Chapter Eight: Grading and Reporting Achievement

Chapter eight of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design explains the enduring, problematic system of report cards and how effective differentiated (and/or backwards design) classes can transform grading into an authentic form of communicating to important audiences, giving high-quality feedback to support the learning process, and encouraging learner success. The chapter described that there are six key principles in effectively grading and reporting students' learning achievements. I found all six principles to be extremely valuable and they definitely helped in addressing my questions of how I could grade in a differentiated classroom. One of the principles stressed that teachers should use valid evidence when grading their students. This is very important for me to remember because I do not want my students' grades to be unfair because I allowed extraneous and insignificant details to influence their knowledge of the subject. For instance, just because a student forgot to put their name on a paper does not mean that the student has not mastered a subject and therefore deserves a "F". Principle three pointed out the flaws of norm-based grading and offered the alternative J curve. I found this to be extremely valuable to me as a teacher because the J curve will ensure that all of my students have the possibility of earning high grades based on achievement. Principle four explained the differences between grading and assessing. I need to remember that it is inappropriate to hold learners accountable for what they knew or didn't know before my instruction. Diagnostic and formative assessments should never be graded; they provide feedback about the progress of a student. Principle five described the problems of grading based on mean averages. I never liked this system as a student because I always felt like I knew the material; but just because I didn't learn at the same rate as my peers, I was punished. The final principle reminded teachers that factors such as effort, completing work on time, class participation, etc. should be reported separately from grading. I really liked this idea because as a student, I saw kids coast by with nothing but their intelligence. They never had to study for tests and they never paid attention in class. When factors such as these ones are taken into account seperately, not only is the issue addressed, but it can be improved upon with taking away the credit of the students' intelligence. All six factors, when exercised in a classroom, not only ensure the success of grading all students fairly in a differentiated class, but also motivate students to learn. I never want my students to have the impression that effort is not a precursor to success. If my students are willing to put in their effort, then I will certainly exert all of my effort to ensure that each and every child is graded fairly and is able to succeed in my classroom.