how to grade for learning by using 15 fixes for broken grades earcos @ ism

© Ken O’Connor, 2013

How to Grade for Learning by Using 15 Fixes for Broken Grades

EARCOS @ ISMOctober 19th and 20th, 2013

Presented byKen O’Connor

Assess for Success Consulting [email protected]

www.oconnorgrading.com


O’Connor, K., How to Grade for Learning, Third Edition. Corwin, 2009, 31. From Anne Davies, 2000. Originally developed by Michael Burger 6


The Essential QuestionHow confident are you that the grades students get in your school are:accurate

consistentmeaningful, andsupportive of learning?

If grades do not meet these four conditions of quality they are“broken,” i.e., ineffective.

8


Fixes for ingredients that distort achievement1. Don’t include student behaviors (effort, participation, adherence

to class rules, etc.) in grades; include only achievement.2. Don’t reduce marks on ‘work’ submitted late; provide support

for the learner.3. Don’t give points for extra credit or use bonus points; 4. seek only evidence that more work has resulted in a higher level

of achievement.4. Don’t punish academic dishonesty with reduced grades; apply other consequences and reassess to determine actual level

of achievement.5. Don’t consider attendance in grade determination; report

absences separately. 6. Don’t include group scores in grades; use only individual

achievement evidence.44


Fixes for low quality or poorly organized evidence7. Don’t organize information in grading records by assessment methods or simply summarize into a single grade; organize and report evidence by standards/ learning goals.8. Don’t assign grades using inappropriate or unclear performance standards; provide clear descriptions of achievement expectations.9. Don’t assign grades based on student’s achievement compared to other students; compare each student’s performance to preset standards.10. Don’t rely on evidence gathered from assessments that fail to meet standards of quality; rely only on quality assessments. 45


Fixes for inappropriate number crunching

11. Don’t rely on the mean; consider other measures of central tendency and use

professional judgment.

12. Don’t include zeros in grade determination when evidence is missing or as punishment; use alternatives, such as reassessing to

determine real achievement or use “I” for Incomplete or Insufficient evidence.

46


Fixes to support the learning process13. Don’t use information from formative assessments and practice to determine grades; use only summative evidence.

14. Don’t summarize evidence accumulated over time when learning is developmental and will grow with time and repeated opportunities; in those instances emphasize more recent

achievement.

15. Don’t leave students out of the grading process. Involve students - they can - and should - play key roles in assessment and grading that

promote achievement.47


Fix #1

Don’t include student behavior (effort, participation, adherence to class rules, etc.) in grades; include only achievement.

49


Fix #2

Don’t reduce marks on “work” submitted late; provide support for the learner.

58


Dealing with Late Work

1. Support not penalties

2. Behaviors/Learning Skills

3. Clarity/Communication

4. Consequences

Fix #2

62


Fix #3

Don’t give points for extra credit or use bonus points; seek only evidence that more work has resulted in a higher level of achievement.

63


Fix #3 – Bonus Points

inappropriately inflate student achievement;

mathematical distortion, e.g., 115 out of 100;

bonus questions usually conceptual, higher order thinking questions.

66


Fix #4

Don’t punish academic dishonesty with reduced grades; apply other consequences and reassess to determine actual level of achievement.

67


Fix #5

Don’t consider attendance in grade determination; report absences separately.

74


Fix #5

“Excused and unexcused absences are not relevant to an achievement grade.

There is no legitimate purpose for distinguishing between excused and unexcused absences.

For educational purposes, therefore, there need only to be recorded absences.”

Gathercoal, F., Judicious Discipline, Caddo Gap Press, San Francisco, 1997, 151 75


Fix #6

Don’t include group scores in grades; use only individual achievement evidence.

77


Fix #7

Don’t organize information in grading records by assessment methods or simply summarize into a single grade; organize and report evidence by standards/learning goals.

