UbDDI+B1+Chapter+8

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Amanda Martemucci
UbD/DI-Chapter 8:  Chapter 8 discusses grading and reporting. The chapter proposes six guiding principles to grading in an Understanding by Design and Differentiated instructed classroom: “1. Grades and reports should be based on clearly specified learning goals and performance standards. 2. Evidence used for grading should be valid. 3. Grading should be based on established criteria, not on arbitrary norms. 4. Not everything should be included in grades. 5. Avoid grading based on (mean) averages. 6. Focus on achievement, and report other factors separately” (p. 129-133). I particularly found guidelines 4 and 6 are important. Teachers sometimes try and take several factors into forming one grade. With UbD and DI, it is suggested to keep them separate. Students may excel in participation or homework, but may not do as well in achievement in learning the subject. Keeping grades separate allows for students to not receive the same grades on different factors and allows students to see their strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately as a teacher, it is my goal to see that my students show achievement. Adding in other factors to that grade will not show me their actual achievement in the class.

Bridget
Grading is not about letters or checks and minuses, it is about giving appropriate, useful feedback to students so that they may progress and become better learners. A grade must represent a student’s ability to meet milestone goals set in place by standards that are clear to the student. Assessments and grades are two different things, and grades do not need to include assessments. Assessments are used for reporting student knowledge at a particular time and figuring out misconceptions a student has or how far long they are in learning, and there for should be used to help teacher see where to go next and not in the grade book. Using mean averages to calculate grades is a poor idea at best, because it doesn’t reflect what a student knows as an end result of their learning process. Bad grades at the beginning when understanding was weak shouldn’t weight down thoughtful understanding at the end of a unit. When I grade, I will need to do so by the school’s standards and procedures and while I may not agree with them, I can help my students to understand my grading system and what it means as well as how it must translate into the pre-set report card grades they must receive in the end.

Kristen
Grading can seem contradictory in a Ubd DI classroom, however it can be done. Rather than giving a number or a letter grade the book suggests you give descriptions as to what these symbols mean to you and the student. Assessment and grading are different. Assessment is a way of looking at a student’s work that can give answers to the teacher about where to go with the lesson. Grading is the final decision about what the student should be given. One can be revised, the other cannot. A decent amount of attention is paid to giving zeros for missed work or incomplete assignments. I’m on the fence about whether it is a good practice or not as I do feel that it’s important later in life to have things done when you’re required to do so. The work world doesn’t wait around for you to turn in the work... a school prepares you for the world. I guess I’m stuck in my ways on some things. I like the suggestion of the three factor grade reporting where the teacher looks at achievement of goals, progress towards goals and work habits. It reminds me of the way we used to be graded in elementary school.

Chelsea
This chapter discussed how grading should reflect the overall performance of a student’s learning. It shouldn’t matter when a student learns a concept just as long as they learn it. The chapter also discussed that grading shouldn’t be based on averages. However, when reporting grades they should be reflect multiple levels of learning and they should support and encourage growth in learning. Grading most effective when it shows a progression of learning and how the learning experience was unique to each student. I think that this is important because often letter or numerical grades show little meaning for students. If grades are reported on a whole that shows progression and learning it is a much richer experience.

Christina
Chapter 8 focused on grading and reporting achievement of the students. One of the biggest aspects was that there is no perfect way of grading in a differentiated classroom. This is because students should be graded on what they know and not on other factors. However, this can be difficult in a differentiated classroom. Grading on how well someone does on a project or assignment does not mean that one knows the information, which is why it is important to include some sort of evaluation. This chapter made me a little less stressed about grading because it pointed out that there is no perfect way of grading. I will take this information and try to incorporate some of the ideas into the way I grade.

Jesika
This chapter is about how assessment should not be about the grade (number, letter, checks, etc.). It should be about the progress that the student make. The purpose of assessment and reporting should be to give students feedback so they can make changes and learn more effectively. Averages should not be a factor in the reporting of a student. I feel a bit intimidated by the ideas that are put forth in this chapter. It seems that satisfying the State and the needs of the students is either impossible or very difficult. It's as of you need to have two grading systems. One comprehensive, flexible grading system for the students. And one rigid, number based grading system for the State.

Moe
Assessment should only focus on gathering information about achievement, rather then handing out letter or number scores. The sole purpose should be to give the students appropriate, quick, and helpful feedback. Students shouldn’t have to worry about formative assessments either, because those rarely are factored in to final grades. This is where summative assessments come in. Summative assessments are meant to have students show accumulated knowledge in creative ways that identify with certain goals. I liked how they emphasized the fact that assessment is a marker for teachers. We can use our formative assessments as tools to figure out if we need to spend more time on, or revisit, a concept. This is exactly like the responsive teaching method mentioned earlier in the book.

Kevin
Chapter 8 is about grading. The authors give a good example about how grading is a conflicting exercise for teachers because learning is an ongoing process so it can be difficult to say something is final. The authors feel that grading should be more about giving good feedback to the student and their parents then just giving the student a letter or a number. Six principles for effective grading and reporting are outlined by the authors. Another idea proposed in the book is that there should not be one grade for a class but instead three separate factors: grades for achievement of goals, progress toward goals, and work habits. This three factor system I think can probably work well to make things more even in the classroom. Students should be motivated by the fact that their effort and progress are being taken into consideration. The difficulty may arise in the fact that it may be more difficult to measure the progress of a student who has been highly achieving all along.