Grading Plan
Plan for Grading
I believe all grades should be recorded in a timely manner, and my goal will be to return graded assessments with feedback as soon a possible to give students timely and effective learning support. Because I believe all students should be able to easily understand what their grades mean and why they are being assessed I will be using a Standards-Based Grading System and a 4 Point grading scale. This will keep grades simple for students to understand, and each grade will be directly connected to a learning target and standard.
Grading System
In my classroom I will use the Standards-Based Grading System. This grading system simplifies grading and gives greater meaning to individual grades. For each standard or learning target, a student receives a grade or evaluation of proficiency. In Standards-Based grading, students are evaluated exclusively on their level of mastery of the course content. (Shippy, Washer, & Perrin, 2013) Grading in such a manner, clearly displays students' level of proficiency for each standard.
The figure on the right show a comparison of grades based on a Traditional Grading System and the Standards-Based Grading System. Note it is easier to determine a students strengths and weaknesses, as well as level of proficiency for each learning target, using Standards-Based Grading.
The figure on the right show a comparison of grades based on a Traditional Grading System and the Standards-Based Grading System. Note it is easier to determine a students strengths and weaknesses, as well as level of proficiency for each learning target, using Standards-Based Grading.
I will use Marzano's 4 Point grading scale, which denotes "3" as the standard level of proficiency. (Marzano Research Laboratory, n.d.) Using a 4 point grading scale instead of 100 point scale, reduces the level of failure that comes with an "F" in the tradition grading scale. It makes a comeback from failure achievable, unlike receiving a "0" on the 100 point scale, which requires many high grades just to bring the total grade to a passing level. (GlacierMS, n.d.) The 4 point scale is easy for both teachers and students to understand. The table I have created below, explains the meaning of each point in the 4 Point scale.
When adapted into a student-friendly format, students use the 4 Point scale themselves. Students can self-assess, giving themselves a rating on the 4 Point scale based on their current understanding of a concept. Teachers can use a quick hand motion (students hold up the number of fingers related to their self-assessment) to do a quick check for understanding.