“Our school grappled
with grade politics . . . .
. . . . and lost.”
-Anonymous
“I learned . . . that there are reasons,
historical reasons why grading exists.
QuickTime™ and a
GIF decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
But I also learned from history
that there are no good reasons,
no sound educational ones,
why they should continue to exist.”
-Anonymous
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GIF decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
“Letter grades have acquired
an almost cult like importance
in American schools.”
-Conklin (2001)
“Grades are not inherently bad.
QuickTime™ and a
QuickDraw decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
It is their misuse
and
misinterpretation
that is bad.”
-Guskey (1993)
Our Reporting
System:
Does It Make
the Grade?
Becky Brandl
&
Mitzi Hoback
Summer 2002
Workshop Goals are to . . .
• Explore the advantages and
disadvantages of various grading
practices and reporting systems
• Examine current grading practices
• Review district options
• Develop sound grading practices and
reporting systems
Reflection Time
• Grading is not essential for learning
• Grading is complicated
• Grading is subjective and emotional
• Grading is inescapable
Reflection Time
• Grading has a limited research base
• Grading has no single best practice
• Grading that is faulty damages
students and teachers
Grading Issues
• Communicated to Whom?
• Communicate about What?
Quic kT ime™ and a
GIF decompres sor
are needed to s ee this pi cture.
• Assess Achievement How? Using what Evidence?
• What Evidence of Achievement Should be Used?
Is it TIME
to change our
grading and reporting
system?
Quic kTime™ a nd a
GIF d eco mp re sso r
ar e n eed ed to see thi s p ictu re.
Developments That Make Change in Grading
and Reporting Systems Imperative
• The growing emphasis on standards and
performance assessments makes current
reporting practices inadequate
• Parents and community members are demanding
more and better information about
student learning progress
• Advances in technology allow for more
efficient reporting of detailed information
on student learning
Developments That Make Change in Grading
and Reporting Systems Imperative con’t.
• Grading and reporting are recognized
as one of educators’ most important
responsibilities
• There is growing awareness of the gap
between our knowledge base and common
practice in grading and reporting
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QuickDraw decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
What are the main purposes
of grading and reporting?
Critical Aspects in Determining
Communication Purposes
• What information or message do we want to
communicate?
• Who is the primary audience for that message?
• How would we like that information or message to
be used?
Grading and Reporting Purposes
• To communicate the achievement status of
students to parents and others
• To provide information that students can use for
self-evaluation
• To select, identify, or group students for certain
educational paths or programs
Grading and Reporting Purposes
con’t.
• To provide incentives for students to learn
• To evaluate the effectiveness of instructional
programs
• To provide evidence of students’ lack of effort or
inappropriate responsibility
What are report card grades
based upon . . .
. . . in a traditional classroom?
Traditional Grading Practice Sources
• The policies and practices they experienced as
students
• Their personal philosophies of teaching and
learning
• District-, building-, department-, or grade-level
policies on grading and reporting
• What they learned about grading and reporting in
their undergraduate and teacher preparation
programs
Typical Sources of Grading and
Reporting Evidence
•
•
•
•
Homework Completion
Homework Quality
Class Participation
Work Habits and
Neatness
• Effort
• Attendance
• Punctuality of
Assignments
• Class Behavior or
Attitude
• Progress Made
Typical Sources of Grading and
Reporting Evidence
• Major Exams or
Compositions
• Class Quizzes
• Reports or Projects
• Student Portfolios
• Laboratory Projects
• Students’ Notebooks or
Journals
• Classroom Observations
• Oral Presentations
• Exhibits of Students’
Work
Grades are Communicated to Whom?
• In the elementary
grades…




Parents
Students
Other teachers
Administrators
• In middle and high
school…
 College admissions
office
 Scholarship decision
makers
 Potential employers
 Juvenile authorities
 Insurance companies
Reflecting on . . .
Your Grading Practices
 What are the principles on which your
grading practices are based?
 What are your actual grading practices?
 What were or are the main influences on your
grading principles and practices?
 How do your grading principles and practices
compare with those of other teachers in your
school?
“How to Grade for Learning”
Chris Brown’s Grade Book Activity
Reflecting on . . .
 Do the grades awarded fairly reflect the results
from which they were derived for each student?
 If you answered "yes," for which students? Why?
 If you answered "no," for which students? Why?
 What grading issues arise from this care study?
 What revisions to my grading practices do I need to
make?
 What points of uncertainty still exist?
Grades Communicate about What?
 Achievement
 Class participation
 Effort
 Attitude
 Intelligence
Questions for Establishing
Appropriate Grading Practices
 Is it appropriate to factor the student's
...achievement
...intelligence
...level of effort or
...level of attitude
when assigning a report card grade?
Establish Appropriate Grading
Practices for Each Question Above
 Consider arguments for and
against each one
 Create a balance scale reflecting a
clear analysis of all factors
If all of these are factored into a
grade all with different weights,
how can we expect the reader
to factor all of those things out and
understand what we meant?
QuickTime™ and a
QuickDraw decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
If you think it’s possible,
you are living in a
dream world.
-Stiggins
Traditionally, Evidence of Achievement
has been based on:
 Test and quizzes
 Homework assignments
 Class participation
 Teachers' intuition
What Evidence of Achievement
Should be Used?
 Test and quizzes (if they are of good quality, yes)
 Performance assessments meeting standards of
quality
 Homework assignments (maybe)
 Class participation (maybe, what standards are in
place so that all students are treated the same?)
 Teacher's intuition (maybe)
Q
&
A...
• Should grading be based
on "growth over time"?
Q
&
A...
• Should you
grade "on a curve”?
Q
&
A...
• When is grading
counterproductive?
Q
&
A...
