On Grades and Grading

Supporting Student Learning through a More Transparent and Purposeful Use of Grades

By (author) Timothy Quinn

Publication date:

29 July 2013

Length of book:

126 pages

Publisher

R&L Education

Dimensions:

239x159mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781610489119

Too often teachers and schools operate with grading systems that are vestiges of an antiquated educational model with little fresh thinking as to how grades affect student learning. In On Grades and Grading, Timothy Quinn addresses this problem head on, offering an in-depth and nuanced analysis of the purposes grades can serve, as well as their impact on student learning. Quinn takes a hard look at the three pedagogical purposes for grades – providing data about students, motivating students, and providing students with feedback on their work. He then goes on to address a number of specific and, at times, controversial grading related issues, including grade inflation, grading collaborative work, grading and failure, the grading of behaviors and dispositions, and the use of technology in grading. Educators will find both concrete strategies for improving their grading systems and policies and, perhaps most importantly, a rich resource for improving student learning. Ultimately, Quinn hopes to create a world in which students, parents, and teachers all pay more attention to learning and less to grades themselves.

Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Grades – Definitions and Purposes

Grades Defined
The Pedagogical Purposes of Grades

Part 2: Issues in Grading

Grade Inflation
The Forms Grades Take: Numbers vs. Letters
Determining Summative Grades
Grading and Failure: Retakes and Rewrites
Grading Behaviors and Dispositions
Grading Collaborative Work
Self-Assessment and Self-Grading
Technology and the Grading Process
The Issue of Inconsistency
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Rubrics
How to Report Grades

Part 3: Conclusion

Shifting the Focus from Grades to Learning

12 Steps to Improving Your Grading System
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
About the Author

While discussions related to grading in the media, state legislatures, and elsewhere are frequent and passionate, few definitions of the concept are the same. Quinn examines the theoretical ways in which grades are defined, explores some of the many complicated issues devoted to grading, and builds the case that students would be better served if teachers focused on learning rather than grading. Organized into three sections that discuss each of these areas, the book discusses a variety of pertinent issues. These include the pedagogical purposes of grading, grade inflation, the forms of grades, formative and summative assessment, and inconsistency among grades from different individuals and institutions. Quinn also discusses some of the lesser publicized issues regarding grading, including the importance of failure for a child's development, the assessment of collaborative work, the reporting of grades, and the merits of rubrics. Although practical advice is provided for those interested in improving their grading practices, the book also provides ample grist for vigorous discussions related to the topic. A marvelous complement for Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey's Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom (2007). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.