Grading Practices

Effective Instruction Series

2013

Think-Pair Share

• Share a grading story that has left a lasting impression.

Essential Question for the day

• What grading practices lead to increased student achievement?

Some things to think about…

Grading

• Grading is a private activity, teachers “guarding their practices with the same passion with which one might guard an unedited diary” (Kain, 1996)

What is the current thinking on grading?

• Robert Marzano

• Thomas Guskey

• Ken O’Connor

Grading

• “A grade can be regarded only as an inadequate report of an inaccurate judgment by a biased and variable judge of the extent to which a student has attained an undefined level of mastery of an unknown proportion of an indefinite amount of material.” Dressel (1993).

Grading

• “School has come to be about the grades rather than the learning.” Conklin (2001).

• “Letter grades have acquired an almost cult-like importance in American schools.” Olson (1995).

• “Grades are so imprecise that they are almost meaningless” Marzano (2001)

Grading Issues

• In 1780 Yale University began giving students feedback on a 4 point scale - the origin of the 4 point grading scale - Durm

• 1897 Mount Holyoke initiated the following:– A: Excellent 95-100%– B: Good 85-94%– C: Fair 76-84%– D: Passed 75%– E: Failed below 75%

• The difficulties in grading have not changed in decades - Guskey

• School marks and grading have been the source of continuous controversy since the turn of the century - Cross and Frary

Conclusions

• Today’s system is at least 100 years old and has little or no research to support its continuation

• Three inherent problems:– It allows teachers to include at their own discretion different

non-achievement factors– It allows teachers to weight assessments differently– It mixes different types of knowledge and skills into single

scores on assessments

-Transforming Classroom Grading - Marzano, 2000

McREL Study

• Two teachers team teaching a science course

• Twenty six students• Assigned grades independent of each

other• Considered only achievement on tests,

quizzes and homework• No non-achievement skills

Grades Assigned by the Same Two Teachers

Marzano, 1995

Results

• One student differed by three grades• Two students differed by two grades• Eight students differed by one grade• Fifteen students had no difference - 57.7%

agreement (15/26)• Different assignments were considered

important and consequently weighted differently.

• Seven other studies found similar results

It depends…

• How are they calculated?

• How are grades weighted?

Total Points

type Possible points percent

homework 10 8 80%

  10 0 0%

  10 7 70%

  10 9 90%

  10 10 100%

  10 9 90%

  10 9 90%

  10 9 90%

  10 8 80%

  10 10 100%

       

       

Quiz 25 20 80%

  25 5 20%

  25 22 88%

  25 22 88%

       

       

Test 100 97 97%

       

Total Points 300 245 82%

Total Points

• 245 points out of 300 possible (245/300) 82%

Average the percents

• Add up all the percentage grades in the right column and divide by the number of grades (15). Final grade 78%

type Possible points percent

homework 10 8 80%

  10 0 0%

  10 7 70%

  10 9 90%

  10 10 100%

  10 9 90%

  10 9 90%

  10 9 90%

  10 8 80%

  10 10 100%

       

       

Quiz 25 20 80%

  25 5 20%

  25 22 88%

  25 22 88%

       

       

Test 100 97 97%

       

Average of Percents     78%

Calculation Methods

• With the same score values the two calculation methods yielded different grades:– Total points: 82%– Average of percents: 78%

What about weighting grades?

• Are different kinds of assignments or measures weighted differently?

• What is the effect on the grades using different weights?

type Possible points percent

homework 10 8 80%

  10 0 0%

  10 7 70%

  10 9 90%

  10 10 100%

  10 9 90%

  10 9 90%

  10 9 90%

  10 8 80%

  10 10 100%

       

       

Quiz 25 20 80%

  25 5 20%

  25 22 88%

  25 22 88%

       

       

Test 100 97 97%

       

   

Weights      

homework 33% 20% 10%

Quiz 33% 40% 30%

Test 33% 40% 60%

  81% 82% 87%

type Possible points percent

homework 10 8 80%

  10 0 0%

  10 7 70%

  10 9 90%

  10 10 100%

  10 9 90%

  10 9 90%

  10 9 90%

  10 8 80%

  10 10 100%

       

       

Quiz 25 20 80%

  25 5 20%

  25 22 88%

  25 22 88%

       

       

Test 100 97 97%

       

   

Conclusion

• Grading is subjective - no matter how accurate the “scores” the final grade will vary based on the calculation method.

