Leading the Way to Grading Excellence
NESA Leadership Conference
Istanbul, October 24, 2014
Presented by
Ken O’Connor
Assess for Success Consulting
kenoc@aol.com
www.oconnorgrading.com
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“Terms (are) frequently used
interchangeably, although
they (should) have distinct
meanings.”
McTighe, J., and Ferrara, S., “Assessing Learning in the Classroom”,
Journal of Quality Learning, December 1995, 11
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
What Do These Terms Mean?
MARK(S)/SCORE(S) (marking/scoring)
the number (or letter) "score" given to
any student test or performance
GRADE(S) (grading)
A
the number (or letter) reported at the B
end of a period of time as a summary C
D
statement of student performance F
7/ 4
10 3
2
1
91
78
64
57
42
4
3
2
1
E
G
S
N
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“In a perfect world there would be
no grades –
at least, not as we know them now.”
Brookhart, S. Grading. Pearson Merrill, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2009. 2 4
© Ken O’Connor, 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
What is better is standards-based grading.
SBG is grading that accurately portrays
student proficiency/mastery. Grades are
based on
• standards not assessment methods,
• levels of proficiency not points,
and they are
• not contaminated by non-achievement
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factors.
© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Why Standards-Based Grading and Reporting?
1. Mandate
2. Supports learning
3. Improves communication
4. Consistency/Fairness
5. Traditional grades are broken.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Principals/School Leaders
- principals can and do have huge impact on how
schools operate and on the quality of teaching
and learning;
- principals must provide informed leadership
to promote and ensure effective communication
of learning, primarily through grades and
report cards;
- must build shared understanding of purpose,
procedures, policies, principles, and practices
(professional judgment, motivation and fairness).
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Garnet_hillman
Q2 Describe traits of successful
school leaders & administrative
teams in SBL/SBG cultures.
#sblchat 10:14 AM - 9 Oct 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
@CVULearns
A2 Admin must be knowledgeable
about real SB They can't just know
the theories, they need to get involved
in planning and classes.
#sblchat 9 Oct 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Brian Durst @RESP3CTtheGAME
A2 Successful SBL school leaders
must be learners. They are
supportive, persistent, & poised to
handle resistance. Act w purpose
#sblchat 10:16 AM - 9 Oct 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Ms. Woodcock
@mswoodcockmath
A2 Supportive of the learning
process, comfortable with
explaining the grading shift to
parents, other concerned parties
#sblchat 9 Oct 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Brian G Seguin @Seguin_B
A2: Successful leaders in a
SBL/SBG environment model
expectations and collaborate/reflect
with staff routinely on the process.
#sblchat 10:20 AM - 9 Oct 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Randy Squier @rsquiercacsd
A2 sbl leaders allow time to meet
standards for Ts and Ss. Make it safe
to fail and try again.
#sblchat 10:18 AM - 9 Oct 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Procedures
-what schools require teachers to do;
-should be public, published;
-in the past often limited or non-existent;
-now often developed by committee or task force;
-should be derived from policy and make mission
statement ‘live.’
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Purpose
• Communicate the achievement status of
students to parents, (students), and others.
• Provide information that students can use
for self-evaluation.
• Select, identify, or group students for certain
educational paths or programs.
• Provide incentives to learn.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of instructional
programs
Guskey, Thomas R. (Editor), Communicating Student Learning:
The 1996 ASCD Yearbook, ASCD, Alexandria, VA, 1996, 17
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“the primary purpose of . . . grades . . . (is) to
communicate student achievement
to students, parents, school administrators, postsecondary institutions and employers.”
Bailey, J. and McTighe, J., “Reporting Achievement at the Secondary School
Level: What and How?”, in Thomas R. Guskey, (Ed.) Communicating Student
Learning: ASCD Yearbook 1996, ASCD, Alexandria, VA, 1996, 120
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Policy
- broad statements of general intent;
- policy sets out the general direction
for what the school/Board seeks to accomplish.
- The director is responsible for the
implementation of policy through
administrative policies and procedures.
