DI+UbD+Chapter+8+Block+2

[|Synthesis UbD/DI C8 B2]

The reading suggests a varied system for reporting. One might include report cards, checklists of essential skills, developmental continua for charting progress, rubrics for work habits, portfolios, and parent and student-involved conferences. || I appreciated this reading because it talks about grading, an area that I had questions in, and how to report student achievement, something I wanted more information about. It helped me consider how to best grade my students to ensure that I am reporting the students’ achievement levels to the highest. I would definitely consider using various ways to report in my reporting system so it is evident to anyone how and what the student has achieved. ||
 * **Names** || **Abstract** || **Reflection** ||
 * Barnes Mckell || Chapter eight in UbD/DI talks about appropriate assessment as well as effective grading. The chapter is broken down into six principles of grading: Grades and reports should be based on clearly specified learning goals and performance standards, evidence used for grading should be valid, grading should be based on established criteria, not arbitrary norms, not everything should be included in grades, avoid grading based on (mean) averages, and lastly, focus on achievement, and report other factors separately. These six principles can easily be tied into the Backwards Design Model which this book advocates distinctly throughout. || I really liked chapter 8; I think it gave a lot of useful information in regards to effective and appropriate grading. I also really liked how it explained the difference between assessment and grading. “Assessment focuses on gathering information about student achievement that can be used to make instructional decisions. Grading is an end-point judgment about student achievement,” (131). I also found the part about not grading based on an average (mean) to be pretty interesting. I have always had teachers usually average a few scores together, however, I like the idea of measuring what students know now. ||
 * Brennick Christopher || The eighth chapter of understanding by design guides readers through grading and reporting achievement. The onset of this chapter guides readers through six basic principles for grading and reporting. The principles are: Grades and reports should be based on clearly specified learning goals and performance standards, evidence for grading should be valid, grading should be based on established criteria not on arbitrary norms, not everything should be included in grades, avoid grading on averages, and focus on achievement and report other factors separately. The next part of the book looks at how student’s grades effect their motivation and the way they see themselves. The closing of the chapter goes into what kind of systems we need to support the type of grading and reporting we wish to see in the schools of the 21st century. || This chapter addresses one of my greatest concerns with American education in grading. I agree with the book that grading needs to be done through feedback first and that we need to grade less of what students do. In the perfect system we would really only see one of two grades not yet completed or completed. I also agree with the book that we should separating out what it is we grade student on to give clearer feed back to them on areas of improvement and so parents can see a portfolio instead of a snapshot. ||
 * Columbia Laura || Chapter eight of //DI/UbD// discusses grading and reporting student's achievement. The introductions the struggle teachers go through. The feel torn between two roles. The first one being the advocate for the students learning, while the second one is judge. It is then discussed how to grade. Such as not just putting a number, but explaining what that means. As well as the idea that not everything should be included in grades. Assessments should just be used to find out where the students is in the learning process. While grading shows the end point. In conclusion it is important that the standards you use to grade by are clear, fair and honest about what standards you want to achieve, while keeping in mind the individual. || I could really relate to this chapter. In high school all I really cared about was the grade. There was a lot of competition in my class about grades, and learning was not as valued as much. Because of this unhealthy competition students often resorted to cheating, or cramming right before the test. Learning was not valued, just the number on the assignment. I really wish my teachers did more grade free assessments. I can only remember a handful of assessments that were not graded. I feel like I would of learned more and had better products if more assessment was done. ||
 * Coombs Kayla || Chapter eight, “Grading and Reporting Achievement” gives some great ways to grade students so as to report their achievement in the best possible ways. It outlines six basic principles for effective grading and reporting, and they are as follows: principle one: grades and reports should be based on clearly specified learning goals and performance standards; principle two: evidence used for grading should be valid; principle three: grading should be based on established criteria, not on arbitrary norms; principle four: not everything should be included in grades; principle five: avoid grading based on (mean) averages; principle six: focus on achievement, and report other factors separately. These principles, although supported by the logic of backward design and a standards-based education system, bring out concerns that grading can harm the motivation of some students. The book suggests that we not use a single grade to try to report a student’s learning, but to have at least two or three separate factors to report on. These would be grades for achievement of goals, progress toward goals, and work habits.
