“Our school grappled with grade politics . . . . . . . . and lost .” -Anonymous

1. “Our school grappled with grade politics . . . . . . . . and lost.”-Anonymous

2. “I learned . . . that there are reasons, historical reasons why grading exists. But I also learned from history that there are no good reasons, no sound educational ones, why they should continue to exist.” -Anonymous

3. “Letter grades have acquired an almost cult like importance in American schools.” -Conklin (2001)

4. “Grades are not inherently bad. It is their misuseand misinterpretation that is bad.”-Guskey (1993)

5. Our Reporting System: Does It Make the Grade? Becky Brandl & Mitzi Hoback Summer 2002

6. 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

7. Reflection Time • Grading is not essential for learning • Grading is complicated • Grading is subjective and emotional • Grading is inescapable

8. Reflection Time • Grading has a limited research base • Grading has no single best practice • Grading that is faulty damages students and teachers

9. Grading Issues • Communicated to Whom? • Communicate about What? • Assess Achievement How? Using what Evidence? • What Evidence of Achievement Should be Used?

10. Is it TIMEto change our grading and reporting system?

11. 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

12. 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

13. What are the main purposes of grading and reporting?

14. 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?

15. 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

16. Grading and Reporting Purposescon’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

17. What are report card grades based upon . . .. . . in a traditional classroom?

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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 Typical Sources of Grading and Reporting Evidence

21. 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 Grades are Communicated to Whom?

22. 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?

23. “How to Grade for Learning”Chris Brown’s Grade Book Activity

24. 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?

25. Grades Communicate about What? • Achievement • Class participation • Effort • Attitude • Intelligence

26. 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?

27. 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

28. If all of these are factored into a grade all with different weights, how can we expect the readerto factor all of those things out and understand what we meant? If you think it’s possible, you are living in a dream world.-Stiggins

29. Traditionally, Evidence of Achievement has been based on: • Test and quizzes • Homework assignments • Class participation • Teachers' intuition

30. 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)

31. Q & A . . . • Should grading be based on "growth over time"?

32. Q & A . . . • Should you grade "on a curve”?

33. Q & A . . . • When is grading counterproductive?

34. Q & A . . . • How can “cooperative learning” be graded?

35. Q & A . . . • How should “extra credit” be handled?

36. Q & A . . . • How does a teacher meet the needs of all students in a class including ELL, SPED, Inclusion, HAL and Title I?

37. Q & A . . . • How can you account for “evaluation anxiety”?

38. How is the Traditional Classroomdifferent than aStandards-Based Classroom?

39. 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

40. 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

41. What are report card grades based upon . . .. . . in a standards-based classroom?

42. 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

43. 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

44. Examine Sample Report Cards Chart Strengths and Weaknesses

45. 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

46. 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.

47. 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 . . .

48. 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 Multifaceted Reporting Systems may include . . .

49. Electronic PortfoliosNot Just an Electronic File Cabinet • www.richerpicture.com • www.ideasconsulting.com • www.newtechhigh.org • www.glef.org/classrooms.html • www.project-approach.com

50. 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?