b. moore 12 fixes for broken grades

High Schools That WorkMaking Middle Grades Work

Effective Grading Practices12 Fixes for Broken Grades

Barbara Moore

Southern Regional Education Board

“Unlike the external standardized teststhat feature so prominently on the schoollandscape these days, well-designed

classroom assessment and gradingpractices can provide the kind of specific,personalized and timely informationneeded to guide both learning andteaching.”

Seven Practices for Effective Learning,McTigue and O’Connor, ASCD, 2005

Effective Grading Practices 2

Essential Question

Do our grades forstudents reflect the

degree to whichthey have met thestandards for acourse?


To What Degree Do The TeachersAt Your School . . .

1. Base grading on thedegree to which

students are proficientin the standards?

2. Collaborate onconsistent methods toarrive at grades?

3. Refrain from usinggrades as punishment?

4. Involve students inassessing their ownprogress?


Current Grading Practices

“ . . . (grading) practices are not theresult of careful thought or soundevidence, . . .

rather, they are used becauseteachers experienced these

practices as students and, havinglittle training or experience withother options, continue their use.”

Guskey, T. (Editor), CommunicatingStudent Learning: 1996 ASCD Yearbook


Grading Practices

“Why . . . Would anyone want tochange current grading

practices?

The answer is quite simple:grades are so imprecise thatthey are almost meaningless.”

Marzano, R. J., Transforming ClassroomGrading, ASCD, Alexandria, VA, 2000, 1


The Issue

“The principal limitation of any gradingsystem that requires the teacher to assignone number or letter to represent . . .learning is that one symbol can conveyonly one meaning.

One symbol cannot do justice to thedifferent degrees of learning a studentacquires across all learning outcomes.”

Tombari and Borich, Authentic Assessment in the Classroom,Prentice Hall, 1999,


Primary Purpose

“the primary purpose of . . grades . . .(is) to communicate student

achievement to students, parents,school administrators, post-secondaryinstitutions and employers.

Bailey, J. and McTighe, J., “Reporting Achievement at theSecondary School Level: What and How?”, in Thomas R.Guskey, (Ed.) Communicating Student Learning: ASCDYearbook 1996, ASCD, Alexandria, VA, 1996, 120


Secondary Purposes forGrading

1. Provide information that students canuse for self-evaluation.

2. Select, identify, or group students forcertain educational paths or programs.

3. Provide incentives to learn.4. Evaluate the effectiveness of

instructional programs


The Need to Challenge CurrentGrading Systems

Weaknesses in current grading systems include: Students can earn an A in a course and never complete

anything but basic level work Teachers lack effective ways to get students to complete

work at high levels; teachers grade and record whateverwork is turned in.

Current grading systems provide students with the optionof not doing their assignments at all; the onlyconsequence to not doing work is that they don‟t have todo the work.

Most grading policies purposefully (or not) assessbehaviors instead of level of achievement or proficiencyon standards

Standards-based Grading 10

Grading Systems

Current grading systems:Letters or numbers that represent

Current Grading System Standards-based GradingSystem

A level or 90-100 levelB level or 80-89 levelC level or 70-79 levelD level or 60-69 levelF level or 59 or below

A level or advanced level of thestandard

B level or proficient level of thestandard

C level or basic level of thestandard

I: Incomplete or Not Yet level ofthe standard


Grading Practices Continuum

TraditionalAssessment MethodsAchievement/non-

achievement factors mixedEverything „counts‟

All data cumulativeOne opportunity onlyCalculating averages onlyTeachers‟ subjectivestandardsPoor quality assessmentTeacher-centered with

unclear targets

Standards-basedStandards

Achievement separate fromwork habits/attitude

Summative onlyMore recent emphasized

More than one opportunityProfessional judgment

Published performancestandards

High quality assessmentStudent understanding &

involvement


Grading Givens

Grading is not essential for learning

Grading is complicatedGrading is subjective and often emotional

Grading is inescapableThere is not much “pure” research on gradingpractices

No single best grading practiceFaulty grading damages students - andteachers


Grades are broken when they. .