- policy has legal or quasi-legal status.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Wellesley is adopting a new shadow-grading policy
for first year students. Wellesley has instituted a
shadow-grading policy beginning with students
entering in the fall of 2014. These students will
receive pass/no pass grades in all of their courses for
the first semester of their first year. The students
themselves will be given a report of the letter grades
that they would have received - "shadow grades" –
but these will not appear on their official transcripts
and will not be released outside the College.
http://www.wellesley.edu/registrar/grading/grading_policy/shadow_
grading_policy Accessed on October 11, 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
MIT Freshman Grading
In the first semester and the January
Independent Activities Period (IAP) freshmen
are graded on a Pass or No Record basis in all
subjects they take, where P (passing) means Cor better performance. Freshmen earn no credit
for subjects with D and F grades.
In the second semester, freshmen are graded on
an A, B, C or No Record basis. They continue to
earn no credit for subjects with D and F grades.
http://web.mit.edu/registrar/reg/grades/freshmangrading.html
Accessed on October 11, 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Principles
-the set of values that orient and rule the
conduct of an individual or organization;
-often expressed in mission/vision statements.
-“The International School . . . is a community that is
committed to excellence. We inspire students with a challenging,
international education, based on an American curriculum, in a
nurturing learning environment that promotes responsibility
and respect. We aim to develop socially engaged, self-motivated,
creative, compassionate individuals who will be a force for
positive change in their communities and the world.”
Source: an international school in Asia.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Freshman grading is designed to ease the
transition from high school by giving students
time to adjust to factors like increased workloads
and variations in academic preparation. A, B, and
C grades are used during the second semester so
that freshmen can begin the progression to
regular A-F grading in the sophomore year.
http://web.mit.edu/registrar/reg/grades/freshmangrading.html
Accessed on October 11, 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
This policy provides first-year students with
the opportunity to learn about the standards
for academic achievement at Wellesley and to
assess the quality of their work in relation to
these standards. It further enables them to use
their first semester to refocus attention from
grades to intellectual engagement and
inspiration and to learn how to grow as a
learner in college.
http://www.wellesley.edu/registrar/grading/grading_policy/shadow_grading
_policy Accessed on October 11, 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Assessment in the MYP aims to:
• support and encourage student learning by providing feedback on
the learning process
• inform, enhance and improve the teaching process
• provide opportunity for students to exhibit transfer of skills across
disciplines, such as in the personal project and interdisciplinary unit
assessments
• promote positive student attitudes towards learning
• promote a deep understanding of subject content by supporting
students in their inquiries set in real-world contexts
• promote the development of critical- and creative-thinking skills
• reflect the international-mindedness of the programme by allowing
assessments to be set in a variety of cultural and linguistic contexts
• support the holistic nature of the programme by including in its
model principles that take account of the development of the whole
student.
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MYP; Principles into Practice. May 2014. 78
© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“. . . the primary purpose of classroom
assessment is
to inform teaching and improve learning,
not to sort and select students or to justify a
grade.”
McTighe, J. and Ferrara, S. “Performance-Based Assessment in the Classroom”,
Pennsylvania ASCD
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practices
#1: PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT
Traditional view
Objective good!
Subjective bad!!
Strive to be objective!
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practices #1: PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT
“All scoring by human judges, including assigning
points and taking them off math homework is
subjective. The question is not whether it is
subjective, but whether it is defensible and
credible. The AP and IB programs (are) credible
and defensible, yet subjective. I wish we could
stop using that word as a pejorative! So-called
objective scoring is still subjective test writing.”
Grant Wiggins, January 19, 2000 answering a question on
chatserver.ascd.org
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practices #1: OBJECTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT
“I define professional judgment as
“decisions made by educators,
in light of experience, and
with reference to shared public standards
and established policies and guidelines.”
Cooper, D. 2011. Redefining Fair. Solution Tree, Bloomington, IN. 13
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practices #2: MOTIVATION
“Drive”
by Daniel Pink
Motivation 1.0 - the ancient drive to survive
Motivation 2.0 - rewarding good work with
pay, benefits and promotions
- centres on "Type X behaviour”
where people are motivated mostly by external
rewards.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practices #2: MOTIVATION
Pink believes it is time for a "full scale upgrade" to
Motivation 3.0 - intrinsic rewards that play to the
intrinsic satisfaction of the activity.
Motivation 3.0 is based on what Pink calls "Type I
behavior," where the main motivators are the
freedom to do what you want, the opportunity to
take a challenge and fulfillment by the purpose of
the undertaking.
Source- review by Richard Eisenberg in USA Today, January 25, 2010
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practices #2: MOTIVATION
“All kids start out as curious self-directed Type I’s.
But many of them end up as disengaged, compliant
Type X’s. . . .
