Repair Kit For Grading 4. This is the fourth part of a review of Ken O’Connor‘s, “A Repair Kit For Grading, 15 Fixes for Broken Grades“. My last post covered “fixes 7 – 11“. This post will be looking at “Fixes 12 – 15”.
Fix 12
Don’t include zeros in grade determination when evidence is missing or as punishment; use alternatives, such as reassessing to determine real achievement, or use “I” for incomplete or insufficient evidence.
A zero is almost impossible to overcome. If a student cheated, or turned something in late, that is a behavioral issue. Issue a non academic consequence.
We want students to do the work. We don’t want to give them a zero and move on.
Fix 13
Don’t use information from formative assessments and practice to determine grades; use only summative evidence.
Differentiate between formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments give information about the current state of each student’s achievement. They are, in essence, drill and practice.
Summative assessments indicate the student’s achievement of the standards AFTER the formative assessments. That is what we’re interested in.
Fix 14
Don’t summarize evidence accumulated over time when learning is developmental and will grow with time and repeated opportunities; in those instances, emphasize more recent achievements.
There is rehearsal and then there is performance. There is practice and then there is the game.
This makes sense in music and sports. We need to understand that this applies to education as well.
A student may do poorly in early formative assessments and then gradually improve. If they start at C level and end at A level, what grade should they receive? Have they mastered the standard?
This requires a culture that allows teachers to have leeway in determining grades. It isn’t just a matter of totalling numbers
Fix 15
Don’t leave students out of the grading process. Involve students; they can – and should – play key roles in assessment and grading that promote achievement.
We want students to learn to evaluate themselves. They need to understand and have input into how grades are being determined.
Get the students to take ownership of this process.
Summary
The 15 fixes have a lot to offer. But, it is important to note that they work best in a standards based classroom.
You can see a summary of the 15 fixes here.