Answers to Essential Questions About Standards, Assessments, Grading, and Reporting

How do assessments for learning differ from assessments of learning? What is the purpose of grading? After nearly two decades of immersion in standards-based curriculua and instruction, our nation’s educators are often still confounded by the (admittedly complex) landscape of standards, assessment, and reporting. Lead author Tom Guskey has a remarkable knack for bringing clarity to even the most complex of concepts. In this brief, practical guide, he and co-author Lee Ann Jung address the frequently-asked questions that almost inevitably surface in his work with school districts, state DOEs, and international agencies. The authors respond to these questions in short, simple, jargon-free, reader-friendly responses that will make sense to all levels of readers. As schools proceed with the implementation of the Common Core curriculum and the use of corresponding assessments, this invaluable guide will help clarify the meaning of these critical issues for key stakeholders and greatly facilitate communication among and between group members. Thomas R. Guskey, Ph.D., is Professor of Educational Psychology in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he began his career in education as a middle school teacher, served as an administrator in Chicago Public Schools, and was the first Director of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning, a national educational research center. He is the author/editor of 18 books and over 200 articles published in prominent research journals as well as Educational Leadership, Kappan, and School Administrator. Dr. Guskey served on the Policy Research Team of the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, on the Task Force to develop the National Standards for Staff Development, and recently was named a Fellow in the American Educational Research Association, which also honored him in 2006 for his outstanding contribution relating research to practice. His most recent books include Developing Standards-Based Report Cards (2010), Practical Solutions for Serious Problems in Standards-Based Grading (Ed.) (2009), The Principal as Assessment Leader (Ed.) (2009), The Teacher as Assessment Leader (Ed.) (2009), and Benjamin S. Bloom: Portraits of an Educator (Ed.) (2006). Acknowledgments About the Authors Preface: The Nature of Essential Questions Part I: Standards 1. What are Standards? 2. Are Standards a New Idea in Education? 3. Why Do Some People Oppose Standards? Part II: Assessments 4. What Is Assessment? 5. What Is the Difference Between Assessments and Tests? 6. What Is Formative Assessment? 7. Why Are Formative Assessments Important? 8. What Are Common Formative Assessments? 9. What Is Summative Assessment? 10. What Is High-Stakes Assessment? 11. What Are Instructionally Sensitive and Instructionally Insensitive Assessments? 12. How Do Assessments for Learning Differ From Assessments of Learning? 13. Do Formative Assessments Improve Student Learning? Part III: Grading 14. What Are Grades? 15. What Is the Purpose of Grading? 16. Are Grades Essential to Teaching and Learning? 17. Why Are the First Grades Assigned So Important? 18. Do Low Grades Prompt Students to Try Harder? 19. Why Is Setting Percentage Cut-Offs for Grades an Arbitrary Process? 20. What Is Wrong With Grading on the Curve? Part IV: Reporting 21. What Criteria Do Teachers Use in Assigning Grades? 22. What Is Standards-Based Grading and Reporting? 23. Why Do Some Parents Have Concerns About Standards-Based Grading and Reporting? 24. If Schools Implement Standards-Based Grading, Will the Grades Assigned to Students Likely Go Up or Down? 25. What Is the Most Important First Step in Implementing Standards-Based Grading? 26. What Is the Best Way to Inform Parents About Moving to Standards-Based Grading? 27. What Is the Best Way to Encourage Parents to Make Comments on the Report Card? 28. Will Standards-Based Grading Improve Student Learning? Part V: Grading and Reporting for Exceptional and Struggling Learners 29. Who are Exceptional and Struggling Learners? 30. How Do We Assign Grades to Exceptional and Struggling Learners Who Require Modifications? 31. What Is the Difference Between Accommodations and Modifications? 32. How Do We Legally Report Grades for Exceptional and Struggling Learners on Report Cards and Transcripts? 33. Do High School Students Requiring Modifications Receive Course Credit Toward a Diploma? Do Modifications Make a Student Ineligible for Extracurricular Activities, Such as Interscholastic Athletics? Summary and Conclusions Index