• include ingredients that distortachievement• arise from low quality or poorlyorganized evidence

• are derived from inappropriate numbercrunching, and when they

• do not support the learning process.


What can educators do?

Link content standards withteaching standards at theproficient level and gettingstudents to that level.

Decide on evidence to becollected. “Does each assessment

measure what was taught?”

Distinguish between formativeand summative.

Develop an overall grading rubricthat defines level of quality inrelation to each grade.

Create a grade book that recordsevidence in relation to thestandards.

Standards-based Grading 16

“When schools improve gradingpractices --- for example, by

disconnecting grades from behavior ---student achievement increases andbehavior improves dramatically.”

Doug Reeves, 2008


Standards-based Grades

In a standards-referenced system, agrade or a score represents the level ofunderstanding the student has of the

knowledge, skills and concepts in asubject area and the student‟s ability toapply that understanding in a variety oftasks.


Standards-based gradesshould reflect the levelof students‟performance on coursestandards


Grading Practicesthat Inhibit Learning

Inconsistent gradingscales

Worshipping averagesUsing zeroes

indiscriminatelyFollowing the pattern ofassign/test/grade & teachFailing to match testingto teaching

Ambushing students

Suggesting that successis unlikely

Grading first effortsPracticing “gotcha”teaching

Penalizing students fortaking risks

Failing to recognizemeasurement error

Establishing inconsistentgrading criteria


Grading Guideline #1

Include only achievement data indetermining grades (Don‟t includestudent behaviors such as effort,

participation, adherence to class rules,etc.).

The tendency to collapse severalindependent elements into a singlegrade blurs its meaning.


What Should “Count?”

Assessments ThatRelate to Standards

TestsProjects

Performances Essays

Research papers Presentations Lab experiments

Assessment of OtherLearning FactorsHomework completionand practice

AttendanceTardiness

Student behaviorEffort

TimelinessFollowing class rules

Extra credit (forcompletion only)



Don‟t reducemarks on “work”submitted late;provide supportfor the learner.


Avoid assigning zeroes

“Assigning a score of zero to work thatis late, missed, or neglected does notaccurately depict students‟ learning. Is

the teacher certain the student haslearned absolutely nothing, or is thezero assigned to punish students fornot displaying appropriate

responsibility?”--Guskey, 1996


Avoid assigning zeroes

Don‟t include zeros in gradedetermination when evidence is missingor as punishment; use alternatives,such as reassessing to determine realachievement or use “I” for Incompleteor Insufficient Evidence.


“The use of an I or “Incomplete”grade is an alternative to assigningzeros that is both educationallysound and potentially quiteeffective.”

Guskey and Bailey, Developing Grading and ReportingSystems for Student Learning, Corwin Press, 2001



Don‟t give points forextra credit or usebonus points; seekonly evidence thatmore work hasresulted in a higherlevel of achievement.



Don‟t punishacademic dishonestywith reduced grades;apply other

consequences andreassess todetermine actual

level of achievement.



Don‟t considerattendance in gradedetermination;

report absencesseparately.



Don‟t assign grades usinginappropriate or unclearperformance standards;provide clear descriptions

of achievementexpectations.


Communicate Clear Standards

“Performance standards specify „howgood is good enough.‟ They relate to

issues of assessment that gauge the degreeto which content standards have beenattained They are indices of quality

that specify how adept or competent astudent demonstration should be.”

Kendall, J., and R. Marzano, Content Knowledge:A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarksfor K-12 Education, McREL, 1997


Grades Must Reflect• Development of assignments and assessments thatinclude questions and activities that actually getstudents to the proficient and advanced levels of thestandards.

•Alignment of grades to the attainment of the proficiencylevel of the content standard/benchmark

A= advanced, B= proficient, C= basic• Elimination of zeros for worknot completed

• Eliminating the option of students notcompleting their assignments;



Don‟t include groupscores in grades; useonly individual

achievementevidence.


“Group grades are so blatantlyunfair that on this basis alone they

should never be used.”

