Guidelines continued…
4. The grading and reporting system should be
consistent with school standards.
5. The grading and reporting system should be based
on adequate assessment.
6. The grading and reporting system should be
detailed enough to be diagnostic and yet compact
enough to be practical.
7. The grading and reporting system should provide
for parent-teacher conferences as needed.
Assigning letter grades

“Teachers often are comfortable with the
notion that grades should be based strictly
on achievement for students that they judge
to be highly able. But they feel that effort
should be considered along with
achievement for students whom they judge
to be less able.” p. 377
Drawbacks…

This notion has some major drawbacks…
– It is difficult, if not impossible, for a teacher to
adequately assess a student’s effort of potential.
– It is difficult to distinguish between aptitude and
achievement even with the most sophisticated
measures, as both depend on student learning.
– Using different bases of grading for different students
sends a mixed message and may be unfair to students
who are perceived as being more able than they are.
Validity

As we have previously discussed tests need to be
valid and based on the material covered.
 Grading is much the same. It needs to be valid,
and based on the objectives that are set forward by
the teacher. There should be specific guidelines
that the student knows they must accomplish to
get a specific grade. This way students know in
advance what their grade is based on.
Guidelines for Effective
Grading
1.
2.
3.
Describe your grading procedures to
students at the beginning of instruction.
Make clear to students that the course
grade will be based on achievement only.
Explain how other elements (effort, work
habits, and personal-social characteristics)
will be reported.
Guidelines…
4. Relate the grading procedures to the
intended learning outcomes (I.e.
instructional goals and objectives).
5. Obtain valid evidence (e.g., tests,
assessments, reports, or ratings) as a basis
for assigning grades.
6. Take precautions to prevent cheating on
tests and assessments.
Guidelines…
7. Return and review all test and assessment results
as soon as possible.
8. Properly weight the various types of achievement
included in the grade.
9. Do not lower an achievement grade for tardiness,
weak effort, or misbehavior.
10. Be fair. Avoid bias, and when in doubt(as with a
borderline grade) review the evidence. If still in
doubt assign the higher grade.
Reporting

Letters to parents/Guardians
 Portfolios
 Parent-Teacher Conferences
 Reporting test results to parents
Letters home to parents

Provides greater flexibility.
 Allows for more detail about student
achievement, not just a letter/number grade.
 Can include students strengths and
weaknesses.
 Problems can include: time consuming,
information could be misinterpreted, don’t
provide cumulative information.
Portfolios

Purposely selected materials that best reflect
the students work.
 Items should reflect a variety of work not
just one specific area.
 Should also show the growth the student has
made throughout the year.
Parent Teacher Conferences

7 tips:
– Make plans for the conference.
– Begin the conference in a positive manner.
– Present the student’s strong points before describing the
–
–
–
–
areas needing improvement.
Encourage parents to participate and share information.
Plan course of action cooperatively.
End the conference with a positive comment.
Use good human relation skills during the conference.
P. 387
Do’s and don'ts of
conferences

Do’s:
– Be friendly and informal
– Be positive
– Be willing to explain in
understandable terms.
– Be willing to listen
– Be willing to accept
parents’ feelings
– Be careful about giving
advice

Don’ts:
– Don’t argue or get angry
– Don’t ask embarrassing
–
–
–
–
questions
Don’t talk about other
students, parents, or
teachers.
Don’t bluff if you don’t
know the answer
Don’t reject parents’
suggestions
Don’t be a know-it-all
p. 387
Reporting Standardized Test
Results

Describe what the test measures
– Do not call aptitude or learning tests
intelligence tests.
– Do not tell parents that aptitude tests measure
fixed material, they measure learned abilities
– Do not tell the parents that the test will measure
and tell them how well their child will do in
school.
Reporting continued…

Be able to explain to parents how the tests
are scored and what their child’s score
means. The percentiles and percentages are
often confusing and misunderstood.
 Make sure parents know the accuracy of the
tests being given.
 Discuss with parents how the test results
might be used in reference to their child.