Thoughts on Grading Policies

When I became a teacher, one of the first decisions I had to help make was, "What will our grading policy be?"

I was working with another brand new teacher and a teacher who had been doing things for a while. We used her policy and I never questioned it. It was a similar policy to what I had seen teachers use the entire time I was in school. It was something along the lines of:

Tests/Projects 30%

Quizzes 20 %

Participation 5%

Classwork 25%

Homework 20%

We agreed to also have at least 8 grades per quarter, two of which had to be common assessments. I felt like everything was covered.

Over time and with experience, as I reflected on this policy I began to question whether it really made sense. We had a workshop on grading (which was one of the most intense staff trainings I've ever been too... turns out people are really passionate about grading) and some of my colleagues began doing some more research.

These are some of the conclusions I have since come to:

1. Grades can be divided into three main categories: assessments, processes, and practice.
Assessments: Assignments that students complete/create in order to "prove what they know."
Processes: Behaviors... things like turning assignments in on time, following rules, coming prepared, etc.
Practice: Assignments where students have just be introduced to a skill or concept and are "practicing" it.  It could be guided practice or an assignment that students worked on together or with help at home.  This is typically classwork or homework assignments.

2. What do we want a grade to be a reflection of?  I have decided that grades should be a reflection of what a student knows.  If a student knows 80% of the course material, their grade should reflect that.

3. If a grade is a reflection of what a student knows, then why do we grade processes and practice?  The most common argument I hear against this is, "If I don't grade it, they won't do it!" or "I have to teach them responsibility."  I would argue that grades are not an incentive for most students any ways and you can teach responsibility without it affecting their grade.  Instead I find that other things often matter to students more.  For example, if a student doesn't complete a homework assignment (practice) they have silent/working lunch.  Or if a student is unprepared for class, they can get a reminder (and sometimes a private conversation about why they don't have their stuff) and then a phone call home.  Parental involvement is typically way more effective than any grade, points off, or big fat zero.  Setting high expectations and holding students accountable is also pretty effective to.  Often if I just tell students an assignment is being "collected" (without saying "graded") that is enough for most of them to do it.  Kids like knowing that you will look at assignments they complete, they aren't just doing them as busy work.

Final thoughts: Just because something has "always been" doesn't mean it is right, student-centered, or logical.  Do you agree with my above conclusions?