82


Pilot Certification Course

Student A% Student B %

Tests 95 95

PA 85 85

PC 90 90

Overall 90 90

Fix #7

84


Pilot Certification Course

Student A% Student B %

Takeoffs 95 100

In the air 85 100

Landings 90 60

Navigation 90 100

Fix #7

85


Fix #8

Don’t assign grades using inappropriate or unclear performance standards; provide clear descriptions of achievement expectations.

101


Fix #8 O’Connor, K., How to Grade for Learning, Third Edition, Corwin, 2002, 712

103


Wow!

Got it!

Nearly there!

Oh no! Oops!

Fix #8

113


Fix #9

Don’t assign grades based on student’s achievement compared to other students; compare each student’s performance to preset standards.

122


What do you think would happen if you did an outstanding job, all the students in your class did an outstanding job, and all the students received a grade of 90% or higher?

Fix #9

123


Fix #10

Don’t rely on evidence from assessments that fail to meet standards of quality; rely only on quality assessments.

125


Right Method -Target-Method Match

StrongProducts

PartialStrongSkills

StrongStrongGoodReasoning

StrongPartialStrongGoodKnowledge

PCPAWRSR

Partial Poor

Poor Poor Poor

Partial

127Chappuis, J. et al. 2012. Classroom Assessment for Student Learning.Second Edition. Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 94

Fix #10


Fix # 11

Don’t rely on the mean; consider other measures of central tendency and use professional judgment.

134


898989 Mean or Average = 75.2208989 Median = 8989208989

Total 752

Fix #11

140


Fix #11

142

First attempt

Second attempt

Third attempt

Fourth attempt

Fifth attempt

Sixth attempt

Source: Richard Brown, Alberta high school teacher


Fix #12

Don’t include zeros in grade determination when evidence is missing or as punishment; use alternatives, such as reassessing to determine real level of achievement or use “I” for Incomplete or Insufficient evidence. 149


5 pt scale 101 point scale4 (A) 90-100 11 95 953 (B) 80-89 10 85 852 (C) 70-79 10 75 751 (D) 60-69 10 65 650 (F) <60 60 0 50 2 (C) 64 (D) 74 (C)

The Effect of Zeros

Fix #12

151O’Connor, K., A Repair Kit for Grading, Second Edition. Pearson ATI, 2011. 98


Fixes #11 & 12

Think about this…

“We have to see grading not as simply a numerical, mechanical exercise, but as primarily an exercise in professional judgment. It calls for teachers to demonstrate two key aspects of professional behavior - the application of craft knowledge of sound assessment practice, and the willingness and ability to make and defend one’s professional judgment.”

O’Connor, K., A Repair Kit for Grading, Second Edition, Pearson, 2011, 92

158


Fix #13

Don’t use information from formative assessments and practice to determine grades; use only summative evidence.

159


Kinds of feedback 264 low and high ability year 7 pupils in 12 classes in 4 schools;

analysis of 132 students at top and bottom of each class Same teaching, same aims, same teachers, same class work Three kinds of feedback: marks, comments, marks+comments

Butler, R. Br. J. Educ. Psychol. 1988, 58 1-14

Feedback Gainmarks none

comments 30%

both none

From a presentation by Dylan Wiliam - “Inside the Black Box”

Fix #13

168


Fix #14

Don’t summarize evidence accumulated over time when learning is developmental and will grow with time and repeated opportunities; in those instances emphasize more recent achievement.

177


Fix #14

183O’Connor, K., A Repair Kit for Grading, Pearson ATI, 2011, 123


Fix #15

Don’t leave students out of the grading process. Involve students; they can - and should - play key roles in assessment and grading that promote achievement.

186


For grades that are:

Accurate Fixes 1 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 14

Consistent Fix 8

Meaningful Fix 7 Supportive of learning Fixes 13 14 15

192


Enduring Understandings

1. There are no right grades only justifiable grades.

2. Nothing really changes till the grade book and the report card both change.

204

how to grade for learning by using 15 fixes for broken grades earcos @ ism

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