I want to show a way to simplify assessment and grading.

*Disclosure Alert* This is not the be-all-end-all of assessment. This is something that, as per usual, I got from somebody else, then adapted to fit middle school curriculum, the Manitoba Report Card, and divisional rubrics.

I don’t know how other provinces, states, countries, or districts operate. But I hope this info will help you if you’re feeling bogged down by assessment.

Brent Schmidt’s Personal Guiding Principles for Assessing and

Reporting Student Learning & Achievement

but also aligns with divisional and provincial requirements ;)

@brentrschmidt

Use smaller, more manageable numbers

Student “score” based on a 1-4 scale, for a specific learning outcome.

Achievement is based on what students can demonstrate most recently and consistently.

Observe their growth or regression.

Not every assessment needs to show up on a progress report or report card.

Zeros cannot be entered for missing assignments, or as an achievement level, in a way that would penalize student grade.

The Reasoning

Manitoba Report Card Subjects & Categories

This is what we report, this is not the curriculum. This is.

In my opinion, the report card policy for Manitoba is quite good. I like how it’s not based on standardized tests, focuses on learning categories, and separates of learning behaviours from academic reporting.

English Language Arts (ELA)

This is not the ELA curriculum. It is, however, simple to transpose the curriculum's general outcomes into these learning categories.

Detailed breakdown.

Students receive a 1-4 score for each learning category (academic achievement column).

An overall percentage for the subject is also required.

A large dilemma was how to synchronize the reporting of categories and percentages.

I started here.

The report card title page with the grade

scale and descriptors.

Now here’s a nifty draft of a rubric teachers from my

division collaborated to create for ELA.

We kept consistency with language and 1-4 scale.

This is not how the rubric needs to be presented to

students. It’s a guide for teachers.

A strong confidence in curriculum knowledge

and professional judgment is required.

I figured out that if I “marked” things out of 5, (including half-marks) I could make the 1-4 of the categories correspond to the percentage score.

Take note of this table. Screen-cap it. Whatever. I created it to help see how the numbers work together.

Level of Student Understanding

(based on curriculum, rubric, standard)

Category Score Mark out of 5 %

Very Good - Mastery 4 4 4.5 5(5)100 (4.5)90 (4)80

Good 3 3.5 70-79

Basic 2 3 60-69

Limited 1 2.5 50-59

ND (not demonstrated) ND 2 less than 50

4 = Very good 4.5 = Excellent 5 = 'Mastery'

No ZEROS

Consistent numbers and language.

Also, 5/5 is reserved for truly special skill demonstration.

I have my gradebook set up so that so every assessment is out of 5 marks. When I input the student’s score, the gradebook generates a standard score.

Red - Reading Blue - Writing Green - Speaking & Representing Purple - Listening & Viewing Yellow - Critical Thinking

Over the course of studying When You

Reach Me by Rebecca Stead,

I gathered assessment for

all ELA reporting categories.

SAMPLE

1. Assess student on a 1-4 scale, based on some standard (curriculum, rubric, student generated, etc.)

2. Input the corresponding mark out of 5 (as shown in table previously) into gradebook.

3. Gradebook automatically enters the standard score you used to assess the student.

My Assessment Workflow

This setup makes observing patterns and tendencies as simple as glancing the gradebook. Everything is out of 5. The scale of the marks don’t change over the year.

Consistency!

When I switched to assessing on a 1-4 scale, it took a huge burden off marking. No bean counting, but still valuable data. Assessment was specific to what students can learn and do, not just recall.

Well, that’s about it.

Thanks to,

Gregory Chomichuk for showing his 1-3 assessment for high school. His was based on a provincial exam rubric.

Vasilios Kavadas for jumping on board with this method and rocking it.

– All teachers

“But what about large projects?!”

–Brent Schmidt

“Hahahaha. Come talk to me about it."