Index to Advertisers
American Public University ................ 85
Text 44144
www.studyatAPU.com/education
to 100 percent. His mom later told me
We used alternative grade sheets
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he was motivated to get 100 percent on that provided more detailed informa-
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a writing assignment.
tion to students and parents. Instead of
Champlain College .............................. 65
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—Doug Hill, teacher, just getting a percentage, students saw
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Rochester Community Schools, where they stood on a rubric in areas
Rochester Hills, Michigan such as content, skills, concepts, and
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organization/presentation. Instead of
Grades and Rigor
zeroes for incomplete work, we used the
CTB/McGraw-Hill ................................. 87
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designation “No Mark” to indicate that
As a new teacher in the inner city, I
we lacked evidence about a student’s
Gaggle .................................................... 4
learned two valuable lessons about
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achievement in that area.
grading that have influenced me
When I handed out the alternative
Heinemann ............................................. 1
throughout my career.
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grade sheets for the first time, I was
Because many of the students lacked amazed at the conversations gener-
Josephson Institute............................. 87
800-711-2670 www.charactercounts.org
structure at home, I found that I would ated among my 8th grade students.
be doing them a disservice if I counted
Most striking, one bright student was
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homework for a large percentage of their appalled by her “No Mark” grade. She
grades. I was simply punishing them
insisted that I must have a grade for
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for circumstances not entirely under
her. When I explained that I couldn’t
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their control. I also quickly realized that make decisions about her achievement
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there was not much correlation between because of her chronic absences, she
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homework completion and success on
became determined to complete the
NOVA Southeastern University.......... 51
assessments. The best measure of a stu-
necessary assignments and force me to
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www.FischlerSchool.nova.edu/ascd
dent’s comprehension and attainment of make judgments about her work.
skills was authentic, in-class assessment. Compare that to the typical, “This
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The second lesson I learned was that is stupid, I hate this class,” that often
students were capable of much more if I results from a student seeing the tradi-
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was willing to push them beyond what tional failing grade on a report card.
www.pearson.com/LearningAssessments
they originally thought possible. As I
increased the rigor in my classroom,
—Cheryl Wallace, teacher,
Pepperdine University......................... 65
Syracuse City School District, New York
541-345-1442 www.gsep.pepperdine.edu
the distribution of grades stayed about
the same. By the end of my time in the
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classroom, a student earning a C was
Grades Should Reflect
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demonstrating a much greater under-
Student Achievement
School Improvement Network.......... C4
800-313-9833
standing of the material than a student
earning an A had done years before.
I grade only summative assessments
because I believe that report card grades
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—P.J. Caposey, principal, should represent student achievement
Seton Hall............................................. 85
Oregon High School, Oregon, Illinois relative to a predetermined set of stan-
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www.shu.edu/go/execedd
Teachers College Press........................ 93
866-399-6019 www.tcpress.com
UMUC ................................................... 59
800-888-8682 www.umuc.edu/education
“No Mark” Says
More Than Failure
Teaching in an International Baccalau-
reate middle years program in Fairfax
dards. There are typically no more than
10 summative grades in the grade book
for each nine-week grading period.
Because I also believe that report card
grades should represent each student’s
current level of achievement, students
University of Miami,
School of Education .......................... 83
305-284-3711 www.education.miami.edu
County, Virginia, afforded me the
opportunity to rethink traditional grading systems.
have the opportunity to retake any
assessment until the end of the grading
period (with some restrictions) with
