Best Practices for Grading
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I agree with the do’s and don’ts; I give my students a few days to do the homework & if they turn it in early then I grade it and add a comment that way they have the opportunity to fix the grade & learn from their mistakes. I feel the best practice for grading is to set up dates and times not only for when the student has to complete the assignment but for when you should grade it and how you’re grading. There has to be some type of order & organization for yourself.
ReplyDeleteAngelique McClellan
6/7th Grade Math
Smith Middle School
I agree with your idea of best practice for grading and setting up those dates and times while finding our own way of order and organization. Very important!
DeleteCaroline Friedly
I agree with the do’s and don’ts; I give my students a few days to do the homework & if they turn it in early then I grade it and add a comment that way they have the opportunity to fix the grade & learn from their mistakes. I feel the best practice for grading is to set up dates and times not only for when the student has to complete the assignment but for when you should grade it and how you’re grading. There has to be some type of order & organization for yourself.
ReplyDeleteAngelique McClellan
6/7th Grade Math
Smith Middle School
I definitely think it’s important to give scholars time to practice freely while giving that feedback and working though mistakes. This helps with practice throughout the topic while then be able to assess and take an actual grade at the end of the lesson to see the progress. I feel that the Best Practice for Grading is to also stay organized and grading important work that will show growth or where needs need to be met.
ReplyDeleteCaroline Friedly
1st Grade
PLA103
I agree on staying organized! Nothing is worse than at the end of the quarter trying to quickly figure out what to grade and having a million papers.
DeleteChynna Triska
PLA@103
I like to do activities where scholars can work on their own so I can see what we need to work on and then ones to grade. I will usually do one assignment as participation on the skill and then one as a quiz. That way they will have two grades for a skill. For quizzes and tests I do love to have students correct missing problems to earn points back. I think this gives them a way to have ownership of their work. And it seems like in third grade they start to care more about their grades and progress.
ReplyDeleteChynna Triska
PLA@103
I have done the same thing for high school students. It has been a little hard with the online learning. So, I've given them 3 chances to take the test.
DeleteI provided 2 chances on my exams during a 24 hour period (online) where I took the highest score earned. Unfortunately, most didn't even take the exam. So, I then provided them an entire week to make up one of the two exams I gave (exact same exam) and I still only got a handful out of 100 students who took it.
Delete--reply above: Dr. Katie Lawrence (JRPLA)
DeleteI like the method with the quiz and having students earn the points back. I implemented that in September and it has made a huge difference especially in their understanding of the lesson.
DeleteI think the best practice of grading is a quiz in the middle of the week to see what they have already mastered as well as what we need to recover before our test. This has worked out really well for me and the scholars because we are both gaining insight on what we need to work on.
ReplyDeleteAbigail Wade
GVP 4th Grade
Hi Abigail, I like that you mention giving mid week quizzes as a way to track learning. This will definitely be a great way to also hold ourselves accountable to the overall goal of the week.
DeleteKei'Anna Anderson- James and Rosemary Phalen
I agree with the do's and dont's above. I feel that if you take everything for a grade, it hurts you as the teacher because you are doing more grading than teaching. I think 2 assignments taken as a grade per week is good. This way there is practice time built in. The assignments should also be in various formats to help scholars with different learning styles.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Sheriff
JRPLA
Grading is an area that I am always looking to improve my integrity. I definitely use formatives as an opportunity to give quick feedback and encouraging grades. One of the "Don'ts" listed that I find challenging is the idea of not taking everything for a grade. Working with high schoolers, this can be challenging as I find that their effort is often linked to them earning a grade at the end.
ReplyDeleteKei'Anna Anderson- James and Rosemary Phalen
I completely agree! Even some of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will not complete assignments if they know it isn't for a grade. I have even had parents ask "why they should fight the battle of assignments and homework" if it isn't for a grade.
DeleteI understand the "why" behind not grading the items they are just learning about. Providing them time to learn and understand the concept. However, I do believe this is where a "completion/effort" grade comes into effect. Your not punishing them for not knowing the correct answers, you are rewarding them for practicing a new concept and not giving up. I know a lot of schools are moving away from the "completion/effort" grades but I however, strongly believe there is a purpose behind them.
Teresa Pope - Jones Clark Elementary - Art
100% aggree
DeleteYou are not alone in this endeavor!! Keep the faith.
DeleteI honestly believe it depends on the subject you teach, how often you see them/teach the subject, and how many grades per week are required to obtain.
ReplyDeleteI am required to obtain 1 grade per wk per student. I only see my students 1x a week which means I have to take a grade each time I see my students. I do this in a wide variety of ways.
-class discussion/participation, journal entry, sketch of project, skill practices/practice pages, test over vocab or technique, final artwork, and critique of artwork. Some of these count as a formative grade and some count as a summative.
Teresa Pope - Jones Clark Elementary - Art
I love that you have different ways that students can earn their grade!
