MSTA Membership 2003-04
Tips:
Grading/Assessment
Grades and report
cards
Figuring your grades
One of the skills usually NOT taught in teacher education
programs is how to grade. It’s an
area where new teachers are closely scrutinized by administrators and parents.
Unfortunately, you’re often expected to pick this up on your own. Here are
some basic tips that you can use to guide you as you begin to develop your own
grading systems.
Roll books
Invest in two grade books. You need one roll book for
attendance records and the other roll book for recording grades. This is worth
the money and time.
Get a calculator or a computer program
We know that this sounds very basic, but a calculator
helps make your grading much more objective, dependable, and easier to figure.
Use a system of 100% (a
percentage system)
Always convert all grades and numbers to a system of 100.
Convert letter grades to numbers
It is always easier to average numbers; it is always more
understandable for other adults to see a percentage/number total.
Percentage system
( All
letter grades are converted to a numerical equivalent, based on a 100-point
system.)
A++ 100
(perfect paper w/ extra credit)
A+
98
A
95
A-
92
B+
88
B
85
B-
82
C+
78
C
75
C-
72
D+
1.3
D
1.0
D-
0.7
F
0.0
Grade point system
Letter
grades are converted based on the 4.0 system.)
A+
4.3
A
4.0
A-
3.7
B+
3.3
B
3.0
B-
2.7
C+
2.3
C
2.0
C-
1.7
D+
1.3
D
1.0
D-
0.7
F
0.0
After the point values are averaged
they are converted back into a letter
grade.
Here is a chart you can use. Borderline grades are up to your discretion:
4.0-4.3
A+
3.7-4.0
A
3.5-3.7
A-
3.3-3.5
B+
2.7-3.3
B
2.5-2.7
B-
2.3-2.5
C+
1.7-2.3
C
1.5-1.7
C-
1.3-1.5
D+
0.7-1.3
D
0.5-0.7
D-
0.0-0.5
F
Grades and report
cards
Establish your final grading formula numerically
Determine ahead of time the weight given to each of
the sections of your grade book.
Explain to the students your grading system - let them know your
expectations!
Example
Tests 50%
Quizzes 25%
Projects25%
Total divided by 3
Tests 45%
Homework 10%
Quizzes 25%
Projects 20%
Total divided by 4
Report card comments
Always be objective when dealing with negative areas.
Probably the one area that gets teachers into more trouble is subjective
negative comments. You need to figure that any time you give an opinion, a
protective parent could have an opposite one. One way to get around this problem
is to use a calculator and hard numbers. Here are some examples of subjective
and objective statements:
Subjective
He rarely does his homework
Objective
He has missed 12/15 (80%) of the homework assignments this quarter.
Subjective She
has failed most of her tests.
Objective Her percentage on our tests is 46%, which is equal to
an F.
Subjective
He is constantly talking out of turn.
Objective
He talks out of turn between 5-8 times every day.
Say something nice about the student. For
example:
“He’s a great
student, however ... ”
“I really enjoy having her in my class. However, she
needs to work on...”
“He’s always enthusiastic. However ...”
“She always tries to do well, however...”