If we want to equip young people for the new world
of work - and more important, if we want them to
lead satisfying lives - we need to break Motivation
2.0’s grip on education and parenting. . . .
Unfortunately, as with business, there is a mismatch
between what science knows and what schools do. . .
We’re bribing students into compliance instead of
challenging them into engagement.”
Daniel Pink, 2009, Drive, Riverhead Books, New York, 174
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practices #2: MOTIVATION
According to Pink the keys to Motivation 3.0 are
Autonomy
Mastery
Purpose
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practices #3: FAIRNESS
What does FAIR mean ?
“All students are given an equal opportunity to
demonstrate what they know and can do as part of
the assessment process.
Adaptations to assessment materials and procedures
are available for students including
but not restricted to
students with learning disabilities, to allow them to
demonstrate their knowledge and skills, provided that
the adaptations do not jeopardize the integrity or
content of the assessment.”
Adapted from Manitoba Education and Training at
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/metks4/curricul/assess/aepolprod/purpos~2.html
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Practicality
-procedures and principles have to actually
work in the classroom;
-means that we have to follow the spirit of the
agreed upon principles and the published
procedures but sometimes have to adapt to
make them ‘work’ at different grade levels
and in different subjects.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
GIVENS
- quality assessment (Doing it Right)
- student involvement (Using it Well)
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
SIX MUSTS
- standards-based - no single subject grades
- performance standards – levels of proficiency not %
- achievement separated from behaviors - late,
missing, academic dishonesty, attendance
- summative only - no mark, comment only
formative assessment
-more recent emphasized - some, not all evidence
- number crunching - no means, no zeros
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
For each Must
Why?
for you, school, students, parents
Why not?
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
1. Base grades on, and
provide grades for, the
intended learning goals,
which means very limited
use of single subject grades.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Part of a Traditional Report Card
English
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Phys Ed
Music
B
C
F
A
A
D
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“The principal limitation of any grading
system that requires the teacher to assign one
number or letter to represent . . . learning is
that one symbol can convey only one meaning.
...
One symbol cannot do justice to the
different degrees of learning a student
acquires across all learning outcomes.”
Tombari, G. and Borich, M. Authentic Assessment in the Classroom,
Prentice Hall, 1999, 213
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
graduation requirements.
PROGRESS REPORT - SEMESTER 1
Student:
Last Name, First Name
GTID:
########
Grade:
10
Date:
EOCT Course Grading Calculation:
Course Average= 40% (First semester) + 40% (Second semester) + 20% EOCT Score
Non-EOCT Course Grading Calculation:
Course Average= 50% (First semester) + 50% (Second semester)
10/11/2011
Work Habits and Scoring
(2 is the standard.)
1: Does not meet; 2: Meets; 3: Exceeds
Responsibility (RE)
Participation (PA)
Assignment Completion (AC)
Interpersonal Skills (IS)
The student adapts to classroom practices.
The student pursues learning through
active involvement.
The student completes work by the designated
time/date and according to instructions.
The student interacts with others to create a
positive learning environment.
Requires frequent redirection; strays off-task; disrupts learning
1 environment; fails to follow class procedures.
Disengages from the learning
1 environment; responds only to
Fails to complete assignments or submit
Lacks flexibility when working with peers;
1 work; struggles to follow directions.
1 isolates self.
completed work on a consistent
2 Produces
basis by the designated time/date; follows
2 speaks respectfully; questions ideas
teacher prompts.
Is a self-starter; remains on-task; asks questions for
2 clarification when needed; applies strategies for meeting
learning goals; follows class procedures.
3
Course Name (Course Number - Teacher)
-
Writer's Workshop
Math II
Chemistry I
Works well with peers; listens and
directions.
Displays independent initiative; maximizes opportunities;
solves problems.
10th Lit/Comp
in activities and
2 Engages
discussions.
3
Leads others to participate;
explores new class ideas and
approaches.
Demonstrates new applications and examples
3 of standards.
First
Semester
Second
Semester
EOCT
Score
3
rather than
the person.
Adjusts to a variety of classroom roles;
mediates; influences others to learn.