 * Cummons Michael || Chapter eight of DI UbD is about principles of grading and reporting student progress. Teachers must base their grade and reports on cleary specified learning goals and preformance standards. Students must base grading on averages and achievment. Dot use just one grade to report a students progess. It is much more effective to show how hte students are doing in many different ways. This shows exactly how students learn and where they need work and were they are doing good. Giving more than just a post card is often the best way to go. Offering goals and checklist is in many ways the best way to go. || I like this chapter because of the part about the report card. I like the idea of offering students other forms of report. Parents should see exactly how their kids are learning and where they need help. I report card is just not enough to show how students are doing. I like the idea of a checklist and offering other forms of report. A letter grade is just not enough to show how a student is doing in the classroom.. ||
 * Damboise Kelley || Chapter eight goes over six principles of grading and reporting which include: grades and reports should be based on clearly specified learning goals, evidence used to grade is valid, grading should be based upon established criteria, not everything should be included in grades, avoid average (mean) grading, and focus on achievement and report other factors separately. When we base grades and reports on learning goals and performance standards we actually portray a more accurate portrait of the student’s proficiency. Using valid evidence to grade means that teacher have to try their hardest to factor out external factors when grading, such as bad penmanship, if that is not what the teacher wanted to assess. Grades should not be based upon other students in the class; all students learn differently. Some learn faster, and others take a bit more time and have to struggle to push through and learn the material. There work should not be graded based upon a good students work. Not everything needs to be graded; for instance, pre-assessments should never be graded. When teacher do grade assignments or assessments they should stay away from grade based upon an average because this is not a true measure of a students learning ability. Lastly, the more teachers try to incorporate other forms of grading such as participation, progress, attendance, behavior, and work completed on time into their grading process the better the chance of the grade become skewed. This is because each student could potentially earn the same grade, but complete different task to get there. || I didn’t realize just how important it is to really look at the different learners within a class when determining how to grade students. I think the most important part of the chapter is to remember that every student learns at different paces; we should continue encouraging and pushing the gifted students to learn more and exceed the goals set. Also, at the same time we should be watching our other students who do not learn at the same rate, and evaluate them based upon whether they are moving towards the set goal; even if it is taking them a little bit more time. In order to support this reporting system and differentiation teachers need to focus on three areas which include achievement of set goals by the individual student, how the student is progressing towards these goals, and the work habits that he or she is displaying while working towards the goals. When teachers make this their main focal point then grading and reporting will be a more accurate display of what the students actually learned. ||
 * Kelley Kathleen || Chapter eight of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design discussed how we should grade our students and how we should determine whether the desired results have been achieved. The chapter begins by discussing six different principles that teachers should follow in order to grade work effectively. Principle one addressed the idea that if students are going to be graded, then they need to be graded on goals laid out at the beginning of the unit. Principle two discussed that the evidence we base our grading on should be valid. We shouldn’t let disabilities or learning problems obscure the grades they could achieve. Eliminating factors that may impact with a students ability to learn should be removed. Also discussed in principle three was how established criteria should be the main basis of our grading system and that they should be clearly specified. Principle four stated that not everything that is created and assessed in the classroom should actually be graded. Grading is very final and students aren’t able to refine their knowledge. What happens if a student finally understands the key concepts in the last week of the unit? They have mastered all of the material, it just took them longer than others, and their grades may not reflect their success. This also applies to principle six in which the author also strongly discourages grading using the mean. The final principal discusses how extraneous factors such as attitude, homework, and behavior should not play a role in a students grades. The author acknowledges that they should be addressed, but they shouldn’t have a direct impact on grades. The final idea discussed in this chapter had to deal with ways of grading that support differentiation. || I thought that chapter eight hit some extremely important point as far as effective grading goes. Two principles that I found most important were principle two and principle six. Both addressed how out side forces such as learning abilities, attendance, attitude, class participation and homework should really not have an effect on the students grade. Often times, these factors can obscure the students abilities to perform well in the classroom and have a negative effect on assessment grades. As far as attitudes, attendance, participation and homework go, they too shouldn’t have a severe impact on your overall grade. One concept that I was wondering about was the idea of grading on a curve. What was the point being made behind the statement. ||
 * Knowles Christina || Chapter eight starts off stating that for students to learn we need to give them a sufficient amount of feedback on projects and assessments. We also do not need to give feedback to just students, we need to give proper feedback to parents as well. We should organize our grading ideas around six principles. The first principle is that grades should be based on specific goals. We should know what evidence will show what they learned and how well do the students have to perform their task. The second principle is that grading should be valid. We should grade by the information they know. The third principle is that you should establish specific criteria that you will grade your students on. The fourth principle is that you should have parts of the criteria that do not need to be graded. We can still assess these criteria but we keep the pressure of grades of it. Principle five tells us that principles can be very misleading. The range of grades can be very different but the average could show a different story. The last principle says that we should focus on the achievements our students are making and not necessarily their grades. || I did like this chapter for the most part. The one pat I really disliked is that it encouraged to have parts and assignments that will not be graded. I can see why this would make sense but I know that I get frustrated and mad when I have to do work that will not be graded. I feel like doing the work is pointless. Maybe I will make assignments I make that will not be graded a lot of fun so students will not think that it is pointless. ||