Kagan, S. “Group Grades Miss the Mark,”Educational Leadership, May, 1995


Guideline #3b Kagan‟s 7 reasons for opposinggroup grades

1. no(t) fair2. debase report cards

3. undermine motivation4. convey the wrong message

5. violate individual accountability6. are responsible for resistance to

cooperative learning7. may be challenged in court.

Kagan, S. “Group Grades Miss the Mark,” EducationalLeadership, May, 1995, 68-71



Don‟t assign gradesbased on student‟s

achievement comparedto other students;compare each student‟sperformance to presetstandards.


“No student‟s grade should dependon the achievement (or behavior) ofother students.”

William Glasser


Eliminate the Curve

Students are at different places and Learn at differentpaces, YET

Systems assess at the same time

Bell curve based upon when learned, notLearned or Quality of Learning

The old bell curve has morphed into a“Compliance Curve” in most classrooms

A Learning Curve is necessary for NCLB



Don‟t rely only on themean; consider

other measures ofcentral tendency anduse professionaljudgment.


“Crunch” numbers carefully -if at all

Determine vs. calculate

Consider methods: Mean - average

Median - middle score Mode - most frequently occurring score

Priority goes to evidence that is most recent,most comprehensive, and most importantlearning


Considerations

We need a sufficient body of evidence todetermine what a student knows and can do.

Alternatives 60% rather than 0%

Incomplete (especially for criticalassessments)

Calculate using median or mode Drop lowest scores

Report and communicate behavioralaspects separately


Mean vs. Median

"Grading by the median providesmore opportunities for success bydiminishing the impact of a fewstumbles and by rewarding hardwork."

Wright, Russell. G., "Success for All: TheMedian is the Key", Kappan, May 1994, 723-725


The Effect of 0Student A

8686860

86

Mean = 68.8%Does this accurately reflect whatthe student knows and can do?

Median = 86%

Mode = 86%

Mean (with 60% instead of 0) =80.8%


Disproportionate Impactof ZEROs

FThink in terms of pounds:

A = 11 pounds (90-100)B = 10 pounds (80-89)C = 10 pounds (70-79)

DC BA

D = 10 pounds (60-69)

F = 59 pounds (0-59)


Mean vs. Median

Student YStudent Y

969994

6197

Student Z

927468

6458

Mean = 89.4% Median = 96% Is this a “B”

student?

Student Z Mean = 71.2% Median = 68%

Does this studenthave mastery?


“Averaging falls far short of providingan accurate description of what studentshave learned If the purpose of gradingand reporting is to provide an accurate

description of what students have learned,then averaging must be consideredinadequate and inappropriate”.

Guskey, Thomas R. (Editor), Communicating Student Learning:The 1996 ASCD Yearbook, ASCD, Alexandria, VA, 1996, 21



Don‟t rely onevidence from

assessments that failto meet standards ofquality; rely only onquality assessments.


Grades should come from a body ofevidence plus performance standardsplus guidelines, i.e., professional

judgment.

Seven Practices for Effective Learning,McTigue and O’Connor, ASCD, 2005


Types of Assessment

Diagnostic - assessment which takes place prior toinstruction; designed to determine a student's attitude,skills or knowledge in order to identify student needs.

Formative - Assessment designed to providedirection for improvement and/or adjustment during

instruction for individual students or for a whole class,e.g. observation, quizzes, homework, instructionalquestions, initial drafts/attempts.

Summative - Assessment/evaluation designed toprovide information to be used in making judgmentabout a student’s achievement at the end of asequence of instruction, e.g. final drafts/attempts,tests, exams, assignments, projects, performances.


Guidelines for AssessmentPractices

1. Use summative assessments to frame meaningfulperformance goals - in terms of desirable outcomes

2. Show criteria and models in advance to help studentsunderstand criteria

3. Assess before teaching4. Offer appropriate choices

5. Provide feedback early and often - F³ (timely, specificand understandable)

6. Encourage self-assessment and goal-setting7. Allow new evidence to replace old evidence



Don‟t summarize evidenceaccumulated over time when learning isdevelopmental and will grow with timeand repeated opportunities―emphasize

more recent achievement.

