Grading and Reporting Chapter 15

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Grading and ReportingChapter 15

• Katie Binkley and Jane Casey

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Grading and Reporting

• This can be one of the more frustrating and time
  consuming areas of teaching.
• How should all of student achievement be
  measuredis it just the end result or should we
  also look at time and effort as a part of the
  grading process?
• We are going to look at 3 different types of
  grading. We will also discuss various reasons and
  ways you might report information to
  parents/guardians.

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Why do we grade?

• Helps enhance student achievement.
• Parents need to know how their child is
  performing.
• Helps students see their areas of strengths and
  weaknesses.
• If done correctly, grading and progress reports
  can also help teachers see areas where they need
  to enhance their teaching or make revisions to
  the lesson plan.

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Three types of Grading

• Traditional Letter Grade-
• A, B, C, D, F or numbers 100, 89, 75, 65 etc.
• Concise, convenient and grades are easy to figure
• Weaknesses as the only grading
• Combination of effort, work habits, and good
  behavior
• Proportion of students assigned each letter grad
  varies for every teacher
• Do not indicate students areas of strengths or
  weaknesses.

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Pass/Fail System

• Two category pass or fail
• Used in high schools for elective courses
• Does not offer any indication of students level
  of learning
• Students may often just study to pass rather than
  study to learn.
• Students are just expected to show mastery of a
  particular area.

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Checklist of Objectives

• Uses a check list and a letter is assigned to
  each task depending on how well the student
  performed.
• Ex Reading
• Reads with understanding
• Works out meaning and use of new words
• Reads well to others
• Reads independently for pleasure

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Check list continued

• The teacher would then apply a letter from one of
  the following
• O (outstanding)
• S (satisfactory
• N (needs improvement)
• OR
• P (proficient)
• PP (partially proficient)
• N (needs improvement)

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Multiple Grading System

• A typical multiple grading system will use the
  traditional letter/number grade system, and then
  incorporate the checklist method.
• This will often mean that two grades will be
  assigned. One for achievement and one for effort,
  improvement or growth.
• This allows teachers a little more leeway when
  grading. (example p. 374)

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Guidelines for developing a multiple grading
system

• The development of the grading and reporting
  system should be guided by the functions to be
  served.
• The grading and reporting system should be
  developed cooperatively by parents, by students,
  and school personnel
• The grading and reporting system should be based
  on a clear statement of educational objectives.

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Guidelines continued

• 4. The grading and reporting system should be
  consistent with school standards.
• 5. The grading and reporting system should be
  based on adequate assessment.
• 6. The grading and reporting system should be
  detailed enough to be diagnostic and yet compact
  enough to be practical.
• 7. The grading and reporting system should
  provide for parent-teacher conferences as needed.
  

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Assigning letter grades

• Teachers often are comfortable with the notion
  that grades should be based strictly on
  achievement for students that they judge to be
  highly able. But they feel that effort should be
  considered along with achievement for students
  whom they judge to be less able. p. 377

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Drawbacks

• This notion has some major drawbacks
• It is difficult, if not impossible, for a teacher
  to adequately assess a students effort of
  potential.
• It is difficult to distinguish between aptitude
  and achievement even with the most sophisticated
  measures, as both depend on student learning.
• Using different bases of grading for different
  students sends a mixed message and may be unfair
  to students who are perceived as being more able
  than they are.

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Validity

• As we have previously discussed tests need to be
  valid and based on the material covered.
• Grading is much the same. It needs to be valid,
  and based on the objectives that are set forward
  by the teacher. There should be specific
  guidelines that the student knows they must
  accomplish to get a specific grade. This way
  students know in advance what their grade is
  based on.

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Guidelines for Effective Grading

• Describe your grading procedures to students at
  the beginning of instruction.
• Make clear to students that the course grade will
  be based on achievement only.
• Explain how other elements (effort, work habits,
  and personal-social characteristics) will be
  reported.

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Guidelines

• 4. Relate the grading procedures to the intended
  learning outcomes (I.e. instructional goals and
  objectives).
• 5. Obtain valid evidence (e.g., tests,
  assessments, reports, or ratings) as a basis for
  assigning grades.
• 6. Take precautions to prevent cheating on tests
  and assessments.

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Guidelines

• 7. Return and review all test and assessment
  results as soon as possible.
• 8. Properly weight the various types of
  achievement included in the grade.
• 9. Do not lower an achievement grade for
  tardiness, weak effort, or misbehavior.
• 10. Be fair. Avoid bias, and when in doubt(as
  with a borderline grade) review the evidence. If
  still in doubt assign the higher grade.

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Reporting

• Letters to parents/Guardians
• Portfolios
• Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Reporting test results to parents

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Letters home to parents

• Provides greater flexibility.
• Allows for more detail about student achievement,
  not just a letter/number grade.
• Can include students strengths and weaknesses.
• Problems can include time consuming, information
  could be misinterpreted, dont provide cumulative
  information.

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Portfolios

• Purposely selected materials that best reflect
  the students work.
• Items should reflect a variety of work not just
  one specific area.
• Should also show the growth the student has made
  throughout the year.

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Parent Teacher Conferences

• 7 tips
• Make plans for the conference.
• Begin the conference in a positive manner.
• Present the students strong points before
  describing the areas needing improvement.
• Encourage parents to participate and share
  information.
• Plan course of action cooperatively.
• End the conference with a positive comment.
• Use good human relation skills during the
  conference. P. 387

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Dos and don'ts of conferences

• Dos
• Be friendly and informal
• Be positive
• Be willing to explain in understandable terms.
• Be willing to listen
• Be willing to accept parents feelings
• Be careful about giving advice

• Donts
• Dont argue or get angry
• Dont ask embarrassing questions
• Dont talk about other students, parents, or
  teachers.
• Dont bluff if you dont know the answer
• Dont reject parents suggestions
• Dont be a know-it-all

p. 387
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Reporting Standardized Test Results

• Describe what the test measures
• Do not call aptitude or learning tests
  intelligence tests.
• Do not tell parents that aptitude tests measure
  fixed material, they measure learned abilities
• Do not tell the parents that the test will
  measure and tell them how well their child will
  do in school.

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Reporting continued

• Be able to explain to parents how the tests are
  scored and what their childs score means. The
  percentiles and percentages are often confusing
  and misunderstood.
• Make sure parents know the accuracy of the tests
  being given.
• Discuss with parents how the test results might
  be used in reference to their child.