1. Professional Judgement Guides Grading Practices
December 5th, 2016
Presented by Dr. Andrea Comes & Dr. Heather Liput
Salon 4 11:30 – 12:30

2. Why do You Give Grades? To communicate with parents
To help students assess their own performance
To help determine academic placements of students
To motivate students to learn
To evaluate the effectiveness of instruction
To document evidence of student behaviors in class.

3. How do we accurately represent all grading purposes as 1 letter grade?
WE CAN’T!!!

4. “Teachers should base all scores on the student’s ability to perform a clearly defined standard of achievement, independent from peer performance, and independent from behavioral performances within the classroom.” (Guskey, 2001)

5. The Purpose of Criterion-Based Grading
Achievement standards should be rooted in one of three categories:
product criteria (what one knows)
process criteria (the path to understanding)
progress criteria (growth)
(Guskey, 2001)

6. What is Criterion-Based Grading?
Grades represented with written statements that indicate the level of mastery towards specific learning objectives within a content area (Marzano, 2010)

7. Key Characteristics of Criterion-Based Grading
Learning is separate from behavior
Grades are not docked for late work
Zeros are not utilized
Emphasis is on current level of understanding
Corrections encouraged on all work
More emphasis is given to the most recent performance

8. Criterion-Based Vs. Traditional Grades
Criterion-Based Grades
Traditional Grades
Advantages:
Clear Description of Achievement
Useful for Diagnosis and Prescription
Disadvantages:
Often Complicated for Parents to Understand
Doesn't compare students to peer performance
Brief Description of Adequacy
Generally Understood
Require the Abstraction of Lots of Information
Cut-offs are Arbitrary
Easily Misinterpreted
(Guskey and Jung, 2015)

9. What Grade Did They Earn?
Learning Objective #1
Summative Grade
Student
9/9
9/14
9/27
10/3
10/6
10/8
Greg 1 4
Rachel 2 3
Alice
David
Ellen
(Guskey and Jung, 2015)

10. Mean, Median, Mode Chart Mathematical Averages Student Mean Median
Greg 2 1
Rachel
2.3
2.5 3
Alice
3.16
3.5 4
David
2.16
Ellen
2,3,4 ??????

11. Progression Graph
Student G

12. Item Analysis of Progression Data
4 = Excellent
3 = Proficient
2 = Progressing
1 = Needs Improvement
Item Analysis of Progression Data
Student G
Specific skill
9/9
9/18
9/24
10/2
10/10
CBG Score
Square number +1 A 2
Cube number 1
One-step add 4
One-step subtract 3
One-step mult/divide
2-step

13. Class Data using Professional Judgement Scores
4 = Excellent
3 = Proficient
2 = Progressing
1 = Needs Improvement
Class Data using Professional Judgement Scores
Student Code
Square Whole Numbers
Cube Whole Numbers
One Step Equation Add
One Step Equation Sub
One Step Equation Mult/Dvd
2-Step Equation A 3 2 4 B 1 C D E F G

14. Application to the Classroom Gradebook
Student 1, Unit C Grade
Objective W
Objective X
Objective Y
Objective Z
Assignment Score
1 2 3
2 3 2
2 3 4 1
Summative Score
Cumulative Score
3 = Proficient
4 = Excellent
3 = Proficient
2 = Progressing
1 = Needs Improvement

16. Communication: Student Logs

17. Final Thoughts
How can you incorporate Professional judgement in your grading practices?
How do you plan to improve communication of student progress?
What questions or comments do you have?
Want more info?
Andrea Comes:
Heather Liput:

18. References
Comes, A. (2015). Criterion-referenced grading vs. traditional grading: Using grades to predict summative test performance. ProQuest LLC. Guskey, T.R. (2001, September). Helping standards make the grade. Educational Leadership, 59(1), Guskey, T.R., Jung L., (2015, January 21). Grading and Reporting Student Learning. Lecture conducted from ASCD, Crystal Lake. Liput, H. (2015). Assessing criterion-based grading as a parent and student communication tool and improving instructional strategies. ProQuest LLC. Marzano, R.J. (2010). Formative assessment and standards based grading. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory Reeves, D.B. (2002). Making standards work: How to implement standard-based assessments in the classroom, school, and district (3rd ed.). Englewood, CO: Advanced Learning Centers, Inc. Sagor (2010). Calloborative Action Research. Solution Tree Press