Blogs

31 May Assessment & Grading in the Midst of a Pandemic

Posted at 08:00h in Blogs

The coronavirus pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to educators throughout the world. Schools have had to change entire instructional programs in widely varied contexts with inequitable access to technology and other vital resources. School closures and requirements for social isolation have created untold hardships for...

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30 May Should We Consider Pass/Fail Grading?

Posted at 08:00h in Blogs

With schools around the world moving to online instruction in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, questions have been raised about adopting pass/fail grading. Advocates contend this would be fairer to students and teachers who must deal with unprecedented changes in both teaching and learning....

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28 Jun Grades versus Comments: What Does the Research Really Tell Us?

Posted at 14:22h in Blogs

In articles and presentations on student feedback, educators are admonished today to use No grades, comments only! Grades, they are told, make students complacent and unmotivated. Comments, however, are said to improve motivation and enhance achievement....

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06 Mar Let’s Give Up the Search for ‘Best Practices’ in Grading

Posted at 21:39h in Blogs

It's time that educators recognize a basic truth about reforming the way we grade and report student learning. That truth is this: There are no "best practices" in grading and reporting, and there is no perfect grading and reporting system....

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06 Feb Don’t Get Rid of Grades: Change Their Meaning and Consequences

Posted at 06:05h in Blogs

Newspapers, magazines, and journals today are filled with articles about the evils of grades. Writers tell us that grades warp student motivation, destroy the morale of teachers, and corrupt the education process. The solution most suggest is to do away with grades completely so that...

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06 Feb Rubrics Are Fine, But How Do I Get an A?

Posted at 06:04h in Blogs

Rubrics help educators describe student performance at all levels of education. Recently, however, educators have come under fire for the way they translate rubric scores to grades on report cards. Although many believe the problem lies with grades, closer analysis reveals the real problem is...

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06 Feb Multiple Grades: The First Step To Improving Grading and Reporting

Posted at 06:02h in Blogs

Imagine going to your physician for a medical examination. During the exam, the physician records data on your height, weight, blood pressure, and heart rate, and asks you questions about your lifestyle and how you are feeling. ...

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06 Feb Grading is Personal

Posted at 06:01h in Blogs

Post written by Thomas R. Guskey Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Kentucky Originally Published: May 31, 2016 in ASCD Blogs Suppose during a physical examination, your doctor recorded data on your height, weight, blood pressure, and heart rate, and asked you a series of questions about...

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06 Feb Solving the Problems of Zero in Grading

Posted at 06:00h in Blogs

Post written by Thomas R. Guskey Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Kentucky Originally published: 06.25.13 Much ado has been made in recent years about the problem of zeros in grading. Some districts have responded by stipulating that the lowest grade teachers can assign students is 50%...

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