assessment grading
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AssessmentTRANSCRIPT
Grading
Why do we grade?
To communicate To tell students how they are doing To tell parents how students are doing
To make students uneasy To wield power …
Different Interpretations of Letter Grades
Letter grade
Criterion-Referenced
Norm-Referenced
Self-Referenced
A Outstanding or Advanced; complete knowledge of all content and skills; mastery of objectives
Outstanding; among the highest performers in the norm group
Outstanding; much improvement on the objectives
Letter grade
Criterion-Referenced
Norm-Referenced
Self-Referenced
B Very Good or Proficient; complete knowledge of most content, skills; mastery of most objectives
Very Good; performs above the average of the class
Very Good; some improvement on most or all the objectives
C Acceptable or Basic; command of only the basic content or skills; mastery of some objectives
Average; performs at the class average
Acceptable; some improvement on some of the objectives
Letter grade
Criterion-Referenced
Norm-Referenced
Self-Referenced
D Lacking; little knowledge of most content; master of only a few objectives
Poor; below the class average
Lacking; minimal progress on most objectives
F Unsatisfactory; lacks knowledge of content; no mastery of objectives
Unsatisfactory; far below the class average; among the worst in the class
Unsatisfactory; no improvement on any objectives.
Grading and Framing Questions (Frisbie & Waltman, 1992):
What meaning should each grade symbol carry? What should "failure" mean? What elements of performance should be incorporated? How should the grades in a class be distributed? What should the components be like that go into a final
grade? What method should be used to assign grades? Should borderline cases be reviewed? What other factors can influence the philosophy of
grading?
Essential Terminology
Grade: A symbol that represents the degree to which students have met a set of well-defined instructional objectives.
Absolute Grading: Absolute grading, or criterion-referenced grading, consists of comparisons between a student's performance and some previously defined criteria. Thus, students are not compared to other students. When using absolute grading, one must be careful in designing the criteria that will be used to determine the student's grades.
Essential Terminology
Relative Grading: Relative grading, or norm-referenced grading, consists of comparisons between a student and
others in the same class, the norm group. Those that perform better than most other
students receive higher grades. Uses some measure of the percentage of students
that will be assigned certain grades. I If using the normal curve in relative grading
then 3.6% of the students should be assigned As, 23.8% Bs, 45.2% Cs, 23.8% Ds, and 3.6% Fs.
Emphasizes competition among group members and does not accurately reflect any objective level of achievement.
Essential Terminology
Growth Grading: (self-referenced grading) Consists of comparisons between a student's
performance and their perceived ability/capability.
overachievers would be assign highed grades, while underachievers would be assigned lower grades.
Growth grading, while de-emphasizing competition, tends to produce invalid grades relative to achievement levels
Letter Grades
Advantages Easy to use. Easy to interpret (theoretically). Concise.
Disadvantages Meaning of a grade may vary widely. Does not address strengths & weaknesses. K-2 students may feel threatened by them.
Number or Percentage Grades: 1, 2, 3 or 98%, 80 %, 60%
Advantages Easy to use. Easy to interpret (theoretically) Concise. More continuous than Letter Grades. May be combined with Letter Grades.
Disadvantages Meaning of a grade may vary widely. Does not address strengths & weaknesses. K-2 students may feel threatened by them. Meaning may need to be explained/interpreted.
Two-Category GradesPass-Fail, Acceptable-Unacceptable, S/U
Advantages Less emotional for younger students. Can encourage risk taking for students that
may not want to take the course for a grade
Disadvantages Less reliable than a continuous measure Does not contain much information relative
to a student's achievement.
Checklists and Rating Scales:Objectives evaluated by checks or numerical ratings.
Advantages Results in a detailed list of student
achievements. May be combined with other measures.
Disadvantages May become too detailed to easily
comprehend. Difficult for record keeping
Student-Teacher Conference: Discussion with no grade
Advantages Involves a personal discussion of
achievement. May be used as a formative, ongoing
measure. Disadvantages
Teachers needs to be skilled in discussion and offering + and - feedback.
Time consuming. Some students may feel threatened. Difficult for record keeping.
Parent-Teacher Conference: Discussion with no grade
Advantages Involves personal discussion of achievement and
may alleviate misunderstandings. Teachers can show samples of work and rationale
for assessment. May improve relations with parents.
Disadvantages Teachers needs to be skilled in discussion and
offering + and - feedback. Time consuming. May provoke parent-teacher anxiety. May be inconvenient for parents. Difficult for record keeping
Letter to Parents: Explanation with no grade
Advantages Most useful as an addition form of
communication.
Disadvantages Short letters may not adequately
communicate a student's achievement. Requires good writing skills. Time consuming.
Guidelines for Effective and Fair Grading (Gronlund, 1998):
Discuss with students (and parents when appropriate) the basis of all grading, and all grading procedures, at the beginning of the course/school year.
Grades should reflect, and be based on, student's level of achievement, using only those assessments that validly measure achievement
Grades should reflect, and be based on, a composite of several valid assessments.
Guidelines for Effective and Fair Grading When combining several valid assessments,
each assessment should be appropriately weighted.
An appropriate type of grading framework should be adopted, given the ultimate use of the grade.
All borderline grades should be re-evaluated based on a careful examination of all achievement evidence.
A few more hints on Effective Grading Emphasize fair grading and scoring. Grade relative to specific learning objectives. Base grades primarily on current
performance. Provide accurate, timely, and helpful
feedback. Use a sufficient number of assessments. Don’t lower grades due to misbehaviors or
attendance. Use professional judgment.
Common Criticisms of Grading
Harmful to a student’s psyche Do not motivate but may provide disincentive Mastery may not be the purpose of the
activity—or 100% performance may be necessary
Performance may be necessary to determine acquisition of skill (e.g., piano, computer)
Written activities do not emphasize oral communication which may be a more functional skill
Are grades meaningless in the larger picture of education? There are vast differences in grading
practices between teachers and schools. Most schools lack a standardized and
codified grading policy. A grade, a single symbol, is incapable of
conveying the complexity of a student's achievement.
Grading is not always valued by teachers and thus often suffers from carelessness.
Teachers often use grading as a form of discipline and motivation, rather than as an assessment report