Chapter 15

Borderline cases

Students whose marks place them at or very near the border between two letter grades.

Criterion-referenced grading framework (absolute standards)

The assignment of grades by comparing a student's performance to a defined set of standards to be achieved, targets to be learned, or knowledge to be acquired.

Self-referenced grading framework

The assignment of grades by comparing a student's performance with his or her past performance or your perceptions of his or her capability

Continuous assessment

The daily process by which you gather information about students' progress in achieving the curriculum's learning outcomes.

Report card

The document that reports the summative achievement grades to students and parents

Total points method for grading

-A criterion-referenced method as assigning grades in which each component included in the final composite grade is given a maximum point value -letter grades are assigned on the basis on the number of total points a student accumulated over the marking period

Multiple marking system

-A system of reporting summative evaluation of educational progress to students and parents using several kinds of symbols and marks. -usually takes the form of a report card and report of academic achievement, attendance, deportment, and nonacademic achievement

Standards-based report card

-A type of report card in which academic grades are assigned for standards of learning, rather than subject or course -work habits and citizenship are in separate sections of the report card

Reporting method

-One of several ways in which schools and teachers report each student's achievement to parents and for the official school records -includes: letter grades, number grades, percentage grades, standards-based grades, checklists, rating scales, narrative reports, parent-teacher conferences, student-led conferences, letters to parents

Gradebook program

A computer program combining a spreadsheet and database that allows you to enter students' names and grades and then automatically calculates averages and letter grades.

Narrative report

A detailed written report describing what each student has learned in relation to the school's curriculum framework and the students effort in class

Norm-referenced grading model

A framework for assigning grades on the basis of how a student's performance compares with other students in class: students performing better than most classmates receive a higher grade

Grading on a curve

A method for assigning grades that ranks students' marks from highest to lowest, and assigns grades on the basis of this ranking.

SS-score method for making composites

A method for preparing students' composite marks for purposes or norm-references grading that preserves the influence (weights) you want the components of the composite to have

Quality-level method for grading (rubric method)

A method of assigning letter grades in which the type of student performance required for each letter grade is specified before hand

Standard deviation method of grading

A norm-references grading method that uses the standard deviation of the class's scores as a unit of measure on grading scale

Minimum attainment method

A procedure for combining several component grades into a composite report card grade by the following process: determine which components of students' final grades are more important to demonstrating the students' achievement of the learning targets; specify, for each of these "more important" components, the minimum level of performance you will accept for each of the final grade levels; and establish rules for what levels of performance you will accept, at each final grade level, on each of the "less important" components. These rules form a set of decision rules for how to assign grades.

Median Score Method

A procedure for combining several component grades into a composite report card grade. All scores are converted to the same scale, usually a rubric or grade scale, and the median mark is used as the composite grade.

Fixed-percentage method for grading

Assigning grades by using percentages as bases for marking and grading papers. The relationship between percentage correct and letter grade is arbitrary.

Assessment variables (evaluation variables)

Characteristics about which you gather information needed for teaching, including sizing up the class and diagnosing students' needs, prerequisite achievements, attitudes, work habits, study skills, and their motivation and effort in school.

Reporting variables

A subset, from among all the assessment variables, that a school district will expect a teacher to report to parents and for official purposes

Stakeholders

Persons or groups with an interest in the results of an assessment, usually because they will be effected by the decisions made about them using the test results

Permanent record

The official summative record by grade level of a student's achievement in each subject and his or her attendance in a particular school

Grading

The process of summing up students' achievement in a subject through the use of letters such as A, B, C, D, and F.

Grading variable

The subset of variables, selected from among all the reporting variables, on which you may base your grades. You use the grading variables to describe a student's accomplishments in the subject.

Logic rule method for grading

The use of a set of decision rules, based on student performance during a marking period, to assign grades.