• How can
“cooperative learning”
be graded?
Q
&
A...
• How should
“extra credit”
be handled?
Q
&
A...
• How does a teacher meet the
needs of all students in a class
including ELL, SPED, Inclusion,
HAL and Title I?
Q
&
A...
• How can
you account for
“evaluation anxiety”?
How is the Traditional Classroom
different than a
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are needed to see this pi cture.
Standards-Based
Classroom?
Traditional Classroom
•
•
•
•
•
Primary focus on teaching
Textbooks guide all classroom decisions
Instruction is textbook driven
Fuzzy curriculum
Feedback to students is letter grades based
on course requirements
• Occasional talk about standards
• Assessment for grades
• Responsibility for learning is on the teacher
Standards-Based Classroom
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Primary focus on learning
Standards guide all classroom decisions
Instruction based on standards
Clear learner outcomes
Expectation is ALL students will learn
Feedback is specific for each student
Assessments integrated into instruction
Students take ownership for learning
What are report card grades
based upon . . .
. . . in a standards-based classroom?
Guidelines for Grading in
Standards-Based Systems
• Relate grading procedures to learning goals (i.e.
standards)
• Use criterion-referenced performance standards
as reference points to determine grades
• Limit the valued attributes included in grades to
individual achievement
• Sample student performance--do not include all
scores in grades
Guidelines for Grading in
Standards-Based Systems con’t.
• Grade in pencil--keep records so they can be
updated easily
• Crunch numbers carefully--if at all
• Use quality assessment(s) and properly recorded
evidence of achievement
• Discuss and involve students in assessment,
including grading, throughout the
teaching/learning process
Examine Sample Report Cards
Chart Strengths and Weaknesses
Grading and Reporting System Development
• The primary goal of grading and reporting
is communication
• Grading and reporting are integral parts of
the instructional process
• Good reporting is based on good evidence
• Changes in grading and reporting are best
accomplished through the development of a
comprehensive reporting system
Building an Effective
Communication Timeline
What is your district currently doing to
encourage effective communication?
Brainstorm additional ways to increase
communication between home and school.
Multifaceted Reporting Systems
may include . . .
• Open-House
• Back-to-School Night
• Newsletters to
Parents/Patrons
• Personal Letters to
Parents
• Report Cards
• Notes Attached to
Report Cards
• Weekly/Monthly
Progress
• Standardized
Assessment Reports
• Phone Calls to Parents
• Newspaper Articles
• Presentations for
Community Groups
• Art Shows/Concerts
• PTA/PTO
Multifaceted Reporting Systems
may include . . .
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Evaluated Projects or Assignments
Portfolios or Exhibits of Students’ Work
Homework Assignments
School Web Pages
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Student-Teacher Conferences
Student Involved Conferences
Student-Led Conferences
Electronic Reporting Systems
Electronic Portfolios
Not Just an Electronic File Cabinet
•
•
•
•
•
www.richerpicture.com
www.ideasconsulting.com
www.newtechhigh.org
www.glef.org/classrooms.html
www.project-approach.com
Think about . . .
• What pieces are in place in your district?
• What do you need to add?
• Who are the audiences?
• Are they addressed by your current reporting
system?
What Parents Want
From a Reporting System
• More and better information
• More detailed information, but jargon free
• Practical suggestions about helping their child
Just Trying Hard Isn't Good Enough
• In a standards-driven system, teachers are
responsible for maximizing students' success.
Sound Grading Practices
Students must:
• Be clear about the achievement targets that have
been set
•Content Knowledge
•Patterns of reasoning
• Know what standards they are expected to meet
• Understand the grading procedures that will be used
• Gather evidence over time
• Translate evidence into a composite index
• Begin instruction with a complete picture of the
grading process (share it up front, no surprises, no
excuses)
Steps for Revising
Grading and Reporting Systems
• Make decision to revise grading and reporting
system
• Hold initial planning meeting & survey staff
• Form committee(s)
– report card committee
– reporting system committee
– (see committee guidelines)
– (consider parent/patron representation)
Steps for Revising
Grading and Reporting Systems
• Study issues and view samples
• Visit other schools if appropriate
• Begin development of grading and
reporting system
• Share draft with entire staff
• Pilot the system
• Modify and/or adopt system
con’t.
Report Card Committee Ground Rules
• Meeting will begin and end on time
• Differences expressed in the meeting will not be
carried beyond the walls of the meeting room
• All committee members will participate fully in the
work of the group, including completing outside
readings and assignments agreed upon
Report Card Committee Ground Rules
con’t.
• Every effort will be made to make decisions based
on consensus of the group
• Each member serves as a representative and will
take responsibility to fully represent the views of
the constituents, to share the work of the
committee with them, and to seek and share their
feedback
Highly Recommended . . .
• How To Grade for Learning: Linking Grades to
Standards (Second Edition) by Ken O’Connor
• Available online from Skylight at
http://www.skylightedu.com
or call 1.800.348.4474
Also Recommended . . .
• Classroom Assessment, Grading, and Record
Keeping by Robert J. Marzano, Barbara Zeno, and
Jane E. Pollock, 2000, McRel
• Designing Standards-Based District, Schools, and
Classrooms by Robert J. Marzano and John S.
Kendall, 1996, ASCD
Also Recommended . . .
• Report Card Grading: Strategies and Solutions
(video), by Rick Stiggins, Assessment Training
Institute
• Succeeding With Standards: Linking Curriculum,
Assessment, and Action Planning by Judy F. Carr
and Douglas E. Harris, 2001, ASCD
• Transforming Classroom Grading by Robert J.
Marzano, 2000, ASCD
Report Card Grades
“Depend on so much . . .
So much depends on them!”
-Rick Stiggins