DeleteBrianna Bennett PLA 93
I teach high school (10/11 grade) chemistry and ICP. These subjects are ones that must be practiced to understand. Unfortunately, I cannot get my students to do any work at home unless it is graded and even then most aren't doing it. When we are in the classroom we do a lot of practice together (and in my elearning videos I demo'd lots of examples and asked them to pause the video and try it... most didn't watch the videos). So, while I do agree that you need to do practice before expecting students to get a grade, I don't believe that homework shouldn't be for a grade. I do however give some homework that is low impact and easy (such as discussions for one point) along with the harder more thought provoking homework and laboratories. Also, by the time they are in high school they should be preparing for life outside of school (college, trade, or work). If I let every homework be nongraded, they might expect that to be how life works and that isn't the case. I do give 50% on all homework for giving a valid attempt (work must be shown) and 50% for the correct answer though.
ReplyDelete-Dr. Katie Lawrence (JRPLA)
Teaching first grade, I find that consistency is the key. In order to avoid too many papers going back and forth, all homework will be on their tablet and graded. Communication will be sent to the parents at the beginning of every week as to what the weekly assignment will be and it will be due every Friday. I also grade weekly spelling quizzes and reading comprehension quizzes. Math test and quizzes will be halfway through a unit and at the end of the unit.
ReplyDeleteBrianna Bennett PLA 93
It’s important to allow scholars to practice without consequences while they are still learning. If they are pressured to get a good homework grade, they will be focused on all the wrong things and rush. Giving them this time, allows them to master the topic in time for the first grade to check progress. The Best Practice for Grading is to keep records/portfolios of work that will show progress and where a scholars' needs are.
ReplyDelete-Natalie Brammer PLA103
I completely agree we do need to give them time so we get the best work from them. I keep records of my grades as well. Thank you for sharing what you think!
DeleteJensen Cacciola
Natalie,
DeleteI completely agree with you about homework and giving them time to complete it and turn it in and make corrections where needed. This is also a time for them to practice what they are learning and be able to also "struggle" and ask for assistance where needed.
Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
I believe clear and concise directions and expectations are important when handing out assignments that will be graded. And everything doesn't have to be graded. Practice is very important. I like to go over their answers and discuss why they were right or why they were wrong.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The process is very important and having the time to discuss how the students are working through a problem will help them gain the confidence and better understanding that they will need to be able to work out problems on their own.
DeleteBest,
Evelyn Bottando, HIAT Merrillville, Indiana
I believe everything should not be graded. I work to have the scholars practice more so that when we do have a graded assignment, they already know the expectations and can better complete the graded assignments. u. Thomas -PLA Smith Middle School
ReplyDeleteI agree! I have my scholars do the same. Practice, Practice, Practice! Then I let them know what is being graded and they are then prepared.
Delete-Dana Patrick, 4th Grade ELAR Jones Clark
I teach 4th grade ELAR, and I agree with what everyone has said about practicing without consequence. I don't grade every single assignment because they do need practice and review. We discuss before and after each time we read a story or introduce a new concept.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I believe the same. It should be more about the skill.
DeleteI teach 5th & 6th Grade math & social studies at The HIAT Academy in Merrillville, IN and I agree with the do's and don'ts of grading .I struggle sometimes wondering what do I take for a grade and what to let go. My natural reaction is to grade everything!! Working on letting some things go.
ReplyDeleteAbbigail Brantch 1st Year 8th Grade Music/HS Choir Teacher @JRPLA
DeleteThis quarter I took in a in a lot more assignments than one usually sees in a music class because of the fact that we are not doing normal music class things. I found that to improve scholars overall grades (I did everything I could to not fail any scholar that actually participated in the course, not matter how little) I exempted a lot of assignments that I had grades for. So, I suppose that is always an option. Take things in for a grade knowing you can always just not use it or perhaps use it as an extra credit assignment later.
I agree with everyone has said about practicing without consequences...I don't grade every assignment.
ReplyDeleteYwillis PLA93
This year, I work on mainly writing down their response to the final problem for our session. That final problem comes after discussion and examples are made. I use that final problem as a way to understand where the students might still be confused or where they need additional help.
ReplyDeleteEvelyn Bottando, HIAT Merrillville, Indiana
I completely agree that we need to be mindful about what we are grading. Scholars should always have the chance to redo an assignment. If we give a bad grade and then move on, it can be discouraging. Scholars deserve the chance to achieve a better understanding and show that they have mastered it. As teachers, we would want the same for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteHeather Hill
PLA @93
Heather,
DeleteI completely agree with you. Nothing is more discouraging then not knowing the why or have a chance to fix your mistakes.
Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
Abbigail Brantch 1st Year 8th Grade Music/Choir Teacher at JRPLA
ReplyDeleteThis year I have a policy that all ASSIGNMENTS can be handed in an unlimited amount of times during the grading period and I will only keep the highest score. This allows for the scholars to continue to practice and improve mastery of the material as long as they are willing to do the work and ask questions. Also, because I am using Blackboard to create my assignments, I have been able to make feedback instantaneous. Scholars will know which questions they missed after submitting and can use that to help the review and improve the next time. I encourage scholars to try again multiple times throughout the quarter, sometimes just as a friendly reminder in lecture and sometimes actually messaging scholars that they may want to redo a certain task, but it is ultimately up to them what work they decide to redo.
I am not sure on a best grading practice honestly. I thought my concept of multiple attempts and instant feedback would be great, but I still find many scholars still just do one attempt or they simply do not even try on their attempts even though they get feedback as to what they missed (you can tell on some questions if they are not trying, only filling out one answer and then submitting or matching questions with the same answer selected for each pair). Music classes are typically heavily graded in participation points but because of online learning that has not really been as effective an option as it usually is.
I completely agree on the grading do's and don'ts. I personally make sure the scholars know I am grading the assignment and they will have another chance to correct after I give feedback and grade what they turned in so this gives me an insight if they understood the concept. When grading I also put into consideration if they were close to the answer and made a minor error. I make sure I go over this information with the scholars, but this also helps me correct the mistakes or errors they made so when I reteach I know what to focus on to make sure they master the concept. I will say grading is a lot harder now and I am doing my best to be fair. I also communictae with the parents about what does the grade mean. I love Blackboard has a posting of the grades so that helps me keep track on how well or not they did on the assignment. This also shows if they did more than one attempt. I use this to show my parents if no submission is not in the assignment that means clearly they did not open and did not look at the assignment. I take atleast two grades per week depending on the assignment and that weeks concept.
ReplyDeleteI am still learning, but I am doing my best with what I have. Hopefully I will get more assignments turned in so that will help me help them be successful, but when they don't turn it in it really makes it hard to help.
Jensen Cacciola
4th grade Math
Jones-Clark
I don't think grades should be given on everything. I've graded with a scale before which I actually prefer for the scholars. I think it's less discouraging.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm Sheryll at Trix academy. I constantly or daily ask my scholars their opinion about their day, and how they view their lessons. This is an important part of my day as I value their feed back. I ask questions like; did you think this concept was easy or hard? Do you feel like you almost got that concept or still need more time? Which was your favorite lesson? What do you think we could have done better? I use their answers to improve the next days lesson or even to redo how I present the material. Now that they know I value their opinion, they are honest with me and there is an openness within the classroom that I enjoy. They like having a say in how they are taught.
Jenina Sorenson ELL Instructor at PLA@103
ReplyDeleteI completely agree on the do's and don'ts on listed above. I believe that scholars need time to practice and have time to understand the skill/strategy that they are to be learning before they are assessed on it. I do think that grading can get tricky from time to time. Especially with the different positions I have had in my career as an educator.
One thing that I think is a "Best Practice" for grading is feedback. I think that you need to provide as instant of feedback as you can. I know that we all get busy and sometimes grading that test is the last thing you want to do, but when it is put off by the time that you grade it and hand it back you have moved on to the next standard. And from my personal experience the majority of the scholars have forgotten what the assessment was even on.
I like to go around and give immediate feedback as scholars work on assignments in class, then give completion grades, so they get the practice and enough grades to offset one poor performance on a test.
DeleteI really agree with your point on prompt feedback. It really helps the student clear up any misconceptions when the material is still fresh in their minds.
DeleteI graded to be able to give feedback to my students and make the necessary adjustments to my planning. It is not for points but they do count as part of the class participation grade.
ReplyDeleteArlene Mojica Alvarez
High School Spanish Teacher
Thea Bowman Academy
I agree with this method. Looking at my students homework helps me to determine if we need to spend more time working on the standard or if we can move forward.
DeleteI think it's important to give scholars enough grades so that one heavy weight test doesn't show them failing the whole class. I also think it's important to give them plenty of opportunities to practice and receive immediate feedback without receiving a punitive grade. Therefore, I give completion grades for work they do in class which also seems to work as an incentive to stay on task.
ReplyDeleteI like to give multiple attempts on assignments. I think it encourages a culture in the class thats its ok to not be perfect the first time. Its ok to try again. We want instant satisfaction in life and something like a second attempt helps teach scholars that isn't always the case. I also try to not take everything for a grade. Its harder with 4th because I only see them once a week and need grades for them. Either way I agree its a balance and not a one size fits all.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to grading it has been hard because most of our scholars have so many outside distractions that may cause them to slack on doing the assigned work. Grading the scholars just has been a challenge.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the do's and don'ts of grading. When it comes to grading assignments, not every assignment needs to be graded for mastery. A lot of times I will take it for completion points and give feedback, so that my students understand where they may have made mistakes. I believe that you should give the student a few times to practice the standard before officially grading homework. Like I stated earlier, I tend to assign homework and give points for completion as well as feedback.
ReplyDelete