Report Cards

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Unit 10
Chapter 13 Report Cards
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This is itthe last unit. I know that it has been
difficult for you to juggle your role as a
teacher with your role as a student. Especially
this class. The work load has been demanding.
But, if you have internalized these two goals

• Understand the meaning of excellence in classroom
  assessment.
• MMake a personal professional commitment to
  meeting standards of assessment excellence.

the reward for your hard work will have enormous
payoffs for your students year after year after
year.
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This unit focuses on the following guided
question
How can I communicate about student achievement
using report cards in a manner that helps my
students find success?
?
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Which student characteristics should be factored
into report card grading? The following list
represents traditional factors
Achievement Aptitude Effort Compliance Attitu
de
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Achievement as a grading factor There are no
compelling arguments against factoring
achievement into report card grades. Schools
exist to promote student achievement this
achievement can be clearly defined and translated
into sound assessments (thats what weve been
doing for the past 8 weeks).
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Aptitude as a grading factor The author argues
against using aptitude as a factor in a students
grade because we cant accurately measure
aptitude. Stiggins proposes, instead, to
individualize instruction based on a students
prior achievement. We can tailor targets for each
student, and we can tailor instruction to help
each student reach those targets. The students
success in hitting those targets is the basis for
the assignment of report card grades. Do you
see the difference here? Dont fall into the trap
of assuming a students prior performance is
equivalent to aptitude
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Effort as a grading factor Its not a good
combination. Effort is very difficult to measure
accurately. There are better ways to motivate
students than linking report card grades with
effort. Stiggins suggests the tough love message
Just doing the work does not get good grades.
The only thing that gets good grades is the
learning that comes from doing the work.
Stiggins, p. 424
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Compliance as a grading factor There is legal
precedent for not allowing grading practices to
lower grades for compliance issues like poor
attendance. The courts compel us to separate
punishment from grading practices. This includes
cheating on an exam. In that situation the
student gets to take a different exam. Giving a
student a 0 on the first exam is not an option.
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Attitude as a grading factor While it is
possible to accurately assess student attitudes,
it is a better plan to use information about a
students attitude to inform instructional
design. The issue here is to determine which use
of attitude information produces the greatest
good for students. Although it seems like a good
idea to channel at least some classroom rewards
to perennial low achievers if they have good
attitudes, Stiggins believes that it is better to
use student attitudes to promote more positive
learners and learning environments rather than to
control behavior.
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• A five step plan for gathering sound and
  appropriate achievement information for
  grading purposes
• Begin the grading period with a comprehensive set
  of achievement expectations
• 2. Transform that big picture into an
  assessment plan describing evidence-gathering
  tactics
• 3. Develop and administer the specific
  assessments as instruction unfolds
• 4. Summarize assessment results into a composite
  index of achievement for each student
• 5. Convert the composite into a grade

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Step 1 Spelling out the big achievement
picture To complete the picture of the valued
achievement targets for a given subject over a
grading period, gather together all relevant
curricular and text materials and ask four
questions What is the subject matter knowledge
students need to master? What patterns of
reasoning do they need to master? What
performance skills do students need to
demonstrate? What products do students need to
create and what are the attributes of a good one?
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Step 2 Turning your big picture into an
assessment plan It must list each assessment you
will conduct during the grading period detailing
achievement targets, time of assessment, and what
assessment method you will use. Each assessment
listed needs to supply an important piece of the
puzzle with respect to the priority targets of
the unit. Each assessment must accurately
represent the target(s). The full array of
assessments over the grading period must
accurately determine the proportion of your
expectations that each student has attained. The
plan must involve a reasonable workload for both
you and your students.
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Still under step 2 A reality check most
teachers spend too much time gathering and
grading too many assignments. The report card
grading challenge is to gather just enough
information to make confident grading decisions
and no more. Assessments for learning, but not
for grading you have been doing a lot of this
kind of work for this class. Reading about
assessment in a book is very different than doing
it. Theres simply no way to become proficient
with assessment strategies without applying your
knowledge. Grades do not need to be part of the
practice process.
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Step 3 From a plan to actual assessments You
need to select actual assessments for each unit
following the usual guidelines. Maintain written
records. Include as much detail in the records
as you can. Dont convert a test score to a
letter grade. If you plan to weigh scores
differently later to compute a composite index of
achievement, record those scores in the same
units such as percent of total available.
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Step 4Combining achievement information is
typically done one of two ways percent method
- each assessment is converted to a percent,
differential weighting is possible 80 x 1
80 70 x 2 140 90 x 1 90 310/4
77.5 total points method - differential
weighting is possible 45 out of 55 50
out of 55 10 out of 10 65 out of
80 170 out of 200 85
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Step 5 Converting composite achievement scores
to a grade Grading with preset standards a set
of percentage cutoff scores is set and all who
score within certain ranges receive that
designated grade 90-100 A 60- 69
D 80-89 B lt69 F 70-79
C Grading on the curve is not recommended
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As a teacher you must translate clear and
appropriate targets into rigorous, high-quality
assessments which you then combine into fair and
equitable grades.
Summary
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Congratulations!
This is the 8th and final unit of the assessment
class. You are on the home stretch. After you
finish the work for this chapter and complete the
final two projects (professional development
portfolio and work sample project), you can take
a deep breath and savor the moment because at
that point you will have successfully completed
one of the most difficult courses in the MAT
program. Our work together on this course has
been an interesting journey along a new path of
teaching and learning. Ive learned a lot from
each of you along the way. Thanks! Good luck with
the rest of your course work. Stay in touch!