 * Mourkas Margaret || This chapter goes into how teachers are supposed to grade the student’s assessments. It lays out six different principles that teachers should follow. These principles are: Grades and Reports should be based on clearly specified learning foals and performance standards, evidence used for grading should be valid, grading should be based on established criteria..not on arbitrary norms, not everything should be included in grades, avoid grading based on [mean] averages, and focus on achievement, and report other factors separately. The chapter stresses that the teachers takes these principles to heart when grading a student’s work. || I liked this chapter because it addressed the one thing that bothered me in grade school, slapping a number on a child’s work without really thinking about it. I really agree with portfolios and providing a good amount of feedback from the teacher. How is the student going to learn how to fix something if there is no feedback? ||
 * O'Neil Christopher || Chapter eight discusses the aspect of grading and reporting in a differentiated classroom. Grading is a two part process that includes; assigning symbolic letters or numbers which server as an evaluation of a student’s performance in the class and something to report the evaluations to the students and parents. According to the chapter, grades should not be influences by the fact that student forgot to put their name on the paper or if they have good penmanship. Teachers should work towards using a J curve system, which enables all students have the possibility of earning a high grade. Grades should also be determined as a result of many summative assessments. Teachers should also look into using different reporting systems that include multiple methods for communication to the parents and students. || This was a very informative chapter. It provided a lot of examples of different types of grading and also a lot of theories on grading. The information provided in the chapter is extremely useful. I did however, completely disagree with this statement: “On a related note, we must comment on the practice of assigning zeroes to students who fail to turn in work on time or to complete assignments. The flaw with this tactic relates back to the fundamental purpose of grading: to accurately communicate achievement. If a grade is to provide a record of student learning of established content standards, then averaging in zeroes for missed work distorts the record” (pg 132). If a student fails to turn in an assignment on time, then that student should have consequences. Sure the zero will affect his grade, but we cannot have students turning in assignments whenever they feel they should finish it. By giving them a zero, you are teaching them responsibility and preparing them for the real world. What are you going to say to your boss if you don’t have the final grades submitted on time? The real world does not accept late work, so why should we accept it in the classroom? That statement really annoyed me to no end and I completely disagree with it. ||
 * Richardson Cassandra || Chapter eight goes into grading student work in the most effective ways. Six different principles are outlined in the chapter; the first being the idea that grading is based largely on previously stated goals and expectations. The second suggests that there be valid evidence for the grading system in use. The third stresses that it is important to establish meaningful criteria to grade by, that the students would be able to meet. Number four is to allow parts of the task to go without a specific grade but still assess for learning. Five and six suggested that teachers should stay away from averaging scores and focus more on each individual student’s needs rather than their grades. Grades should be determined as part of many summative assessments over the course of the unit rather than one heavily weighted task. Methods of effective communication between students, teachers, and parents should also be a priority. || This chapter was really interesting to me, because I was always the student who wanted to know what the letter represented, the explanation behind the grade itself. Overall, this was an incredibly informative chapter; it’s a little reassuring that the rest of the teaching world feels that grading should be reformed a little. I hope to incorporate some of the methods outlined in this chapter in my classroom to continue differentiation. I adore portfolios and long-term, building assignments that require constant, specific feedback. ||
 * Trundy Monique || In chapter eight Tomlinson and McTighe cover many teachers concerns with grading differentiated classrooms. They explain that grading can split into six key principles. The first principle says that grades “should represent a definable degree of proficiency related to important goals,” (pg. 130). This principle also insists that grades be presented in a clear and consistent way. The second principle says that “evidence used for grading should be valid,” (pg.130). It is important that we remember to grade students on exactly what we are looking for and not let things like limited English proficiency, inability to read directions or any other factor influence grading. We have to make sure that we do our best to eliminate obstacles that may keep children from displaying their understanding of a subject. The third principle covers the negative side effects of using norm based grading and strongly discourages grading on a bell curve. The fourth principle focuses on the differences between grading and assessment. Assessments are for gathering information so an instructional decision can be made whereas grading is a find judgment about a student’s achievement. The fifth principle suggests straying away from the commonly used tactic of giving a grade based on a numerical average, which may be misleading. If averaging is required by the school district it is suggested that you use the mean or mode instead. The sixth and final principle says that a grade should “give as clear a measure as possible of the best a student can do,” (pg. 133). || “A grade should give as clear a measure as possible of the best a student can do, and not be enshrouded in a fog created by tangential or constraining factors,” (pg. 130).