Course
Average
Work Habits
RE PA AC IS
Course
Absences
Sample
Psychology
World History
Intro Team Sports
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
SOUTH MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL
1551 CUNNINGHAM AVE
MEDFORD OR 97501
TO TH E
PARENT /
GAURDI AN OF:
Student Name
April May
Period /
Term(s)
1
1234
Course
ID
Grade
111111
10
Teacher
Davis
Anatomy / Phys
Warren
Overall Grades
Organization of Living Systems
Matter and Energy
Achievement Interdependence
Standards
Scientific Writing
Reading Scientific Texts
Scientific Writing
Independence & Initiative
Work Completion & Work Habits
CRL
Standards
Cooperation & Participation
Absences
3
1234
Weller
Overall Grades
Vocal Performance
Achievement
Music Reading
Standards
Musical Concept Analysis
Independence & Initiative
Work Completion & Work Habits
CRL
Standards
Cooperation & Participation
Absences
4
1234
1234
The purpose of this report card is to communicate with parents
and students about the achievement or progress toward
established learning goals. Grades reflect how well students have
met these goals in each class, indicating areas of strength and
areas where additional time and effort are required.
APRIL MAY
123 MAIN STREET
MEDFORD OR 97501
English 4
Overall Grades
Reading Informational Text
Reading Literary Text
Achievement
Writing
Standards
Language
Speaking and Listening
Independence & Initiative
Work Completion & Work Habits
CRL Standards
Cooperation & Participation
Absences
2
Grade Report
Medford School District 549C
Medford, Oregon
Spanish 2
Wallace
Overall Grades
Communication
Achievement
Knowledge of Culture & Viewpoints
Standards
Language (Vocab, Conjugation, etc.)
Independence & Initiative
Work Completion & Work Habits
CRL
Standards
Cooperation & Participation
Absences
Counselor
Term
1
B
MAS
MTS
MTS
MAS
MTS
M
NI
M
4/M
1
C
BEG
ADV
BEG
ADV
MTS
APP
M
NI
M
4/M
Term
Staci Fischer
2
B
MAS
MTS
MTS
MAS
MTS
M
M
M
2/M
2
C
BEG
BEG
BEG
MTS
MTS
APP
M
M
M
2/M
3
B
MAS
MTS
MTS
MAS
MTS
M
NI
M
12/NI
4
B
MAS
MTS
ADV
MAS
MTS
M
M
M
1M
3
B
ADV
ADV
BEG
MTS
MTS
ADV
M
NI
M
12/NI
4
C
ADV
BEG
ADV
MTS
MTS
APP
M
M
M
1M
1
2
3
4
A
B
A
B
MAS MAS MAS MAS
MTS MTS MTS MTS
ADV ADV ADV ADV
M
M
M
M
NI
M
NI
M
M
M
M
M
4/M 2/M 12/NI 1M
1
2
3
4
A
B
A
B
MAS MAS MAS MAS
MTS MTS MTS MTS
MTS MTS MTS ADV
M
M
M
M
NI
M
NI
M
M
M
M
M
4/M 2/M 12/NI 1M
4
Period /
Term(s)
5
1
Course
Period End Date
School Year
June 7, 2013
2012-2013
Teacher
Basic Compt 2
Mr. Richmond
Overall Grades
Typing
Achievement
Application Management
Standards
Basic Skills
Independence & Initiative
Work Completion & Work Habits
CRL Standards
Cooperation & Participation
Absences
Term
1
2
A
A
MAS MAS
MTS MTS
MTS MTS
M
M
NI
M
M
M
4/M 2/M
5
24
1
2
A
MTS
MAS
MTS
MTS
ADV
M
M
M
2/M
5
4
1
B
MAS
MTS
M
NI
M
12/NI
1
2
Algebra Intermed
Reed
Overall Grades
Number and Quantity
Interpreting and Building Functions
Achievement
The Real Number System
Standards
Linear, Quadratic, & Exponential Models
Statistics and Probability
Independence & Initiative
Work Completion & Work Habits
CRL Standards
Cooperation & Participation
Absences
Auto Service 1
Veverka
Overall Grades
Achievement Mechanics
Standards
Functional Skills
Independence & Initiative
Work Completion & Work Habits
CRL
Standards
Cooperation & Participation
Absences
6
13
Algebra Intermed
Reed
Overall Grades
Number and Quantity
Interpreting and Building Functions
Achievement
The Real Number System
Standards
Linear, Quadratic, & Exponential Models
Statistics and Probability
Independence & Initiative
Work Completion & Work Habits
CRL Standards
Cooperation & Participation
Absences
2
C
MTS
MAS
MTS
MTS
ADV
M
M
M
2/M
3
4
3
4
A
MTS
MAS
MTS
MTS
ADV
M
M
M
1M
3
4
3
4
C
MTS
MAS
MTS
MTS
ADV
M
M
M
1M
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
2. Use performance standards
with a limited number (2-7)
of clearly described levels
which means no use of a
percentage scale.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“Performance standards specify ‘how good
is good enough.’ They relate to issues of
assessment that gauge the degree to which
content standards have been attained. . . .
They are indices of quality that specify how
adept or competent a student demonstration
should be.”
Kendall, J., and R. Marzano, Content Knowledge: A Compendium
of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education, First Edition,
McREL,1997, 16-17
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
For classroom assessment
Performance Standards
=
OVERALL
descriptors of 2 - 7 levels
which form the base for
SUBJECT/
scoring tools (rubrics, etc)
GRADE LEVEL/
TASK
+
SPECIFIC
work samples (exemplars)
+
commentaries on the work samples
Adapted from New Standards Sampler, National Center on Education and the Economy,
www.ncee.org
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Wow!
Got it!
Nearly there!
Oh no! Oops!
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
MYP; Principles into Practice. May 2014. 93
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Cut Scores out of 20
Difficult skills, concepts,
assessment
7
15
6
13
5
11
4
9
3
7
2
5
1
Below 5
Easy skills, concepts
assessment
19
17
15
13
11
9
Below 9
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
3. Limit the student attributes
included in grades to
Individual ACHIEVEMENT,
which means no penalties
and no bonuses.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
O’Connor, K. How to Grade for Learning. Third Edition. Corwin. 2009, 40
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Dealing with Late Work
Meeting timelines is the expected behavior
but when that are not meet then
1. Support not penalties
2. Behaviors/Learning Skills
3. Clarity/Communication
4. Consequences
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Grades should not be inflated by the
use of extra credit or bonus points but
students should always be able to
provide evidence that they are
achieving at a higher level. It is not
about the quantity of points, it is
about what the evidence shows about
the quality of achievement.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Academic dishonesty is a behavior which
should have behavioral consequences
which should be indicated in the school
Code of Conduct.
Assessment evidence needs to be accurate
so we need untainted evidence, thus the
assessment consequence is “DO IT
AGAIN HONESTLY.”
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“No student’s grade should depend on
the achievement (or behavior) of other
students.”
Source: William Glasser
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
4. “Grade performance, learn
from practice,” which means
‘comment only, no mark’
formative assessment and
homework has little or no
place in grades.
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“The ongoing interplay between assessment and
instruction, so common in the arts and athletics,
is also evident in classrooms using practices
such as non-graded quizzes and practice tests,
the writing process, formative performance
tasks, review of drafts and peer response
groups. The teachers in such classrooms
recognize that ongoing assessments provide
feedback that enhances instruction and guides
student revision.”
Jay McTighe, “What Happens Between Assessments,”
Educational Leadership, Dec. ‘96-Jan. ‘97, 11
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
• “Provide risk-free (that is, ungraded,
formative assessment) opportunities . . .
• Provide timely and specific feedback to
students on their assessments - not just
a letter or number grade.”
Almeida. L, in Reeves. D (Ed) Ahead of the Curve, Solution Tree,
Bloomington, IN, 157
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Sample Assessment Plan
Formative Assessment for Unit 1
TASK
ROLE PLAY Practice(s)
QUIZ(ZES)
BROCHURE Draft
BROCHURE Near Final
METHOD(S)
Performance Ass't
Paper and Pencil
Performance Ass't
Performance Ass't
STRATEGY(IES)
Performance
Selected Response
Product
Product
SCORING TOOL
Rubric
Marking Scheme
Rubric
Rubric
ASSESSOR
self/peer
Teacher
peer
self/peer
Summative Assessment for Unit 1
TASK
ROLE PLAY
TEST(S)
BROCHURE
METHOD(S)
Performance Ass't
Paper and Pencil
Performance Ass't
STRATEGY(IES)
Performance assessment
Selected & Constructed Reponse
Product
SCORING TOOL
Rubric
Marking Scheme
Rubric
ASSESSOR
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Source: O’Connor, K. A Repair Kit for Grading, Pearson ATI, 2011, 113
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
5. Grade in pencil, which
means new evidence
replaces old evidence and
grades cannot be
determined only numerically.
