Category: grading reform

communication, grading reform

Communicating Grading Reform Practices and Policies With Parents

Josh Kunnath

Communicate by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images As an 11th grade English teacher using equitable grading practices (including a four-point scale, standards-based grading, report card grades created exclusively from summative assessment, and a comprehensive retake policy), I recognize it’s my responsibility to inform students, parents, administrators, counselors, and other teachers about these practices that can… Continue reading Communicating Grading Reform Practices and Policies With Parents

grading reform

10 Common Grading Concerns And Answers

Josh Kunnath

As a high school English teacher, teacher coach, and grading and assessment consultant, I hear lots of teacher concerns about grading reform. Below are 10 of the most common grading questions/concerns that I hear from teachers, along with my short response to each. Isn’t minimum grading just giving lazy students something for nothing? A: Minimum… Continue reading 10 Common Grading Concerns And Answers

grading reform

Purposeful Grading Reform: Beginning with a Purpose Statement

Josh Kunnath

For those looking to either begin grading reform or continue some initial work they’ve begun, an important early step is to create a grading purpose statement. Such a statement allows students and parents to better understand your grades. It also helps you to make consistent and focused grading-related decisions. But Why Is This Necessary? A… Continue reading Purposeful Grading Reform: Beginning with a Purpose Statement

grading reform

Helping Teachers to Begin Grading Reform: A Staff-wide Grading Email

Josh Kunnath

If you've taken steps to improve your own grading practices to be more accurate and equitable, then hats off to you. But a big part of a teacher's grading reform work should also be helping other teachers to do the same. Few teachers, if any, receive any education on effective grading in their teacher preparation… Continue reading Helping Teachers to Begin Grading Reform: A Staff-wide Grading Email

distance learning, grading reform

Motivating Students Without Grades

Josh Kunnath

Image by Gerd Altmann As distance learning continues around the country, teachers may find themselves grappling with the topic of student motivation. Bereft of the traditional tools and strategies commonly used to motivate students in face-to-face instruction, teachers may feel powerless to teach any student other than the most motivated. And for many, the biggest… Continue reading Motivating Students Without Grades

grading reform

Reflections on First Semester Grading Reform: 3 Challenges

Josh Kunnath

This post continues from the previous one in which I shared some initial reflections on my first semester grading reforms. I’m doing so for two main reasons:  To be thoughtful and deliberate, hopefully learning as much as possible from the experience to continuously improve my own practice.To help others who may be undertaking similar grading… Continue reading Reflections on First Semester Grading Reform: 3 Challenges

grading reform, Uncategorized

Reflections on First Semester Grading Reform: 3 Successes

Josh Kunnath

It’s approximately the half-way mark of the school year, and to me, this means a couple of especially important things. It means the first semester is finished and grades have become a permanent part of student transcripts. With the second semester comes the opportunity to reflect on the successes and challenges of the 14 grading… Continue reading Reflections on First Semester Grading Reform: 3 Successes