accurate grades communicate not compensate

Accurate gradesCOMMUNICATE

Not compensate

Philosophy: A grade is a symbolic representation of what a

student knows and is able to do, relative to standards. Grades communicate student progress as well as provide feedback to guide instructional decisions that enhance student achievement. We look at the pattern of achievement, including the learning trend calculations, not only the average to report grades. Academic responsibility is a critical component of the learning process and is also reported, increasing the accuracy, validity, and reliability of each grade.

De Soto School District Grading For Learning

The Latin root of assessment is, “assidere”, which means, “to sit beside.”

“Too often, educational tests, grades, and report cards are treated by teachers as autopsies when they should be viewed as physicals.”

–Assessment expert, Doug Reeves

Consider This:

We want an accurate portrayal of a student’s mastery, not something clouded by a useless format or distorted by only one opportunity to reveal understanding.

Differentiating teachers require accurate assessments in order to differentiate successfully.

Clear and Consistent Evidence

Teacher ActionResult on Student

AchievementJust telling students # correct and incorrect

Negative influence on achievement

Clarifying the scoring criteria Increase of 16 percentile points

Providing explanations as to why their responses are correct or incorrect

Increase of 20 percentile points

Asking students to continue responding to an assessment until they correctly answer the items

Increase of 20 percentile points

Graphically portraying student achievement

Increase of 26 percentile points

-- Marzano, CAGTW, pgs 5-6

Pre-Assessments

Used to indicate students’ readiness for content and skill development. Used to guide instructional decisions.

Formative Assessments

These are in-route checkpoints, frequently done. They provide ongoing and clear feedback to students and the teacher, informing instruction and reflecting subsets of the essential and enduring knowledge. They are where successful differentiating teachers spend most of their energy – assessing formatively and providing timely feedback to students and practice.

ItemTopic or

Proficiency Right WrongSimple

Mistake?Really Don’t

Understand

1 Dividing fractions

2 Dividing Fractions

3 Multiplying Fractions

4 Multiplying fractions

5 Reducing to Smplst trms

6 Reducing to Smplst trms

7 Reciprocals

8 Reciprocals

9 Reciprocals

Summative Assessments

These are given to students at the end of the learning to document growth and mastery. They match the learning objectives and experiences, and they are negotiable if the product is not the literal standard. They reflect most, if not all, of the essential and enduring knowledge. They are not very helpful forms of feedback.

Score 4.0 Surpassing mastery expectations as defined in the curriculum

Score 3.5 Stronger than the level below, but not consistent enough to be the higher level

Score 3.0 Meeting mastery expectations as defined in the curriculumScore 2.5 Stronger than the level below, but not consistent enough to be the

higher level

Score 2.0 Approaching mastery as defined in the curriculum

Score 1.5 Stronger than the level below, but not consistent enough to be the higher level

Score 1.0 Beginning to demonstrate mastery as defined in the curriculum

Score 0.5 Stronger than the level below, but not consistent enough to be the higher level

Score 0 No understanding or skill demonstrated

DSD Grading for Learning- complete scale

Consider the Correlation10090807060

50403020100

-1-2-3-4-5-6

43210

A ‘0’ on a 100 point scale is a ‘-6’ on a 4 point scale. If a student does no work, he should get nothing, not something worse than nothing.

How instructive is it to tell a student that he earned six times less than absolute failure? Choose to be instructive, not punitive.

Research shows that being instructive motivates students whereas being punitive does not.

Each Can = a different level of understanding

Temperature Readings for Norfolk, VA in June

85, 87, 88, 84, 0 (forgot to take the reading)

In conclusion, the average temperature in Norfolk in

June is 68.8 degrees!…but I added ‘em all up and divided by the number of readings?!?!?!

This data is inaccurate for what actually occurred, and therefore, unusable.

Rubrics and Standards Based Report Cards

• REPORT CARD RUBRICS

• ASSIGNMENT RUBRICS

POWER

STANDARDS

Standards‐based Grading Impacts Behavior, not just Report Cards:

“When schools improve gradingpolicies – for example, by

disconnectinggrades from behavior – student

achievement increases and behaviorimproves dramatically.”

(Doug Reeves, ASCD’s EducationalLeadership, 2008, p. 90, Reeves)

Behaviors that Affect Learning

• Efforta. Perseveresb. Attempts

Quality Work

• Engagementa. Participatesb. Listens

• Responsibility/Work Ethica. Work Is Completeb. Work Is Timely

c. Follows Expectations/Directions

d. Manages Time Well e. Advocates For Self/Accepts

Responsibility for His/Her Learning

Be Clear: We grade against

standards, not routes students take

or techniques teachers use to achieve those

standards.

The Percentage of students in grades 7-12 who do note cards AFTER the research paper, just to meet the teacher requirement.-NCTE

It’s all about the

LEARNING!

Research and Practice:

www.desoto.k12.mo.us