Purpose and Principles of Grading
The Different Purposes of Grading
Grading is an evaluation of an assessment. It has several purposes including:
In my classroom I will use grades to clearly communicate my students' level of mastery of the learning targets, which have been measured through purposeful and effective assessments, to the student, his/her parents, other teachers, and key stakeholders. "First comes academic success, then comes confidence." (Stiggins, 1999) High grades are a way of communicating academic success to student. This builds the learner's self-confidence, which in turn leads to a greater level of intrinsic motivation and deeper learning. According to Guskey, many students equate high grades with success, but low grades do not motivate or drive students towards improvement. (2011) In my class, grades will be used as a tool for motivation and not as a weapon or punishment; academic grades will be a direct evaluation of a student's learning not influenced by outside factors (such as a student's attitude, personality, or classroom participation).
- Communication of student achievement
- Informing students of their level of mastery
- Identifying students for specific programs
- Providing learning incentives and motivation
- Evaluating the effectiveness of instructional programs or strategies
In my classroom I will use grades to clearly communicate my students' level of mastery of the learning targets, which have been measured through purposeful and effective assessments, to the student, his/her parents, other teachers, and key stakeholders. "First comes academic success, then comes confidence." (Stiggins, 1999) High grades are a way of communicating academic success to student. This builds the learner's self-confidence, which in turn leads to a greater level of intrinsic motivation and deeper learning. According to Guskey, many students equate high grades with success, but low grades do not motivate or drive students towards improvement. (2011) In my class, grades will be used as a tool for motivation and not as a weapon or punishment; academic grades will be a direct evaluation of a student's learning not influenced by outside factors (such as a student's attitude, personality, or classroom participation).
Fair and Ethical Practices of Effective Grading
In Standards-Based Grading, all assessment grades should be directly connected to a learning target and standard. This ensures grades are individual and success is driven by whether or not a student has personally reached the learning target and not on the success of his/her peers. With Standards-Based grading, the focus is on mastery of standards, not the number of assignments or assessments given. (Miller, 2013) Students should always be aware of the grading system in use and grades should be consistent. Any changes in a grading system should be discussed with students before the adjustments occur, along with the rationale for the changes.
Academic achievement should be graded separately from behavioral expectations. A student's behavior- effort, attitude, attendance, etc.- should not influence the student's academic grade. However, if behavioral expectations are not met, there should be consequences. Such consequences should not impact academic grades, but result in behavior consequences, such as ineligibility in extracurricular activities. (Fowlerville Junior High School, n.d.)
As to remain ethical in all grading practices, students' grades should not be shared with anyone other than the student, their parents, principal, or other approved stakeholders. If sharing classroom data that includes grades, students' names should not be attached to the grading information; instead such data should be shared without connection to any particular student. In addition, ethical grading practices should not include students' self-evaluation grades or grading on a curve. Although self-evaluations are purposeful in students' learning and helpful in understanding students' reaction to an assessment, the final grade should be issues by the expert- the teacher. Also do not use a curve to affect student's grades, as it does not effectively relate a grade to the level of content mastery. (Smith, 1996)
Academic achievement should be graded separately from behavioral expectations. A student's behavior- effort, attitude, attendance, etc.- should not influence the student's academic grade. However, if behavioral expectations are not met, there should be consequences. Such consequences should not impact academic grades, but result in behavior consequences, such as ineligibility in extracurricular activities. (Fowlerville Junior High School, n.d.)
As to remain ethical in all grading practices, students' grades should not be shared with anyone other than the student, their parents, principal, or other approved stakeholders. If sharing classroom data that includes grades, students' names should not be attached to the grading information; instead such data should be shared without connection to any particular student. In addition, ethical grading practices should not include students' self-evaluation grades or grading on a curve. Although self-evaluations are purposeful in students' learning and helpful in understanding students' reaction to an assessment, the final grade should be issues by the expert- the teacher. Also do not use a curve to affect student's grades, as it does not effectively relate a grade to the level of content mastery. (Smith, 1996)