This quote was one that stood out to me during my reading. I feel that grades, especially lower grades, have a reputation for being examples of what students cannot do instead of focusing on the best the student can do. I feel that grades were always given to me on the basis of what I could not accomplish. For example, I always felt that I would get a B or C in a class because I was incapable of reaching the criteria needed for an A, not because a B or a C was the best performance I could give. I feel like telling students that their grades will be reflections of their effort makes receiving the grade at the end of the semester far more personal. When a grade is a reflection of themselves they are far more motivated to get that A. || This chapter opens by telling us educators that many feel grading causes a conflict in what they are trying to accomplish. Many educators feel that they are trying to create a differentiated classroom where all students feel safe and encouraged, but the idea of grading makes the teacher feel more like a judge and evaluator as apposed to a tool for learning. This chapter states that grading is very important though it may seem difficult and possibly unfair at times. Grading is a way of assigning a symbol to a value of achievement while giving vital feedback to students, parents, schools, and communities. The chapter gives an example of how grading can become a more precise and fair means of evaluation. If educators grade in three stages they can give a better definition of what a child has truly learned. One, grade on achievement while making the standards of achievement very clear. Two, grade on progress, give the student credit for how far along they have come in respect to where they started. Three, grade on work habits, children who put forth great effort should be awarded for their efforts. The chapter tells us that grading on working habits will not only give the hardworking struggler a chance to score a high mark, but it will begin to teach the gifted, high scoring, slacker a value for hard work. The chapter also tells us that diagnostic and formative grades should never be entered for consideration of the final rank of a grading period. Final grades should be built upon summative assessments alone. This way what a student learns becomes much more a factor in their grade then the point in time in which they learned it. I felt that this chapter did a fantastic job at revealing some of the evils in grading, and giving very positive and constructive ways of making grading a bit more fair, and less dangerous for struggling students. The grade averaging that the chapter warns against is something I saw a lot of in high school, especially in my math classes. The form of grading that they proposed, the three step grading seems like a much more realistic and definite way of determining what a child has truly learned. I feel that the grading techniques this chapter has shown me will help me create an all encompassing differential classroom, and to give students and their parents a true report of what their child has and is capable of achieving.
 * Webb Christopher || Chapter eight of UbD/DI is about grading. It discusses how we as teachers are supposed to teach in diverse ways to all the intelligencs yet at the same time subject our students to standardized testing. The goal of learning should be to provide positive feedback for learner success. There are six key principles to grading as defined by this chapter and they are; Grading/reports should be based on learning goals and performance standards, evidence used for grading should be valid, grading should be based on established criteria, not everything should be involved in grades, avoid grading on averages,focus on achievement and report other factors separately. It also defines the three factors which should be reported and they are; grades for achievement of goals, progress toward goals, and work habits. || I liked this chapter because it made me think about how I had been graded throughout my time in high school. I never had anything like what they are suggesting we do. We always had the standardized tests and that was it, no other factors were taken into account so a lot of kids suffered for it. I don't want any of my students to have the experience of someof the kids in my school which is why I will use the methods from this book to help my students learn better. ||
 * West Simon ||  ||