Practical Solutions for Serious Problems in Standards-Based Grading

by Thomas R. Guskey

Overview

Implement standards-based grading practices that accurately and equitably report student achievement!

Standards-based education poses a variety of challenges for grading and reporting practices. This edited volume examines critical issues in standards-based grading and provides specific suggestions for improving policies and practices at the school and classroom levels. The chapters:

• Describe traditional school practices that inhibit the implementation of standards-based grading
• Address how teachers can assign fair and accurate grades to English language learners and students with special needs
• Examine legal issues related to grading
• Discuss why report card grades and large-scale assessment scores may vary
• Offer communication strategies with parents
•

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412967242
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	08/06/2008
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Thomas R. Guskey, Ph D, is Professor Emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Chicago’s renowned Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistical Analysis (MESA) program, he began his career in education as a middle school teacher, served as an administrator in the Chicago Public Schools, and was the first Director of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning, a national educational research center. He is the author/editor of twenty-seven books and over three hundred articles published in prominent research journals as well as Educational Leadership, Kappan, and The School Administrator.

Dr. Guskey served on the Policy Research Team of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, and on the task force to develop the National Standards for Professional Development. He was named a Fellow in the American Educational Research Association and was awarded the Association’s prestigious Relating Research to Practice Award. He was also awarded Learning Forward's Outstanding Contribution to the Field Award and Phi Delta Kappan's Distinguished Educator Award. Perhaps most unique, in the 158-year history of his undergraduate institution, Thiel College, he is one of only three graduates to receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award and be inducted into the Thiel College Athletic Hall of Fame.

His most recent books include Implementing Mastery Learning(2023), Instructional Feedback: The Power, the Promise, the Practice (with Smith & Lipnevich, 2023); Get Set, Go! Creating Successful Grading and Reporting Systems (2020), What We Know About Grading (with Brookhart, 2019), and On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting (2015). He may be contacted by email at [e-mail], Twitter at @tguskey, or at www.tguskey.com.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction - Thomas R. Guskey
The Difficulty of Change
Background and Format
Content Summary
Our Hope
References
2. Grading Policies That Work Against Standards...and How to Fix Them - Thomas R. Guskey
Policy #1: Grading "On the Curve "
Policy #2: Selecting the Class Valedictorian
Policy #3: Using Grades as a Form of Punishment
Policy #4: Using Zeros in Grading
Policy #5: Hodgepodge Grading
Summary
References
3. The Challenges of Grading and Reporting in Special Education: An Inclusive Grading Model - Lee Ann Jung
Why Does Special Education Grading Matter?
Grading Adaptations
Implications of Standards-Based Grading
Inclusive Grading Model
Step 1: Determine If Accomodations or Modifications Are Needed
Step 2: Establish Standards for Modified Areas
Step 3: Determine the Need for Additional Goals
Step 4: Apply Equivalent Grading Practices to Appropriate Standards
Step 5: Communicate the Meaning of the Grades
Summary
References
4. Assigning Fair, Accurate, and Meaningful Grades to Students Who Are English Language Learners - Shannon O. Sampson
Challenges of Grading Students Who Are English Language Learners
Special Considerations
Accommodations
Modifications
Current Research and Knowledge Base
Recommendations for Effective Communication
Implications for Educational Policy and Practice
Steps Toward Better Practice
Communication
Reflection
References
5. Legal Issues of Grading in the Era of High-Stakes Accountability - Jake Mc Elligott, Susan Brookhart
Current Research and Knowledge Base
What Is a Grade and Who Assigns It?
Students and Legal Issues in Grading
Due Process and Equal Protection
Grade Reductions
Confidentiality
Teachers and Legal Issues in Grading
First Amendment
Liability
Implications for Policy and Practice
Confidentiality
Grade Penalties
Appeals Policies and Due Process
Educator Responsibilities
Recommendations for Improvement
References
Appendix
6. Fostering Consistency Between Standards-Based Grades and Large-Scale Assessment Results - Megan Welsh, Jerry D'Agostino
Description of the Problem
Overview of Standards-Based Grading in the District
Understanding Teachers' Assessment Styles
Assessing Most Standards
Grading on Achievement, Not Effort
Creating or Borrowing Assessments to Supplement Text-Provided Tests
Tracking Performance Skill-by-Skill
Focusing on Attainment of Standards Instead of the District Text
Grading With End-of-Unit Assessments
Other Grading Strategies
Focus on Overall Achievement
Frequency of Assessment for Grading Purposes
Multiple Assessment Approaches
Clear Grading Methods
Implications
Changes in Report Card Format
Organizing for Standards-Based Grading
Lack of Alignment Between District-Adopted Texts and State Standards
Skepticism From Parents and Teachers
Recommendations
Approaches to Organizing Grade Books
Using Diagnostic, Formative, and Summative Assessments
Separating Content Area Grades From Effort
Selecting a Method for Computing Grades
Differentiate Teaching to the Standards From Teaching to the Assessment
References
7. Synthesis of Issues and Implications - James H. Mc Millan
Current Grading Practices
Key Role of Teacher Judgment
The Fundamental Purpose of Standards-Based Grading
Validity of Standards-Based Grading
Fairness in Standards-Based Grading
Standards-Based Grading and Student Motivation
Student Standards-Based Self-Grading
Standards-Based Grading and Feedback
Where Do We Go From Here?
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Anyone with authority and influence over student grading policies should read this book. Educators have to be courageous and confront the inherent problems of traditional grading practices that are not working and that are harmful to students. Doing so requires a proactive approach to problem solving, which this book exemplifies. "

Paul Young

"A very well-written, well-researched work with excellent documentation. It is obvious the contributors are experts and have the ability to communicate their expertise well. "

Randy Cook

"The book combines research, critical issues, and creative solutions in a concise and easy-to-read manner. While there is little doubt that educators today face a myriad of critical issues, this book allows educators to believe that they can be agents of change for students and for the profession. "

Sammie Novack

"Anyone with authority and influence over student grading policies should read this book. Educators have to be courageous and confront the inherent problems of traditional grading practices that are not working and that are harmful to students. Doing so requires a proactive approach to problem solving, which this book exemplifies. "

Paul Young