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Fix #14
63
O’Connor, K., A Repair Kit for Grading, Pearson ATI, 2011, 123
© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Conditions for “Second Chance” Assessment
Always - evidence of “correctives”
Optional - opportunity cost
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
6. Don’t accept mean teachers “crunch” numbers carefully, if
at all, which means no zeros, no
percentages, and
acknowledging that grading is
primarily an exercise in
professional judgment.
65
© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“Data should be used to
INFORM
not determine decisions”
Management Consultant, The Hay Group,
personal conversation, January 2002
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
First test
Second test
Third test
Fourth test
Fifth test
Sixth test
Source: Richard Brown, an Alberta high school teacher
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Fix #11
Alberta Written Test for Driver’s Licence
6.0/7.0 (85%) required to pass
First attempt
1.00/7.0 (14%)
Second attempt
6.0/7.0 (85%) Mean 3.5
Third attempt
6.3 /7.0 (90%) Mean 4.4
Fourth attempt
6.7/7.0 (95%) Mean 5.0
Fifth attempt
7.0/7.0 (100%) Mean 5.4
Sixth attempt
7.0/7.0 (100%) Mean 5.8
Seventh attempt 7.0/7.0 (100%) Mean 6.0
Source: Richard Brown, Alberta high school teacher
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The Effect of Zeros
4
3
2
1
0
2
5 pt scale
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(F)
(C)
101 point scale
90-100
11
95
80-89
10
85
70-79
10 75
60-69
10
65
<60
60
0
64 (D)
Source: O’Connor, K. A Repair Kit for Grading, Pearson ATI, 2011, 98
95
85
75
65
50
74 (C)
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“The use of an I or “Incomplete” grade
is an alternative to assigning zeros that
is both educationally sound and
potentially quite effective.”
Guskey, T. R. and Bailey, J. Developing Grading and Reporting
Systems for Student Learning, Corwin Press, 2001, 144
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
The Hanover Research Council profiled a
number of top-ranked and regional
institutions regarding their attitudes on
standards-based grading.
For all types of colleges, high school course
selection has become a more important
criterion for admission for a number of
reasons. According to the report, GPA
relevance is debatable due to widely varying
grading scales and weighting practices among
high schools.
Source: Hanover Research Council conducted a study for QCSD
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
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





Colleges and universities look for some of the following types
of information from high schools to help them navigate
discrepancies:
Background from the guidance department on the high
school's students, grading scales, and academic rigor.
Evaluation of a high school’s past students and their success
at the institution.
GPA recalculation based on specific core courses.
GPA recalculation to exclude or include weight for honors,
Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate courses.
Required or recommended interview with an admissions
officer, in person or via the Internet.
Visits to high schools, where officers can meet with guidance
counseling staff Source: Hanover Research Council conducted a study for QCSD 72
© Ken O’Connor, 2014
Conclusion:
The Hanover Research Council report states
that “Generally, admissions offices treat all
grades as welcome indicators of high school
performance while implicitly acknowledging
that every school has a unique perspective,
student body, and system.” None of the college
admissions offices contacted expressed a
concern or a negative view of a transcript
based on standards-based grading.
Source: Hanover Research Council conducted a study for QCSD
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
What I would really like to see K-12
* No subject grades and no GPA except 11/12
* No % - limited number of proficiency levels for scoring
and grading
* No class rank
* No more than 3 achievement report cards per year, i.e.,
high quality SB EF
* Parent portals - summarizing function turned off for at
least 6 weeks
* Collaboration required across grade level, courses
leading to ‘one pagers’
* Assessment plans that clearly identify ‘body of evidence’
for which each student is responsible
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“If you wanted to make just one change that
would immediately reduce student failure
rates, then the most effective place to start
would be
challenging prevailing grading practices”
Reeves, D. Leading to change: Effective grading practices.
Educational Leadership, 65(5), 2008, 85
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014
“Assigning fair and meaningful grades to students will
continue to challenge educators at every level. The process
requires thoughtful and informed professional judgment,
an abiding concern for what best serves the interests of
students and their families, and careful examination of the
tasks students are asked to complete and the questions
they are asked to answer to demonstrate their learning.
only when such examination and reasoned judgment
become a regular part of the grading process can we make
accurate and valid decisions about the quality of students'
performance.”
Guskey, T.R. 2013. “The Case Against Percentage Grades.”
Educational Leadership. September. 72
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© Ken O’Connor, 2014