GRADING PRACTICES

Elementary Math Class Grading for a 9 week period

Graded Work Points Total Points Johnnys Scores
Math Homework 10 Points (9X) 90 Points 80
End of unit test 50 Points 150 Points 135
Group Competition 5 Points (3X) 15 Points 15
End of Chapter
problems
10 Points (3X) 30 Points 30
Quiz 10 Points (3X) 30 Points 28
Class Questions 25 Points 25 Points 20
Bonus Questions 15 Points 15 Points 10
Teach back 15 Points 15 Points 15
Application of Math
Concepts
25 Points 25 Points 20
395 353 (89%)

Graded Work Points Total Points Johnnys Scores
Math Homework 10 Points (9X) 90 Points 80
End of unit test 50 Points 150 Points 135
Participation 25 Points 25 Points 25
Group Competition 5 Points (3X) 15 Points 15
End of Chapter
problems
10 Points (3X) 30 Points 30
Quiz 10 Points (3X) 30 Points 28
Class Questions 25 Points 25 Points 20
Remember Calculator 10 Points 10 Points 10
Bonus Questions 15 Points 15 Points 10
Attendance 25 Points 25 Points 23
Teach back 15 Points 15 Points 15
Application of Math
Concepts
25 Points 25 Points 20
455 411 (90%)

This graded items exercise is thought-provoking, pointing out that too many items,
items with too much subjectivity, and items that are difficult to quantify such as participation
will become grading issues. In doing the assignment, it was easy to assign total points during
the creation, but assigning the earned points brought to question, what am I measuring and
for what purpose? For example, with homework which would seem straight forward, a teacher
would need to consider if homework is graded for completion and/or accuracy? If the answer is
completion only, one can immediately see the problem especially in math. If the answer is
accuracy, is having the time to correct each students homework realistic? Checking for
accuracy in math homework is essential. Perhaps the answer is to remove it from the list of
graded items but still correct homework with student involvement so that time is allowed and
students and teacher both have feedback. As far as subjectivity, was I really able to remember
how well Johnny performed on class questioning and participation? I can sense my expectations
coming into play here since Johnny is a good student. Teaching back to the class seems to
involve some other skills and it may be difficult to allow time for all students to participate in
this during a nine week period. I think Ill remove this from my grades but keep it as an
informal assessment strategy to check understanding. How about the group competition given
for practice before each unit test? Does the winning group earn more points and is that really
fair based on team composition? Perhaps this competition can be left for fun and removed
from the grading list too. This exercise clearly brings to light Marzanos quote, grades are so
imprecise, that they are almost meaningless (Marzano, p.1).
Marzano suggests that grades are often not a clear representation of student mastery of
learning and skill because of what goes into them. In addition to assessment items grades often
include non-academic factors, such as attendance and behavior, which are poor indicators of
student achievement. The information presented in this course thus far including the other
ineffective grading practices listed in the Hanover document are convincing me of the merits of
standards-based grading where grades are based solely on academic performance. One may
almost feel a sense of handicapping to both the student and teacher if proficiency is not at the
forefront as the ultimate goal, but that other items will serve as band aids along the way. A
student who understands that his or her grade will represent proficiency and nothing more may
by motivated to practice (homework) and take quality notes to achieve the final grade. This will
be not because points are attained by these items but because the importance of them is felt
and recognized during the formative assessment strategies used by the teacher if they are
effective. The Rhode Island document talks about the formative assessment process of
teachers and students both being actively involved in the learning process by using feedback
and reflection. Marzano talks about the need for this feedback to be encouraging. So a student
becomes aware of his or her own learning progress toward the ultimate goal of becoming
proficient with regard to the learning objectives. If this is the expectation set by the teacher,
and the teacher also makes it known that I will help you get there by using encouraging
feedback, standards based grading is a way that grading practices can be more precise. One of
the more interesting items that I find in the list of ineffective grading practices in Hanover is
using a point system and averages, particularly the averages. If a teachers goal is student
proficiency on course objectives and that goal is achieved at some point in the latter part of a
grading period, should the childs grade reflect struggles along the way? Its like a basketball
team who didnt have the best season record but with players and coaches all working
together, making adjustments throughout the season, the team is headed to the NCAA final
four. This is certainly the understood goal of every player.