Purposes of Grading

• Instructional - to identify student strengths and weaknesses

• Communicative - to inform parents• Administrative - to determine promotion and

graduation, or athletic eligibility• Guidance - to help students make realistic

plans - Gronlund and Linn (1990)

Purposes of Grading

• Communicate the achievement status of students

• Provide information that students can use for self-evaluation

• Select, identify, or group students• Provide incentives to learn• Evaluate the effectiveness of programs

- Guskey (1996)

Purposes of Grading

• Grades serve many functions; one letter or number symbol must carry many types of information

• “The primary purpose of grades is to communicate student achievement to students, parents, school administrators, post-secondary institutions, and employers.” - Bailey and McTighe (1996).

How is grading done?

• What are the principles on which your grading practices are based?

• What are your actual grading practices?• What were the main influences on your

grading principals and practices?• How do your grading principles and

practices compare with those of other teachers in your school?

Grading Issues• What are the basis for grades?• What are the reference points - performance

standards?• What are the ingredients? Achievement, ability,

effort, attitude?• What are the sources of information?• Can grades be changed? All or most recent

evidence?• Number crunching- what is the method of

calculation?• What is the assessment quality?• How is the student involved?

Guidelines for Grading

1. Link grading to learning goals (standards).

2. Use criterion-referenced performance standards as reference points

3. Limit the valued attributes included in grading to student achievement only

4. Sample student performance - don’t include everything

5. Grade in pencil

6. Crunch numbers carefully-if at all

7. Use quality assessments

8. Discuss and involve students in grading

How to Grade for Learning

Ken O’Connor, 2002

The Use of Zeros

• Has a large effect when coupled with utilizing means

• There is a lack of proportionality between 0 and the 50-70 passing score, other grading ranges have smaller scales

• They convey inaccurate information - was the work that poor, or was it missing?

• They typically don’t work in creating student responsibility

Effects of Getting a ZeroGrade 101 pt

ScaleRange Score Alternati

ve 1Alternati

ve 2

A 90-100 11 95 95 4

B 80-89 10 85 85 3

C 70-79 10 75 75 2

D 60-69 10 65 65 1

F <60 60 0 50 0

Ave 64 74 2

Alternatives to Zeros

• Incompletes

• Convert the Zero to the failing cut - such as 60

• Behavioral consequence vs grade consequence for missing work

Learning is not time defined.• Make time as elastic as possible. • Teachers need to be merchants of hope,

maximize the potential of success. • Eliminate zero provides hope and more

accurately reflects what the student is capable of doing.

• If it is important-it is better to do late than not do at all.

• In the real world there are a variety of time deadlines from absolute to relative. Schools tend to be absolute and rather arbitrary.

RETESTING

• Example of taking the drivers test.

• You get a second opportunity, the grades are not averaged, not labeled as failure, get the same permit as everyone else.

Second Chances

• As life provides second (and more) chances, so should school.

• In the real world very little consequence depends on a single opportunity

• Aspiring surgeons practice on cadavers

Practical Considerations for Reassessment

• Re-teaching, review or reassessment is done at the teacher’s discretion

• Students provide some evidence they have completed some of the corrective actions, such as study, peer tutoring, or review sessions

Bottom Line

• Crunch numbers very carefully - if at all

• Exercise professional judgment - not just the mechanical calculation of grades

Grading Individual Achievement

• For grades to have meaning they must be measures of each student’s achievement of the learning goals

• Grades often reflect a combination of achievement, progress, participation, effort, conduct, and teamwork

• Grades are limited to individual achievement - not group grades

Grading Effort

• Factoring effort into the grade sends the wrong message to students. In real life just trying hard to do the job is virtually never enough. -Stiggins, 1997