Classroom assessments and gradingshould focus on how well―not when―student s master the content.


The key question is, “What information providesthe most accurate depiction of students‟learning at this time?” In nearly all cases, theanswer is “the most current information.” Ifstudents demonstrate that past assessmentinformation no longer accurately reflects theirlearning, that information must be dropped andreplaced by the new information. Continuing torely on past assessment data miss-

communicates students‟ learning.Guskey, Thomas R. (Editor), Communicating

Student Learning: 1996 ASCD Yearbook, ASCD,


Standards-based Guidelines

Students should be assessed or checked oneverything (or almost everything) they do

BUT

everything that is assessed and/or checkeddoes not need a score

AND

every score should not be included in thegrade. Seven Practices for Effective Learning,

McTigue and O’Connor, ASCD, 2005



Involve Students

Students often have littleunderstanding of how

their grade isdetermined.

Students experiencegrades as something

that is “done to them”rather than a reflection oftheir learning.


Involve Students

Show students how to assess their ownand others' work against theperformance standards, expectations or

levels.

Help students learn „Habits of Success,‟how to set goals and both reflect on andmonitor their own work


Critical Questions to AskYourself

• What do ALL of my students need to KNOW?

• What should ALL of my students be able to DOto demonstrate they know?

• What standards do I wantto measure?

• Which outcomes are not beingassessed adequately?


Guidelines for Grading

1. Relate grading procedures to the intendedlearning goals, i.e., standards, expectations,outcomes, etc.2. Use criterion-referenced standards as

reference points to distribute grades.3. Limit the valued attributes included in

grades to individual achievement.4. Sample student performance - don't include

all scores in grades.


Guidelines for Grading

5. “Grade in pencil” - keep records so they canbe updated easily.

6. “Crunch" numbers carefully - if at all.

7. Use quality assessment(s) and properlyrecorded evidence of achievement.

8. Discuss and involve students inassessment, including grading throughoutthe teaching/learning process.


Recommended Resources

Marzano, R., (2000) Transforming Classroom GradingMarzano, R., (2006) Classroom Assessment and Grading That WorkReeves, D. (2004). 101 more questions & answers about standards,assessment and accountabilityGuskey, T., Developing Grading and Reporting Systems for StudentLearningAinsworth, L., (2007) Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessmentto Transform Teaching and Learning

Reeves, D. (2003). Making Standards WorkReeves, D. (2002). The Leaders‟ Guide to Standards

Stiggins, R., (2001) Student-Involved Classroom AssessmentBrookhart, S., (2004) Grading

O‟Connor, K. (2009) How to Grade For Learning, K-12Wormeli, R., Fair Isn‟t Always Equal


Curriculum: Yesterday and Today

TraditionalWhat is taught

Chapters covered &worksheets completedAcademic context

Textbook as main sourceIndividual subjects

Basics emphasized for all;thinking skills emphasizedfor gifted

Standards-basedWhat is learned

Identification of whatstudents should know & doLife context

Multiple resourcesIntegrated subjects

Basics and thinking skillsemphasized for all


Instruction: Yesterday and Today

TraditionalTeacher centeredOrganized around timeSingle teaching strategyTeach once

Fixed groupsWhole-group instructionPassive learning

Standards-basedStudent centeredOrganized for resultsMultiple teaching strategiesReteaching and enrichmentFlexible groups

Differentiated instructionActive learning


Assessment: Yesterday and Today

TraditionalBell curve

One opportunityAfter instruction

Paper-and-pencil-basedGrades averaged

Proving and accountabilityFocus on product

Standards-basedRubrics

Multiple opportunitiesIntegrated with instructionPerformance-based

Grades on final performanceDiagnose and prescribe

Focus on product andprocess


b. moore 12 fixes for broken grades

Education

grading givens grading

learning grading

current grading practices

classroom grading

complicated grading

emotional grading

grading policies

base grading