1. 1 Grading Assessment and Grading Related but not the same thing.

2. 2 Grading What is the primary reason we assess student understanding? Is that the reason we grade?

3. 3 Grading With a partner, list 4 or 5 reasons we grade students. Rank them in order of importance.

4. 4 Grading Reasons for grading from Measurement and Evaluation in Teaching (Gronlund and Linn, 1990) Instructional uses Communicative uses Administrative uses Guidance uses

5. 5 Grading Reasons for Grading from Reporting on Student Learning (Guskey 1996) Communicate Provide information to students Select, identify, or group students Provide incentives to learn Evaluate instructional effectiveness

6. 6 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 1.Grading is not essential for learning. 2.Grading is complicated. 3.Grading is subjective and emotional. 4.Grading is inescapable. 5.Grading has a limited research base. 6.Grading has no single best practice. 7.Grading is faulty and damages students and teachers. (O’Connor, 2002) What is your reaction? With which do you agree? Disagree? Unsure? Record on handout.

7. 7 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 1.Grading is not essential for learning. Teachers do not need grades or reporting forms to teach well, and students can — and do — learn without them. In fact, when grades are given, the emphasis becomes grades not learning.

8. 8 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 2.Grading is complicated. The mechanistic way that much grading is done—checking correctness and using formulas to average and calculate the final grade—makes it appear easy. In fact, grading is complicated. Hundreds of decisions go in to the calculation.

9. 9 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 3.Grading is subjective and emotional. The focus here is on the decisions about what to include in the calculations that lead to a final grade. Many of us think that grades are objective because of the cold numerical calculations we make to arrive at a final grade. However, the entire trail is littered with subjective decisions and value judgments—what type of assessment to use, how to score it, how much should it count.

10. 10 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 4.Grading is inescapable. Although there is a plenty of criticism of grades— unclear symbols, they merely sort, they provide little information about strengths and weaknesses, they are arbitrary and subjective, they demoralize students who learn more slowly—they are not going away. In the mid-90s, Cranston, Rhode Island, tried to abolish grades for elementary school students, but the uproar forced the school system to return to the previous system.

11. 11 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 5.Grading has a limited research base. Since the introduction of grades in public high schools in the early 1900s there has been little research on grading practices. Recommendations from measurement experts is ignored.

12. 12 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 6.Grading has no single best practice. No research base. Every grading method has advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, there is no one way to grade.

13. 13 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 7.Grading is faulty and damages students and teachers. Students often think there is no relationship between the quality of their work and the grades they receive. They think that teachers give good grades to the students they like. Overemphasis on grades and faulty grading practices have a detrimental effect on student achievement, motivation, and self-concept. It also damages the relationship between teachers and students. Coach vs. Judge Dual roles in conflict

14. 14 Grading Two Unique Perspectives: Russell Wright Marge Scherer and Mel Levine

15. 15 Grading For Success Russell G. Wright

16. 16 Data MeasureStudent AStudent BStudent C Lab Quiz Lab Test Quiz Lab Research Paper Quiz Test Current Events Project BCBDFABCCAABCBDFABCCAA 81% 78% 88% 61% 43% 91% 85% 71% 77% 92% 96% BDBDFBBDDBBBDBDFBBDDBB What grade would you place on each student’s report card?

17. 17 Data MeasureStudent AStudent BStudent C Lab (10) Quiz (10) Lab (10) Test (20) Quiz (10) Lab (10) Research Paper (30) Quiz (10) Test (30) Current Events (10) Project (40) 190 points BCBDFABCCAABCBDFABCCAA 81% 78% 88% 61% 43% 91% 85% 71% 77% 92% 96% BDBDFBBDDBBBDBDFBBDDBB Grades using B-81% C the mean:

18. 18 Data MeasureStudent AStudent BStudent C Lab (1) Quiz (1) Lab (1) Test (2) Quiz (1) Lab (1) Research Paper (3) Quiz (1) Test (3) Current Events (1) Project (4) 19 BCBDFABCCAABCBDFABCCAA 81% 78% 88% 61% 43% 91% 85% 71% 77% 92% 96% BDBDFBBDDBBBDBDFBBDDBB Here are my B 85% B grades:

19. 19 Grading Examples Name Item 1234567 Value1123114 AlvaACBBEEE BrendaADBBAAA ChuckACCDECC DonnellDBDBDCE EliCCBBEEE Total grade value = 13 Median = 7 th highest number

20. 20 MeanMedianMode Measures of Central Tendency

21. 21 MeanMedianMode How are mean, median and mode calculated?