• Effort is defined differently by individual teachers

• Effort is difficult to define and more difficult to measure

Non-achievement Factors

• Participation is often a personality issue - some students are more assertive. It also may be related to gender or culture - inherent bias

• Attitude - positive attitude has many dimensions, and is difficult to define

• Students can fake a positive attitude• Utilizing these factors can mean extra benefits for

some students and extra jeopardy for others• These factors should be assessed regularly, but

reported separately

Bottom Line

• What should be in grades? Achievement only

• What should not be in grades? Effort, attitude, behavior, attendance, etc.

Sampling Student Performance

Even if you are on the right track, if you just sit there you will

get run over. Mark Train

Sampling Student Performance

• Formative vs Summative Assessment• Formative: Assessment designed to

provide direction, it takes place in conjunction with the learning

• Summative: Assessment designed to provide information about student achievement at the end of a grading period

Summative vs Formative

• When the cook tastes the soup it is formative, when the guest tastes the soup it is summative.

• In fine arts and sports there is a clear distinction between practice and games. Practice is time to take risk and learn

• Formative assessment can be done quicker than summative. There are not as many decisions that must be made.

How Much to Mark?

• Marking everything is detrimental• Teachers mark too much• Lighten the load:

– Mark some work as done or not done– Skim some work for an overall impression– Focus on one or two key ideas– Utilize peer assessing

• These approaches save time and are beneficial to students

Formative Assessments

• Exclude formative assessment scores from grades

• Some work can be recorded as done or not done

• Some can be skimmed for a general impression

• Some can be assessed on one or two important facets

• Some can be assessed by peers

Summative Assessments

• Utilize a combination of:– Paper/pencil tests for knowledge– Performance assessments for application of

knowledge and to recognize skills– Personal communication to evaluate all aspects of

the learning goals

• Consider a driving test: paper/pencil for knowledge and performance in the form of the actual driving

Bottom Line

• Scores from summative assessments should be included in the grade

• Scores from formative assessments should not be included in the grade

Determining Grades vs Calculating

• People take courses to learn; and what they did not know at the beginning should not be held against them

• People learn at different rates• Consider the driving exam example -

the examiner doesn’t care how many times you have tried, or past results

• Utilize the most recent information

Use the most Recent Information

• Burning Question: If a kid falls in love and flunks the first test and then rebounds back to a 95% - how long will they have to pay for the first mistake?

• Keep records so they can be updated easily

• Grade in Pencil - and have an eraser

Which student would you want to pack your parachute?

Chronological trails

Improvement Grading

• Grading is an exercise in professional judgment - not number crunching

• Grades are based on student’s most consistent level of achievement, with special consideration to the most recent information

Bottom Line

• Teachers should change grades when new more recent information is available

• Grade in pencil should be the mindset

MRL Reflective Guide

• Page 2

Define prioritized learning goals in all

subject areas

Essential

Supplemental

Nice to Know

4 In addition to exhibiting level 3 performance, in-depth inferences and applications that go BEYOND what was taught in class

3 No major errors or omissions regarding any of the information and/or processes (SIMPLE OR COMPLEX) that were explicitly taught

2 No major errors or omissions regarding the SIMPLER details and processes BUT major errors or omissions regarding the more complex ideas and processes

1 With HELP, a partial knowledge of some of the simpler and complex details and processes

0 Even with help, no understanding or skill demonstrated

Scale

Proficiency Scales= Clearly stating what knowledge and skills students

demonstrate for varying levels of understanding.

Beginning Developing Achieving Extending

The objective is….

I need to learn…..I have to complete

this by……

• See Sample Scales

I see value in the four point scale, yet how do I use it

within our current system?

3.00 - 4.00 = A = 95%2.50 - 2.99 = B = 85%2.00 - 2.49 = C = 75%1.50 - 1.99 = D = 65%Below 1.50 = F = 60%

Making Standards Useful, Marzano & Haystead

So Now What?

• What will be your grading policy?

• How does that fit with the philosophy of your school?