Reporting+Std.+Learning

=Reporting Student Learning by Ken O'Connor and Rick Wormeli = =Ed. Leadership, November, 2011 = =Problems with—and practices for—making grading accurate, consistent, and meaningful =

Alice Barr's Summary & Ratings: The authors say that grades should have four primary characteristics: accurate, consistent, meaningful, and supportive of learning. They describe problems that contribute to each of these four topics and are in support of not using the 100 point scale, instead using the 4 point scale and standards based reporting. They also advocate for formal and summative assessments but make it clear to students which they are being graded on. A. 8 B. 8 C. 5

Meghan Casey's Summary & Ratings: The article is primarily theoretical. It sets out four characteristics of effective grading. Grades should be: accurate, consistent, meaningful, and supportive of learning. The authors explain how they find current common grading practices to be lacking on each of these four points. They argue against common methods including: giving 0s, grading group work, averaging grades, and grading any non-academic aspects of performance (i.e.-work habits). There is a section on “consistency” but it would likely not be useful for our discussion, as it simply defends the need for consistency, something I believe we already accept. On a practical level, the authors offer one clear idea: give grades only for summative assessments. For formative assessments, provide narrative feedback so students can learn from the assessment. A. 5 B. 6 C. 3

Jackson Hall's Summary & Ratings: The author of this article bases his thoughts on grading around grades being accurate, consistent, meaningful, and supportive. In each section he brings up some very important thinking points including some that are very relevant to our school. In the article he argues against specific things like averaging work, giving zeroes, and grading students on non-academic factors. The point about consistency in grading is also brought up in this article and it gives some clear ways to make consistency between classrooms and teachers better. Finally the article gives examples of ways to make work more meaningful by breaking down the grades to show what part of the class students excelled in and what part of the class students may have struggled with. This can give a clearer picture of why the student may have have gotten a certain final grade.

A 7 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">B 7 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C 6