Eight Steps to Meaningful Grading

Why this article discuss about meaningful grading? Meaningful grading or standards-based grading is a grading process which features the ending grade of an evaluation. In standars-based grading, there is no task which will be assessed, both homework, individual task or group task, even behaviors also not included in grading process!! It is pretty different with the traditional grading, isn't it?

Understanding the material of learning is the objective learning of this meaningful grading type. Grades which is obtained in traditional grading systems are usually based on combination of formative and summative assessments, but in standars-based grading, grades are obtained from summative test only (which is designed to measure content mastery)

Here, I will show some steps how to applied standars-based grading :

1. As a teacher we should know about the grading types and their positive aspect, especially we have to learn more about standars-based grading practices.
2. Teacher should have a partner, to educate and involve the school administrators, counselors, and the other support staff. It is possible to do everything alone, but it will be better and efficient if we have a partner.
3. Lesson plan also important thing to determine the material is appropriate or not to students. Lesson plan allows us to assess learning, communicate mastery, and reteach when necessary. Teacher plan with the end in mind to ensure that we cover all necessary standards. 
4. Most of teacher teach their students not based on lesson plan which have been made by them before. Following the lesson plan well is the most great determining factor in successful learning.
5. Homework, practices, formative test, individual and group tasks still included in this grading type, but there is no grading in there. With this step, students can develop self-awareness and maturity in their learning.
6. Eliminating extraneous items that were not standard-based also need in this type, such as : homework and group tasks, because neither of those gives an accurate measurement of individual students achievements.
7. Learning may take more than one attempt. Multiple practices without penalty would be an essential addition in this grading approach.
8. Keep records of student grading development :)

My opinion :

Every grading types have their own advantages. In traditional grading, student can get a good grade in the end if they do their task well, even they have low skills in academic or they fail in summative test, they still can get a good grade if they have good behavior and do homework or tasks well. In the other hand, standars-based grading, homework is essential (it does not matter at all if the students do not do their homework or tasks) because homework will not be included in the grade. The determining final grade is obtained from summative test, but the student have to be ready for that because they have been really prepared.

In Indonesia, the standars-based grading maybe still difficult to be applied because of unreadiness from the governent, I mean that the curriculum has been design in order to appropriate with the time allocation in whole of semester, I think if we always wait and wait, try and try practices the students to faced the summative test with the limited time, it will be so difficult. The next material will be approached, if we just stuck in a chapter. I think school precisely have to repeat the material again and again, but just twice or three time only, because if we wait until the student have really understood, it will need a lot of time. Umm ... I think homework, individual and group task are still important to be included in grading, because from them we can know the different character of students, maybe the student is lazy but when summative test, he/she get good grade or the diligent student which get a bad grade in the final, can summative test really measure the ability of the student? Not all, right?

Journal Review : Using Technology in Assessment and Evaluation

• Authors : Hanson, Gary R.
• Source : New Directions for Student Services; Summer97, Issue 78, p31, 14p
• Geographic Terms : UNITED States 
• Abstract : Examines student services by using technology in assesment and evaluation in the United States. Information on an evaluation project; Impact of technology on learning; Methodology used to conduct the study; Conclusion of the study.
• ISSN : 01647970
• Accession Number : 9708212000
• Publisher Logo:

                       

• PDF Full Text : download

Review :

Conducting a good assessment or evaluation requires doing four things well : 

• asking good questions,
• observing and listening carefully, 
• thoughtfully interpreting the information to the people who need it,
• moving others to action by sharing what we have learned in a simple.

The purpose of this research is to examine how technology may be used in student affairs to improve each of these four assessment and evaluation activities.These four trends all emphasize a movement to user-friendly ways for assessment and evaluation information to arrive in the hands of the individuals who will make the most use of it: program decision makers and student participants. Increasingly, the assessment and evaluation expert will be required to establish systems of information transformation and dissemination. The term information broker will replace the terms assessment expert or evaluation expert. To manage this change, we must become very skilled in transforming data to information and making it readily available. We must still ask good questions, observe and listen carefully, thoughtfully interpret our information, and, in a simple, understandable fashion, move others to action by presenting what we have learned. If we do not apply technology to these principles, we will have lost our opportunity to influence the consumers of assessment and evaluation information.

Future Consideration :

• Technology will increase the interactivity among learners, and simultaneously the assessment and evaluation of learning will become more internalized within the learner. Centuries ago most learning was oral, and students listened to their teachers. When students failed to understand, they could ask questions directly of their teachers. To evaluate learning, teachers could ask questions of the students. Assessment and evaluation methods were highly personalized.

• Technology will expand our ability to acquire, interpret, and communicate complex information about the nature of student life and the effectiveness of our services to multiple audiences. 
• By skillful use of technology, the acquisition, analysis, and communication of data will become increasingly transparent to the “consumer” of assessment and evaluation information.
• The “doing” of programmatic assessment and evaluation will become more individualized and internalized.

Theories :

• (Astin, 1991; Erwin, 1991; Upcraft and Schuh, 1996), Although assessment and evaluation may be defined differently, both are based on very similar processes.
• Tufte (1983, 1990), Any time the results of our assessment and evaluation efforts are reported on paper, we are limited and constricted in communicating with our consumer audience. 

Comment :

Technologies allow us to ask different kinds of questions. We can thus explore, discover, and understand more about our students and how they benefit from the educational activities in which they participate.

Technology expands our ability to gather information. Traditionally, assessment and evaluation information has been acquired in three ways—by observing people or things, by listening to people talk as individuals or as participants in a group, or by completing a paper and pencil assessment or evaluation instrument.
The next generation of assessment and evaluation experts also will observe, listen, and write, but they will not be using technology merely to acquire data more quickly and efficiently, the nature of the information acquired will change as well.
With technology in assessment as a teacher we will be more easy in assess our students. 

Introduction and Expectation

Welcome to my first post :)

This blog created to complement the project of teaching assessment course.

Before I share my expectation and suggestion about this course, let me give the description about teaching assessment itself.

Educational assessment is the process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs. Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community (class, workshop, or other organized group of learners), the institution, or the educational system as a whole. According to the Academic Exchange Quarterly: "Studies of a theoretical or empirical nature (including case studies, portfolio studies, exploratory, or experimental work) addressing the assessment of learner aptitude and preparation, motivation and learning styles, learning outcomes in achievement and satisfaction in different educational contexts are all welcome, as are studies addressing issues of measurable standards and benchmarks".(Wikipedia)

From the description above, we know that teaching assessment is a course which the goal is to give the students more techniques and understanding about assessing in the future. 

Actually, I have joined this course last year, but honestly I have not get the real chemistry about assessing students yet. I do really hope, after I have joining this course (as this is my second chance), I hope I can become more knowing and understanding to make a good assessment, and also I hope I can get better grade than before. Pray for me friends ^^b

Thanks :)