22. 22 MeanMedianMode Can you use mean, median and mode interchangeably with any kind of data? or Is one particular central-tendency measure uniquely appropriate to use with each kind of data?

23. 23 Three Kinds of Data NominalOrdinalInterval/Ratio

24. 24 Nominal data are assigned a code in the form of a number. But the numbers are simply labels.

25. 25 Nominal Students: Bob, Julie, Sue, Mike, Ali, Tabitha, Henry, Michele, Frank, Donnell, Amman, Lee, Kate, Carlos Eye color: blue (1), brown (2), brown (2), brown (2), green (3), blue (1), brown (2), brown (2), green (3), brown (2), blue (1), brown (2), brown (2), gray (4)

26. 26 Nominal Students: Bob, Julie, Sue, Mike, Ali, Tabitha, Henry, Michele, Frank, Donnell, Amman, Lee, Kate, Carlos Eye color: Is average eye color 2.07 ?

27. 27 You can count the nominal data by category. But since nominal data has no implied order categories cannot be added or subtracted. Compilations of nominal data cannot be multiplied, or divided.

28. 28 Ordinal values show order (or have a rating scale attached).

29. 29 Ordinal Race results for Funny Cide: (Won Kentucky Derby and Preakness 2003) 1 st, 1 st, 1 st, 5 th, 3 rd, 2 nd, 1 st, 1 st, 3 rd, 3 rd, 1 st Biscuit Recipe Ratings (1 to 5 scale representing strongly dislike, dislike, neutral, like, strongly like) : 4, 1, 3, 3, 2, 4, 5, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 1, 3, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3

30. 30 You can add and/or order ordinal data but you cannot not multiply or divide it.

31. 31 Interval data are measured on a scale where the distance between two adjacent units (called 'intervals') is the same everywhere on the scale but the zero point is arbitrary. Ratio data are interval data with a fixed zero point.

32. 32 Interval/Ratio Mean July temperatures, Washington DC (2003-1994): 77.5°F, 81.0°F, 75.6°F, 74.5°F, 83.1°F, 79.0°F, 80.0°F, 80.8°F, 81.5°F, 82.0°F Distance from home to friends houses (measured in meters rounded to nearest meter): 123, 76, 489, 262, 53, 26

33. 33 Interval and ratio data can be counted, ordered, added, subtracted, multiplied, and/or divided.

34. 34 What kind of data do grades represent?

35. 35 Grading Other Unique Perspectives: Marge Scherer and Mel Levine

36. 36 Grading Two Articles: Perspectives / Discovering Strengths Marge Scherer Educational Leadership September 2006 | Volume 64 | Number 1 Teaching to Student Strengths Pages 7-7 Celebrate Strengths, Nurture Affinities: A Conversation with Mel Levine Educational Leadership September 2006 | Volume 64 | Number 1 Teaching to Student Strengths Pages 8-15 Marge Scherer

37. 37 Grading Discuss and Share: Discuss with a partner the Grading Implications of these articles and prepare to share your conclusions with the class.

38. 38 Grading Seven Perspectives on Grading 7.Guidelines for Grading in Standards-Based Stems Discuss handout.

39. 39 The essence of educative assessment - authentic tasks and performer-friendly feedback. What are Authentic Tasks? Not just hands-on work. Performance on a task is about results. Impact criteria. Assessment Tasks are not Instructional Activities. Educative Assessment – Ensuring Authentic Performance