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Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.
For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module How to Grade Effectively

How to Grade Effectively
Transcript

How to Grade Effectively

Chapter 1: Introduction

Introduction

Transcript:

Just about all teachers have to grade their students’ work. This is a reality of the profession. But do the grades
you give serve a purpose and benefit your students?

Take for example this report card. Can we even tell what the purpose of these grades are and how will they
help Emily improve academically?

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Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’

Context

Transcript:

Grades are meant to be accurate representations of what students know and are able to do (Brookhart, 2013;
Guskey & Bailey, 2001; Wormeli, 2006).

But way too often, like we see in Emily’s case, grades do little more than label a student’s work as either good
or bad, and they are often inaccurate representations of what students know.

For a long time, these grading practices have been the norm and remain unchallenged by educators. In this
module we will look at grading with a fresh set of eyes and examine its purpose. We’ll also look at some best
practices for effective grading.

Related Modules

Transcript:

Before we begin, it’s important to note that grading is closely linked to assessment and feedback. If you’d like

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to build your knowledge about creating authentic assessments and delivering effective feedback, we
recommend checking out the following modules before you continue with this one.

Reflection Questions

Transcript:

Educators in the same school often have different opinions on what the purpose of grading is. The way you
view grading may be completely different from that of the teacher next door or your administration.

Pause and think for a moment and ask yourself the following questions.

Chapter 2: Why Teachers Grade

Why Teachers Grade

Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’

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Transcript:

Teachers grade for a variety of reasons, some good and some not so good. Click on each good reason to
learn more.

Bad Reasons for Grading

Transcript:

Just as there are good reasons to grade, there are also bad reasons. Ranking students, punishing students,
and rewarding students are all bad reasons to grade. Let’s explore these (Wormeli, 2006).

Teachers who believe in ranking students often use normative grading, in which students are graded based on
how they compare to their peers (Brookhart, 2013; Haldayna, 1999; Schinske & Tanner, 2014). An example of
this would be grading on a curve. Doing this yields little data on what individual students actually know. It only
tells you that student A knows more than student B, and takes the notion of a standard bar of mastery off the
table.

Sometimes teachers use grades as a way to reward or punish students. This alters students’ grades in a way
that makes them inaccurate representations of what students know.

Here are some examples of ways teachers do this:

Giving a student 50 bonus points for perfect attendance for the month.

Giving a student 25 bonus points for doing a random act of kindness.

Giving a student a zero for falling asleep during a movie.

Not allowing a student to earn any grade higher than a 75% because she showed up to class out of uniform.

Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’

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Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’

Criterion-Referenced Grading

Transcript:

The grades you give need to be accurate representations of what students have learned.

One of the best ways to do this is by using the criterion grading system. With this system students are graded
based on how their performance compares to pre-established standards. Grades are determined based on
where students’ performance falls on a pre-determined continuum of quality (Brookhart, 2013; Haldayna, 1999).

It’s important to note that criterion grading does have its flaws.

It is often up to the teacher to determine what the standard for success is when grading open-ended prompts,
such as essay questions. A teacher’s subjective beliefs can affect the accuracy of grades. Rubrics created
ahead of time can be helpful.

Zeroes

Transcript:

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You may have noticed that the range corresponding to an F is 50-60% and not 0-60%. This is not a typo, and
may be a bit of a hard pill to swallow.

In this commonly used grading system, the letter grades A through D each represent 10% of the grading scale,
yet an F represents 60% of the scale. The grade of ‘F’ can thus exert a disproportionate statistical influence on
a student’s overall mark.

To see how this plays out, consider the case of assigning a zero for late or missing assignments. Zeroes can
skew a grade to a point where the accuracy of the student’s overall mark is distorted. One zero can make it
nearly impossible for a student to get a passing grade (Wormeli, 2006).

Imagine the student Emily, from the beginning of the module, never turns in her photosynthesis project and
gets a grade of a zero. If Emily does well on most of her other biology assignments, but still earns an F as a
final grade, is her grade fair? Is it representative of what she has learned?

We can avoid this skew by not scoring any assignment lower than a 50%. Remember: this is still considered a
failing mark. Also, a teacher can assign make-up work for full credit to students who have missing assignments.

Chapter 3: What to Grade

What to Grade

Transcript:

Criterion grading, although not perfect, is the better way to communicate what students have learned and what
they still need to learn. But deciding how to grade is only one part of the process. Teachers need to also
determine what to grade.

All too often, teachers make the mistake of giving a grade to everything students do. The problem with this is
that not everything students do needs to or should be graded. It is important to remember that even though
grades cannot exist without assessment, assessment can and should exist at times without grades. Also,
grading can be overwhelming and time-consuming for teachers. When you choose not to grade every little
thing your students do, some of that stress from feeling overwhelmed will dissipate.

So what should you grade? Put simply, you should only grade summative assessments. Skill practice like
homework or classwork should not be graded. However, teachers can still use homework and classwork to
give students feedback and adjust their instruction.

Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’

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Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’

You should only grade work when you know it is objective, based on a student’s mastery of standards, and can
be easily explained to students and their families (Haldayna, 1999; Popham, 2011; Reeves, 2011; Wormeli,
2006).

Grading Criteria

Transcript:

Click on each criterion to learn about its implications for what you should grade.

Check for Understanding

Transcript:

Here you can see a list of common grading practices. Based on what you have learned so far, click on each

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Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’

one that you think is a good practice to follow. Click submit to receive feedback.

3.4 Feedback

Transcript:

The two practices worth following are highlighted. Both of these are mastery-based, objective and easily
explainable. Click “Learn More” if you would like to know why the other two practices are not recommended.

3.5 Optional: Learn More

Transcript:

The first practice represents grading students on their effort. Showing effort is important, but there is no
objective way to measure one student’s effort compared to another’s. Plus, not all students are able to stay
after school to do more work on a project.

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The third practice involves the grading of homework. Homework should be used as a formative assessment
and thus not graded. If it is being used properly, homework provides an opportunity for students to practice a
developing skill, not show mastery of it.

3.6 Communicating Grades

Transcript:

Grades should never come as a surprise to students or their families. If you’re communicating information
about a student’s progress as you should, there won’t be any surprises.

Communicate your grading policy to parents at the beginning of the year. Your grading policy should outline
what assignments are graded, how grades are calculated, and what grades are meant to reflect.

Regularly let families know how their child is doing, and more importantly, what their grades mean. Click each
button on screen to see an example and non-example of what this looks like.

Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’

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3.7 Conclusion

Transcript:

Grades should never come as a surprise to students or their families. If you’re communicating information
about a student’s progress as you should, there won’t be any surprises.

Communicate your grading policy to parents at the beginning of the year. Your grading policy should outline
what assignments are graded, how grades are calculated, and what grades are meant to reflect.

Regularly let families know how their child is doing, and more importantly, what their grades mean. Click each
button on screen to see an example and non-example of what this looks like.

Copyright 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.

For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Grading.’