To help us work towards our school goal of improving our understanding and practice of assessment, my principal has provided our staff with a copy of Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing it Right - Using it Well, by Jan Chappuis, Rick Stiggins, Steve Chappuis, and Judith Arter. As I make my way through the book, I will be summarizing my learning as a means of organizing my thoughts and getting clarification on particular ideas.
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| Classroom Assessment for Student Learning Cover. (Accessed 2016). Uploaded to Amazon; Pearson Education. Available online at: https://www.amazon.ca/Classroom-Assessment-Student-Learning-Doing/dp/0132685884 |
Chapter 10 - Converting Summative Info into Grades
1 ) Use Grades to Communicate, Not to Motivate
- grades should never be used to manipulative behaviour (punish or motivate)
- no solid evidence grade manipulation works (including competitions)
* this is why learning behaviours are assessed separately
2 ) Report Achievement & Other Factors Separately
- rubrics/checklists should not score effort
(ex) neatness, "pretty" colourful; stick to learning targets only
- find other ways to communicate work completion, absence, cheating, etc
3 ) Reflect Only Current Level of Achievement in the Academic Grade
- averaging new with the old hinders those with slow starts
Summarizing Info
- verify accuracy
- don't include outdated or non-applicable information
- convert all entries to the same scale
- raw scores or %
- weight as needed
- combine information thoughtfully
- recommend using the median rather than the mean
- I really like this idea; it made me think of this image
- how does averaging grades affect students? is it is the most accurate way to communicate their level of understanding
- grades should never be used to manipulative behaviour (punish or motivate)
- no solid evidence grade manipulation works (including competitions)
* this is why learning behaviours are assessed separately
2 ) Report Achievement & Other Factors Separately
- rubrics/checklists should not score effort
(ex) neatness, "pretty" colourful; stick to learning targets only
- find other ways to communicate work completion, absence, cheating, etc
3 ) Reflect Only Current Level of Achievement in the Academic Grade
- averaging new with the old hinders those with slow starts
Summarizing Info
- verify accuracy
- don't include outdated or non-applicable information
- convert all entries to the same scale
- raw scores or %
- weight as needed
- combine information thoughtfully
- recommend using the median rather than the mean
- I really like this idea; it made me think of this image
- how does averaging grades affect students? is it is the most accurate way to communicate their level of understanding
 |
| Is it time we stopped averaging grades? (2015). Uploaded by Justin Tarte. Available online at: http://www.justintarte.com/2015/12/is-it-time-we-stop-averaging-grades.html |
- this skews communication of understanding because levels on a rubric don't necessarily translate into matching a percentage
Accurate, Fair, & Defensible Report Card Grades
1 ) Start with learning targets
- list all of the learning targets you will assess
2 ) Make an assessment plan
- what will be formative?
- what will be summative?
3 ) Create, choose, & modify assessment as class unfolds
4) Record info from assessments
- use the raw score
5 ) Summarize achievement info into one score
- weight as appropriate
6 ) Translate into appropriate format for the report card
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I WANT TO KNOW:
What are your thoughts on averaging grades?
Our school policy is to average grades and our grade book computer program automatically averages grades for us as well.
Please leave your thoughts below :)