Whether resulting from the educational fallout of the COVID-19 global pandemic or merely challenging the status quo, more schools are transitioning their grading practices away from traditional points and percentages and toward 21st century grading practices such as standards-based and proficiency-based grading. A Parents’ Guide to Grading and Reporting: Being Clear about What Matters assists parents and guardians in understanding what is involved in 21st century grading and how to become better partners with educators in efforts to understand students’ strengths and areas for improvement.
In How's My Kid Doing? noted educator Thomas R. Guskey has created a practical handbook for parents who have trouble understanding their school-age children's grades, report cards, and test scores. This down-to-earth guide will help parents make sense of school reports and offers a helpful resource that can open communications between parents and teachers.
Learn everything you need to know to implement an integrated system of assessment and grading. The author details the specific benefits of formative assessment and explains how to design and interpret three different types of formative assessments, how to track student progress, and how to assign meaningful grades. Detailed examples bring each concept to life, and chapter exercises reinforce the content.
"In Making Grades Matter: Standards-Based Grading in a Secondary PLC authors Matt Townsley and Nathan L. Wear provide readers with a practical guide toward the implementation of the standards-based grading system. Although much has been written about the concept and advantages of standards-based grading, in this book, the authors focus specifically on implementing the framework at the secondary level with the vital support of a professional learning community (PLC). As such, this book provides a roadmap that secondary school educators and administrators working in a PLC can utilize to initiate the multiyear process toward implementing standards-based grading schoolwide or districtwide. Not only are each of the practices needed for this change covered in detail, but each practice is connected directly with one of three foundational principles of standards-based grading. In this book, readers will find all of the tools, resources, and guidance they need to not only implement the standards-based grading system in their schools but, through collaborative work within a PLC, achieve the greatest possible success with it"--
"Joe Feldman shows us how we can use grading to help students become the leaders of their own learning and lift the veil on how to succeed. . . . This must-have book will help teachers learn to implement improved, equity-focused grading for impact." —Zaretta Hammond, Author of Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain Crack open the grading conversation Here at last—and none too soon—is a resource that delivers the research base, tools, and courage to tackle one of the most challenging and emotionally charged conversations in today’s schools: our inconsistent grading practices and the ways they can inadvertently perpetuate the achievement and opportunity gaps among our students. With Grading for Equity, Joe Feldman cuts to the core of the conversation, revealing how grading practices that are accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational will improve learning, minimize grade inflation, reduce failure rates, and become a lever for creating stronger teacher-student relationships and more caring classrooms. Essential reading for schoolwide and individual book study or for student advocates, Grading for Equity provides A critical historical backdrop, describing how our inherited system of grading was originally set up as a sorting mechanism to provide or deny opportunity, control students, and endorse a "fixed mindset" about students’ academic potential—practices that are still in place a century later A summary of the research on motivation and equitable teaching and learning, establishing a rock-solid foundation and a "true north" orientation toward equitable grading practices Specific grading practices that are more equitable, along with teacher examples, strategies to solve common hiccups and concerns, and evidence of effectiveness Reflection tools for facilitating individual or group engagement and understanding As Joe writes, "Grading practices are a mirror not just for students, but for us as their teachers." Each one of us should start by asking, "What do my grading practices say about who I am and what I believe?" Then, let’s make the choice to do things differently . . . with Grading for Equity as a dog-eared reference.
Improve grading practices with support from families Educators seeking to transform age-old grading practices face numerous challenges, particularly when it comes to gaining support from students’ families. This practical guide from a world-renowned expert on grading and assessment practices offers concrete strategies to turn parents and families into trusted partners in grading reform efforts. The book enables educators to anticipate, understand, and effectively address families′ concerns over grading reforms and build trust through authentic engagement. With clear and actionable strategies that educators can implement right away, the easily digestible chapters unpack the complexities of the change process, clarify the purpose of grading, and show how to enhance the use of computerized grading programs. Other features include: Strategies to ease opposition to grading reform from parents and families Insights into how to improve report cards Guidance on how to effectively communicate student performance with parents and families A must-have resource for educators navigating the challenging journey of grading reform, Engaging Parents and Families in Grading Reform is a comprehensive guide to grading reform that emphasizes family engagement to ensure success.
Aim for a target-based grading system and create stronger learning opportunities! Do you wish there was more clarity when it comes to measuring student progress and learning? What if there was a way to utilize grading and assessment to focus on learning rather than performance, and the process rather than the product? As grading, assessment, and reporting continue to be relevant topics of discussion, this book helps you create a functional plan to elevate and advance standards-based grading practices. Teachers and administrators will learn how to assess, grade, and report against specific learning targets rather than standards as a whole to make skill acquisition the highest priority. Grounded in application to provide focus and clarity, this book features: Real case studies of schools that have incorporated target-based assessment, feedback, grading, and reporting Practical examples to guide implementation Questions, checklists, illustrations, and audits of practice to showcase the work in action An accessible format and layout that support both immediate implementation and long-term goals Despite being a topic that generates emotion and resistance to change, target-based assessment builds the foundation for a learner-centered system that provides clear expectations and feedback for teachers, students, and parents. "Grading for Impact is a simple and straightforward guide to re-thinking grading based on mastery of specific skills and concepts rather than broadly-written standards. Real-world examples of teachers struggling with--and answering--the old questions are included: "How do we grade fairly and accurately?" and "How do we use grades as an instructional strategy?"" Joseph Staub, High School Teacher Downtown Magnets High School, CA "Most stakeholders agree that report cards aren’t enough to show what our students are learning in school, but changing the traditional grading system is a task that requires careful planning and challenging discussions. Grading for Impact shows educators how to start and plan the discussions that will result in genuine learning experiences for students." Ernie Rambo, Virtual Learning Community Coordinator Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute
