The Complexities of Grading:
What’s fair?
What’s worth grading?
Kay M. Sagmiller
Oregon State University Center for Teaching and Learning
Calculate the final grades
Sally
C
C
M
D
C
B
M
M
B
A
Bob
75
75
78
M
82
84
88
90
92
93
93 +
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
D-
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Below 60 F
95-100 A
85-94 B
75-84 C
65-74 D
Below 65 F
Toxic Grading Practices
1. No common standard for the grading scale
1. Using zeros for missing work on a 100 point scale
2. Averaging all scores throughout the quarter
3. “Quarter-Killer Assignments”
4. Grading on the curve
Marzano, 2000; O’Connor 2008; Reeves, 2004, 2008; Waugh & Gronlund, 2013
What are grades
meant to communicate?
…the extent to which a student has met a pre-specified standard
of performance: the course objectives (Waugh & Gronlund, 2013)
Outcomes & Objectives Vary in
Generality
= Lifetime
Program Outcomes = 4-6 Years
Course Outcomes = 10 weeks
OSU Learning Goals Graduates
Daily Objectives = Today
Course outcomes are subsets of program outcomes
Program Outcome: Apply scientific concepts towards assessing,
promoting, or enhancing physical health, fitness, or performance
Course Outcome: Review and recommend best practices and
evidence-based procedures for the development and
implementation of physical activity promotion efforts for
individuals with a chronic health condition and disability.
OSU Curriculum
First Year
Sophomore/Junior
Graduation
Synthesis
Perspectives
B
C
B
C
Thinking
Quantitative Reasoning
Writing
Speech
B
C
B
C
M
M
M
M
M
Understanding develops over time
Extended Thinking
Strategic
Thinking
Skill/Co
ncept
Recall
Demonstration
Final Task
Preassessment
Skills develop with practice
Skill
Group
Work
1st
Approximation
2nd
Final
Approximation
Locate the course
Where does this course fall in the program’s sequence
of courses?
What do my students need to know prior to this course
starting?
Which specific program outcomes are a primary focus
in this course?
Clarify Expectations
What “degree of understanding” and level of skill
proficiency must my students’ achieve by the end of this
course?
How can I best communicate these expectations to my
students?
What summative assessment would give students the best
opportunity to demonstrate the degree to which they have
met these levels?
Scaffold and Support Learning
What sequence of lessons will best support my
students’ in constructing understanding?
In what way is EACH lesson aligned to the course
outcomes?
Where are the difficult points in this class?
Plan your “dipstick” assessments
Given the nature of this class, when is it important to take a
“dipstick assessment” of student progress?
Of the many ways to “check in” with students, which assessment
will provide the best feedback on student growth?
Align Assessment Tool to Depth of
Knowing
Extended Thinking
Strategic
Thinking
Skill
Concept
Recall
Analyze, Design,
Create, Apply
Concepts
Revise, Logically
Argue, Hypothesize,
Critique
Estimate, Classify,
Modify, Predict,
Compare, Summarize
Multiple choice, True false,
Match, Label, List
Basic Principles of Grading
1. Learning is the goal
1. Communicate academic expectations by setting
clear criteria and standards
1. Use a variety of assessments (pre, formative and
summative) to get a more complete picture of
student progress
1. Teach and assess what is “most important”
Weighted Grading
Assumption: Different types of performances are of more value
than others
The “assessments” the professor “values more” are weighted
more heavily in the grading process
Often used in courses heavy in skill development: early
approximations are not weighted as heavily as summative
performances
Accumulated Point Grading
Assumption: Good or poor performance in one area can be
offset by work in other areas
Example
Quizzes
Field Project
Final Exam
Class Part
0-40 points
0-30 points
0-20 points
0-10 points
Proficiency Grading
Assumption: different categories of work are each
important and one cannot compensate for another
Course Grade
A
B
C
D
Graded Work
A average
B average
C average
D average
Pass-Fail Work
90% pass
83% pass
75 % pass
65% pass
If a student gets an A on graded work but a 65% pass on daily work she
gets a D in the class because it is the highest level at which she meets
or exceeds the standards for both graded and pass/fail work
The most effective grading
practices provide accurate,
specific,
timely feedback to
improve student performance
Marzano 2000, 2007; O’Connor, 2007; Reeves, 2008
Other Considerations
• Developmental Approach: Improvement over
time
• Unit-Based Approach: Each unit is important
• Contract Grading
• Grading Group Work
• Extra Credit and Penalties
References
Buller, J. (2010). The essential college professor. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Stiggins, R. (1994). Student-centered classroom assessment.
New York: Macmillan College Publishing.
Walvoord, B. & Anderson, V. (1998). Effective grading. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Waugh, C. & Gronlund, N. (2013) Assessment of student
achievement, Tenth edition, Boston: Pearson.